How to approach a daily job on set

Most likely, you will audition for roles on TV or in films. The part is usually 50 words long and shot in one day. Although it sounds easy, it cannot be easy. This is like being a substitute teacher. It is expected that you will immediately adapt to this environment. Even though the environment is completely unfamiliar to you, this is what you should do. These are my daily actions when I approach a job.

Professionalism is key

First, be punctual and polite. Second, be ready to work. It is essential to be available to work, even though the set has been in place for a while. You don’t want the role of the captain who can’t move. I hate playing small roles in large productions and making everything go wrong. It makes everyone wait while I sort my nonsense.

Know your lines

This is double or triple important if you only have a few lines. Your lines must be understood and read. This is a mistake I made. One line was all I had on TV. I arrived on the set looking cool acting. I set up and could say every line without having to say it. This scene was removed from the episode. Insert facepalm emoji here.

This is an important point that cannot be stressed enough. Learn all lines, no matter how many you have.

See the room

Each set is different and has its vibe. Find out who’s who and what their style is. Are they serious? Are they serious? Are they laughing and making jokes? This is how you want to feel every day.

Help others by doing your part.

Although it can be difficult, I recommend you try your best to make others’ lives easier and not tell them how to do their jobs. Let me show you one example. As a junior officer, I brought up files to be used by a detective in a cop show. The room was small and had reflections. My arrival was impossible without creating reflection problems for the director. The director had an idea. He saw me in the previous scene and motioned me to follow him. They were able to see me crossing his shoulder and set up another shoot at the office to get my line.

It’s easy!

Don’t forget to smash it. You must get out there and try your best. You won’t be able to fit in with the set behavior as much as possible. It’s possible to convince your production team that you were authentic in that one line. This will help you to get more work down the line. You can audition for more important roles later on. It would help if you took it seriously and worked to seize your opportunity.