September 6, 2005
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RANT
I have to amend the previous entry a bit because “Without A Trace” is actually my second gig since ”The Gene Generation“.
A week after I finished “TGG,“ I shot a small part on the Hallmark Channel’s “Jane Doe” series with Lea Thompson. It was just a one day thing that was offered to me from the people that cast me in “Poseidon Adventure“.
The scene had me being a perp and hence I was chased by a bunch of federal agents throughout Chinatown. “No audition. No Accent. Never played a perp before, so ‘Why not?’”, I thought. However after the first 2 hours into shooting, I quickly wanted to recant my initial thoughts.
It was crash course-stunt work 101. I mean, full on, sprint running. Take after take after take. Jumping over benches, crashing into barrels, dodging crowds. All under 95 degree weather. After the first 2 hours I was ready to throw up — which I wound up doing after lunch.
You know how you always hear actors in interviews taking pride doing their own stunt work? Well, “screw that” is all I have to say. My stunt double’s being put to work from now on — I’m no spring chicken anymore.
But that’s not what bugged me.
What did bug me was something that I’ve begun to notice a lot on sets and that is: Directors and camera crews are so engaged with moving to the next shot or changing shots at the last minute that they neglect to tell the actor what’s going on — what they need from the actor and where they need the actor.
One of my co-stars, who’s been on sets since a child, concurred observing this growing trend. And frankly, it was getting pretty damn annoying.
Here’s the usual etiquette if a shot’s being changed last minute: You give the camera crew some time to figure out the shot. Then the actors are informed of the change, given new marks, rehearsal time to block all the stunts for safety and then you roll the cameras.
A bunch of times on “Jane Doe” I wasn’t anywhere near the cameras when they called “Action” — even though I was paying attention the entire time, waiting to rehearse the new change. And who’s fault does it look like if their meticulously set up shot get messed up or delayed? Me. The production was basically a collaborative effort between only the director and camera crews. At one point I had to literally stop the scene immediately after “Action” was called because that was the only time I could get a word in to ask the director what was going on.
I chalk it up to the guerilla/low production “need to move quickly” mentality and/or the ability to move quickly due to the increased use of High Definition (HD) that crews seem to just blow past the actors these days.
Now I don’t think that actors should be waited on hand and foot but honestly, when it comes down to it–all the camera set-ups, lighting and microphones are all aimed upon doing one thing: Capturing the actor’s performance. And that actor needs to be informed of what the heck is goin’ on!
Even the etiquette of the production assistants letting the actors know when they can step off the set to relax was being neglected. In this case, my co-star and I were under the pounding sun waiting to shoot the next shot — unbeknownst to us, the camera crew was having a 1
5 minute pow-wow discussing the shot around a corner. Had I been relayed to take a 15 min break, that would’ve bought me some recouping time in the shade while my barf settled down in my stomach.
Seriously, the level of neglect was so bad that I thought to myself several times, “This can’t be the way they do things here… I’ve gotta be getting Punk’d or something.” It could’ve just been that one day where things went down the way they did but all I can report is what I experienced.
So to you newer actors, know to take care and stand up for yourself on these kinds of sets. It’s not diva-ish behavior to want to know from either the Director or the First AD (Assistant Director) what they are doing and to allow you the proper time to prepare and adjust for a new shot.
Comments (11)
Wow….intense stuff, Parry. Despite the injuries and rushing, keep up the good work!! My one stunt were martial art moves on an “enemy”, but it wasn’t me who got hurt.
But I can see how much some actors have to endure to make it work. Show biz, I suppose. 
Thanks for sharing.
that sucks.
You’re one tough cookie. If that were me, I’d purposely barf on the director just to let him know my pain.
props to you going with the punches.
I agree with you….sounds like they don’t treat the Actors with respect where you worked.
Even though people around might not treat you the way you want the to, think of it in a positive way saying that it’s better that you have something to shoot for rather than nothing to shoot for and you have no work at all. Having some work is better than none and be thankful for what you have and the way they treat you could be better but just letting it go is the better deal. (I think)
i won’t be on your side of the cameras when i start working in the business sooner or later, but its good to read what you have to say, so now i know what to watch for and keep in mind when i film and produce in the future. thanks!
well at least on the plus side, u got to work again w/lea thompson?
that sounds kinda ridiculous. i wonder what factors play in this growing trends. is this a race related issue? or …is this all across the board?
A trend that is visible, I think, even more so with student and indie films (though it’s disheartening to hear that with union films as well) – too often there’s the idea that actors are nothing but props that walk and eat rather than artistic collaborators, as they should be. The 1st AD I work with, however, always puts actors needs first, and I’ve bene fortunate enough to work on sets where actors have been happy and well-taken care of. Such sets do exist! I promise!
I definitely don’t think actors expect to be waited on hand and foot, but letting them know when they’ve wrapped and what they need to do for the next shot are basic necessities. I think it’s due to inexperience or an inability to multitask, and eventually these directors / 1st ADs will eventually find out it won’t cut it to work this way. Sorry to hear this happened to you, Parry. With my indie feature I just ended up asking the director, “So what are we doing now?” He eventually caught on…
I hope you don’t have to encounter this many more times..
I really have to agree with letting actors take breaks when they can. One time when I worked as PA on set, I was never informed that it was a wrap for one of the actors by the director. What a waste of time it was for him. Tsk tsk. Communication is key. Hopefully, there’ll be no more puking for you under such a horrendous circumstance.