Be an Actor Advocate While They Aren’t There

The rehearsal is over and the crew takes over the set. Invariably things move - lights come in, flags are set, dolly track is laid - and a number of things begin to happen all at once. As the camera operator, it is your job to make sure that the shot that has been decided on is achievable and there will likely be things adjusted to make sure that this can happen. But at the same time, you need to be an actor advocate on set and consider what the actors, who aren’t there to give their input, might need in order to fulfill the scene as rehearsed.

Is there adequate room for an actor to sit down in a chair, will they have the ability to lean on a desk that has been moved when that was what they did in rehearsal, can they navigate their way to their mark or is there something in their way? 

While no one on set is going to actively do something that changes what the actor in a scene needs to do, people will often get tunnel vision - a grip is told to set a flag and that is their prime mission, a sound person wants to set a plant mic and that is their prime mission - but as the operator, part of your job is to watch what is unfolding and make sure that nothing that is being done (all of which is important) will have a  negative effect on the scene, especially how the actor is able to play within it. When there is a problem it’s usually fixed simply by explaining the problem and trying to figure out another way to achieve what is being done. If that doesn’t work, sometimes explaining it to a department head will fix it and in very rare cases, the DP and or Director may need to be consulted. The key to all of this is not to villainize anyone but rather to explain that this may impinge on the actor and to figure out a way to achieve both what needs to be done on set and maintain the actors ability to play the scene as rehearsed. 

Calm discussion and clear communication are always key and an actor who knows that you have their back when they are not there wll go miles for you when the time comes.