This blog, brought to you by UPP Studios, discusses embracing the calm when on set. Acting is a very emotionally demanding job. Extremely intense scenes require an actor to get into a certain headspace that takes quite a lot of energy and effort. It is somewhat understandable then, that an actor might get upset if his or her process is interrupted by any number of external factors. Sure there are divas who exploit their positions and lose their cool for ridiculous reasons, but, in general, there are plenty of legitimate things that lead up to one losing their cool. The other side is understandable as well, however, that most external occurrences on set don’t warrant the type of “freak-outs” that are often had by the performers.
For a performer with notoriety, embracing the calm is essential, as all eyes are fixated on that person’s every move. Even so, some stars still lash out. Christian Bale is one such star. While filming a scene for the film “Terminator Salvation,” someone from the lighting department walked into the shot. Bale lashed out at him, alluding to the fact that the man was clearly a novice and had no business being on a set. Someone on set was recording audio without Bale’s knowledge, and a tape of Bale berating the lighting guy found it’s way into the public forum. There is an argument to be made on Bale’s behalf. A ton of time, effort, and money goes into filming and this man should have been more careful. Regardless, the public made Bale out to be a monster for verbally abusing someone who made a mistake.
Performers lashing out is such an archetype of the industry, that some celebrities have taken to mocking these types of incidents. Michael Cera and John Stamos were both involved in making videos in which it seemed as though they had become loud, angry and irrational, when in reality the whole thing was a goof. For Stamos, it was actually well timed promotion for the Netflix revival of the show he had been on two decades prior, “Full House.” Cera apparently has a history of that type of fake outlash for the sake of promotional material.
At the end of the day, it’s important for one to try to hold out as long as one can, before giving into the little angry voice inside their head. In a recent radio interview David Harbour spoke about his time filming the new hit Netflix series “Stranger Things.” He said that there was a scene that they were shooting with a dog and the dog wasn’t cooperating with the trainer. After being as patient as he could, for what seemed like an inordinate amount of time, he stormed off set stating the infamous line “I’ll be in my trailer.” This is a perfect example of how one can be as calm as possible, but if “Murphy’s Law” is taking hold, there is nothing anyone can do to save that day of filming.
UPP Studios
UPP Studios has had it’s fair share of difficult shoot days. Embracing The Calm has been no easy task. Racing against the clock, the sun, sounds that conflict with capturing the intended audio, and other elements that are out of one’s control, make it hard to keep one’s cool. It is for this reason that many performers meditate.Albion Sabani is an actor on the UPP Studios roster. He appeared as Glen Drexel in the Actpartment web series as well as several other characters in
UPP Sketches. Albion hosts a channel on youtube called "The Meditation Station." On this channel, he attempts to make meditation more accessible to the general public. Meditation and other focused breathing exercises can help ensure serenity in moments of chaos. It is important to always keep things in perspective. Embracing the calm becomes an easier task when one is truly aware the fortunes that have been bestowed upon him or her. Adam C. Lively was on a week long shoot when the orlando massacre occurred. The director of the shoot took a moment to address the cast and crew during this difficult time. He told everyone to take a moment to realize how blessed and lucky they all were to be on set, filming, creating, in a wonderfully nourishing environment. To realize the things one is grateful for, affords one the opportunity to free themselves of the inconsequential burdens of their day to day. In most cases, it could always be much worse. That is a very important thing to remember, and an even more important sentiment to embrace.
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