If you’re a regular stand-in on a project, chances are from time to time stand-ins new to your job filter in.

Those new stand-ins may be there to stand in for a day player or for an actor who is on sporadically. The new stand-in may be replacing a regular stand-in for the day or for the rest of the project.

Chances are, though, that new stand-in is like a visitor to a new town: not knowing who anyone is, not knowing where anything is, and maybe not even knowing what to do.

That’s why it means a lot to these new stand-ins to have help. A hotel visitor has a concierge who can make recommendations and pointers to the visitor. Similarly, a regular stand-in can help the stand-in new to the set get adjusted to this particular job. As a result, the new stand-in can take more quickly to the work at hand rather than get bogged down with a lot of “survival questions” when working on a crazy set.

Here are a few pointers on how a regular stand-in can be like a concierge.

Point out the Important People on Set

The first day on a job for a stand-in new to the set can be overwhelming. Everyone seems to know everyone else, but that new stand-in may not know anyone at all. Even worse, that stand-in might not know what any of these people do, meaning the stand-in can’t distinguish between a PA, an AD, a director, a producer, or maybe even a lead actor!

So, pointing out the important people relevant to the new stand-in will make the job much less overwhelming. It will also transform the “chaos” of a set into a more “orderly” situation for the new stand-in, because that stand-in can see the important people and more or less ignore all of the other activity that has little relevance to the stand-in.

In general, these are the important people to point out first to the new stand-in:

• The background PA
• The 2nd 2nd AD
• The 1st AD
• The director
• The DP
• The stand-in’s actor
• The camera operators
• And any producers or other VIPs who might be around set

I tend to prefer to do this when most of the above people are on set at once, so that it’s a more concentrated lesson on who’s who rather than a more diffuse one. Sometimes that’s impossible, so before the first marking rehearsal, I try to point out most if not all of the above people on a set.

I also tend to prefer to point to the person, say his or her title, then say that person’s first name. For example, I prefer to say “That’s the 2nd 2nd AD. His name is Lincoln.” I do this because the job of the person is a lot more important at this time than the person’s name, and hearing the job title first is slightly less confusing than to hear the name first.

If I said, “That’s Lincoln, he’s the 2nd 2nd AD,” then the new stand-in may hear the name and then not hear the person’s job title. It’s a subtle thing, ordering the job title before the name, but one that I think is helpful for “organizing” the chaotic environment for the new stand-in.

Naming the producers or other VIPs is not a high priority. Rather, it is helpful so that the new stand-in is careful not to do anything problematic around them. The production may be the producer’s “baby,” so saying something sarcastic around that producer may be more of a problem than if said around a PA.

Point out the Restrooms

Letting the new stand-in know where the restrooms are is also helpful. Clear directions and a sense of the time it takes to get there will help the stand-in know what’s involved in stepping off set.

It doesn’t hurt to kindly share that if the stand-in needs to step off, to tell someone like the background PA or another PA, the 2nd 2nd AD, or, in a pinch, another stand-in.

Point out Craft Services

Of course, the new stand-in may want to know where crafty is located — possibly because the new stand-in wasn’t able to get breakfast, or because the new stand-in might need coffee pretty soon after arriving.

Giving directions to crafty and the sense of time to get to it helps that stand-in manage food needs.

Explain the Vibe and Expectations

I sometimes like to explain the “vibe” on particular sets. Is this a friendly set that does right by the stand-ins? Is it an unfriendly or rude set that is demanding of stand-ins? Are stand-ins expected to read lines, or is it rare to do so? How are the relationships between crew members going, and how do they have an effect on stand-ins? These kinds of questions will help prepare the stand-in when soon stepping on set right after arriving.

Of those questions, perhaps most important is identifying whether stand-ins are expected to run lines during rehearsals. While I might have never run lines, I almost never say that we never run lines. Instead, I say something like, “We don’t usually run lines so if we did today, it would be a bit of a surprise.” That communicates that it is always possible to run lines but pretty unlikely. When a new director is working on a television episode, sometimes I will add, “But I don’t know what this new director will want so keep that in mind.”

Depending on the set, I might also describe how long the day is. I usually only do this when productions have more or less strict limits on their workdays. So, sometimes I might say, “We usually never do more than 12 hours, so we’ll probably wrap by 7:30pm.” But I’m cautious ever to make that as a hard assertion because some days will be longer or may have been approved to be longer, which may be information to which I have not been privy.

Of Course, Point out Where to Be

If you haven’t already, make sure also to point out where stand-ins probably will be sitting when they are not being used. As production equipment is loaded into the studio or set, where stand-ins are sitting may need to move, so try to explain not to get too attached to where the new stand-in will be sitting until things settle down.

Also explain where the set is in case that’s not clear. That will help the new stand-in sit down in a place not so remote as to make it impossible to quickly get to set when needed.

Finally, it helps to point out where monitors will be in case the new stand-in wants to watch rehearsals or takes. Pointing out where “video village” is, where “DIT” is, where the “sound cart” is, and where any additional monitors might be will give the stand-in a range of options of where to watch the on-camera business of that stand-in’s actor.

Results

When you provide the above tips to stand-ins new to your set, you create extraordinarily grateful stand-ins on your team. You answer at lot of the questions they themselves are trying to answer when they arrive to the job. You also create a friendly relationship with these stand-ins, especially those who have experienced other sets where the regular stand-ins either don’t talk to them or don’t think to share this information. When you have stand-ins who know what’s going on and are friendly, you ultimately make for a better work environment for yourself when new stand-ins come on board.

What do you do when stand-ins new to your job step on? When you’re a stand-in new to a set, what information are you seeking? Share your experiences in the comments below!