Where a stand-in can go next
5 destinations recorded, ranked by how much of the target role a stand-in already meets. The closer to the top of Table 1, the less there is to learn.
Stand-ins replace actors before the filming starts. They perform the actions of the actors during the lighting and audiovisual setup, so everything is in the right place during the actual shooting with the actors.
Also known as understudy, film stand-in, substitute, television stand-in, back-up, movie stand-in, TV stand-in, double.
Technicians and associate professionals 27 skills on file 5 career moves 2 above 60% overlap Closest: extra, 61%
- 70% and above · short step
- 50 to 70% · real move
- Below 50% · substantial retraining
Table 2 · A bigger jump
Possible, but expect real retraining rather than a sideways step.
Table 3 · What the job itself asks for
A stand-in needs 14 required skills and areas of knowledge. These 10 are the ones fewest other jobs share, so they say the most about the work.
- adapt to acting roles communication, collaboration and creativity
- work with the camera crew communication, collaboration and creativity
- work with the lighting crew communication, collaboration and creativity
- interact with fellow actors communication, collaboration and creativity
- study roles from scripts communication, collaboration and creativity
- study media sources information skills
- work with the director of photography communication, collaboration and creativity
- follow time cues communication, collaboration and creativity
- work with an artistic team communication, collaboration and creativity
- follow directions of the artistic director communication, collaboration and creativity
Table 4 · Jobs that lead here
The reverse view: occupations whose skills already cover much of what a stand-in does. The figure is how much of this job each one brings.
- voice-over artist 58% covered · difficulty 43
- actor/actress 56% covered · difficulty 44.4
- camera operator 56% covered · difficulty 45.3
- extra 51% covered · difficulty 49
- costume attendant 42% covered · difficulty 58.1
- miniature set designer 38% covered · difficulty 60.7
- video and motion picture director 38% covered · difficulty 60.3
- prompter 38% covered · difficulty 60.6
- production designer 35% covered · difficulty 63.4
- hair stylist 31% covered · difficulty 66.8
Look up another occupation
Stand-in is filed under Technicians and associate professionals, ISCO major group 3. The full index lists all ten groups.
How these figures were compiled
Overlap is how much of the target role is already part of a stand-in’s work. It is directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. Every entry above opens the full comparison for that move: what carries over, what is missing, and where to start. The full method.