What's a typical day on the set like for an actor?

Question

I know days for a television or film shoot can start anywhere from 5 to 7 in the morning, and go until midnight or who knows when. What's an average day like, and when are lunch and other breaks taken?

Answer 1

Hurry up and wait! That's what the day is like... you get there early (in my experience 5-7 is accurate), you get your hair & make up done, get into your wardrobe (the order depends on who's ready for you or what your wearing and the complexity and importance of getting make-up on your clothing etc.) Sometimes you go over lines with other actors while you're getting your hair/make-up done or after ward while you wait in your dressing room, just let the AD know who's room you're in. Often times someone will be trying to rush you through one or more of your processes because someone thinks they need you on set soon, but usually after you've hurried to get there, you wait. Or there's a stand in that could have done that part for you, but it's all good :-) No matter what, you wanted to be there, right? You just wait until they tell you, sorry and that they actually won't need you for a bit and to go back to your dressing room until they call you again. So you basically stand by all day until they tell you you're needed. Breaks go more by the crew's schedule since they've been working a bit harder in my opinion plus you usually have craft service so there's always something to munch on. If not, there's a cafeteria somewhere on the lot. Your lunch should be 6 hours from your call time, but is generally whenever they call it. Your brekas are taken between shots or when they're setting up for something else... just whenever you're not needed.

***Always make sure the AD knows where to find you! If you're running to the cafeteria for something, if you're visiting a castmates dressing room, if you're going to a bathroom around the corner becuase yours isn't working... tell him/her. They need to know where you are at all times! And they will NOT be happy if they can't find you because it's their job to know where you are and it's them who will get yelled at for not having you on your mark when the director is ready for you.

Don't forget to greet your crew at the begining of the day and thank them at the end of it They make you look good and we all know that sometimes that's a lot harder than we may think! :-)

Answer 2

It depends how big your part is, but generally, your early call is to go into costume and makeup. Then you hang around the craft services table and tank up on coffee and munchies.

There's a lot of waiting while they set up a shot. I've had a 5:00 call and not gotten on camera until 10:00. You shoot the scene (perhaps several times), then go wait some more while they set up another scene.

There aren't specified "break" times other than lunch (which is strictly adhered to if you're on a union shoot). Generally 1:00 for half an hour, an hour if they're kind.

And rarely does a union actor work a 12-hour day in television, as the overtime can be brutal; not only does the actor have to be paid, but the crew as well. They can get around it by "releasing" the actor for some hours, then bringing them back.

Answer 3

There is no "typical" when it comes to film shoots. The same can be said of TV, though the sitcoms, game shows, talk shows are formulaic and there are set hours for rehearsing/taping. Game shows and late night talk shows are taped a couple to several in a row in one day. As with film shoots, the day starts very early and ends into the evening hours.

Film shoots can take place anywhere, any time, and often start early in the morning and go into the wee hours. Sometimes people think of "the biz" as a cushy job. But everybody from the director, to the make-up people, to the actors, to the guys who re-set the camera track and the person who holds the boom mic need to be "on" and energized and ready to go at any time.

Breaks? All I can say is that they are often very welcome when they happen. There are rules about how many hours before a break, etc. on union shoots. For the non-union stuff, well ... It's all part of paying your dues. The dues you pay to get to the place where you can join any of the unions in question. Oh! And don't be the last one to the food table.

Sometimes, the hardest part is just standing at the ready, waiting to be called on to do your thing. But, if you love what you're doing, it's waaaay worth it.

Answer 4

Well for “this actor”, my day starts at 4:30 AM by getting out of bed and ready for work. I punch in at 6:00 AM, break at 9:00 AM and lunch at noon.
All day long I act like I’m actually getting something done.

Funny tho’… I’ve never been nominated for an academy award. Hmmmm.

Answer 5

The hours are almost never the same it depends when it's filming in the day, night.
Mostly there is catering service and the director decides when it's the break.
Weekends mostly not working.

Answer 6

Calling all actors, or actresses. This one is for you.