Summer 2019
AT WORK WITH
By Becca Nadler
I've always been a director's AD," says 1st AD Leo N. Bauer, explaining that the pressures for a guest director on a series can be myriad. "They're under a lot of stress to get their episode done in X amount of days, and the only person they really know is you because [of prep], so they rely on you. You need to be on their side."
Bauer, who works frequently with Ryan Murphy on projects, including The Politician, Pose, American Crime Story and The Normal Heart, believes that giving directors the time necessary to do their job is one of the most important things an AD can do on set. "It actually goes smoother and faster when you slow it down and let everybody do their work instead of rushing people," he says. "I'm respectful of every single department because they all have a job to do."
Another imperative for Bauer to bring to set during an eight-month marathon of a television schedule is a sense of camaraderie. "You're working with creatives and you're working with blue-collar guys like myself for 14-15 hours a day, and it's really important to get along," he says. "It's like eating an elephant with a teaspoon. It's a slow process, but you all get through it together."