Filmmaking / Directing : Ask Me Anything (AMA) – The Role and Responsibilities of a 1st AD - XOCHI BLYMYER by Xochi Blymyer

Thanks for having this AMA, Xochi Blymyer. That's a great story (your time in the movie business). I remember seeing "Action Jackson." I think it's time for a rewatch. :D What's the key to prepping for 1st ADs?

Thank you for sharing your time with us today, Xochi Blymyer! What are the primary responsibilities of a 1st AD on set and how are they different from a 2nd AD?

Hi Maurice, thanks for having the first question! The key to prepping is information. Some people say great prep makes for a smooth shoot. In prep, I receive the script for the next episode (IN TV, there are two first AD who do every other episode - in the general set up) - I'll have 7 or 8 days to breakdown the script, create a shooting schedule with doable days - all this by having meetings with all departments, getting all the puzzle pieces - what are the locations, is this day or night, are there unavailable cast dates and all of this information is taken into account to make a good schedule for shooting. So they Key is having all the information - when we get information late in prep, we have to be ready to pivot - could be a location no longer available, weather issues, a set that needs time to be built, you never know. But have a plan but don't be surprised if your plan is going to change! Let me know how Action Jackson hold up! :)

What's something you wish every director understood about working with an AD /crew?

Ashley - Thanks for your question. A simple way of the difference between the 1st and the 2nd are - The 1st AD runs the set on the day, the 2nd AD is preparing for the future days. I hand off the schedule to the 2nd after prep and the 2nd continues to spread the information to departments, brings to me any issues and once a plan for next day is made (the callsheet) - we go over it together and the 2nd continues to make sure all know what tomorrow will bring. I would deal with questions on the set about the present day and be available for spreading information on set as well.

My son is a film student and asked for you -- what are some strategies you. use to direct background extras in a long scene? How are you communicating to director about working with background ?

Meg - good question! One quick answer, all the crew wants to know is what to prepare for - if the director shares their plan for a scene, you'll have the best chance of keeping the day moving forward. If the director has ideas for future scenes that may entail special shots or equipment, relaying that to the departments (whether it's through me or directly to the departments) it helps a lot. Once again, it's information. Also, as a 1st, I'm here to help the director get what they want on set. Not the director's assistant. Also helpful to get to know what each crew member does because every crew member is an important part of making the show. In TV, the director, DP and 1st should be a team and we are responsible to make our days in the time we estimate so working closely together makes a smooth running episode.

Thanks for the answer, Xochi Blymyer! That's a lot of prep, but it sounds like it's definitely needed. I'll let you know how "Action Jackson" held up. Congratulations on all your success! Can't wait to watch “Hey Alexa”!

Meg - BG question - sometimes in prep, the director may have idea of how to use BG as transition pieces or how to open a scene -for instance, maybe in a bar the scene opens with a waitress carrying a tray of drinks over to the main character. Some of those specifics the director already knows or once the scene is rehearsed, it may be discussed. If I have the notes ahead of time, I'll pass them along to my 2nd 2nd AD who is usually the person on set setting the BG. They will also have a conversation with the director to ask questions. As far as long scenes - I like to bring those bg into the conversation so they know their goal - to keep the background alive for a while - if they can not just go from A to B but have a story for themselves, I think it works best. Let them each be part of the solution instead of just pushing them back and forth. It also makes them look more real. It also depends on what the scene is. If you're on a sidewalk - well, then make sure you have people posted to send them back and forth - sometimes if it's someone too obvious, they only go one time and others that are more generic can go back and forth multiple times. Hope that answers the question, if not, let me know!

Thanks Maurice!

Xochi! Thanks for doing an AMA today. What a huge value you bring to our community my friend. I am sure you have worked with a lot of directors in your career. From your perspective as a 1st AD, what makes a good director? Specially one that you would want to work with over and over.

You're welcome, Xochi Blymyer.

Hi Xochi Blymyer - thank you so much for being here today for this AMA. I've been producing film, TV and commercials for over 20 years and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the amazing work of the AD department and how vital a strong 1st AD is to any production. I have so much respect for the work that you do. My question is about your short film - how did your experiences as an AD help you when planning and making your film? Again, thank you for being here for the community today!

