Film Stand-In Tips - Matching Your Appearance to the Actors

One of the primary goals when casting for a stand-in is to find someone that resembles the height, body size and overall appearance of the actor their standing-in for. While your looks as a stand-in doesn't have to be as close as a photo-double, it is important that you keep your appearance so it closely matches that of the actor.

Below are several tips derived from my professional experience working on numerous feature films and TV shows as a stand-in.

Tip #1 - Hairstyle

One of the most important appearance matching tips is maintaining a similar hairstyle. I say that this is important because the lighting crew needs to ensure their illumination will look the same when done on you and the actual actor. Make sure you do not color, cut or alter your hair in any way once you have it styled like the actor you're standing-in for.

Tip #2 - Body Shape

Typically, this isn't an issue; however, I have heard horror stories of three month long productions where a stand-in gained a little too much weight (due to the yummy food), and unfortunately he was let go. It is important to not get carried away by the delicious free food, or go overboard in the gym, and become heavier or thinner than the actor you're standing-in for. This will typically not be too big of an issue for shorter film durations; however, it will become something to keep in mind for longer productions.

Tip #3 - Movements

While not technically an appearance issue, matching the movement of your actor is vital. This means, if the actor has interesting posture, adopt this posture, or if he chooses to walk with a limp as a character choice, you must match this physical action while working on set.

Tip #4 - Wardrobe

I went back-and-forth regarding whether or not I should add this section as many times you are given specific clothing by the wardrobe department; however, I have worked on plenty of film sets where I was instructed to provide my own clothing. You will be given vague instructions on the color of clothing you should bring; however, you should carry on several different variations of this vague description so the wardrobe department can select the closest matching outfit.