Sometimes the actor for whom you’re standing in will wear glasses in character.  Glasses may or may not be an item of interest to the director of photography (“DP”).  Just in case they are, here are some considerations when it comes to characters wearing glasses.

Get Glasses from Props

If you happen to notice in marking rehearsal that your actor’s character is sporting glasses, props is likely the department from whom you’d get a pair.  Wardrobe would probably not be the department from whom to get glasses, though that may seem more logical to you.

Glasses from props probably will lack magnification and may even lack lenses.  In case they do have lenses, more than likely your glasses are anti-reflective (“AR”) glasses.  This may make your own personal glasses a less than satisfactory choice for a setup given their reflective properties.

More than likely, though, if you wear glasses, you may use your own when standing in.  If there’s an issue about wearing your own glasses during a setup, consult an assistant director, else consult with props.

Watching Glasses Movement in Marking Rehearsal

Some actors like to play with glasses during scenes.  A character may read with glasses, then dock them or remove them when not reading.  Or, a character may look over glasses when talking to another character, but look down through them when reading.

These kinds of positions–both of the head and of the glasses–may be of importance during a camera setup and lighting.  Do your best to track your actor’s glasses use during marking rehearsal, and because business like this is likely to vary from the marking rehearsal and possible from take to take, watch each take from a monitor to see how the actor may change the use of glasses.

Do you have any other tips about standing in with glasses?  Do you wear contacts and wrestle with glasses when standing in?  If so, we’d love to hear your perspective.  Comment below!