Assisting can be a really fulfilling job but it can also be an exhausting one. Here are a few tips I picked up along the way that can make those long days much easier
Get a tool belt
Creativity and organisation is a rare set of characteristics to find in one person so if like me you need all the help you can get..here it is. I know at first you may feel likeWant to add a caption to this image? Click the Settings icon. Tommy Walsh circa 1998 but trust me you will appreciate it when you are in a four story town house and you have left your scissors on the top floor.
Stylists will always bring thier own tool kit but as an assistant it’s always handy to have tape, marker and scissors with you at all times. A tool belt also means that you will have more free hands which is a bonas.
Learn everyone’s drinks order
First thing to do when you get on any set is to make everyone a drink and remember how they take it. If you can’t remember - write it down and tape it near the kettle. Picking up mugs and doing a regular drinks round will make you very popular on set and a sure way to get invited back. One tip I can offer is stuff your bag with some nice biscuits and offer them up with the drinks. It always goes down a storm.
Know what kind of stylist you are working for
Some stylists want you near them constantly. Others want you scurrying away in the back. Like a Victorian child. Seen but never heard. The quicker you learn what kind of stylist you are working for the better. Either way the best thing you can do is always think ahead. Make sure to ask what the next shot is and what might be needed for that.
Always have battery and storage on your phoneYou will need enough battery on your phone so that you can take pictures of all the props and make notes of where they came from. You’ll also want to take photographs of the location so that put back is much easier and faster. If you come to the put back and your phone has died you will find yourself in a very difficult situation.