Actors: What is your Set IQ? (and how to increase it)

[@fredgalyean]

I have a few rules I always followed that have helped me immensely with this: 1) Treat everyone on set as an equal and part of a collaborative team. 2) Always ask questions if there's something you don't understand or want to know more about. 3) Strive to make everyone else's job easier. 4) A person's job on set is always more difficult and requires more skill than we realize.

[@fredgalyean]

Or you can: 1) Be a dick. 2) Be arrogant, and 3) Be a diva (and likely not work much)

[@fredgalyean]

I recently took a set IQ test and was accepted into the SAG-AFTRA chapter of MENSA.

[@GetTaped]

Great stuff, Fred. And in full disclosure, you also created the SAG-AFTRA chapter of MENSA... just now... 😂😂😂

[@MystieBluz]

"...why you should underwear at a wardrobe fitting..." just took me out, LOL.

[@GetTaped]

I know right!?!

[@stephendavidcalhoun182]

I was on set about 10 years ago for the TV movie “Coma” and two electricians were approaching a door that I was near and their hands were full of equipment. I went to open the door for them and was very quickly informed that I wasn’t allowed to do that on a Union set. I was so baffled.

[@GetTaped]

Wow. Harkens back to "letter of the law vs. spirit of the law". Because while we understand the reasoning behind the division of labor, it's kinda silly when someone won't let you be courteous to hold a door.

[@LittleTimmyO]

I’d still hold the door out of principle of being a good human

[@sweetybirds6202]

This. I'm transitioning from stage to film. I'm volunteering to help independent producers/directors on set to learn lingo, what people do, ect. Was on set first time several days ago as extra. Learned a lot by staying after wrap by watching and listening.

[@GetTaped]

That's fantastic. Listening on set is underrated. We have 2 ears and only one mouth for a reason, right? 😉

[@DanielKnightActor]

Great stuff Matt. Always appreciate your well-thought-out points and always so helpful. You are probably a couple steps ahead of me but maybe putting together a "What is Your Set EQ (Emotional Quotient)". Might be fun to explore this both from an actor onset POV and as an actor performing onset POV. As always, if I can assist on it, just holler. My love to you and Brooke 🙂

[@GetTaped]

Thanks, Dan! It's a great idea, too. After we release all the "I Wish Actors Knew" interviews, I may put together a one-sheet or a fun online "quiz" or something along the lines of what you mention. The ideas are swirling...

[@lalalandlaura]

Thank you for this video! What I'm curious about is, say if you're a co-star, how long do you get to rehearse? Do you get any time? I know sometimes you get to set in the first time you might meet others you're in the scene with. At least, that's what I thought. Thanks!

[@GetTaped]

It can vary. Some directors will gather the actors together and do "story time." Largely, though, that's just all the actors reading from their mini-sides to get a flow of the scene, and the director is thinking about staging, camera angles, etc. Other times, you get to set and it's PURELY a blocking rehearsal. That is, they're only rehearsing because there's a camera move, or some other timing that needs to be worked out. That said, I've had 2 experiences where the director wanted to hear the lines, but just off in a corner somewhere. It's not a rehearsal, so much as it feels like the director is auditioning you again. It feels very disrespectful, quite honestly. So in short, it's common to get one TECHNICAL rehearsal to iron out marks, movement, physicality, etc. But don't expect much in the way of getting to rehearse with your co-star. Sometimes they don't want to rehearse, anyway, to keep it fresh on take 1. This just adds to the pressure of that co-star booking, because you don't even get to "ease in". It's like you've been warming the bench the whole game, and suddenly you get sent in during the most important moment of the game.

[@jedidiadyer6708]

I'd like to know about the different lenses on the camera. Where can I find this information?

[@GetTaped]

Hey Jedi! I found this interesting playlist of videos on KZbin. I haven't watched them all, but it should give a great primer for actors: kzbin.info/aero/PLA4w8OJCo4USqfK5Tex1qbmi34Ld7eJrL&si=8zhF91rrYaTz86yb

[@OlgaKuznetsova]

Oooh, I have a question I'm still confused about. I've done a few professional projects and a lot of times, there will be multiple people approaching me to tell me "come to me if you have any questions." But who do I REALLY come to? Or does it depend on the question itself? I recently did a commercial and we shot at the client's hotel and the client (group of 4) were very hands on and each of them told me to come to them for anything. But so did the PAs and the producer.

[@GetTaped]

It can vary set to set, but it's better to have many folks being so generous. I've been on plenty of sets where you feel like you have zero allies. That said, if it's a technical question, don't ask a higher up creative (or the client on the commercial). Go the department in question. For example, if it's an eye line question, you could ask the director, but I'd start with the camera operator. If I'm worried about noisy props or wardrobe, I ask the boom operator first. If it's character questions, I go to the director. On a commercial, I'll avoid the client unless they're hovering and in ear shot. The reason is that most commercial directors are trying to exercise their own vision with as little interference as possible from the client. So I won't include a client in the conversation unless they butt in. If it's a question about the product itself (or how to pronounce certain lingo), THEN I would ask the client. But you'll need to discern for yourself the vibe on set...

[@OlgaKuznetsova]

@@GetTaped Oh I love that! The idea of having so many people tell me to come to them with questions is a bit stressful/confusing, but your reframe of calling it generous is lovely, I'm going to take that with me going forward :) Also, thank you for the practical advice!

[@rosemarypacheco1166]

I'm not new to acting and been on many film sets, commercials, docs, with some bigger names - but for that "first TV job co-star", what should we be aware of - if you've covered this, can you direct me to that short or video? Thx!

[@GetTaped]

I don't have a singular video that addresses this. It's actually a great topic. For now, I'll give a few "heads up". I'll assume that an actor has had theater experience, maybe some on-camera training, and so their "craft" is up to par. That said, stepping on set for that first co star will be new territory for the following reasons. 1) You'll quickly realize there's nothing "glamorous" about how long it takes to shoot even one scene 2) There will be so many technical requests that will be vying for your attention, making it harder to just feel "natural" in your scene. 3) The food is great, but you have to be careful about over-eating, or eating the wrong foods at the wrong times, if you know what I mean... 4) Everyone has a job, and it can be overwhelming to see so many different people on a set. 5) Even on a union set, you still need to be well-informed as to your rights and responsibilities. Each of these can be unpacked much further, but that's been part of the goal of my "I Wish Actors Knew..." Interview series. Once all of those have released, I'll be following up with some TL;DR shorter content to summarize the biggest takeaways.

[@rosemarypacheco1166]

@@GetTaped Awesome. Thanks - I actually had to look up TL;DR - Man I am behind on internet shorthand - lol. Great stuff always.