On February 11, Assistant Directors, Unit Production Managers and DGA Trainees gathered at Guild headquarters in New York to learn the nuts and bolts of scheduling from experts with years of experience on the subject. Presented by the AD/UPM Council East’s Member Education Committee and the DGA Assistant Directors Training Program, the seminar Scheduling: Theory and Practice guided the attendees through the basics of how to break down a script to create a schedule and a subsequent call sheet.
Following a welcome from AD/UPM Council East Member Education Committee Chair Michael Reichman (Ride), the attendees heard a discussion of the theory behind breaking down scripts. Using sample script, they went through the process scene-by-scene with guidance from Producer Richard Guay (Union Square) and 1st AD Jude Gorjanc (The Leftovers), and additional input from 1st AD Colin A. J. MacLellan (The Good Wife), Entertainment Partners VP Sammy Simpson, and Reichman. The presenters then taught the attendees how to take the next step with that breakdown and use the Entertainment Partners scheduling program Movie Magic to create a schedule. In the final step of the seminar, they were shown how the digital approach to scheduling and breaking down a script compares to pen and paper and how the process can work for both feature films and television.
About the Council
The Eastern AD/UPM Council is the elected body that represents the Assistant Director and Unit Production Manager members of the Guild who reside and/or work in film, television, commercials and new media the East and Midwest regions.