I was lucky to be chosen to be Ann Cusack’s stand in for the independent film “Crooked Lane” this past summer. For those who are not familiar with the term “stand in”, it means when the crew is looking to set up a shot, a scene, someone needs to “stand in” for the actor that will be in that scene. Lighting the set and positioning the camera angle for a scene is very time consuming. It usually takes at least 40 minutes to get a shot ready to shoot, and the actor is usually in hair and makeup and is not available to be in position for that time.
Casting agencies are usually responsible for filling this position since the stand in needs to have a resemblance to the actor in appearance and height. I am slightly shorter than Ann but have similar attributes and so I was asked to be her stand in. A person acting as a stand in can learn a lot just by standing there and observing the crafts people at work. I was amazed at how well the Director of Photography, Patrick Ruth and gaffer Beecher Cotton collaborated to get the lighting just right for each scene. I was thinking to myself “how do they know exactly what is needed to get that effect?” Here is a video I took from the point of view of the stand in and a quick interview with Nicole Mane, who was also a stand in for actress Jessica Webb.

As Nicole says, one of the challenge’s of being a stand in is to be close enough so that you are available at a moments notice to be on set, but at the same time not be in the way of the crew setting up.
All in all, it was a great experience and I highly recommend giving it a try if you are interested in filmmaking and the process that goes into it and have all day for many days to be on the set!