The role of body doubles in shooting

In film and television work, body doubles are responsible for replacing the actual performer. They need to stand in position according to plot needs, and help the lighting crew find the best lighting effects. They also allow the camera crew to see the composition from the direction of the camera. A stand-in is the body double for checking lighting effects. Because light adjustments are quite time-consuming, the stand-in will stand in place for the actors, to allow the lighting and camera men simulate filming conditions. This can help make shooting faster and more efficient. Sometimes, for more precision, the director will ask the stand-in to read lines and walk. The stand-ins simulate real performances so that the staff can adjust details according to the rehearsal and shooting can be more effective when the actors arrive on the set.

A body double refers to a person who actually replaces a star during a performance. They might appear for filming parts of the body or for dangerous shots. The body double and the real actor are basically not in the film at the same time, but in a few movies they have been. In terms of accuracy, production may even find body doubles with similar height and appearance as the actors. In the United States, some body doubles always work for the same stars) but that is often a lot of trouble. They do not have to look like the actual actors, but they must have similar skin color, hair color, body size, and wear similar clothes for shooting to be most effective when testing the lighting or for rehearsals.

In recent years, with the prevalence of digital technology, animation characters also need people to take their place. The purpose is to allow the real actors to have a partner so that the performance can include more genuine emotions. At this time, height and appearance is not important, and what is important is the interaction between the performers. Like the recent “Planet of the Apes,” most of the audience cannot help but applaud the performances of the actors, even though they look like apes in the actual movie.