1st Assistant Director (1st AD)

The 1st AD is the operational head of the shooting day. The director directs; the 1st AD makes the day happen — running the set, managing the schedule, calling actions, keeping the production on time. Recognised by Screen Ireland and by every guild as the most operationally demanding crew role on set.

What the role does

• Breaks down the script into a shooting schedule in pre-production, in coordination with the Production Manager and director
• Builds the call sheet for each shoot day with the Production Coordinator
• Runs the set during the shoot day — calls "first positions," "rolling," "cut," coordinates between every department
• Manages the schedule in real time — what gets shot when, what slips, what catches up
• Supervises the 2nd Assistant Director (2nd AD), 3rd Assistant Director (3rd AD), Extras Coordinator and Trainee AD
• Coordinates health & safety on set in conjunction with the H&S officer
• Liaises with all HoDs on set readiness, crew availability, schedule changes

Position in the production

Reports to the director on creative matters and to the Line Producer / Production Manager on operational + schedule matters. Has the 2nd Assistant Director (2nd AD) reporting in directly, with 3rd Assistant Director (3rd AD) and Trainee AD under that, plus the Extras Coordinator in the team.

Career progression

SI Competency Framework places 1st AD at Level 5 — Leadership / HoD. Path: Trainee AD → 3rd Assistant Director (3rd AD) → 2nd Assistant Director (2nd AD) → 1st AD. The progression typically takes 8–12 years on increasingly complex productions.

Working pattern

Freelance. Prep + shoot engagement — typically 4–8 weeks prep before principal photography starts plus the full shoot.

Related guild / professional body

• Screen Directors Guild of Ireland (SDGI)

How Togra supports this

The Schedule + Call Sheet + Crew surfaces are tooled for the 1st AD's shoot-day workflow. Call sheet template + distribution flow includes the standard 1st AD timing breakdown, department call times, and Garda mandatory-contact list for any road-impacting setups.