A quick note on slates
Just so everyone knows, at Houghton your slate is framed most often like this:
Usually it’s even tighter than that. This means that it doesn’t matter what your pants look like, or whether your shirt is tucked in. It also means that when I am framing you up, you shouldn’t move at all from that position when you slate. Too often I cue the actor to slate, and they shift their weight to one side, which sometimes takes them completely out of frame.
One last note on slates. Pay attention to what I ask for. Often I will ask only for name, or just name and Houghton. Some actors decide to tell their life story in their slate. While some of you were taught to be original in your slates, don’t make it longer than it has to be. If you take longer than 3 seconds to slate, you’re doing too much.