What Really Happens on Set? - Part 2

Part 2: On the Job!

So the day on set has finally arrived, no doubt you are feeling excited, but maybe a little nervous! Here are a few tips to get you through the nerves and into feeling confident and ready to tackle your first job.

You should plan to arrive approximately 10-15 minutes before your call time and find the contact person as listed for you on the call sheet or booking confirmation. Occasionally the production can be running behind schedule and you could be asked to wait. This is when the colouring books or iPad's come in handy! Other times the production crew will be ready and waiting for you and your child.

There are usually lots of people on set who keep production going behind the scenes and they are usually set-up in separate trailers a short distance away from the actual set so not to interrupt any filming in progress with noise or movement. 

You will be introduced to the location nurse who is there to look after the wellbeing of underage talent by making sure they are safe, taking breaks at allocated times and have something to eat and drink. Your contact person will also make sure that someone from the ‘Wardrobe’ or ‘Costume’ department knows that you have arrived. They will either choose from the outfits you brought by request or have items ready to try on. Parents can help their child get dressed if necessary. On some shoots, children might also be required to go through ‘Hair and Make-up’. In general minimal make-up will be applied and sometimes none at all for children.

Soon it will be time to make your way to the actual set for filming. With younger children, parents are always allowed to stay close by or within sight, but it is important to be aware of your surroundings and not get in anyones way. 

Here are a few general rules when on set:

• Make sure you turn your phone off! 

• Do not talk or move around once the director calls ACTION until after they have called CUT.

• Do not try and tell your child what to do from the sidelines. Let the director (or whoever is working with them) direct your child.

If you do have any questions or concerns, speak to the person who has been assigned to look after you and your child on set.

Your child may film everything that is required for the day in one go or there might be a few breaks when you will be looking after them and need to keep them occupied. Snacks are often supplied and if filming has been scheduled over a meal time then you might both sit down with cast and crew and enjoy the Catering on location.

When your child has finished work (often referred to as being ‘wrapped’) the crew person in charge will let you know and you will need to sign out for the day. Take note of the time you have finished so you can let our casting department know. 

Once you have been told you can leave, collect all of your belongings and be sure to thank the crew and the people who have looked after you.

Here are a few additional tips:

Be positive! It’s nice for the crew to have someone around who is happy, easy going and helps make the day run smoothly, and they may be more likely to ask you and your child back for future projects.

Try to stay away from gossip about agents/money/other people in the industry. This can reflect badly on yourself, your child or your agency. 

Try not to bring any extra siblings or family members on set.

HAVE FUN! Enjoy the experience!

What Really Happens on Set?

Part 1: Preparing for the big day

Congratulations! Your child has finally gotten a job and now you need to know everything about your day on set so that it can be a wonderful experience for both of you.

Your agent will have confirmed the job and sent you a CALL SHEET as soon as it is available to them. Some productions are very busy and cannot confirm the details until late on the day before you are required on set, but be assured that your agent will send you the necessary information as soon as they receive it.

The most important details for you to take note of are;

• your CALL TIME (the time you are required on set)
• the exact LOCATION that you need to be at (sometimes this is a building address, but it could be a park or other public place)
• the CONTACT PERSON you are required to meet on the day (eg. in the case of extras for a television show this would be the name and phone number of the 3rd AD). You will also be given details of anything you are required to bring with you and how long you are expected to be needed for.

Research the location you are required to be at before you have to leave home. Sometimes the call sheet will provide you with instructions regarding parking and other times you will need to figure it out yourself.

Productions are busy and very costly, so it is important that you arrive at the time you have been called for so not to delay the shoot time or halt production. Arriving 10-15 minutes early is appreciated, but do not show up any earlier than this. If you arrive too early at location, take the time to relax rather than turning up and risking being in the way before production is ready for you.

Spending time with your child onset can be a great experience, but arriving unprepared can add a lot of the wrong type of drama to the day. Make sure you have any paperwork or items you have been asked to bring, but don’t take it personally if they don’t use it on the day. It happens often that they ask for items or information, just to change what they originally planned on the day and not ask for it or use it at all.

Depending on the job, clothes will be provided while you may be asked to supply your own outfits at other times. If you are required to bring clothes the wardrobe department will inform you of what is needed; often simple things like jeans, t-shirts and runners. In general, choose items that do not have any visible branding and bring a few options of each. Bright colours are often appreciated, unless told otherwise and avoid stripes as these can often bleed together and not look good on camera. Bring as many options as you think will be helpful and remember you can ask our casting department if you are uncertain about anything!

