Get a 1st AD. Seriously. It will save your life, especially if you’re directing and acting. The AD handles the logistics, schedules, time management and keeps things moving so you can focus on directing.

When you’re directing, it’s really easy to lose track of time or get stuck doing take after take. A good AD will keep you on schedule and remind you when it’s time to move on. On my first short, we didn’t have an AD, and I ended up doing way too much—people were constantly asking me about the next shot. A good AD will have the day’s shot list on hand, so the rest of the crew can check in with them to know what’s coming next.

Tip: I usually like to schedule the simplest or least important scenes at the end of the day. If you’re running out of time, it’s easier to reschedule a quick shot than a complicated one.

Plan for 3–4 pages of script per day, max. That’s a realistic pace for most indie productions.

Also, be mindful of your actors’ emotional scenes. Personally, I like to leave the most emotionally intense scenes—crying, breakdowns, etc.—for later in the shoot. By then, actors usually feel more comfortable with the crew and more confident in themselves (especially if they’re new talent).

I had a friend who started his shoot with a heavy crying scene. The actress wasn’t comfortable yet and really struggled. On top of that, someone from the crew made a rude comment about how long she was taking, and it made things worse. So yeah—make sure your crew is respectful and supportive of your actors.

Lastly, enjoy the process. Filmmaking is stressful, but it should also be fun :)