As a new feature of Stand-In Central, we’re wanting to hear your opinion on topics related to the job of the stand-in.

Here is our first debate topic.  Post your opinion in the comments section below, and reply to others’ opinions as they’re added.

We will moderate these comments so should your comment not post immediately, we hope to have it live in a few hours.  (Kindly keep the discussion civil, respectful, and mature.)

– The Editor

I worked on a film last year co-produced by a famed Indian actor.  He explained that in India they did not use stand-ins in film.  Instead, crew members filled in when a stand-in was needed.

I’ve worked on set when an AD or PA stood in in a pinch when a stand-in was needed but unavailable.  I understand that in most soap operas, stand-ins aren’t needed.  I executive produced a web series titled The Infinite Need and we didn’t use stand-ins, though on occasion we needed a body for setting up a shot when the actor wasn’t available to help us.

It would seem that stand-ins are nearly required on the sets of many union television and film projects in the United States.  However, not all DPs use them for every camera or lighting setup, and some DPs don’t even seem to care how close of a match those stand-ins are to the actors.

This all leads to the question: How do you estimate the necessity of stand-ins?

Are stand-ins as valuable as film and television jobs in the United States seem to imply?  Are stand-ins more important than realized in countries or on sets where they are not regularly utilized?  Could we do away with stand-ins?  What would happen?  Should they be used more often?  Are they more valuable than they are currently paid?

We’d like to hear you debate the necessity of stand-ins.  Post your comments below and check back to continue the discussion.