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DGA AD Training Program Accepting Applications!


Brian Dzyak

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Applications for the 2011 Directors Guild of America (DGA) Assistant Director Training Program are now available!

 

The DGA AD TRAINING PROGRAM is a two-year professional apprenticeship training a select group of people to become Assistant Directors in motion pictures. Trainees learn on-the- job as paid employees supervised by DGA members on film productions (features, film TV series, and commercials) shooting primarily in New York City. Successful program completion results in eligibility for membership in the DGA as a Second Assistant Director.

 

More details at www.realfilmcareer.com

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  • 10 months later...
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Applications for the 2011 Directors Guild of America (DGA) Assistant Director Training Program are now available!

 

The DGA AD TRAINING PROGRAM is a two-year professional apprenticeship training a select group of people to become Assistant Directors in motion pictures. Trainees learn on-the- job as paid employees supervised by DGA members on film productions (features, film TV series, and commercials) shooting primarily in New York City. Successful program completion results in eligibility for membership in the DGA as a Second Assistant Director.

 

More details at www.realfilmcareer.com

I've AD'd before. Stand around with a bullhorn, shout at actors and extras. What's to know?

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The book goes into much greater detail than ever could be imparted in a forum format, but the gist is that the DGA Training Program takes a limited number of applicants per period and places them onto actual productions as "trainees" to work with and assist the AD staff. There are also mandatory "workshops" that go over various aspects of the AD job in a more formal environment, such as callsheets and SAG vouchers. That sort of thing.

 

The overall idea is to present the Trainees with a realistic experience of what being a professional AD is like AND, ostensibly, to create a mechanism to train future ADs in a formal official manner instead of having every AD have to rely on "on the job" training which is hit-or-miss depending upon who you just happen to work with. This program also serves to weed out those who really aren't cut out for it before they "waste" more of their own time and energy in the industry than is necessary.

 

But as I mentioned, my book goes into all of this in much greater detail for anyone truly interested in applying for the program. :)

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Well, call sheets, releases, and insurance docs, those were all part of my Stage Management training. I guess that bled over to ADing, though I rarely ever had to go over the cast and crew list to see who showed up on time (typically you're fired if you're appreciably late).

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A lot of those details have to go on the Production Report every night which is the "legal document" that is used for everything from paychecks to tracking the schedule and paying for rentals and vendors and any accidents that may unfortunately occur. Those are the types of things that every AD has to learn and the DGA Training Program is a formal education process that seeks to teach SOME aspiring ADs how to do all of that.

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I guess that's true for location shooting, but every interior or studio I've worked with already had the day's expenses with the accountant. Then again I've worked for the independent studios, never a major, so my training might be a little different from what the big boys do.

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