What is a Stand-in?

When filming a movie directors need bodies. Chances are that if you look like any of the actors in the film, you may not be in the film but you will be useful. Directors need people who look like the key players because they need to dress the set. Directors need to adjust the lighting and make sure everything is in place to kill time before the actor is present. This killing of time and dressing cannot be done if the actor is not there, so they find someone who looks like, or has the same features as the actor. This happens in a lot of big productions with actors that are paid fairly well because they cannot waste time. Stand-ins are paid fairly well also depending on the production. A good example would be:

• Imagine a surprise birthday party with a bunch of kids and you need to find one that looks like your kid because you want to videotape the moment.
• To get a good shot you cannot use your kid because you need him or her for the real shot, so you use someone else, who looks like your kid to make sure the lighting and setup is ready for the shot.  

So now that you have some idea of what a stand-in is, you can now find other uses for them. Who knows, maybe they could end up playing the part instead of the assigned actor.