Hi Ryan! This is fun! And thank you. I have indeed worked with more directors than I can count! Many look at directors from the outside for their creativity as a way to say they are great - and they are. But from my side to work besides them, they need to collaborative - with me, the DP and the cast and crew. Sure, they are the leader of the set but when collaborating each person involved can add even more to the process. Doing their homework and having a plan that the director shares, even if the plan changes on the day, is huge. Without knowing what the director is thinking ahead of time, wastes time figuring it out on the day. I always tell them, I want to make sure you have the most shooting time each day so planning ahead saves waiting time of for example - putting the crane in place ahead of time, dressing in the background, which direction are we shooting so we can move equipment and be willing to make adjustments if needed! Also, I don't believe a director needs to know all the equipment - but does need to have an idea of what they want and then the Cameraman and Key Grip will be able to use their expertise to get the right equipment. Some get caught up in gadgets they need without talking with the people who know best. Mostly Ryan, a director that has a plan, can alter if needed and knows we are all responsible to get the day done in the time we have promised are the best. To be kind is a bonus. I do have my favorites!

Hi Sam! Happy to be here! Good question! When I was prepping Hey Alexa, I definitely used my 1st AD skills! All levels of AD. :) I was a one man band planning the crew, cast, set decoration, equipment and all so organizing it all was a fun and stressful challenge. Knowing what and who is needed on the set, I started with that in mind - Because of the story being in one room, I made the decision to use my own living room - this gave me the opportunity to decorate the set over time and make it the best it could be - I'm a bit of a detail person! Took me months to take the set down! I found a DP and planned a date that he and the Director would be available - after that, I made endless calls to crew and cast to find who would commit to that one day. I also knew I wanted everyone to be happy and well fed - found a great person to handle snacks, the taco lady for lunch, luckily I have a covered patio for the the cast to hang out. Before the shoot day, I emailed the crew, sent call sheets and kept double checking with them. My main cast member cancelled on me Friday afternoon - thank goodness I had spoken with another actress who agreed to be Alexa at the last minute! Fire after fire! DP dropped out the week before due to getting work out of town. I had a tear in my eye when we rolled for the first time - it looked so beautiful and I think I was relieved that I had somehow managed on my own to bring it all together! That was the very long answer to your questions, all my AD experience, going with the flow and changing on the fly, definitely helped me produce my short!

Hi Xochi Blymyer! Thanks for doing this AMA! You mention that you also write scripts. What advice would you give to writers about keeping production in mind as they're writing? I've heard a few times recently that writers need to consider the crew more (locations, HMU, stunts, etc.) as their writing

Hi, Xochi. Thanks for your helpful insights. Having worked as both a director and a 1st AD [and sometimes both on smaller shoots] I sure appreciate your insights. When working at Universal Studios people often called the TV series directors "traffic cops" and acknowledged that the 1st AD's really ran the actual shoots. QUESTION -- how much do you include your assessment of a director's ability stay focused and flexible when you're making your shooting schedule and then during production, limiting (or not) the number of takes for each shot?

Hi Emily J! Great question. The thing is, the more sets that are written in a story, is more time used to move from set to set instead of actually filming. For instance, if its a tv show that the family always sits in the living room - sometimes a writer might put them out in a field for a conversation that could have been in the living room - sure, it gets the story outside and "breathes" as some say - but in reality, does the audience care? They like being part of the family in the living room. That's a simple explanation - but now you're not looking for a field - sometimes locations don't match which makes a schedule hard to put together - perhaps if in the script there is a whole day in similar places - like a college campus - classroom, quad, field - that could all be one day of work depending on the scenes. That's great! It Gives more filming time and less moving around time. That's locations. HMU - when I schedule, I look for changes - if a character changes their look every scene, that's going to take a lot of time away from filming. Sometimes it's not helped but other times it's really a stroke of the pen that can consolidate some of those things. Real people don't change their hair throughout the day unless it's a special event! :) Some of this works for a tight tv schedule - and using the sets that are already built - a writer could go see the sets for themselves so they know what they are writing to. Don't write 8 actors in a dorm room (unless the walls come out!) Also, not having run on scenes that are actually multiple locations. Phone calls are fine. But sometimes as you mentioned stunts - there might be 5 different scenes or actions in one scene. For Scheduling purposes, it's going to be split up anyway. Always great when it's already written that way. Basically, not adding one scene in a random set that doesn't exist if it's not necessary. But every story is different! In the end, when we actually go into production, being flexible where you can and knowing what absolutely needs to stay for the story - then the crew will be able to plan with all of that in mind. If there's a lot of ensemble cast scenes, be sure to mention all of them - tracking where characters come and go from can be challenging if it's assumed we know but it's not written. :) Does that answer some of your question?

