On occasion when you’re standing in, you may hear the camera operator ask you to “james-brown to the right.”

In an early post from the Tips & Tricks Blog, we covered analog movement vs. digital movement, which is related to james-browning

So what is james-browning?

To James-Brown

“James-browning” refers to what we called analog movement earlier on. It is the name for shuffling or gliding your feet smoothly across the floor from your mark to an adjusted position — as opposed to taking a step from your mark to the new position.

Singer James Brown was known for this kind of footwork and it is after him it is named. Here is some footage that well represents james-browning and what it resembles when the stand-in does it (though not nearly as frenetic!):

Effectiveness of James-Browning

When you james-brown to one side or another, you give the camera operator an opportunity to say with precision when you’ve moved to the side just enough.

Alternately, consider what happens when the camera operator asks you to step to the side. Frequently, stand-ins overstep, going too far over in one direction. This means that the camera operator then has to tell you to “split the difference” — meaning, you have to step back about half the distance you just stepped in order to get closer to the place the camera operator wants you.

In most cases, james-browning saves the camera department time and energy in setting up a shot. If you move precisely to the position the camera operator wants on the first attempt, there is no need for added time or energy readjusting you.

We may be talking about saving a few seconds of time and a calorie or two of energy, but these things add up on set and can really subtract from the shooting day. James-browning is something you can do as a stand-in to save production time, energy, and inevitably money.

James-Browning Is Fun, Too!

Lest we forget, doing a moonwalklike glide off your mark to a new position makes it a bit more fun when you’re standing in.

Give it a try sometime. The camera department will appreciate it!

Do you james-brown when you’re standing in? Do you call it something else? Share your insights below!