A camera assistant recently mentioned a common thing many inexperienced stand-ins do when he is laying marks on the ground.

When he goes to the floor to lay a mark at the stand-in’s feet, inexperienced stand-ins will sometimes back away.

Stop Backing Away!

It may be a natural reaction in a new environment (like a TV or film set when you haven’t been on one much) to back away when someone wants to do work closely to you or your feet.

However, a camera assistant needs to know precisely where you are standing in order to lay a mark on the ground.

If you back away, you potentially make it difficult for the camera assistant to precisely determine where you were standing and lay an accurate mark.

Stay Right Where You Are!

When a camera assistant wants to lay a mark at your feet, stay put. Don’t move your feet an inch!

Wait until a mark is down before you move somewhere else.

This is especially important when your mark is changed and you need to be re-marked, but then someone else on the crew calls for you to be somewhere else.

In most cases, simply politely announce that you need to be re-marked — and wait for that to happen before you move on.

The camera crew will usually appreciate your request for a mark. When you move without a mark, you may make it harder for the camera crew to line up the shot. If it took a lot of time to get you in the right place but then you leave your spot without a mark, think of all of that wasted energy!

What other things do you see stand-ins do with respect to marks? When do you leave your mark and when do you most definitely stay? Share your experiences and opinions in the comments section!