So,  you just ended a stand-in job, or your production has gone on hiatus for the holidays.

What’s an out-of-work stand-in to do?

Actually, there are a lot of things an out-of-work stand-in can do when work slows down.

So here are a few ideas to consider as you bide your time when stand-in work slows down!

Relax

If your stand-in work has been grueling, and you’re suddenly forced into a time when stand-in work slows (like right now, which is typically pretty dead for principal photography), now might be a great time to embrace the unstructured time.

You might have been working long hours, early hours, late hours, or been run ragged by jerky changes in the production location and shooting schedule. Your body might just need a break, not just from working, but also from thinking about work.

When you’re worked hard, a lot of your thinking probably revolves around the demands of work, so when you have time off, it’s nice to let your mind and body do something in contrast to the things you’ve been doing while standing in.

In other words, embrace the relaxation time.

Strategize

Once you start to relax, you’ll start to get your mind out of the current stand-in job you have, and you’ll start to think more clearly about your own interests.

If you’re wanting to still work as a stand-in, what do you want the next few months to look like? Whom do you have to notify now or at some specific time in the future to help make that reality happen for you? It might mean that you realize you need to reach out to ADs, casting directors, stand-in friends, or others. Think about what you want to do as a stand-in, then figure out whom to contact to help make that come true.

But if you’ve wanted to do things that are not stand-in work — for example, acting work, work on your health, time spent with friends or family, etc. — think about what you want those things to look like and see how you can set up the next couple months to make that start to become a reality. Otherwise, you might be back in the stand-in rat race again, and you might have missed your time to plan for those outside-stand-in-work interests.

Gear Up

When you have downtime, there might have been things you’ve wanted for your stand-in work but for which you hadn’t been able to shop.

Take this time to gear up, whether it be your cold weather gear like NEOS overshoes, lifts like Skyfoot’s heel lifts, or a portable chair you can take with you to set.

Downtime can mean no longer procrastinating getting that equipment you’ve wanted to bring to set and are jealous others on set have!

Unemployment

Of course, if you are out of work, you might be eligible for unemployment. Each state has its own unemployment laws, so get familiar with how unemployment works.

For example, if you’re off the last two weeks of the year in New York, you might quality for unemployment and end up with an unemployment check for one of those weeks.

During this time, setting up  your unemployment claim may be helpful not just for now but also for the future should stand-in work drop off.

More!

Of course, these are just a few ideas of things to consider when stand-in work fades for you for a bit. All in all, listen to your needs and try to honor them. Doing so may direct your next few months — as a stand-in or not — in exciting directions!

How do you spend your downtime from stand-in work? Share your experiences in the comments below!