My Experiences After Being on an Acting Set

Happy Memorial Day, everybody!

I've been extremely busy this last week, seemingly on sets every day, all day!

I kept a smile throughout though.

I've seen many different sets; Indie, Featured, Student, Ultra Low Budget SAG, Studio...is there any more?  Maybe not.  In any case, I've been on all these different sets, every set more different than the last.  While everything was different, there was a couple things that stayed the same: Politeness, and Being on Time.

Being on Time

Acting is pretty much nothing like a regular job.  The hours are varied, and any sort of things could happen.  One day, I was on set for 30 minutes and the next day, I was on set for hours.  Think of my shock when I finally left and realized that the sun was already setting.

Kind of like this, but add in the sounds of New York City

While the hours of an actor are pretty much all over the place, there's one thing you must keep in mind.  You've got to BE ON TIME!  This is extremely important.  If you're someone who always shows up late to set, the director won't want to work with you.  If incredibly unprofessional, plus it causes unnecessary stress on wardrobe, AD, PA's and the big man himself.  The actors you'll be working with might be a little upset, including the main actor.  It's like showing up late to work; you showing up late causes productivity to go down and causes a major kink in an already giant engine.

If you show up on time, it shows that you're reliable, and easier to work with.  The Director will see that you are either early or on time and he'll be more inclined to ask the AD to bring you back in.  The director of one of the sets of a Featured Film I was scheduled for actually approached me, referred to me by my first name and thanked me for coming back.  What did I do?  I thanked him back.

Of course, there's always stuff that can happen that will cause you to be late.  Yesterday, the 2 and 3 train lines in NYC were actually on fire.  They caused major delays and trains were cancelled.  I was extremely upset that this had happened and ended up being an hour late to set.

This is what I always think happened in the subway that day.

When this happens, don't - and I mean don't - keep the director or the person of contact out of the loop.  Tell whoever it is that is the Point of Contact, about your situation.  If you're going to be late for whatever reason, contact them immediately.  Even though I was late to the set, I had been in constant contact with a director of another set I was on and we were able to send someone out to pick me up.  I got to set and knocked out a time sensitive scene.  If you can't be on time, make sure to keep the lines of communication open.  The director will see that you're reliable and also serious about acting.  On top of being on time, directors also love...

Politeness

We've heard horror stories about actors being extremely rude to people while on set.  Thinking that they're above the rest of the cast and crew.  This also causes lots of undue stress on the production team and also other actors.  I strive to be the most polite on set.  It's always about the Golden Rule: treat others how you want to be treated.  I want to be treated nice, especially when it comes to the director.

The Golden Rule.  Now made in real gold!

I don't mean to bend backwards for the director or makeup artists, but hey - you can at least say hi to them and engage in some conversation.  Heck, if you want to, ask them something personal about themselves.  For those aspiring actors, model, musicians, etc. that are out there, remember that we in the entertainment, fashion and music industry are human beings with feelings as well.  We like when people say hi and give us a high five on set.  I try to give a fist bump or a high five to as many people on set as possible.  I may get some weird looks sure, but add a smile with it, and everyone will respond to your positive energy.

Another reason to be nice on set, is because you don't know who you'll see again in the future.  The person you told to eff themselves?  They could be the next big producer.  That makeup artist you told that she should do something other than makeup?  You rubbed her the wrong way.  What about that background actor you went off on?  He's the next action movie star.  If you treat people the wrong way, they will always hold onto it.  It's like a never-ending grudge.  What if you found your dream role but that producer you told off is on the movie?  You can expect him to not give you a vote of confidence based solely on something that happened days, months or ever years ago.

At the end of the day, have some common sense and treat people nice.  You don't know who's day you'll turn around by at least giving them some positive vibes.

Your niceness made a baby happy today!

There are many more things that I've noticed, but we'll keep them to these two for today.

Links to other social websites

Follow me on Twitter - @TheKevinWright
Add me to your circle: Google+ - Kevin Wright
Subscribe to my Youtube Channel - White_Mocha Walkthroughs

Instagram - TheKevinWright