Whether you want to become a director and guide you towards the direction of production, or perform other functions in the middle of the film, there are great chances that you had to go through the box stage, even having a network. The network might help you to get a training course more interesting, but it will not allow you to make your first feature film in 18 years. We have already dedicated an article to the book wizard producer, very successful on the subject, and ideal to learn more about the trade. In the meantime, you can already learn a little more with this article.
The tasks of the trainee Assistant director on the shoot
First of all, it should well be aware that the trainee has a real role to play. IF you ever have the chance of dropping your first internship on the set, be aware that you will not be there to watch others. You need to learn, but this will take place primarily by the action.
The faster you will be autonomous and more quickly you will entrust different tasks. The assistant director is very busy and especially sources of stress are numerous. If he will be able to show restraint in the face of the director or producer, this may be less the case with the trainee, which the slows. Most importantly, you’ll most likely be calling you for another internship or even a first contract if you have shown initiative with success.
On most shoots, one of the main missions of the Trainee Assistant Director will be to take care of the actors. He must ensure that they are at the time on the shelf (sometimes providing him transport), and once on site, he will respond to their various requests, while ensuring that they are ready for the filming of their sequences in time.
Internship as Assistant director, the opinion of Alice
Do you want to become an Assistant director, why the choice of this profession ?
I want to become an assistant because it is a profession that combines artistic side (advice to the director, in particular on the actors to take), and organization (it is he who made the schedule, and organizes the work day…)
You have participated in an internship on a film set, can you tell us more about your daily work ?
My missions as an intern : Bringing the actors on stage, distribute all the planning (from the night before for the next day), send e-mails to the actors, blocking of streets, direction of extras (when it should on the scene, and a lot of “police” : the respect of silence). There are also a lot of moments where you have to defuse the tensions between the different teams and your superiors (assistants csr are quite asked for it)
Do you plan to do internships in other professions ? Why ?
I would like to do internships of chief operator, but…this is not possible, because it is a trade that has not an intern, it is accessed after having been the first of a left (1st on the camera, Electro…). After the director, the chief operator is the chief of chiefs, it is he who chaperone all of the technical aspects : light, filter, etc… (it is also very well-paid and paid a general tour to the end). But it’s a job a lot more difficult to access
How to find an internship as assistant director ?
If you are studying in a film school (which we highly recommend), operate its network. Explore the alumni directory, professional networks like Linkedin. You can also contact the production companies to the approach of filming.