Setting Background

Setting Background Suggestions (Revised 12/23/11)
From The First AD Committee Breakfast of 2/5/11

1. Preparation

• Know the script thoroughly.
• Know what scene is really about and use that tone as guide when placing BG.
• Watch rehearsals to know what will be seen before setting background.
• Create 1 sheet with information for each show and distribute to all BG at beginning of day.
• When working with kids – understand hours, energy, attentions span and rules.
• Check the Casting Line recording yourself to confirm that the call time, location, parking and wardrobe requirements are accurate.
• Watch what real people do in restaurants, airports, stores or streets and bring that to your set.
• Visit historical or contemporary locations such as hospitals and police stations for research.
• Have a 2nd AD preset BG on a rehearsal set before bringing them on shooting set.
• ADs and PAs dressed as extras so they are not seen on camera.
• Know what the emergency protocols are before an accident happens.

2. Budgeting both time and money

• Hire extras that have the skills appropriate to the call. Examples – soldiers/cops/SWAT – try to get retired or ex military so they look right and handle the weapons properly. Firemen, nurses, waitresses, bartenders – always go for the real thing!
• Explain to the UPM that paying for better qualified or “real life” type BG provides more production value.
• Try to picture pick when casting extras and audition them for reactions needed.
• When working on a tight budget, reduce the projected hours of extras needed so that you can have more people.
• Use key people with acting skills. Interview and/or audition stand-ins and key people if time and budget allow. Develop a relationship with these key people to help anchor the movement and motion in scenes.
• Think of safety when working BG with vehicles – planes, boats, cars, tanks. Have safety meetings and put safety bulletins on the call sheet when needed.
• When using non-professional BG – keep it interesting, fun, engaging for them.
• Placing newspaper ads, contributing to schools or churches or paying a certain amount of the crowd can all help get authentic people. Have a morning and afternoon crowd. Raffles can backfire if people start leaving.
• Bus BG in so they can’t leave.
• Most importantly... always keep your DP highly caffeinated! 

3. Theory and Practice

• Set specific and realistic background action to avoid the banality of crosses for the sake of crossing. Back-stories can be helpful. Good BG is as important as good lighting and camera work. 
• BG are NOT stunt people – know what the conditions and regulations are before putting someone in harm’s way. Stop the shot if you judge it to be unsafe.
• Use a regular, stock company or core group of people you trust. You can rely on them and they will perform well because they know the show and what you want.
• Tell a story with the BG – make sure they understand the scene and story.
• Everyone is a background player. Never use the word extra.
• Know what might be cut as “shoe leather.”
• Collaborate with the background. Treat them well – make sure they are fed well and given breaks.
• Inspire the BG with enthusiasm, confidence and appreciation for their work.
• Know when to acquiesce to the Costume Designer and shift background due to costumes or colors.
• Fast cutting, when announced by the director and ADs, helps when setting background in terms of resetting them back to one, the original mark or a pickup point.
• Be honest with crowds about how long they will be there.
• The closer the BG is to camera the smaller the body movements and slower the cross.
• The longer the lens, the fewer the BG needed and slower movements. 
• On long lens shots, ask the operators & ACs to put down left and right frame lines with tape on the ground... starting from the camera, till the tape comes into the bottom of the shot. (This may seem like a pain to the camera dept., but assure them that they will always have a clear and controlled frame, which is not blocking principal action or dialogue, from the 1st take on. If the ACs balk, ask the DP... he will always want a clear frame, and you'll never have a problem with the ACs again.) 
• On darker scenes (night exts, dark bars) be careful of BG clothing that is either too dark (turns to muddy blob) or too bright (steals the audience's eye).
• The beauty of long lens shots is the out of focus layers of foreground, background and deep background. Don't clutter up a shot and block these layers with dense BG. 
• Working with locals is tricky – be specific about the look and what is expected. Make them a part of the process.

