If you work with a number of other stand-ins, you may start to notice that some stand-ins are very conscientious about being on set and available to crew right when they are needed, often before they are even called for. You may also notice that some stand-ins wait only until they are called for.

The former group might be referred to as “proactive stand-ins,” while the latter group might be referred to as “reactive stand-ins.” To succeed as a stand-in, you probably want to be more of a proactive than reactive stand-in — though reactive stand-ins probably do have their place.

Profile of the Proactive Stand-In

Proactive stand-ins are marked by their respect for the job of standing in and responsibility in carrying it out.

When hearing “Checking the gate!,” proactive stand-ins often scurry to be close to set so that when “Second team!” is called out, they are there and at the disposal of crew members.

Proactive stand-ins are also forward-thinking, meaning they study the callsheet and the scenes for the day, and have a general sense of the demands of the day.

In all, proactive stand-ins try their best to anticipate. They study the DP, the director, the ADs, et al., to guess their next steps, in order to quickly respond to their stand-in needs and to quickly comprehend their instruction without hesitation or excess communication. Proactive stand-ins can save productions significant time and energy as they are available even before they are called for, so time is not spent yelling for them and tracking them down.

Profile of a Reactive Stand-In

Reactive stand-ins are often quite the opposite of proctive stand-ins. Reactive stand-ins generally don’t show up on set unless called for. While production may call out “Checking the gate!,” reactive stand-ins will tend not to move close to set unless “Second team!” is called out. Some reactive stand-ins don’t even respond unless their name is called out.

Reactive stand-ins are often not forward-thinking. They tend to react to the demands of the moment rather than to look at the future scenes or shape of the day. They are continually clueless about what is going on on set, and as a result may check out or be unavailable when they are needed. When production can’t find these stand-ins, they waste energy and time tracking them down.

There could be any number of reasons why stand-ins fit this profile: they are inexperienced, they are easily distracted, they are disinterested in the work, they are interested merely in the paycheck, they don’t know better, or some other reason.

Benefits of Being Reactive

Of course productions may actually appreciate reactive stand-ins. When crew has the set or when a set is small with lots of crew members coming in and out of it, it may behoove production not to have stand-ins in the way. It may be better for stand-ins to wait until they are called, signalling the exact moment they are needed.

Productions may also want to move the shooting day forward, and reactive stand-ins may be a better fit at these times. For example, say that a 1st AD is trying to rush a shot and the crew is taking its time to set up the shot. The 1st AD may say “Thank you, second team!” to send the stand-ins away, even though, say, the camera crew may still be using them. The proactive stand-in may still linger on set, anticipating the remaining need to use stand-ins. But lingering may be in the disinterest of the 1st AD, who is trying to get quickly to picture.

Becoming More Proactive

In general, a reactive stand-in can become more proactive by taking the job of standing in seriously.

Once “Checking the gate!” is called out, heading immediately to set makes a strong impression about your respect for the job. On some jobs when “Checking the gate!” or “Second team!” are rarely called out, keeping aware of what is going on on set by watching the monitors will allow you to better anticipate when you might be needed to stand in.

When on set, keeping your eyes on the DP will tend to help you anticipate when you’ll be needed. If the director is present on set, you will also be aided in watching that person to anticipate when you’ll be needed. This also goes for the 1st AD, who may be the person to formally call for you.

Knowing what the shots of the scene are will help you to understand when you will be needed and what you’ll be doing in the shot. This information can be gleaned by public conversations between the director, DP, and 1st AD, though this information can also be picked up by open, private conversations among these parties. Listening is a key skill to have as a proactive stand-in as it can help you anticipate when you’ll be needed.

Final Thoughts

With its wealth of information on standing in on television and film sets, Stand-In Central helps to guide people toward becoming proactive stand-ins. If you’re serious about standing in, follow our Tips & Tricks Blog and get really good at the job!

Which stand-in are you: proactive or reactive? When are you one or the other? Have additional thoughts? Share below!