1st AD for hire in the UK
The 1st AD runs the floor — building the schedule, calling the set, and keeping cast and crew moving safely through the day.
Are you a 1st ad? Get listed and take work near you
Post the role, your postcode and your rate. The nearest 1st ad is asked first — within 19 miles, or further for anyone who has said they travel — and if they pass it moves to the next nearest. Nothing is charged unless someone accepts.
1st AD work near you
Is this your job? Set up your profile with your day rate and how far you travel. When a production nearby posts for the role, the nearest people are asked first and the job reaches your phone. You only take the ones you want.
What a 1st ad does on a shoot
- Breaks the script down and builds the shooting schedule.
- Runs the floor — calls the set, keeps the day moving, holds the crew to the plan.
- Owns safety on set: briefings, stunts, crowd, and calling a stop when one is needed.
How hiring a 1st ad works
- 1
Post the role
Say you need a 1st ad, where the shoot is, the dates and the rate you're offering.
- 2
The nearest is asked first
The closest 1st ad gets it alone, and it widens to the next nearest every 60 seconds until someone accepts.
- 3
First to accept takes it
The job locks to them, you swap details, and you rate each other afterwards.
Hiring a 1st ad
- What does a 1st AD actually do on the day?
- Runs it. They call the roll, move cast and crew through each setup, watch the clock against the schedule and tell the director where the day stands. A good 1st is the difference between making the day and losing it.
- Do I need a 1st AD on a small shoot?
- If you have actors, a schedule and more than a handful of crew, yes. A director cannot direct and run the floor at once without one of the two suffering.