# First Assistant Director

Source: https://storiara.com/roles/first-assistant-director
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Spencer Kaufman, Storiara

> The first assistant director (1st AD) breaks down the script, builds the shooting schedule, and runs the set so the company finishes each day's work safely and on time. The 1st AD calls the rehearsals and rolls, holds the safety meeting, sets tomorrow's order of scenes and calls, and manages the 2nd AD team. On DGA shows the job is covered by the Basic Agreement.

## Prep: turning a script into a schedule

A 1st AD usually starts four to eight weeks before the first shoot day, depending on the size of the show. The first job is the [script breakdown](https://storiara.com/glossary/script-breakdown): every scene gets a sheet listing its cast, background, props, vehicles, stunts, effects, and page count in eighths. From those sheets the AD builds a [stripboard](https://storiara.com/glossary/stripboard) and starts moving strips around until the days make sense.

The order is rarely the script order. A good first pass groups scenes by location to cut [company moves](https://storiara.com/glossary/company-move), then checks cast availability against the [day out of days](https://storiara.com/glossary/day-out-of-days) so an expensive guest actor isn't carried on a hold day for a week. Night exteriors go at the end of a week so the turnaround lands on the weekend. Scenes with minors get scheduled around their permitted hours. Anything with stunts, weather, or a location that closes at 5 p.m. gets locked first and the rest is built around it.

The output of prep is the shooting schedule and its compressed version, the [one-line schedule](https://storiara.com/glossary/one-line-schedule). A line from a one-line looks like this:

| Sc. | Set | D/N | Pages | Cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42A | EXT. PARKING GARAGE - LEVEL 3 | N | 1 3/8 | 1, 4 |
| 43 | INT. MAYA'S CAR (PROCESS) | N | 5/8 | 1 |

During prep the 1st AD also runs or attends the production meeting (a page-by-page read of the schedule with every department head), the tech scout, and the stunt and effects meetings, and writes the safety bulletins that will be attached to the call sheet on the day those scenes shoot.

## Running the floor

On the day, the 1st AD's voice is the one on walkie channel 1. A typical sequence for each setup: bring in [first team](https://storiara.com/glossary/first-team) for a blocking rehearsal, let the director and actors work it out, call a marking rehearsal for camera, release actors to [second team](https://storiara.com/glossary/second-team) while the DP lights, then bring first team back for final touches and call "picture's up," "lock it up," and "roll sound." After a cut the AD calls "back to one" or moves on when the director says so.

Everything in between is time management. The 1st AD holds a [safety meeting](https://storiara.com/glossary/safety-meeting) at call and before any stunt or effects work, watches the clock toward lunch (the six-hour mark is where [meal penalties](https://storiara.com/glossary/meal-penalty) start on most union shows), and talks to the director about what can be dropped or combined if the day is slipping.

### A worked example: can we make the day?

Crew call is 7:00 a.m., lunch is at 1:00 p.m., and camera wrap is planned for 7:00 p.m. The call sheet has 5 4/8 pages across four scenes. At lunch the company has shot 2 3/8 pages.

Remaining pages: 5 4/8 minus 2 3/8 is 3 1/8 pages. After a 30-minute lunch the company is back at 1:30, which leaves five and a half hours. The morning pace was 2 3/8 pages (19 eighths) in six hours, a bit over three eighths an hour. At that pace, 25 eighths needs roughly eight hours. The AD has two and a half hours to find, so at lunch they go to the director with options: shoot the 5/8 car scene on the next day's cover set, cut the wide master on scene 44 and play it in two singles, or ask the UPM about going into overtime. That conversation happens at lunch, while there is still time to choose.

## Tomorrow's call sheet, the one-line, and the production report

Around mid-afternoon the 1st AD sets the next day's work with the UPM: which scenes, in what order, crew call, shooting call, and each actor's on-set time. The [second assistant director](https://storiara.com/roles/second-assistant-director) turns that into the draft [call sheet](https://storiara.com/glossary/call-sheet), working backward from set times through hair, makeup, and wardrobe to get pickup and report times, and checking every actor against their turnaround. The 1st AD proofs it, the UPM signs off, and the production office distributes it before wrap.

After wrap the 2nd AD finishes the [daily production report](https://storiara.com/glossary/daily-production-report): in and out times for every crew member and actor, meal times, scenes and pages shot, setups, script minutes, and any delays or injuries. The 1st AD checks the times, the UPM signs, and the report goes to the studio. If the day went badly, the one-line gets revised that night and a new version goes out with the next call sheet.

## The AD team

On a union feature the 1st AD runs a team of a Key 2nd AD, who owns the paperwork and cast logistics; a [2nd 2nd AD](https://storiara.com/roles/second-second-assistant-director), who stays on set with the 1st AD and handles background; additional 2nd ADs on heavy background days; and a [key set PA](https://storiara.com/roles/key-set-production-assistant) who runs the set PAs. On a small indie the 1st AD may have one 2nd AD and two PAs doing all of it.