Oh, and Emily, my short film, I knew I wanted to keep the budget low and still hopefully have a fun story. Cause in my mind a short is self funded. Hey Alexa was in one room! Not all stories can be quite that simple and you've also made me wonder about my scripts too. :)

Pamela! I feel like the AD is more of a traffic cop than the director! And as you probably know, it all depends on the director. In prep, when the schedule is set, I make what is called a Timed Oneliner. I make estimates for every scenes as to how long I think it will take to shoot. Judging it from where it is being shot, how many cast members are in it, is it day or night, are there any effects that might take time, other elements. I'm pretty realistic cause I've done this a lot and don't want to be too optimistic and then fail. Once I make up my times, I go over this with the director and try to add the DP's thoughts too - Now before we start filming, the 3 of us have agreed what our goals will be to film each scene. Sometimes a director doesn't want to commit and may over estimate to cover any delays. But these estimate also help us plan when actors should be ready throughout the day. Anyway, if we get into a situation that we are over our estimate, I speak to the director and DP to see first off, how much time to complete the scene we are going over on and then where can we make up the time for the rest of the day. The company is depending on the hours you have promised and despite unfortunate delays that come up, still hope the day will not go over the estimated hours. I very nicely remind the director what time it is, what predicament we might be in and ask for help on how together we will steer back to being on time. Sometimes we know ahead of time certain scenes may have something that will go over our estimates but I try to get that information from the director - have them have a wish list of shots that that will not get if we run out of time. If the director has planned out the scene, they may also have a simpler blocking in mind when time is short. The DP can be very helpful with all of this too. As far as how many takes, it's all in the above. The more takes you do of one shot, the less you'll have later. If you've got the performance and the elements needed, move on!

Thanks for having this AMA Xochi Blymyer! And thanks for such in-depth insightful answers.

Lisa you are very welcome!

Checking in here, I had a couple thoughts you may or may not know. The DGA has the creative side with directors and more the managerial side with the UPM's and Assistant Directors - it's not a natural progression for an AD to become a director. You would go up to UPM and that's it. So if you want to become a director either you make yourself a director or someone hires you as director. My very first movie I worked on as a PA, a great producer said to me in my interview when he asked what I wanted to do. He said "If you want to Produce, Produce...if you want to Direct, Direct. EVERYTHING Else you have to work your way up". He was right. The other thought I had is that an AD sort of straddles the line of working for the producer and the director - if it's a tv show, the producer hires an AD to work with all the guest directors - once you have your director, you're then there to help the director get the episode done but all the while, you're also working for the producer to come in on time and follow the planned schedule. It's a balance cause once on the set you don't want to offend the director, you want to take care of the show and get them what they need. But advising the director when we are behind or there might be challenges, is part of working for the producer. It's really fun on some days to make it work! By fun...well, you decide! This is why a great collaborator of a director is extremely helpful.

Thats such helpful information about the progression of AD careers! Thank you, Xochi Blymyer!

Thanks Folks for your questions today! After all this time off, was fun to talk about what I do when I'm working! But feel free to reach out anytime if you have any questions or are curious about something I might be able to help/answer. Happy Movie Making!

I hello Cliff. I would have to read one. My Ad Brain I’ll start organizing it but once that busy work has cleared it could be I interesting to see. If I could come up w ideas to shoot it. Let’s give it a try, send me your script.

Claude, took me two seconds away from the lounge to change your name! Sorry about that! Trying to write on my phone!

Thanks again for having this AMA, Xochi Blymyer. Happy Movie Making and have a great weekend!

Thank you for doing this AMA, Xochi Blymyer. Excellent learning from you and hearing your experience in the business. On a personal note - I went to high school with Nora Zuckerman, who wrote several episodes of Agents of Shield. And I remember very well seeing T2 in theaters. Thanks again for joining us!

Xochi is a very very experienced AD and worth seeking guidance and information from!

Judd, they say it's a small world and you've just proved it is!