Producer - Assistant Director: Difference!?

N

Nicola

Can anyone explain to me the difference between these two roles? They read very similarly to me.
I've just got myself a Producer credit on the first short I've worked on, and now I'm being asked to being Assistant Director on another shoot. I'd like to research the role before I get started, but the two seem really similar to me.
Is one 'better' than another?
 
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Well, in theory, the roles are pretty different, but in the no budget world they tend to overlap. A producer is supposed to be handling logistics, finance, legalities, etc... They hire the crew, make sure their contracts are signed, make sure they are paid, create and track the budget, make sure the location releases get signed, etc... The 1st assistant director does the director's grunt work. They make the shooting schedule, they make sure all the talent has today's script revisions, they check the shots off the shot list, they go tell the grip to get off his ass and rig that light. ADs that aren't 1st ADs are PAs who got a better title.
 
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I like to think of the Producer as the owner of a construction company, and the AD as the crew chief of the operation as the second in command on the set with the director being the project foreman.

Ultimately, the easiest way to think about it is that the Producer is responsible for the nouns in the script and everything associated with their acquisition (paperwork, money, insurance, etc).
 
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Generally, ADs are in charge of specific things happening on set. On my sets, the 1st AD is in charge of keeping me on schedule and fielding questions about which scenes/setups are happening in what order. My 2nd AD is in charge of wrangling extras, making sure they're taken care of and where they are supposed to be on time. That's really all I use, but others would be responsible for other management positions and are really just PAs with more responsibility as was mentioned above.
 
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