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Acting - On The Job
By: Michael Russell
In this article we're going to go over what to expect when
you've finally landed that first big job as an
actor.
Many people think that acting is all about glamour
and living the good life. Maybe you get some fancy limo and a
ton of other perks and that's all there is to it. Unfortunately,
the real work of being an actor is not glamorous. There's actual
work involved. Here is a typical day on the set of a major
motion picture.
You're up at about 5:30 in the morning.
Why? Because most likely you have a call time of 7 AM and the
shoot is in Pasadena. You're on your own as far as getting there
so you have to shower and shave early and hop in your own car
and drive to the shoot. Traffic in LA is awful so you better get
an early start. After you arrive and park your own car, a
teamster shuffles you off to the film set. At the set you check
in with the second director and then get in line at the food
truck for a quick breakfast. No fancy meals.
Before you
even get a chance to finish your bagel, a girl from wardrobe
comes over to you and says they need to measure you for a new
jacket that they picked out for your scene. After you get fitted
they then ship you off to makeup. After about an hour of having
your face tortured you're out of the makeup trailer with toilet
paper stuck to your collar in order to keep makeup off your
clothes. It's now time to head to the set.
The director
and the whole crew, lighting, cameras, etc., are already all
there setting up the scene. At this point the director will have
a brief chat with you to inform you of the change in your lines
that you spent half the night studying and memorizing. At this
time you'll rehearse the new lines a couple of times on the set.
Then they finish setting up the lights and whatever else is
needed for the scene. This gives you some extra time to memorize
your new lines. So you go to your trailer to do this. Yes, you
actually get your own trailer. It's also the size of a walk in
closet.
After about 20 minutes or so, the production
assistant knocks on your trailer door and calls you back to the
set. At this time they remove the tissue paper from your collar
and you go to your mark on the set to begin the
scene.
The scene begins. Your co-star approaches you and
begins to say her lines. You then say yours and suddenly you
hear the director say "cut!" You wonder what you did wrong.
Actually, nothing. One of the lights on the set went out. The
gaffer runs over, replaces the bulb, and then you start again
from the beginning. They do a few more takes of the same scene
from different angles. In the final cutting they'll decide which
one to use.
You'll get about 2 shots done before it's
time to change the set for the next scene. There's no applause
or fanfare. You might get a "nice job" from the director, but
that's about it. You then just sit around and wait for the next
scene.
That is the truth about acting. Only about 10% of
the time are you actually acting. The other 90% you spend
waiting around for set changes and other things. So unless you
have a major role that requires a lot of preparation, you better
bring a deck of playing cards with you or you're going to be
bored out of your skin.
At around noon you break for
lunch. An hour later you come back, maybe do another scene and
then get your sheets for tomorrow's shoot. You're done for the
day and go home.
Not very glamorous is it? No, but when
the film is released and you get to see what they've done with
what seemed like pretty dull stuff, it simply amazes you. And
knowing that people all over the world are going to be seeing
you, well, that's what acting is all about.
About the author:
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Acting
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