4. On Set Management

• Start of Day Speech – Explain on set terminology such as “Back to One”, “Reset”, “Quiet on Set” and “Going Again." Describe the scene to the BG, what’s expected of them (clean up, not straying, not talking on set, etc) and keep them involved with how they help shape the sequence. If working with interpreters in a foreign language, this is VERY important. If they don’t know the scenario of the scene, they will look like robots. Give BG performers an overview of the day’s work and how their work plays into the story. Let BG know where the bathrooms, holding area, craft service and emergency exits are located. Tell them no phones, no video, no interacting with cast and no sleeping or they will be sent home. Explain what “Pantomime” means and how mouthing things like “peas and carrots” looks like actual speaking. Don’t let the BG shake hands, chew gum or look at camera unless specifically directed. Explain to them how that looks bad on camera both for them and the shot.
• Give the BG a line of dialogue or actor action that they can hear/see to easily be able to repeat/match their cross or action.
• In large crowds, select 10-20 shot-specific extras to fine tune near camera.
• Have the AD team set background in layers and zones, which are delegated to specific people and run by specific ADs.
• Work to set background at angles to the camera plane. BG set directly perpendicular to the camera plane looks flat and uninteresting. BG set at angles looks more 3 dimensional to the viewer.
• Use the following trick for large, empty, open spaces: Set 2 BG talking to each other. Send a 3rd to join the conversation. BG 1 leaves. BG 4 approaches and BG 2 leaves. BG 5 approaches and BG 3 leaves. Rinse and repeat. This trick works to keep the space filled while creating a continuous flow of movement that is easy to set quickly.
• Mark the BG movement and reaction cues that are written in the script. Go over the scene with BG for group reactions if needed and modulate during rehearsal. Give yourself enough time to set and rehearse BG placement and movement before principals arrive.
• Start someone in the frame.
• Background moves on background.
• Make sure the BG have a purpose when moving through the shot.
• Counter crosses are a must to avoid obscuring the principal action during dialogue.
• “Natural” rhythm is not perfectly, evenly timed crosses, but an “irregular” pattern of more and less people.
• Know the edges of frame by asking the DP and Camera Operators or checking the monitor. Set people talking to someone or pretending if there are not enough people. Tell them, if they can see the camera lens the camera can see them. If they are sent on a cross that takes them off the set or they are waiting to come on the set, they should make sure they are not in view of the camera.
• Recycle people through the shot – take a jacket or hat off and cross again.
• Learn everyone’s names. You’ll get better work if you know their names rather than calling them “guy in blue.” Take a moment to look at a new person’s face and “see” their name.
• Have something in their hands for the shot. Work with prop people to prop the BG with realistic and specific props for the scene.
• Watch the BG work and compliment them when appropriate. Keep everyone aware, happy and involved. Inspire the BG with enthusiasm, confidence and appreciation for their work.
• Long lens shots and steadicam – use serpentine patterns to set crosses meaning the out of focus movement can be effectively seen with efficient counter crossing for a steadicam shot.
• Cueing – block to Principal Cast action – crosses on entrances/exits.
• If it’s a comedy, know the punch line and don’t have atmosphere distract from that. Same goes for a heavy, emotional scene.
• Place islands of people in the shot so that not everyone is moving out of frame.
• Listen for background with noisy shoes or heels and check with sound or wardrobe to correct it.
• Don’t set background leaning against the wall, unless it is necessary. They should stand a foot or two away from the wall.
• Time is the most precious thing in movie and television production – set your extras during the lighting set up and rehearse them BEFORE the actors arrive. If the director, DP or actors don’t want a rehearsal, you’re ready to rock! Ask the DP when you can start placing your BG so as not to impeded the lighting/camera setup, but also giving yourself enough for the BG. Ask the DP for 2 estimates 1) how long for principals and 2) how long till you can start setting BG.
• Work with camera operators to make shots look better.
• Set to the frame and understand how lenses and camera movement affects what the BG looks like in each shot.
• It is harder to set 10 extras than 100. Tell the DP ahead of time if you have fewer BG than you need. He can block the shots with longer lenses and alternate frame compositions to help your situation.
• Concentric circles make for a “big” crowd.
• Use creative terms to assign to groups (like fruit) for identification.
• When setting two or more people crossing, have them walk at a staggered distance of at least a foot apart, not shoulder to shoulder, so that it doesn’t look awkward and blocked on camera.
• Set a few BG at a time, keep them tucked around a corner and not in DP’s light.
• Opinions can be gleaned at the monitor. Stay by the director monitor in order to get their input during camera rehearsals.
• Defend and protect BG from uncomfortable situations on the set – an angry director or DP for example.
• Be a part of listening to when the shot changes – not everyone may know.
• Trust your 2nd AD and get out of their way, but correct as needed.

5. Tools 

• Voice of God (speaker amplification with wireless mic) is better than a bullhorn for communication over large areas – it reduces the sense of yelling on set and saves your voice.
• Carry your own monitor if possible.
• New technologies often don’t cut but just reset – prepare the BG for that.

6. Further Suggestions

• “Star of David” method – set two opposing triangles with three points off camera for people to move towards, which with a small group, guarantees something is always moving in the shot.
• The Birthday/Clock/Calendar game is fastest way to make changes in a big crowd. To get movement in a large crowd, calling out specific birthday months, or their positions relative to clock is a way to get movement or reactions quickly.
• Setting BG for multiple cameras and understanding what each camera needs. Multi camera production (e.g. four camera sitcom production) is the best way to learn to set background. Visit a show during a camera blocking/rehearsal day to learn how four cameras see everything you set. Learn how to mark a script for cues. Have the background write down their cues and raise their hands when cast only rehearsals take place, to confirm their cues.

7. Notes for Future Revisions

• Please send any comments, suggestions or additions to Mark Hansson, DGA 1st AD Committee Chair, by e-mail to mrkhansson@gmail.com. All feedback is appreciated and will be useful in updating future editions. Thank you.