Counting Down

As we inch closer to a new year, it is tempting to count down, as I did as an AD for so long--5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

But as I think about that counting down, I think about all the things that went with the countdown. I would get the Stage Manager's signal that "the floor was ready." I'd need to see that the first few camera shots were ready. And, of course, I had to make sure that in the control room, the Lighting Director, TD, and Director were all set too. Only when all the pieces were in place was I to start my countdown. That way, with everyone on the same page, the scene could come together with a shot at success.

So, as I count down to 2014, I am reminded that counting down is not just about waiting for the event. It's about preparing for it. Am I doing what I can to make the new year a successful one? Am I checking that my "floor is ready" for action? Am I looking around to make sure my colleagues, personal and otherwise, are on the same page? Am I confirming that the first few "shots" of the year will be good ones?

Directing might be about having the ideas, but for me, ADing was--and is--about making the ideas happen. As I count down to 2014, I am working hard on the pre-production to make sure the "scene" will be a buy. There's not much time left, so I'd  better pull it all together. Because no good AD would ever count down without the floor and the booth--and everything else--being ready.