{"id":703,"date":"2016-07-12T17:52:26","date_gmt":"2016-07-12T17:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mgs.performerstuff.com\/?p=703"},"modified":"2018-08-07T02:49:00","modified_gmt":"2018-08-07T02:49:00","slug":"cullen-douglas-7-insights-to-working-on-a-film-set","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/cullen-douglas-7-insights-to-working-on-a-film-set\/","title":{"rendered":"Cullen Douglas: 7 Insights to Working on a Film Set"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cullen Douglas: 7 Insights to Working on a Film Set<\/h3>\n \"\"<\/a><\/span>

Written by Andrea Canny<\/p>\n

July 11, 2016<\/p>\n<\/font>

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Performer Stuff reached out to Actor\/Writer Cullen Douglas to give us his thoughts to working on a film set\u00a0for\u00a0<\/em>the first time.\u00a0 Cullen is most recognized by fans for his recurring roles on <\/em>Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and <\/em>Scandal. He just co-starred alongside James Remar, Lea Thompson, and Allison Paige in the film, <\/em>The Dog Lover, that premiered\u00a0nationwide on July 8th<\/sup>.\u00a0<\/em>Below is Cullen\u2019s wonderful response.<\/em><\/p>\n

Congrats! All those classes, coaching sessions, auditions, and callbacks have finally paid off \u2013 you have a scene in a real film!\u00a0 Imagine you\u2019ve just arrived to shoot the scene. Now what? Well, first off, remember –<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Everyone is just as anxious as you are.<\/h4>\n
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Everyone -The Producers, Director, the Star, other Actors, Grips, the Craft Services Dept. They all want to do their best and make a film that will last a lifetime and win buckets of awards. So please, just relax, breathe, and repeat\u2026 You can\u2019t do your best work if you\u2019re stressed.<\/p>\n

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2. You\u2019re going to hurry up and wait.<\/h4>\n
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When you arrive on set, you\u2019ll find (maybe in your trailer) a CALLSHEET that lists all the scenes being filmed that day. Your name\/character name and scene number\u00a0will be on it. If there are three scenes ahead of you, get comfortable. Grab a book, do your taxes (I have), or answer emails. Or better yet, open your door and start a conversation \u2013 with anyone.<\/p>\n

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3. Treat EVERYONE with respect.<\/h4>\n
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I was offered the role of \u201cEdison Po\u201d on S.H.I.E.L.D.,\u00a0<\/em>and I had never met the Producers. Just moments onto set, I passed two young, PA\u2019s playfully sharing an ice cream cone. I smiled and said, \u201cYou guys look awesome, this is my kind of set!\u201d We laughed. About ten minutes later, there was a knock on my door. It was the same two PA\u2019s \u2013 except they weren\u2019t PA\u2019s at all\u2026 they were the husband and wife team of Executive Producers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. BE NICE!<\/p>\n

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4.\u00a0Be prepared.<\/h4>\n
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Yes, this one should go without saying. But, the reality is you may find yourself working alongside another actor who\u2019s not as prepared. If you know your stuff and react appropriately to any curves thrown your way, I guarantee you\u2019ll be the one the Director will remember\u2026<\/p>\n

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5.\u00a0Don\u2019t bug the Director.<\/h4>\n
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If there\u2019s a huge problem, like the set is on fire, yes, speak up. But remember the Director is like the Captain of a ship; they have many duties. Relax, the Director chose you for the role. You don\u2019t need to make friends (unless it\u2019s organic). You\u2019re there to do your job and go home. Let your work speak for itself, instead of you \u201cpicking the brain\u201d of an already stressed Director.<\/p>\n

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6.\u00a0Be human.<\/h4>\n
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Mom always said, “To make friends, you have to be a friend.” If you\u2019re lucky enough to have \u201clunch\u201d with the cast and crew, fill up your tray of goodies and find a spot at a table, with anyone. Remember, it doesn\u2019t matter. That PA today, may be a Director tomorrow. But in my humble opinion, don\u2019t talk shop. They know you\u2019re an actor. If they want to know more, they\u2019ll IMDB you. Talk about your other interests, their interests, anything – just don\u2019t be a one note actor. Be human.<\/p>\n

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7.\u00a0Leave the place better than you found it.<\/h4>\n
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You did it! You filmed your first scene in a film. Say your good-byes to everyone. Some may be handshakes, others a wave or a nod, but be human. Now go get out of wardrobe. And HANG UP your clothes — don\u2019t be a slob! Respect. The head of the Wardrobe Dept. may be married to the Director. Just sayin\u2019. Hold your head up high and trust that you\u2019re going to get to do this all again another day. You\u2019re an actor!<\/p>\n

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Cullen Douglas<\/strong>\u00a0has played recurring roles\u00a0on Marvel\u2019s<\/em> Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, CBS\u2019s\u00a0<\/em>Criminal Minds\u00a0and ABC\u2019s smash hit,\u00a0<\/em>Scandal.\u00a0This October he will be appearing opposite Dermot Mulroney in the new\u00a0CBS medical drama<\/em>,\u00a0Pure Genius.\u00a0Other recent guest appearances include<\/em>\u00a0Castle, The Mentalist\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>Major Crimes.\u00a0<\/em>As a writer for the stage, Cullen wrote and starred in the acclaimed and award-winning solo play,\u00a0<\/em>Afraid to Look Down, which explored the journey he took in becoming a first-time father to a son born with Down syndrome. Check out his website<\/span><\/a><\/strong>, IMDB<\/span><\/a><\/strong>, Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/strong>, Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/strong>, and website for his upcoming\u00a0feature film<\/span><\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/em>Building Bridges<\/span><\/a><\/strong>.<\/h5>\n
Andrea Canny<\/strong>\u00a0is a professional entertainer (31 years), writer, director, producer, studio vocalist, vocal performance\/cabaret coach, adjudicator as well as cabaret artist who is currently writing a book on integrity in the entertainment business.<\/em><\/h5>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [...]","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":708,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[261,259,258,269,265],"tags":[6,341,12,356,359,358,319,355,357,360,120,99,351],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}