AD CRASH COURSE: THE 3RD

21 participants joined us at Pinewood Studio Wales in Cardiff for a two day crash course in everything a 3rd AD needs to know to work on set in High End Television Drama.  All participants had the chance to

  • Meet working ADs and hear from their experiences
  • Get to grips with everything from on-set etiquette to production paperwork
  • Ask questions and network with industry professionals
  • Practical exercises

To cover every aspect of the role, trainees were tutored by a number of ADs over the two days.  ADs included

Rhidian Evans
Rhidian’s career has seen him work as a 1st AD on Sky 1’s STELLA, S4C’s ALYS and PARCH as well as working as a Production Manager and 1st AD on TORCHWOOD.

Charlie Curran
Charlie has climbed the AD ladder in a career that has seen him work on dramas including SHERLOCK, DOCTOR WHO, NEW TRICKS, CASUALTY, OUR ZOO, MERLIN and ATLANTIS.

Dominuque Wedge
With 15 years’ experience in Film and TV, Dominique has worked on many prestigious productions including CASUALTYSTARLINGS and WIZARDS AND ALIENS.

When was the course?
The two day course was held on Friday 17th February 2017 and Saturday 18th February.

Previous Attendees

Adam Hardwicke, Cardiff
“Glad to hear from speakers with real long experience, who’ve worked in various departments.”

Amy Evans, Cardiff
“I had a great time, thank you for the opportunity.”

Amy Rooney, Penarth
“I loved getting to question working ADs on anything you don’t have time to find out on set.”

Ana Garzon, Cardiff
“It was better than what I expected. With just a few minutes of practise, we learnt a lot and the speakers gave really good and useful tips.”

AnnMarie Lloyd, Port Talbot
“Really enjoyed getting to direct background learning from the mistakes of myself and others, and the challenge of trying to recreate it.”

Cat Oswald, Bristol
“Invaluable information and experience passed down from those with the knowledge.”

Ceri Bostock, Caernarfon
“Every part of the course was useful.”

Clare Griffiths, Halifax
“Great to hear from such experienced speakers – very valuable information.”

Colin Murtagh, Bristol
“It was great to have such knowledgeable speakers who were so experienced and able to share their insights, tips and joy for what they do.”

Damian Edwards, London
“I found the practical work was useful as you learn by doing.”

Evy Barry, Kent
“All parts of the course were useful and will be remembered going forward.”

Gabriela Staniszewska, Bristol
“It was great to have a chance to direct background. This gave us the chance to solve prospective problems in a safe environment.”

James Lee, Cardiff
“It was far more informal than I had imagined which turned out to be an enjoyable and relaxed way of learning.”

John Ninnis, Merthyr Tydfil
“The trainers are down to earth, lots of productive information.”

Kieran Hayhow, Bristol
“Great opportunity to pick brains and to hear what 1sts/3rds like/dislike from their team.”

Liam Morgan, Gloucestershire
“All great people, very friendly and knowledgeable!”

Lois Griffiths-Balaam, Manchester
Lois has been working as a floor runner on a number of commercials and shorts in recent years.

Michael Altoft, London
“Very enjoyable 2 days and incredibly invaluable.”

Oliver Williams, London
“The chance to talk about managing extras and annotating scripts was very useful. I didn’t find any part of the course not useful.”

Poppy Jermaine, Bristol 
“Had a really great experience, really helped cement for me that this is the direction I want to go in.”

William Carlisle, Greater Manchester
“Incredibly informative, helpful and insightful course.”

Click here to see our other film and TV training courses.

This programme was supported by Creative Skillset’s HETV Levy.

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