SIDE ORDER OF LIFE
I left the house at 6:12 am and ran into traffic around Monrovia. It was about 7:12 am and I started to panic thinking there was no way I would get to Burbank by 7:45 am. I started to bitch and kick myself in my head, telling myself that I should have left earlier for my 8:12 am call time.
However, by the time I hit Pasadena, there was no traffic at all, and I actually arrived at Gate 11 on the Ranch Facilities lot at about 7:45 am. The guard asked for my ID, stuck a little card on my windshield and told me to park around the building. When I got to the parking lot, I noticed there was another background actor sitting in her car waiting, so I figured I'd wait too.
We started to walk towards the Smith Building which is where holding was. At the WB, they call background talent "atmosphere." Alex, a PA, arrived on time and unlocked the door. There were several 6-foot plastic tables set-up with chairs and a clothing rack that people put their extra clothes on. We checked in and sat around waiting for instruction.
Then Lisa, the 2nd 2nd AD arrived and told us what the scene was all about. It was nice for her to actually read the script out loud so we could get a sense of what was going to be shot. Her delivery wasn't great, but she apologized and said that was why she's behind the camera, not in front of it.
She then told us to follow her outside with our chairs to a shaded area near the set. It was an outdoor scene, outside of what was supposed to be the Beverly Hills Police Department. In this scene, Dylan, the daughter of a candidate for governor, is arrested for shop lifting and the press swarms around her as she arrives in a police car. I was asked to play a field producer instructing a cameraman to get the right shot.
It was during rehearsals that I started to figure out why there was so many union actors in the scene. They were getting a lot of exposure in these scenes, and I began to get a little bummed out knowing that I was doing nearly the same thing they were, but was getting paid at non-union rates. However, I learned from my first day on the set that everyone has to pay their dues, so I knew I had to suck it up.
The 2nd AD was very professional and very encouraging. She was always positive and really helped get us motivated for the shot. Energy was very important to her and she wanted to always make sure we had the right movement going.
I noticed that the other extras didn't seem as approachable as some of the other background talent I've worked with. It could have been the heat which made everyone just want to sit around and rest. During set-up for the 2nd scene, one of the extras found a room that we all walked into that was air-conditioned and a great relief from the heat. It was an extra hot day and Burbank's valleys just makes it worse.
I wasn't used much in the 2nd scene in which the lead, Jenny McIntyre (played by Marisa Coughlan), managed to get the exclusive on Dylan and walk past the other hungry journalists. All I did was walk into the same door she ends up walking through. On the last take, we were hurried and the cop that was to come after me had to spin around like a top when they started rolling. We laughed when we got inside because he felt like such a tool. The cop that opened the door would also welcome us and called the other cop names as he strode inside.
Inside the building, Marisa's actor's chair was set-up for her with a celebrity magazine and her phone. I found it curious that an actor is just as interested in gossip as the rest of us. Even though she had that actor's aura about her, she's just as human as everyone else.
Interestingly, David Paymer seemed to be directing this episode, which is supposed to be Season 1, episode 8. He seemed like a nice guy and it looked like most of the crew were older folks. I hear people who know each other tend to work together in this business and it sure seemed like it on this one.
Thankfully, we got to leave by 2pm and I was able to get home in good time since there was no rush hour traffic. Still, I was nodding off during the last stretch and took a nap when I got home.
I left the house at 6:12 am and ran into traffic around Monrovia. It was about 7:12 am and I started to panic thinking there was no way I would get to Burbank by 7:45 am. I started to bitch and kick myself in my head, telling myself that I should have left earlier for my 8:12 am call time.
However, by the time I hit Pasadena, there was no traffic at all, and I actually arrived at Gate 11 on the Ranch Facilities lot at about 7:45 am. The guard asked for my ID, stuck a little card on my windshield and told me to park around the building. When I got to the parking lot, I noticed there was another background actor sitting in her car waiting, so I figured I'd wait too.
We started to walk towards the Smith Building which is where holding was. At the WB, they call background talent "atmosphere." Alex, a PA, arrived on time and unlocked the door. There were several 6-foot plastic tables set-up with chairs and a clothing rack that people put their extra clothes on. We checked in and sat around waiting for instruction.
Then Lisa, the 2nd 2nd AD arrived and told us what the scene was all about. It was nice for her to actually read the script out loud so we could get a sense of what was going to be shot. Her delivery wasn't great, but she apologized and said that was why she's behind the camera, not in front of it.
She then told us to follow her outside with our chairs to a shaded area near the set. It was an outdoor scene, outside of what was supposed to be the Beverly Hills Police Department. In this scene, Dylan, the daughter of a candidate for governor, is arrested for shop lifting and the press swarms around her as she arrives in a police car. I was asked to play a field producer instructing a cameraman to get the right shot.
It was during rehearsals that I started to figure out why there was so many union actors in the scene. They were getting a lot of exposure in these scenes, and I began to get a little bummed out knowing that I was doing nearly the same thing they were, but was getting paid at non-union rates. However, I learned from my first day on the set that everyone has to pay their dues, so I knew I had to suck it up.
The 2nd AD was very professional and very encouraging. She was always positive and really helped get us motivated for the shot. Energy was very important to her and she wanted to always make sure we had the right movement going.
I noticed that the other extras didn't seem as approachable as some of the other background talent I've worked with. It could have been the heat which made everyone just want to sit around and rest. During set-up for the 2nd scene, one of the extras found a room that we all walked into that was air-conditioned and a great relief from the heat. It was an extra hot day and Burbank's valleys just makes it worse.
I wasn't used much in the 2nd scene in which the lead, Jenny McIntyre (played by Marisa Coughlan), managed to get the exclusive on Dylan and walk past the other hungry journalists. All I did was walk into the same door she ends up walking through. On the last take, we were hurried and the cop that was to come after me had to spin around like a top when they started rolling. We laughed when we got inside because he felt like such a tool. The cop that opened the door would also welcome us and called the other cop names as he strode inside.
Inside the building, Marisa's actor's chair was set-up for her with a celebrity magazine and her phone. I found it curious that an actor is just as interested in gossip as the rest of us. Even though she had that actor's aura about her, she's just as human as everyone else.
Interestingly, David Paymer seemed to be directing this episode, which is supposed to be Season 1, episode 8. He seemed like a nice guy and it looked like most of the crew were older folks. I hear people who know each other tend to work together in this business and it sure seemed like it on this one.
Thankfully, we got to leave by 2pm and I was able to get home in good time since there was no rush hour traffic. Still, I was nodding off during the last stretch and took a nap when I got home.
posted by Tito Eddy at 5:00 PM
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