What’s it like on a TV or movie set? Here’s an inside look

Roll sound.

Speed.

Mark (the slate clapperboard snaps).

Camera set … and action.

We all know the preamble — from being hypnotized by both the big screen and the little screen — that starts the filming of a scene. But the rest of what goes into getting a clip for a movie or TV show may not be as well-known, even for actors.

Fade in on “Beyond the Audition,” a two-day workshop for actors and all kinds of performers that took place this summer at The NEW YOU Studio in Fort Lauderdale.

“It’s tough to get this experience, in person, if you’re an actor in Florida,” says Roxana “ROX” Frontini, a multihyphenate talent (actor, singer, content creator, artist) based in Coconut Grove. “And it is so valuable because the human contact, you can’t replace, like you’re learning how to move with a camera on set while you’re actually doing it.”

Frontini was one of 10 participants to sign up for “Beyond the Audition” on Aug. 23-24, which was facilitated by:

• Director Andi Armaganian (“Star Trek: Discovery,” “The Flash,” “Stargirl,” “Fantasy Island”)
• Director/producer Doug Aarniokoski (“Blue Bloods,” “Highlander: Endgame,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “Criminal Minds”)
• Actor Eric Goins (“The Righteous Gemstones,” “Stargirl” and Hulu’s upcoming “Murdaugh Murders”)

The group was very much “a melting pot, which is, I think, very indicative of what Florida has become over the years,” Aarniokoski tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“We have people here from literally all over the planet — some people from Hungary, some people from Romania, somebody’s here from France as well as Israel, Germany. … And they all come from different branches of entertainment, having learned certain techniques and having been involved in certain areas, whether it’s theater, film, television, commercials, modeling. We have influencers, so there’s a TikTok/Instagram world here as well, which is exciting, because they all bring certain expectations and ideas and also experience from all of those different venues.”

The whole idea is to give actors an immersive experience — using the sets, cameras and monitors at The NEW YOU Studio — in dealing with everything from understanding industry jargon to negotiating camera angles.

“We each had the chance to practice self-tapes, with feedback on what to watch out for when recording,” says Alex Avila, a Delray Beach-based stage actor who’s also a regular with Sick Puppies Comedy improv troupe. “We also learned how to read and interpret a call sheet, which was incredibly valuable to see in action. Overall, the workshop was an amazing opportunity … I now feel prepared to handle just about any situation on set.”

And that is the point, according to Aarniokoski, who lives in Los Angeles. “You will hear me say it over and over: Part of your job of being an actor is … understanding the machine. Because, as we keep saying, time is money, time is money, and none of them want to waste anybody’s time.”

So over the two days, the participants were frequently encouraged to ask questions, no matter how incidental.

“Once they’re on set with us, it’s so rare that they have the opportunity to ask any of the questions and feel comfortable … [like] ‘Hey, what does this mean?’ or ‘What is the tight eye line?’” says Armaganian. “You just don’t have the time or the availability to ask the director anything you want. So we’ve answered some questions that they’ve always wanted to ask somebody, but they’ve never been able to do it.”

It’s that access that makes “Beyond the Audition” so unique, explains Goins.

“I think what’s really rare about this class is that we have two working directors leading it, because this is vetted information and it’s legitimate, and that’s a harder thing to find,” says the resident of Atlanta, Georgia. “There is a lot of information out there that doesn’t come directly from the people who are doing it, and this is a great opportunity for people to really hear the truth about how to interact with a crew, how to interact with the individuals that are really running the creative direction of the project.”

Of course, there’s also the networking and bonding aspect.

“It was far more than just learning and gathering information,” says participant Cindy-Ann Boisson, a standup comedian from Fort Lauderdale. “It was a true opportunity to build and nurture community within South Florida’s film landscape. We learned, we shared, we connected, and we showed up both for each other and as individuals in a space that felt safe.”

On Saturday, the focus was on creating audition tapes, a must-have in the entertainment business these days. On Sunday, the workshop centered on techniques that help make working with a movie/TV crew a smooth process: blocking, hitting marks, camera angles, lens perspectives and more. The performers moved around from set to set, acting out the same two-person scene with different direction from Armaganian and Aarniokoski.

“You gotta learn how to land the plane, not just fly the plane,” Aarniokoski says. “Because I can fly the plane on autopilot. I can’t land the plane on autopilot.”

Aarniokoski says that he, Goins and Armaganian noticed acting workshops tend to ignore how to work with technical and creative teams behind the camera. “So we’re trying to sort of broaden the workshop spectrum by offering something that delves into more of the technical aspects and the day to day,” he says.

Based on the success of this inaugural event, the trio say they plan to produce more “Beyond the Audition” sessions, definitely on the East Coast and possibly again in South Florida. Armaganian is from here, having attended Nova High School before the University of Florida and University of Miami.

“Florida really is kind of a centrally located place for the southeast, right?” Goins adds. “Andi was here. We had this wonderful studio … that was willing to work with us and collaborate with us. It just seemed like all pieces fell in place to be here together for the first one.

“And I’m so glad we did, because the people that showed up are tremendous. They’ve got great attitudes, they’re willing to learn, they’re very enthusiastic, they’re well trained and they’re incredibly optimistic about the future of the industry, both here in Florida and throughout the country.”

For updates, go to beyondtheaudition.com.