As classes drew to an end this past week we welcomed Allan Nicholls into our midst to discus the role of the Assistant Director. Allan also told us what to expect on a day-to- day basis when we are shooting. Allan was quite candid and full of stories that took the group through a number of his own experiences along with the ins and outs of being on set. From walkie-talkie protocol to set vocabulary and the specifics of talking with actos, Allan affirmed through it all that compromise, collaboration, and respect are vital to the smooth running of a shoot. Thinking on your feet , flexibility, and creative problem solving, according to Allan Nicholls, are always best--and the "you're to blame" syndrome is out, and out. The class also took time to look at Robert Altman's 1992 feature, The Player, for which Allan acted as the Assistant Director. Watching the first 10 minutes of the film repeatedly (all of which occur in a single shot) the class discussed the the production logistics of that sequence and how it came to fruition. .
Leaving the class in high spirits, Allan Nicholls helped to reduce everyone's stress levels by simply saying, “It’s not as if you’re building a highway….you’re just telling a f–––ing story!”
Allan Nicholls is a Canadian actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, composer andmusician. He was nominated for both a BAFTA and WGA award for his writing on the 1978 Robert Altman film, A Wedding. He has worked on a number of films as the AD (Assistant Director), including Altman's The Player (1992), and Short Cuts (date), John Madden's Ethan Frome (1993), and Tim Robbins' Dead Man Walking (1995) to name a few.
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