“Standing In”
Calling Second Team
PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
Q&A time…”What is a Stand-In?”
Stand-In is the person who takes the place of the principal actor for rehearsals, camera setup, and lighting. They are part of what’s called “Second Team”.
(To clarify, stand-in’s are part of background and preselected/cast to become Second Team to principal actors. Not ALL background actors are considered Second Team.)
During my career I’ve been stand-in at least...most, four times. I was stand- in for Lynne Thigpen. Briefly, for Della Reese, because her stand-in had not yet arrived so they just kind of pulled me in when I was doing background work. I was also a stand-in for Suzzanne Douglass and Alfre Woodard.
There is so much you can learn by being a stand-in because you are that much closer to the process and you actually get to see how blocking is done. The lighting is done. Of course, when you're stand-in they have to match you close to the actor that you're standing in for so that they can get as close to the lighting, camera setup and all of that. And, you get to learn a lot more. The fact that you even get to have that actor's dialogue… because sometimes if the actor has not yet arrived on set, you get to read their dialogue during the rehearsal process until they arrive.
It’s just an amazing place to be! If you want to go further than stand-in; if you want to become an actor with dialogue...wow, what better way to learn even moreso, how a set is run than by being in that position.
In my next post/podcast I’ll share a more intimate experience I had with two of my favorite actresses. Stay tuned!
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