“We are so close” I yell.
Give it 30 seconds, I yell it again. “We are so close guys nearly there.”
I circle around the space and check in with various people around me. I speak with the 1st AC and make sure they’re happy. I chat with the styling team and ensure they’re all good. I crack a joke with the props master and confirm they’re set and ready to go. I make my way back to the centre of the room and, as we wait for a few final lighting tweaks, yell once more “So close guys, so close.”
All 1st ADs have a few catchphrases they find themselves repeating. I like “so close” because it’s a meaningless measurement of time. It’s acknowledging to the grown ups that we’re working away but not direct towards anyone in particular that makes them feel singled out. It keeps the pressure on but doesn’t push too much. It’s two completely inoffensive words that keep us on task and active for when we’re actually ready to shoot.
It’s very easy to get sick of my voice on set because I’m always talking. Sometimes it’s a conversation about what we need for the shot, occasionally it’s a yell explaining whats happening with our next set up, more often than not it’s me telling the room how close we are. Either way the role of a 1st AD is to keep the team on track and the best way of doing that is through, when appropriate, constant communication.
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