Handling frustration on set

You have been on set for 4 hours now. You are waiting in holding, as there were some technical issues with the lightening in the scene in the ice skating rink. For some reason, one of the main lights have gone out since the shot the previous day. A technical crew has come with machines to climb to the tall ceiling and replace a few bulbs. The whole thing was unexpected, but still it is nice to have an extra hour to rehearse your lines to be more prepared.

So now sitting in holding, you found a corner of the large room. There are 55 other actors, some of which are background and principal actors. Nevertheless, as some are eating and talking you took your script to a quiet place to go through the lines and study them again to be more prepared.

Out of nowhere, there comes a group of background actors. One actor, the tallest one, has a big group laughing as he tells a story. His voice is very loud and he is crying out, performing the multiple characters of this experience he had had over the weekend. He is changing voices, playing a father and the child, mimicking and making everyone laugh harder and harder. In fact, the laughter has gotten to be so much, the holding room is echoing with one of the women who has a cry for a laugh, while another is banging his fist on the table, trying to contain himself.

And oh, it is getting so exhausting. This is a set. People should be a little more respectful. And although there is food out, you need some quiet time and need to prepare yourself and you do not know how to deal with it.

Suddenly, you feel as a wave of stress is growing in your head. Every time you get stressed, it feels like a great deal of pressure collects in your temples. It becomes hard to hear, hard to think, and even worse you don’t know how to deal with the situation.

With that said, there are an infinite number of ways to deal with your frustrations and issues on set. Many of these decisions are bad and many are good. Many choices can hurt your career, while some can really show how professional you are. Below, you will find a list of helpful tips to remember when you find yourself in a frustrating position on set and do not know how to deal with it:

1. Miscommunication and confusion is solved with good communication.

This might sound rather elementary, but it is true. The first thing you should do given a difficult situation, is to evaluate the way you are expressing your ideas and try to do so a little more clearly. This will resolve many conflicts or disputes, and doing this while maintaining respect towards others in the way of all professionals.

2. Know that something are out of everyone’s control.

Whether it’s raining or the lightbulb went out causing you to wait for hours — seeing the full picture of the situation and not pointing fingers is a way to keep your frustration and emotions at bay. More often than not when you look deep into a problem you will find that the root of the conflict lies in some grey area that is actually out of other’s hands. Keeping open minded and evaluating things outside of your emotions is key here.

3. If you do not know something, ask questions. But more importantly, ask the right people the questions.

If you’re a PA you do not want to go to the producer to ask the question. If you really don’t know, ask a fellow colleague or ask your immediate superior or boss. As an actor, if you don’t know who to ask— ask that PA or that second AD. Everyone on set is very busy, and asking the question to the right person, no matter what your role is, will ensure that you look like a pro at all times.

4. Keep things on set.

If you have a problem, do not go texting people outside of the set about it. Do not go flat out calling your agent or the union. You will have a lot more integrity if you try and solve this issue on set with those around you. And remember, that everyone on set is working together to achieve the same purpose — to create a great film or show that is a success. So more than likely when you are having an issue, you will be met with respect from someone who has just as much at stake to help you as they themself.

In conclusion, by choosing one or a combination of these options you will ensure that both problems and frustrations do not escalate into something bigger than it is. You will also be sure to be as respectful and professional with those around you, which almost always will lead to diffusing and fixing the problem before it affects your work and the work of those around you on set.