What does AD stand for?
| Full form | Assistant Director |
|---|---|
| Category | Arts & entertainment |
| Type | Initialism |
The initialism AD stands for Assistant Director in film and television production. In the cited first-assistant-director role, it concerns planning the shoot and coordinating its practical running with the director and other departments.
First AD, second AD and third AD identify roles within the assistant-director department, not an interchangeable job title. AD can also mean Art Director in the same industry, so department and role level matter. The first AD's scheduling and coordination work is distinct from designing a set.
Meaning in context
- Assistant
- Identifies the assistant-director role family; a numbered level carries additional information.
- Director
- Part of the role name; this guide's first-AD scheduling example is not a description of every director-level job.
Practical examples
Keep the role level
- Before
Every AD has the same duties as the first AD.
- After
Use the exact first, second or third assistant-director role named in the production record.
Dropping the role level can assign a request to the wrong person. The abbreviation alone is not a complete responsibility chart.
Name the department
- Before
Send the set-design question to AD; that can only mean assistant director.
- After
Specify Art Director for the design question, or the named assistant-director role for the scheduling question.
Both expansions exist in screen production. Department and task resolve the meaning before a request is routed.
Original illustrative examples, not quotations or reports of actual events.
Use AD with clarity
How do I distinguish an assistant director from an art director on a production?
See all guidance
Discuss the shoot schedule
Name the first-assistant-director role when that is the intended role.
First AD: the scheduling/coordination role in this example.
Read a crew list
Keep the department and numbered role as listed.
Second assistant director, as named in the crew record.
Distinguish a design request
Use Art Director when the request concerns that separately named design role.
Art department request, not an unspecified AD request.
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By AcronymIndex Editorial Team · Editorial policy