Four a.m. is the calm before the storm. The sky is dark, and I wave at the Transpo Department as I walk the line of actors’ trailers, hair and makeup, and costumes, coming to a stop at the AD trailer. My office.
The lights are on, and the daily stack of distro, call sheets, sides (the portion of the script and scenes being shot that day), and shot lists are set on my desk waiting. I open the envelopes, check the sides against my updated script to make sure all is succinct, then pull out the call sheets. Occasionally there will be script revisions that have an impact on the scenes being shot that day, so it’s important to check everything. I divvy up the stacks of call sheets and sides, making sure all my basecamp crew has the material they need, and set the rest aside for the shooting crew. Then it’s back out into the darkness, to distribute these materials, check in with hair, makeup, and costumes, and await my first cast member’s arrival at 4:18 a.m.
Crew call is 7 a.m. The goal is to have all my cast ready by crew call, or at least have their hair and makeup completed by that time, so they only need a costume change after rehearsal. I have a schedule and flowchart made and memorized. I can anticipate if cast will be delayed by how long they’re in hair before they head to makeup or vice versa. Coffee in hand, I stand ready to deal with any hiccups in the production flow. These are the quiet moments, before the director and crew land and begin setting up the day’s work. There’s lots of chaos and paperwork to deal with in the next 14 hours. But this is my favorite part of the morning.
This is the morning routine of the base camp AD (or additional assistant director). As an assistant director in the Director’s Guild of America, I have the title of second assistant director, meaning I can work as any of the following: Key 2nd AD, creating call sheets, facilitating communication with cast; 2nd 2nd AD, on set alongside the first AD, director and director of photography, directing background actors and helping to achieve the creative vision; additional 2nd AD, running base camp, maintaining schedules, and dealing with cast; or additional 2nd AD on set, helping the 2nd 2nd AD place background actors in scenes.
I love the chaos of working in different locations and interacting with a multitude of people each day. But the demands of a 12- to 14-hour day or night shoot are already grueling already — without the anticipation of driving home with a 6 a.m. sunrise. But you lean into the demands of the day’s work and schedule changes. It’s the part of the job most people come to resent.
The ever-changing, fast-paced environment, the schedule changes, the camaraderie of shooting overnight — these are all aspects of the film industry that can, and often do, become toxic. And yet, most of us union film workers would probably admit we currently miss it.
The 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes took a toll on several film industry workers, shifting many into temporary part-time work or causing others to leave the industry entirely. I was a fortunate case. I was in the middle of production on Peacock’s Hysteria! when we shut down due to the strikes. I was able to find temporary work at the Georgia Aquarium for the summer and fall but returned to Hysteria! as soon as the strikes ended in November. Being able to return to production was a blessing — my bank account reached $0 just days before the call to return to work came. Suddenly, I was able to pay my rent and utilities for December, make my car payment, feel the dread lift so I could breathe.
I was also aware I was one of only a few ADs with work to go back to. When I met with my main cast members the week before Thanksgiving, it felt like we were starting season two of the show instead of picking up at episode four of eight, a joke the cast continued to make each day in base camp. When Hysteria! wrapped principal photography in March of 2024, I headed straight over to another NBC Universal production.
Fight Night wrapped at the end of June. July was a month of unemployment as productions slowed again, preparing for the Iatse and Teamsters negotiations. Everyone was prepared for more strikes. Few productions continued through the summer as the year progressed.
I’m sure I speak for all film industry professionals when I say I hope 2025 brings more productions to Atlanta and to the U.S. Many productions have headed to the U.K. recently. But the fear we all share in common is what lies on the horizon. What now? What if we have seen a decline in productions and a decline in jobs that will never recoup?
I hope for adaptability as many film industry expats find new paths to pursue. The dream, though, is to continue the work in the industry we joined and in the careers we’ve built, surrounded by the magic of storytelling.
