When you are standing in on a promo, a commercial, a photo shoot, or a green-screen set, you may notice a great amount of attention will be placed on the flooring.

That flooring may be a reflective surface or a solid color — and production will probably want to make sure it stays pristine.

While most crew members will walk on this surface in booties covering their shoes, or in bare feet with socks, you might see next to the entrance to that flooring a tacky mat.

What Is a Tacky Mat?

A tacky mat, or a sticky mat, is just what it is: A mat that is tacky when you touch it.

A tacky mat is next to the flooring of a set so that you can step on it to remove any dirt on the soles of your shoes.

To use it, simply step on it so that your shoes stick to the mat, then lift up. Make sure, though, when stepping back down that you don’t step back onto a dirty surface.

Should You Rely on a Tacky Mat When Standing In?

In general, if there are booties available to you when you need to stand in on special flooring, you should probably opt to use those.

That way, you can benefit from the height your shoes might give you in order for the camera crew to best set up the shot. If you go barefoot, you might lose important height. Or, if you’re not wearing socks that day, your bare feet might smudge the flooring. A tacky mat will not guarantee you will not track dirt onto the flooring.

More likely than not, the tacky mat is provided more for the first team actors to use when they are on set. Their footwear will likely be provided by production and start much cleaner. Plus, they need to wear their footwear on camera, so they can’t wear booties. The tacky mat helps reduce the possibility of tracking dirt onto the flooring when footwear must be seen.

Summary

So, the next time you’re working on a set where production is being careful about marking it up, ask for booties to use when you’re standing in. But if you don’t see any, look out for a tacky mat — and jump on it before standing in!

Have you worked with a tacky mat? Do you have any advice when working with one? Share your experience in the comments below!