Kym here. You can be overstepping on every booking you have ever had and never realise it, because nobody sat you down and explained how a set actually works.
So here is the version I wish someone had handed me before my first job, from the Journey masterclass on working on set.
The first assistant director runs the set. They are the voice of the director, they keep the shoot on schedule, and anyone who wants to talk to the director goes through them.
That includes you. If the director is right there and free, talk to them. If they are busy or across the set, go to the first AD or a set PA and let them carry it. Directors answer literally hundreds of questions a day.
The second AD is the one you deal with all day. They sign you in at base camp and sign you out when you wrap, so that you get paid. The third AD, often called the second second, usually wrangles the background actors.
One thing people get wrong on day one. Base camp and set are two different places. Base is where the trailers, hair and makeup and usually lunch are. Set is somewhere else.
Plan to arrive 15 minutes before your call time, which means leaving when your GPS says you will be 30 minutes early. That buffer covers parking, a wrong turn, or an empty tank.
A film shoot costs thousands of dollars an hour. On a job in New Zealand with over 200 crew and over 150 extras, had I been 15 minutes late the whole set would have been held.
If you are going to be even five minutes late, contact the second AD or the production manager.
Sign in with the second AD the moment you reach base camp. If you have not spoken to them you are technically not on set. Sign out with them before you go home.
Yes, but if you are going anywhere other than crafty for more than three minutes, tell a PA or the second AD. That includes visiting another trailer, going for a walk, or a longer bathroom trip, which crews call a 10-2.
If they cannot find you it goes out over the walkies and everybody hears it. Tell the second AD if you are sick or need something, including tampons.
If the director is busy and your question is purely technical, ask the camera department.
Hey, how much room do I have here on this mark? And if I lean here, is that going to stuff you up?
Now the mistake I flag hardest. Actors ask a grip or a gaffer to fetch them a coffee. It is not their job, they have things to do, and the confusion is genuinely offensive. If you slip up, apologise on the spot.
Oh my God, dude, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise you were doing lighting. I made an assumption.
Then use the lighting team for what they are there for. Ask which one is your eye light, the little dot of light in your eyes. If your eyes are darkened out the audience cannot connect with you. A director once told me a very famous Australian actor gave one of the best performances of his career and it could not be used, because he had drifted out of his light.
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Research the people, not just the script. Watch at least two projects the director has done. Then look up the producer, the DP, the top couple of actors and the executive producers.
You are looking for three things. What they look like, so you recognise them. Their political and societal opinions, so you know what not to say. And things you have in common, so you have a way in.
Hey, I totally Google stalked you before we did this thing, and I saw that you did this. I watched the film, it was amazing.
Knowing their personalities also stops you taking things personally. Imposter syndrome hits on your first ten or so jobs and again at every new level.
Then the lines. Print your sides the minute you get them. Find the monologues first and say them aloud with no emotion. Record the other characters’ lines into voice memos, leaving gaps for yours, and read along aloud at least twenty times. Then sleep, because you will wake up knowing them far better.
Producers say the same things every time. Show up on time. Know your lines. Do not be a dick. I add hitting your mark.
If you have a lot of pages, write at the top of each scene what just happened, what is going on for you, and what you want.
I just got shot in the left arm. All I care about is finding Adam and Prissy. I’m pissed, but also a little scared. The last time I saw this guy, he tried to stab me.
Now put all of those on one page, with scene number, page number and that description. Pin it to the trailer mirror or fold it into your pocket.
It is most useful for the tiny scenes, the ones where you arrive with no idea where you are. Instead of asking the AD what is going on, you pull out the page.
You are an actor, not a director. If the director is discussing lighting, a shot, or a stunt you are not in, say nothing. Do not direct the other actors either, even when they are not giving you what you need. If you genuinely spot a problem, take it to the first AD.
Watch your mouth, because your lav mic may be live and the whole crew may be listening. Mute it when you leave set, not between takes, because you will forget to turn it back on.
Do not touch a hot set. Props, dressing and furniture sit exactly where they are for continuity.
Check every gun each time you pick one up, hand weapons back to props before you leave set, and never do a stunt you are not comfortable with. My husband was once asked to have a knife stabbed into a watermelon strapped under his shirt. He refused, and they worked around it.
Sit with the crew and the background performers. On an NCIS: LA job where I had two lines, every single series regular came up and introduced themselves, and it meant everything.
Leave your trailer the way you found it. And if something is wrong, escalate through the second AD on the day, because one of the worst calls a producer can get is from an agent or the union about a complaint they knew nothing about. Anything to do with intimacy or harassment goes to the intimacy coordinator.
Start a cast WhatsApp at the table read, when everyone is together. The one from my job is still talking now.
Then tell the casting director how it went. From the casting director interviews I have run, this is the thing they say they want more of, because they rarely get to go to set. Four to twelve sentences on what happened, and thank them for the opportunity.
Set a Google alert for every project you work on, because producers forget to tell you about screenings. I once won a best actress award without knowing the film had been entered. Then attend and promote, because that is the part that gets you rehired.
The whole 90 minute on-set masterclass, plus a monthly casting director on Gold who can tell you what they hear back from set. All 18 Journey masterclasses are in every plan. Start your 7-day free trial.
Arrive 15 minutes before call (leave when the GPS says 30 early), sign in with the second AD at base camp, know your lines cold, and carry a one page scene map. Route questions for the director through the first AD, ask the camera department about your frame, and tell a PA before leaving your trailer for more than three minutes.
The second AD. They sign you in and out, track where you need to be, and are your first stop for anything from sickness to a complaint. The first AD runs the set and is the conduit to the director. Technical questions about your mark go to the camera department, never as direction requests.
Show up on time, know your lines, hit your mark and do not be a dick. Do not direct other actors or comment on lighting or shots, do not touch a hot set, mute your lav when you leave set, never send a grip or gaffer for coffee, check every gun, hand weapons back to props, and leave your trailer as you found it.
If they are right there and free, yes. If they are busy or across the set, go through the first AD or a set PA, because directors answer hundreds of questions a day. For research questions before the shoot, ask the director if you are a lead; smaller roles ask the casting director, second AD or production coordinator.
A short email or handwritten note after the shoot, four to twelve sentences on how it went, thanking them for the opportunity. Casting directors rarely get to visit set and say they want more of this. Photos in character only if there is no NDA, or ask first. A small gift they will keep, handed over on the last day, is lovely too.
Kym has more than 80 screen credits and this masterclass is one of 18 in every SAS plan, alongside 3,000+ videos and the community. Gold and Platinum members meet a working film and TV casting director live on Zoom every month. 7-day free trial on Silver and Gold, 60-day refund always.