“On the day” in filmmaking lingo means when you’re at the location with all the elements present, actually set up and shooting, or in the immediate process of setting up to shoot. On the day is a special place. It’s the proving ground where everything meets and must bow down in subservience to reality. Unimagined opportunities will emerge and things thought to be a slam dunk will either fail to come off properly or prove altogether impossible.
Here are four things to keep in mind when you’re “on the day.”
1. Make it work. Because of the unforeseen contingencies and constant pressure to get it done quickly, one of the most useful talents an actor can develop is the ability to adapt on the fly. You may be asked to walk over and stand by the window so they can establish its raining so they can go for an effect, and it doesn’t matter if it makes sense to you for your character at that moment. They need you to do it and you have to find a way to make it work. In coming up with the best solution, you’ll need to overcome your clingy affection for what you thought was going to be the case, and have a willingness to “murder your darlings.”
2. Don’t bother getting
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