The Varied Life of a Second Assistant Director

Listening, organisation, clear communication... these might sound like basic life skills, but they're essential in many careers. Alison Goring, Second Assistant Director and newly appointed Head of National Film and Television School (NFTS) Scotland, visited a school to help put them into context as fundamental skills for her role in the film industry.

Visiting Stirling High School in Scotland, Goring spoke to 70 media students about her experience working as a 2nd Assistant Director, highlighting the excitement that comes with working with famous actors and the varied nature of her work-life, which blends together numerous core skills such as computer literacy and team work. In the video above, Goring further explains her role and offers her top tips for young people exploring a career in film.

"I found the bit where Alison broke down the section of script and explained it using the call sheet really interesting", one student commented. "It allowed me to understand the scope of possibilities when turning a script into film. I could really picture the script coming to life on screen."

As well as giving students the opportunity to learn how to construct a film schedule using Movie Magic, Goring also discussed the growing film and television opportunities Scotland has to offer, including the new National Film and Television School which has recently opened in Glasgow.

Miss Fraser, teacher and Into Film Club leader at Stirling High School, said:

"The event with Into Film and Alison Goring was beneficial to our students because it allowed them to better understand the vast scope of opportunities available in the television and film industry.

We wanted to host the event here at Stirling High School because we have an active Into Film Club and have many pupils studying media texts as part of their National 5 and Higher exams. The students will hopefully use the information in the future to better understand the craft involved in making films and television dramas which will allow them to be more insightful in their analysis of film techniques."

For more in depth career advice from Alison Goring, go to soundcloud where you can download and listen to our podcast Career Tips From Women in Film. Also available on itunes.

For more career advice, download and llisten to our Talking Film Careers podcasts on soundcloud.