Maintaining a safe set was the subject of the day when nearly 50 DGA members gathered at the Guild’s Los Angeles headquarters for the Eighth Annual 1st AD Breakfast on September 27. Hosted by the AD/UPM Council West’s 1st AD Committee, this year’s event was titled Set Safety: Tools for Creating a Safe Environment… and the Politics and Techniques of Saying No., and was designed to provide information about this issue through an exploration of techniques proven effective in this area.
The day kicked off with a breakfast/social mixer during which the attendees were encouraged to sign up for a discussion group that would further explore the topics of the day. Following the mixer, 1st AD Committee Co-Chair Alan B. Curtiss (World War Z) read a welcome message from AD/UPM Council West Chair Marie Cantin and introduced DGA Associate Western Executive Director Jon Larson, the DGA executive in charge of this council. Larson encouraged the group to speak freely about their experiences, and to view the titular mandate as an invitation to think creatively about how their unique skills as ADs can positively impact awareness on a global level within the industry.
After explaining how the day would proceed, Curtiss introduced the event’s co-hosts, 1st ADs Anya Adams (The Mindy Project), Tony Adler (Halt and Catch Fire), George Bamber (Tyrant), Nicole Burke (Hit the Floor), Jeff Okabayashi (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Marty Eli Schwartz (Fast & Furious 7), and Jey Wada (Labor Day). During the introductions, each of the co-hosts stated their primary work genre and gave a brief example of a safety challenge they had experienced, or a special issue they were planning to explore further in the breakout groups they would be moderating.
Attendees then separated into the breakout groups where everyone contributed his/her own knowledge and experience to the explorations of the subjects of the day. Each group had a correspondent responsible for collecting the information that would be reported later when the groups reassembled in the Boardroom. Afterwards, the floor was opened to a broader discussion on what had transpired within their groups. Common themes included approaches to slowing down the moment while still getting the shot and remaining on schedule; creating a sense of teamsmanship toward the goal of safe-conscious decision making; and a paradigm-shift away from saying ‘no’ to finding ways to say ‘yes, if we can do it safely.’
The AD/UPM Council West 1st AD Committee meets to plan events, exchange information, share ideas and address issues facing 1st AD members. In addition to Committee Co-Chairs: Alan Curtiss and Mark Hansson, the 1st AD Committee Members are: Tony Adler, Tracey Smith Baumert, David Bernstein, Nicole Burke, Steve Danton, Bruce Franklin, Katterli Frauenfelder, Gary Goldman, Jim Goldthwait, Van Hayden, Tom Irvine, Eric Jewett, Kevin Koster, Larry Lerner, Linda Montanti, Michele Panelli-Venetis, Korey Pollard, Cindy Potthast, Lou Race, Liz Ryan, Babu Subramaniam, Julian Wall, Eddie Ziv.