## A realistic shoot day

| Time | What the 1st AD is doing |
|---|---|
| 6:30 a.m. | Walks the set with the key set PA, checks lock-up points, confirms cast arrival with the 2nd AD |
| 7:00 a.m. | Crew call. Safety meeting, reads out the day's scenes and any stunt notes |
| 7:15 a.m. | Blocking rehearsal for scene 42A with first team |
| 1:00 p.m. | Lunch. Revisits the schedule with the UPM |
| 3:30 p.m. | Sets tomorrow's order and calls with the UPM, reviews the draft call sheet |
| 7:00 p.m. | Camera wrap. Announces tomorrow's crew call on walkie |
| 7:30 p.m. | Signs off the production report times with the 2nd AD |

The DGA rate card defines the 1st AD's workday as running from general crew call to camera wrap, plus travel time on distant or bus-to locations. Days that run past 13 hours earn an extra half day's salary (prep days excluded), with more at 15 and 19 hours.

## How people become 1st ADs

On DGA signatory productions, employers give preference to people on the Qualification Lists, which DGA Contract Administration maintains for Southern California, the Third Area, and multi-camera work, with a separate office for the New York list. Southern California runs from the northern San Luis Obispo County line to the Mexican border.

To be placed on the Southern California 1st AD list, you need 520 working days as a 2nd AD (at least 390 with the shooting company and at least 39 on location), or 400 days as a 1st AD (300 shooting, 30 on distant location). Days on non-signatory shows count if you were employed as an AD, were paid, and can prove it with call sheets, production reports, crew lists, deal memos, and pay stubs or W-2s. Invoices and time cards alone are not accepted.

Most 1st ADs came up as 2nd ADs. Some got there through the DGA [Assistant Directors Training Program](https://storiara.com/roles/second-assistant-director), which places trainees on sets for 400 days on the West Coast or 350 in New York and graduates them as 2nd ADs. Others worked non-union shows as 1st ADs and documented enough days to qualify. More on the lists is in [qualification list](https://storiara.com/glossary/qualification-list) and our guide to [the DGA, SAG-AFTRA, and IATSE](https://storiara.com/blog/navigating-film-unions-a-guide-to-the-dga-sag-aftra-and-iatse). Low budget terms are covered in [the DGA Low Budget Agreement](https://storiara.com/blog/dga-low-budget-agreement).

## Pay

The 2026 to 2027 DGA Article 13 minimum is $6,843 a week in the studio or $9,571 on location, plus a weekly production fee of $1,270 (studio) or $1,560 (location). The studio workweek has the 6th and 7th days off, and 6th-day work in the studio pays 150% of the pro rata daily salary. Under the Low Budget Side Letter, a feature budgeted between $1.1 million and $3 million can pay a 1st AD 50% of the minimum, which is $3,422 a week.

## Tools

1st ADs still think in strips. In Storiara the [schedule](https://storiara.com/feature/scheduling) is a drag-and-drop stripboard where scenes or individual shots go into shoot days, the day out of days fills in from that schedule, and the [call sheet](https://storiara.com/feature/callsheets) pulls the day's scenes, the call times for assigned cast and crew, the location address and the weather forecast, with the nearest hospital typed in by the ADs. For a longer walkthrough, see [Storiara for first assistant directors](https://storiara.com/blog/storiara-for-first-assistant-directors).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between a director and a first AD?

The director decides what the scene should be: performances, blocking, and coverage. The 1st AD works out how and when it gets shot, runs the floor so the director can stay with the actors, and answers to the UPM for schedule and safety.

### How many days do you need to become a DGA first assistant director?

For the Southern California Qualification List, 520 working days as a 2nd AD (at least 390 with the shooting company and 39 on location), or 400 days as a 1st AD with at least 300 shooting days and 30 on distant location. You also need one qualifying day in the last six months.

### How much does a DGA first AD make?

For July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 the DGA Article 13 minimum is $6,843 a week in the studio and $9,571 a week on location, plus a weekly production fee. Low budget features under the side letter can pay a percentage of those numbers.

### Does the 1st AD make the call sheet?

The 1st AD decides what goes on it: scene order, crew call, and when each actor is needed on set. The 2nd AD drafts the sheet, the UPM or line producer approves it, and the production office sends it out.

### When does a DGA 1st AD's workday start and end?

The DGA rate card says a 1st AD's workday begins at general crew call and ends at camera wrap, plus travel time on a distant location or a bus-to location.

## Sources

- [DGA Rate Cards 2026 to 2027 (Minimum Salary Schedule effective July 1, 2026)](https://www.dga.org/Contracts/Rates-2026-to-2027)
- [DGACA Southern California Qualification List: 1st Assistant Director requirements](https://www.dgaca.org/sc-specific-requirements/sc-1st-ad)
- [DGA Qualification Lists](https://www.dga.org/employers/qualificationlists)
- [DGACA Frequently Asked Questions](https://www.dgaca.org/faq)
- [DGA Assistant Directors Training Program](https://www.dga.org/resources/training-program)