Director
Creative or operational relevance to directing
Third AD: wrangling extras to set, holding perimeters, clearing paths. The entry-level position where you learn how a set actually runs.
The Third Assistant Director is the entry-level position in the department and also its reach: they are where the set ends and the world begins.
Responsibilities
- Managing Extras. From the holding area to the set, briefing, positioning, and returning them after the take. With a hundred extras, this is a choreography in itself.
- Lock-up. Maintaining cordons, stopping passersby, halting traffic — politely and firmly, usually with no authority beyond the permit in hand.
- Keeping Paths Clear. So that actors, camera, and crew can reach the set without detours.
The path leads from 3rd AD to 2nd AD and then to 1st AD. Anyone who can calmly guide extras through a shooting day has understood the essentials of the department.
From the crafts
Perspectives
Producer
Importance in production planning and execution
More in the lexikon
Related terms
Test your knowledge
Quiz
1. Zu welchem Department gehört „3. Regieassistent"?
2. Wie viele verschiedene Fachperspektiven bietet dieser Eintrag?