How to feel confident on film sets
Where does self-confidence come from?
We think we feel confidence when we have already done something. Like if you’ve played basketball, you feel confident in your ability to play basketball.
But what if you’ve never done it before? Can you feel confident?
Yes you can. Self-confidence is created by your thinking.
How you think to yourself, about yourself, is everything.
Think positive thoughts about yourself and you’ll feel confident. Positive thoughts bring positive results.
Negative thoughts bring negative results.
Many times, we may accidentally start having negative thoughts. Usually that’s because of fear.
On my first big sets, it was so busy and everyone seemed so serious. I remember thinking, “People are kind of stuck up.”
What I didn’t realize is they were focused on their job! I didn’t realize that their jobs were different from mine. Mine was just to help out as a production assistant.
Theirs were to get ready for a scene and they only had a certain amount of time and the AD would soon by saying, “LAST LOOKS!”
Ibrahim, one of my students who is a director, was on set helping out and found himself judging everything. “Why are they taking 30 minutes to set up for that shot? I would never do that!”
I asked him, “What are you there for?”
He said, “To work.” I said, “Yes and you are there to connect with people so you can work with them even more on professional sets.”
He was putting himself in a low learning state from that attitude. His “I know it better” energy was repelling people!
He stopped judging and now he’s a supportive force on set. And now he has TONS of film friends referring him!
Whatever you do, don’t do this.
There was this guy on set who had just graduated film school.
He was hired for the day as a production assistant. All day long he was giving his opinions on a better way to do things, like, “Why don’t you guys set up the grip gear like this? Why don’t we put a light here instead? In school, we did it that way.”
Everyone was ignoring him.
At the end of the day, he was walking around handing out business cards. People would take them and throw them away.
He would probably wonder later why the phone isn’t ringing. The best thing I could tell him is, “You have 2 ears and 1 mouth.”
Until you are running the show, it is better to observe because it’s likely you’re going to learn something.
The physiological-ness of being on sets
If you’re like I was, as you’re doing that assistant job on set, you may be searching in your mind on how to “be”. I know that seems kind of weird.
But “being” is like how should I be acting, how should I be talking to people, what should I be saying, what should I be doing.
You want to be there so bad. And you want to make a good impression. But you also don’t want to kiss ass. So you can spend a lot of time in your head just trying to figure out how to be.
First, have some grace for yourself. You’re in a very different environment of the film set. Everyone has gone through this.
And secondly, just stay in that helping and learning space in your mind, and you’ll naturally focus on what’s most important.
I remember feeling like low man on the totem pole at first. I was focusing on how to be on set. It was all about me. That’s because I was uncomfortable!
Then, I realized I was hired because they needed me! That realization helped me to stop thinking about myself and just help out.
Look like the job you want to do
As you are working with people, they are unconsciously assessing you and what you can do, how you can help them on set. So, look like the job you ultimately want to do.
If you want to be a DP, look like a very organized camera assistant. They may put you with the camera department to help out.
If you are looking and acting like a director, they can make you a director’s assistant.
If you are looking like a writer, where you are organized and having a wide vocabulary, then they’ll be able to see you as a writer’s assistant.
And if you’re an actor, be your vivacious self with energy beaming out of your eyes. People can tell if you’re an actor.
They will probably ask you pretty quickly what do you wanna do in the film industry. Tell them what you are interested in and also ask them this question, “How were you thinking when you starting out that helped you become successful?”
That is a very insightful question that is asking them how they were thinking, instead of “How can I get to where you are?” or “How can I get what you have?” which is what most people ask.
Asking about the thought processes is much more insightful.
Here is a cool story from Omar, who is working in art department, set dressing, and sound.
Omar was working on a non-union commercial.
While they were setting up a scene, Omar offered to stand in for talent. When he was in front of the camera, he practiced bringing magic to his eyes.
The DP, the director, and producer were all looking at the monitor as they were setting up the shot.
The director exclaimed, “Wow, Omar you were made to be on camera!!”
Later, at lunch Omar mentioned to the director that yes indeed, he was an actor.
The director said he had gotten a new client (a sunglasses brand) and he’d keep Omar in mind as an actor when they start filming commercials for them.
Wow! The director even has a project he can see Omar acting in!
Funny enough, Omar happened to be wearing the exact brand that this director will be working with! It feels like destiny! The director will remember Omar and bring him in as an actor.
Some additional take-aways:
- When you have the chance to stand in for camera, take it!
- Make your eyes sparkle and BE an actor in that moment.
- Have a relationship with the director already established so the conversation can happen and they remember you, and you can comfortably follow up.
- Then there is always a little luck involved! (the brand Omar was wearing).
Expect cool things like this to happen!
Be who you are and don’t be afraid.
Fear is the one thing that can slow you down. Not talking to people, going into your head, and trying too hard.
Go back to that learning mindset.
But truly, I do want to embed this in your brain.
You’re there to help the production, and you are there to learn.
When you’re in these starting jobs, like production assistant, everybody knows that you are there to learn. That’s why you’re PAing! They all did too!
Be yourself, keep thinking about making the production run smoothly, and you will come across just fine!
Sometimes fear can make us focus too much on ourselves.
I suppose it’s different for everyone, but when I started, I found myself talking about myself, like where I’d traveled, what I knew. I’d ask questions so I could redirect the conversation back to me. I was trying to impress them.
Sounds not the best? Yeah, I admit, and yes I did that. Mostly because I was uncomfortable. Fear makes us focus too much on ourselves. Because we can always talk about ourselves all day long.
Just mentioning it here is enough for you to be aware of this tendency we all have when we’re uncomfortable.
You know what’s music to people’s ears? Their name. What’s music to them is everything about them! So definitely find out about the people you’re working with. Be fascinated about them. And don’t be afraid to ask questions!
Definitely don’t try to impress people by talking about your films or the awards that you won, or anything.
No one on set talks about the awards they have won.
The best way you can impress them is by doing a great job on set.
Let your work on set speak for itself.
Many newcomers worry whether they know enough to be on set, but actually everyone on set started just you, not knowing much. Good to know.
Got questions? Just email me and ask me anything!
The next chapter is about how to get into the kind of work that gives you the life you want.
- Like if you have an idea for a TV series, how can you start the process for getting it made into a show?
- Or if your dream is to act in feature films, how can you start meeting the right people at that higher level to get the ball rolling?
- What if you want to direct or be a cinematographer? Is there a pathway to follow?
If you want to email me, it’s janet@friendsinfilm.com
Talk to you soon,
Janet
