Looking for advice when hiring a DIT/AC

[Chase J. Carnahan]

Hey all,

I have a project coming up that's really monumental for my business in the next two weeks (it's probably small time for most of you), but I really need this video I'm producing to shine. I need some help with DIT and AC work, and I was just wondering if there is like...a checklist of things I should be looking for when hiring someone for the gig.

I usually just work with people I trust, but if I can't get one of them (most of them have never DIT'd before, or worked with RED), I need some sort of qualification checklist, or at least know what I'm looking out for to avoid people who lie about their qualifications.

Any help appreciated, thanks!

- Chase

 

[Blair S. Paulsen]

Smart question Chase. Answer varies to some degree based on your production profile. Does your budget require that the same person AC and DIT? Do you need a 1st AC that can pull focus at a short stop? Etc.

In terms of finding the right person(s), your sig says you are in LA so there are tons of qualified people around - and, as you noted, plenty of fakers. My suggestion is the tried and true method of contacting the last couple of producers the candidate worked with. Yes, it could be their drinking buddy fronting for them, but, IMO, worth the time.

In terms of what you might ask, I'd start with having them describe the workflow they like to use and the kit they plan to bring. Mention any challenges you are concerned about and see what solutions they suggest. At that point you've at least narrowed it down to competent folk and really good bullshitters ;-)

Cheers - #19

 

[Chase J. Carnahan]

Sounds about right, thanks for the tip Blair.

Yes, I'm going to need someone to double up. Our production budget is really small, but fortunately our client is providing a budget to cover our expenses for an EPIC-X setup, so hiring someone who knows what they're doing is paramount.

 

[Chris McKechnie]

This forum is a great resource of quality people.

 

[ericyoung]

Sounds about right, thanks for the tip Blair.

Yes, I'm going to need someone to double up. Our production budget is really small, but fortunately our client is providing a budget to cover our expenses for an EPIC-X setup, so hiring someone who knows what they're doing is paramount.

Bear in mind that 1st AC involves being by the camera, and DIT (more likely data manager in this case) involves being mostly away from the camera ensuring data integrity at a computer station. They are not the same job and doubling up, without compromising one or both roles, is only possible in some production scenarios. Even then, if there's a problem with the data, suddenly you are down a 1st AC while he/she tries to deal with the data problem.

Not saying you can't double up. Just be aware of its significant downsides.

 

[Shapour Daneshmand]

I recommend Sulekh Suman.
sulekh at gmail dot com

 

[Peter Stelzhammer]

just stop by and meet him before production begin(!) and with equipment(!) - maybe at a place where you won't be disturbed for a few minutes if possible... Then I think it's only necessary to ask some basic questions and to apply his own observation skills to get some personal performance rating idea based upon the answers and general behavior and willingness to solve problems/questions.

that's what I'd do... and on a bigger scale production definitely a "test-shoot" under the same or nearly fit conditions as the final shoot!

 

[Alex Kornreich]

I would strongly recommend not doubling up. They're two completely different positions.

 

[Gunleik Groven]

I would strongly recommend not doubling up. They're two completely different positions.

HM...

A DIT and AC both would have a lot of their work around the camera on-set.

The cool thing with a fit, is that he/she CAN copy too, if it isn't too busy...

To me, a dit's major function is to know more about how the signal and camera behaves under most exposure conditions than... most...

Kinda

 

[Nick Pasquariello]

The thing about DIT work is that, for most production scenarios, if nothing goes wrong, there's a good bit of spare time. Unless there is a lot of audio syncing to be done, transcoding to multiple formats with multiple overlays/burn-ins, preliminary editing to be done (though some DITs would argue this is NEVER their role), etc.

But if none of that is happening, and their primary roles are A) Is the image satisfactory from a technical standpoint, and B) do we have the data that we think we have, secured, on multiple drives: then so long as there are no problems, a DIT will have a good bit of downtime.

Read that closely.

So long as there are no problems.

The DIT's chief role is a day-of-shoot insurance policy. If something goes wrong, it may not be their job to fix it, but it's their job to understand what's going wrong, communicate the problem to the relevant parties, and set the fixes in motion, if not complete the fixes themselves. If the DIT is over by camera in-between computer-based tasks, he/she can spot problems before they happen. 90% of the shoots I'm on, nothing goes wrong (aside from having the DP tweak a few camera settings here and there to increase the quality of the footage), and I often feel like I'm slacking off. But that 10%, man, you DAMN well better know how to fix the problem, as you now have 50 people standing around you staring at your screen desperately waiting for you to tell them that yes, you have recovered that one shot where everything worked out just right including the position of the sun and the clouds that we can't just reset and try again.

Are there people that are qualified as both DIT and AC? Of course. But if you have one person doing both roles, it will end up that you have an AC that is only doing very basic data management. And many good ACs will try to convince you to get someone else to manage the data. Even if that's just a cheap Data Wrangler as opposed to a full on DIT. Because then they are 100% AC and you have a Data Manager, as opposed to them being 80% AC and 20% Data Wrangler.

 

[Chase J. Carnahan]

Good point Nick,

I know doubling up is sort of a cop out when it comes to professional film sets, but keep in mind that I am on a very tight budget, and the whole crew for the project will consist of myself and two other individuals. I am sort of a jack-of-all-trades, and it would be nice to have someone else with my skill set (or even a more advanced skill set) help out. I'll be doing everything from lighting to directing to shooting, so all I would really need (aside from minor production related tasks) is to help me set up, and some minor data management things. OF COURSE I want someone on set who can deal with production related data issues, but unfortunately I don't have the budget to spend on a full crew. There is only one location, and maybe 2 or 3 setups for a 6-8 hour shoot -- so the risk seems minimal enough to keep the crew tight.

The reason I need a DIT instead of just a skilled AC is that the location is expensive, and a reshoot is out of the question. Hope this clarifies my point. I've had a few people PM me who are interested in the position, but some of them might not be available when I am shooting (shoot dates will be decided tomorrow), so if you know of anyone else looking to apply, feel free to send me a PM!

Thanks everyone for your feedback. This is why I love the RED community!