Taking some snacks with you can also save the day. The break times for meals on set can vary a lot from your usual times so have something handy to keep your child (and you!) functioning if that is the case. Catering on sets can be amazing and might be one of the highlights of your day, but it is not guaranteed that your child will like what is provided. Some productions regularly cater for children and may have an array of choices for them while others are used to looking after their adult actors and crew and may not have the things your child prefers to eat.

It is also a good idea to take toys or games to keep your child occupied, as you could be required to wait for extended periods of time before or during filming. The idea is to provide them with enough stimulation to keep them occupied, but ready to work when they are called on set.

Now you’re ready to go!

Glossary:

CALL SHEET: a document that your agent will send you from the production company, usually on the day before your job. It specifies what time you are required on set, how long you are expected to be needed for, the location you are to meet at, the name and phone number of the person you need to meet on set (or contact if you have any problems on the day) and other details .

CALL TIME: the time at which you are required to be on set. Always arrive at the location earlier than this and aim to find the person you are required to meet with 10-15 minutes before your call time.

3rd AD: 3rd Assistant Director. This is the person who is usually in charge of the extras on a television set and who you would be required to report to if that was your role for the day. For other jobs you might be asked to report to someone with a different role.

What Really Happens On Set? Part 2, will explore what happens once you arrive on the big day

Reminder, reminder, reminder!

Waiting for something to do? 

Remember to update your child's clothing size as soon as they change! We cannot stress the importance of this enough. We submit children for jobs according to their clothing size, and if their size is wrong on AT2, we will have the clients responding like this at the casting:

If anyone needs any help, remember you can always call us on 1300 888 611 or check out this post if you need a refresher - A Fool Proof Guide to AT2 - Part 2

Have a great weekend! XX 

A Fool Proof Guide to AT2 - Part 3

The Nitty Gritty

Part 3 of 3

This last section on our guide to AT2 will focus on the Video and Resume features that are available. The most commonly asked question about these features is 'Are they necessary?' There are certainly uses for both of them, regardless of experience. The more information the better!

Luckily with our AT2 package, the video function is accessible to us all. The video could contain a few things:

1. The most common video is a 'Showreel'. A Showreel is a collection of featured work and is always requested in the adult acting world. If your child has a few TV commercials or featured work examples under their belt, collate the clips together to create a visual example of all recent jobs. If your child has completed one TV commercial (or video clip, featured in TV series, background of TV series, extra in film etc.) simply show a video of just that experience.
2. If your child hasn't received any work, the video could be one of a dance concert, school concert, musical production performance or something similar that demonstrates skills and abilities.
3. With the absence of both of the above, it is acceptable and often helpful to upload a video of your child talking to the camera or playing/laughing/moving so that clients can visualise outside of the limits of a photo to gauge interaction skills.

Uploading a video is similar to uploading a photograph (please refer to Part 2). Simply go to the 'Video' tab > press 'Edit' > and upload your video.

Once it is uploaded - your child's profile will look like this:
Sorcha has uploaded a video of her acting at home to display her skills:

And Dominic has uploaded a video of a Worksafe TV commercial he is featured in:

Let's move onto the Resume section.

There are two types of resumes that you can use on the AT2 site - one is a generic PDF resume, and the other is a credit resume which means you can secure attachments of examples of work.

When you click the Resume tab this will appear:

PDF Resume: Irrespective of whether your child has experience or not - it is still possible to have a resume should you so desire. For a child without any experience it can be helpful to simply fill out a resume detailing your child's hobbies, interests and personality. Make sure that you include any extracurricular activities or achievements to date as well. For children that have had work, make sure that you put all of the jobs and dates in chronological order. You may also jot down the castings you've attended (even if you didn't get the job!) because every bit of experience counts, and all castings contribute to confidence and as a stepping stone for the next one.

See below for an example of a PDF resume for Dominic detailing paid work:

 Example of a PDF resume for Keshika complete with all skills, education and relevant experience:

A Credit Resume is a great way to show examples of work your child has completed to correlate with the written description. Click 'Add Table Section' to start. The below will pop up and this is where you enter the names of jobs:

So for example, you could put in: Target May 2013 or Australian Country Spinners 2010
On the right hand side is a little icon of an image - this is where you click to upload the Target image or the Australian Country Spinners image.

