Stand-ins in film and television serve a number of functions. In particular, they are useful for the director of photographer (DP) and for the camera crew. The DP will light a shot using stand-ins, and the camera crew will set up the shot around stand-ins.
In essence, stand-ins are like tools on set. If you were doing work that required tools, naturally, you’d want to have your tools close by when you needed them. For this reason, it’s important for stand-ins to be of use to the crew as opposed to being unavailable or hard to reach.
Here are some tips for being of better use as a stand-in.
Stay Attentive
Some stand-ins “check out” when they are standing in, waiting to be summoned to set when they are needed. They will drift far from set, they will lose track of what is going on on set, and they may even get involved in their own work such that they lose track that they are even on a job.
When stand-ins check out, the AD department needs to call for stand-ins. Once the message gets to the stand-ins that they are needed, they then need to travel to set — which could take precious seconds of production time, or even minutes. If they’ve checked out, they may not be aware how they are needed, where their actors are standing, or what shot is being done. If that’s the case, they may then trouble the crew with questions about what to do, where to stand, and what’s going on.
While some questions are natural for stand-ins to ask when they arrive on set, questions that are the result of completely checking out of production put a drain on the AD department, crew, and fellow stand-ins. Imagine being a crew member and having to catch stand-ins up on what they should be doing. Now imagine a crew member who doesn’t have to do this and can quickly get to work setting up the shot.
When you stay attentive as a stand-in, you keep track of what’s going on on set, and you can start to anticipate when you are needed on set. You keep your ears open for announcements like “Checking the gate!” or “Turning around!,” which might indicate your stand-in services will be needed shortly. You tune in to the semi-private discussions among the DP, ADs, and director, which might also indicate if and how you’re needed in the next camera setups. And you analyze the callsheet and sides for scenes in which you might be used.
Staying attentive also helps you know the demands of the shot, and how your fast service as a stand-in really aids production. Imagine standing in for a scene to be shot at dusk, when the natural light changes quickly. Or imagine standing in when production has a “hard out” (a drop-dead time when production has to leave a location). An attentive stand-in doesn’t waste production’s precious time, especially for demanding shots.
All in all, when you stay attentive on set when you are standing in, you prime yourself for being of use to the crew.
Be Proactive, Not Reactive
Reactive stand-ins basically wait to be called to set, and they don’t anticipate anything. They rely on being told what to do, where to stand, when to come to set, and what is going on.
On the flip side, proactive stand-ins anticipate their work. Proactive stand-ins listen and watch for situations in which they may be of use, and they don’t wait to be called. They make themselves available and otherwise be of use to the crew.
When it comes to production working smoothly, stand-ins keep the wheel greased when they are not only available, but also when they anticipate their being needed. If stand-ins are at the DP’s side right when the DP asks for them, production runs quickly and smoothly. If the stand-ins are nowhere to be seen, the DP has to wait — and so may production — while stand-ins get to set.
As a stand-in, it’s as if you’re a hammer right when the carpenter needs to drive in a nail — and you’re a better hammer if you’re within arm’s reach of the carpenter when the carpenter needs it.
Track the DP and Camera
To better anticipate being of use as a stand-in, when you arrive on set it is helpful to track the DP. If you watch where DPs are looking, you’ll see whether they are about to need stand-ins (or call for them). If you see that, you can immediately present yourself or make yourself available to be of use.
Similarly, especially if the DP isn’t around, it is helpful to track the camera. Is it even up yet? Is it pointed away from you? Is it being built? Is the lens covered? Tracking where the camera is and whether it is set up will help you anticipate where you need to be as a stand-in and when you might be truly needed.
If the camera is not set up and there is no DP in sight, there’s a decent chance you can relax (unless other crew members are using you to light the shot). But if the camera is pointed in your general direction, it probably is important to stay focused on the needs of the camera crew.
Stay Focused
Staying focused as a stand-in helps you further be of use to the crew. If you are standing on your mark, you are more useful to the crew if you keep your position, your angle, and your general eyeline.
On the contrary, if you drift off your position, constantly change your angle, or are careless with your eyeline, you might frustrate the camera crew or DP trying to set up the shot.
A focused stand-in is better able not only to maintain position, but also to hear directions from the crew. If a stand-in is focused on a distracting conversation irrelevant to the shot or scene, that stand-in probably won’t hear the crew’s directive or will have to have the crew repeat the directive.
Furthermore, a focused stand-in can be more proactive. Such a stand-in can stay attuned to the changing needs of the shot and be ready for any changes that may be asked of the stand-in.
Conclusion
If you see yourself as a tool when you’re standing in, you’ll realize you want to be available and of use when production is most likely to need you. You’ll realize that you want to be close to set when the DP or camera crew is doing their job, in case they want to quickly insert you into the setup. You realize you won’t want to be reactive because that wastes valuable production time, especially in demanding shots under time limits.
What other ways do you make yourself of us to the crew when you are standing in? Have an idea for being of better use? Share your ideas below!
Great tip about tracking the DP. After a marking rehearsal, crew members start moving in all different directions, some leaving the room to get equipment to start setting up. It can seem as though everyone is doing prep work and you may not be needed yet, but often times the DP and the director are still there in the room discussing shots and where the cameras and lights are going to go. It is helpful if you step right on to your mark at this time so they can see exactly where the actors are going to be. Don’t be afraid to step right in – crew can always ask you step out of the way if needed. Thanks for this, Ben!
While that is good advice to go to your mark, also look around. If there is a lot of crew moving set pieces, putting up ladders, etc., especially right where your mark is. It is generally adviseable to hold back until you are asked to step to your mark. It’s a safety issue first, and also sometimes it will seem just like common sense not to step in when it would be more problematic to have you on your mark. Open your eyes and be smart. At very least, stay close enough so that you can step in when it’s safe and helpful.