Can you imagine finally getting your project up on it's feet to shoot and not having a plan or a schedule for the whole process? What if you showed up each morning and there was no organization around how you were going to make your wildly important production day? That's why you need to know the fundamentals of assistant directing and production management. 

Assistant directing and production management are the heartbeat of every physical production. These are the skills you need to properly plan, budget and execute a shoot. Whether you want to be a professional production manager or assistant director (which can get you into the DGA), or you're a producer, director, filmmaker, executive or any part of the content creation process, having a working knowledge of these tools and how to communicate properly with these departments is essential. 

In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, you’ll learn an overview of the critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills needed to be a great assistant director and how to best manage a production, from an expert who has worked on countless films and television shows.

Korey Pollard is a DGA first assistant director. He’s worked on films including STAND BY ME, THAT THING YOU DO, WATERWORLD, and SPY KIDS 2, among others, and hit TV shows like DEADWOOD, MONK, GREY’S ANATOMY, Stephen Bochco’s MURDER IN THE FIRST, HOUSE, CSI, BOOMTOWN, SALEM, KEVIN FROM WORK, and many more.

Korie also holds a position on The First Assistant Director/Unit Production Manager Committee of The Directors Guild of America.

In this webinar, you’ll cover:

• What your responsibilities as an assistant director are
• What questions to ask the director and producer
• How to read a script with other departments and their needs in mind
• The different department meetings
• What crew you need
• How to create a pre-production calendar
• How to create a production schedule
• And so much more.

Miscommunication, misunderstanding, and reaching for too much work are all missteps that you’ll inevitably face during production. But by learning these skills and tools from Korey, you’ll have the keys to creating an achievable plan, working with your team to problem solve, and know how to plan and execute a shoot at the highest levels.

An Overview

• The responsibilities of an AD
• The responsibilities of a UPM
• Why you need both
• The essential skills

Reading the Script

• Reading to create lists of questions
• Reading with other departments in mind.
• Taking notes for the shooting schedule and meetings.
• Determining which department can best answer your questions.

Working with the Team

• Working with the producer and director.
• Communicating with all the various departments.
• Determining when you need additional staff
• Setting the tone in prep and shooting.

Creating a Pre-Production Calendar

• Setting up meetings with every department
• The Production Meeting
• The Tech Scout

Creating the Schedule

• An overview of elements
• How the elements affect Production

The Different Department Meetings and What You Need to Know

• The Director's Concept & Casting
• Sets, Locations & Logistics
• Props, Transportation &Picture Cars
• Wardrobe, Hair & Makeup
• Extras Casting, Stunts
• Grip & Elec (if needed)
• Camera (if needed)
• Film specific issues

Q&A with Korey

All levels of directors (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn learn an overview of the critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills needed to be a great assistant director

All levels of writers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn an overview of the critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills needed to be a great assistant director

Producers looking to learn an overview of the critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills needed to be a great assistant director

Actors looking to learn an overview of the critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills needed to be a great assistant director