Once entered it should look like this:

This type of mini resume is probably ideal for parents who have lots of copies or images of printed work or links to videos of ads. It is a quick, concise way to get an overview of all experiences. For other children, a simple PDF resume will suffice.

Last important things to note:

There is a tab for Skills that has an array of tick boxes from accents to dance experience to singing to sporting ability. Whilst we do have on our file most of your child's abilities, these do change or exceed (for example beginner, intermediate, advanced) - be sure to edit when needed. This will make it easier for clients when they are searching for specific abilities on the AT2 database. 

Finally, of course any help needed with any aspect of AT2 can be directed to our Bettina HQ to email address: info@bettina.com.au. We want everyone to make the most of their AT2 membership. Hopefully this 3 part series has been able to help some of you to gain a stronger grasp of the AT2 site. Remember, if you have any ideas or questions that you would like to see in further posts please email: jade@bettina.com.au

Thanks everyone! 

A Fool Proof Guide to AT2 - Part 2

The Essentials

Part 2 of 3

Now that we have The Basics covered, it's time to take a look at the aspects of AT2 that can significantly help or hinder your progress.

Sizes

Changing clothing sizes is imperative to ensure your child is being submitted for the right jobs at all times. As soon as a clothing or shoe size changes we need you to update this on AT2. We won't know it has changed unless you tell us! And we know how fast theses things can happen, kids grow.. all the time!

In order to change the clothing size click on the tab 'Profile' and then where the tab says 'View | Edit' press 'Edit'. The screen should look like this:

To get to clothing size, scroll down! Look at the arrow below for where you need to change the shoe and clothing size:

It is also beneficial to call us and let us know too, so we can alter it on our internal database!

Photographs

With our package on AT2 - you have the option to upload 10 additional photographs of your choice.

Before we learn how to upload the images, let's make sure they are in the right format first!

> It's much easier if the image is formatted to a 'JPEG.' file If it is not already in a JPEG, go to the photograph where you have it stored and press 'Save As.' Underneath the 'File Name' there will be a drop down box for 'Save as type' as shown below. Simply make sure the 'JPEG' option is selected.

Alright, now for the fun part. Follow the instructions to upload a photo:

1. Click the 'Photos' tab.

2. Where it says 'View | Edit', click 'Edit'.

3. The screen will then look like this:

4. When you click 'Add New Image' this screen will pop up:

5. Click 'Add Files' and find the photograph/s you are wishing to upload. You are able to upload more than one at a time which is handy and saves time!

6. After the photo uploads, the next screen will show the images one by one and have a button that says 'Auto Crop & Resize' - click that button, then press 'Submit & Finish'. All done!

NB. If you have wish to change the default picture at any time throughout the membership, please let us know first. Sometimes, if a parent puts up a photograph that is not suitable for our clients as a default without alerting us, we will not be able to submit the photograph forward to the client on account of professionalism.

Similar to the extra photographs, even if not serving the purpose of a default photo per se, the photographs can and will still be looked at by clients and casting directors alike. Some photos that look great on the fridge may not be appropriate for AT2! They should still retain an element of professionalism, despite being taken at home for fun.

Below are a few examples of appropriate and inappropriate photos for AT2.

Here are some good examples:

In these gorgeous photos we can see the child's face front on, we can see his unique features i.e. blue eyes, shape of face (nose, mouth) and also, with the first photo - a bit of character in his smirk. Note the below photograph too:

It can be easy to simply stand your child in front of a wall in the house as naturally as possible and get them to show you a big smile. The clients need to see exactly what your child looks like in an everyday situation. We don't encourage fanciness and frills, clients are searching for cute and happy kids.

Now for some inappropriate examples:

Despite the undoubted cuteness that radiates from each of the above photographs, things such as food, baths, not looking at the camera, being too far away and hiding the face with a hat are features that aren't ideal to be presented to the client. Also, for the older kids self taken images 'selfies' aren't necessarily appropriate either, but please check with one of the staff first. 

We are always available should you require further assistance with AT2! You can email info@bettina.com.au  with any images for us to check or for help.

Stay tuned for Part 3! Also, if you have any questions that we have not yet covered (next part will cover videos and resumes) please let me know: jade@bettina.com.au

Thanks everyone!