A Working Actor's Lament (Chapter 75)
On The Set of "Time and Time Again"
YAY!!! I haven't written since my two auditions, but as you can see, one turned out really well. I was cast in the lead of the USC film and was truly excited. My first accomplishment on my 2010 mission statement is complete...only 14 left.
It was going to be a 4-day shoot and I got to play opposite myself (time travel is involved in the script...can you say "AWESOME"?). What a challenge, and I was up for it.
I got to the set on Saturday Night, 8 PM. Traffic was a bitch that night because USC campus is right by the Shrine auditorium and that night was the SAG Awards show. After finally getting to Gate 5 and talking to the security guard (he told me I looked like Tom Cruise - he needs glasses), I parked the car and walked over to the Cafe where I could hear the voices of techies setting up.
After all the introductions to the crew, the cast began to show up. First were two of the extras; a white guy who went by "Honkie" and his African American friend named "Po". No, I am not making this up. Great guys, though. There was one other extra but I didn't get his name. These three were going to make up the back ground of a crowded cafe. Honkie was also going to be the waiter. I love film.
My love interest in the film, Ivory, showed up and I was surprised. You see, I had googled her earlier and found a site with a photo thinking it was her, just so I would know what she looked like. It was not her. Sometimes the Internet is not as good as you would think.
Ivory and I sat and talked, ran through our lines and began to realize that it was pretty cold out. In all fairness, the director did let us know that it was going to be cold and to dress accordingly, but we are actors...we know more than directors, right?
Luckily the crew had blankets and heaters that we could all hover around and the first day of shooting went without a hitch. It did go until 2 AM, but that was expected. I wrapped at 1:40 AM but didn't get home until after 2 AM. It's funny how tired you get when you crank the heat up in your car for a half hour.
Day two was to be a shorter day; get there by 8 PM and have the 'Martini Shot' by midnight. After I arrived, I noticed that it was not as cold as the previous day...nice. Ivory showed up, we started right at 8 PM and she was wrapped at 9:40 PM. Since we didn't have Honkie, Po and Extra #3, the crew became 'patrons' in the cafe. Did I mention I love film?
The cold stayed off for awhile, then...BAM. Suddenly, I could not stop shaking.
The space heater and someone's NY Giants blanket had become my best friends. I actually did one of my takes with the blanket just off my shoulders out of frame, it was that cold. I did start to warm up when my character had to be under the cafe table. The tablecloth was blocking the wind as well as holding in my body heat. After that, there were some physical 'stunts' that were needed from me which kept my blood pumping. It also helped that the crew was there with blankets once 'cut' was called.
Thank goodness we finished shooting by 12:05 AM. I think I lost 5 pounds just from the arobic workout my twitching muscles were doing.
I don't know that I am a fan of night shoots, but this film seems like it is going to be great and everyone involved made it a 'warm' set to be on. Two more days of shooting so more fun times to write about.
YAY!!! I haven't written since my two auditions, but as you can see, one turned out really well. I was cast in the lead of the USC film and was truly excited. My first accomplishment on my 2010 mission statement is complete...only 14 left.
It was going to be a 4-day shoot and I got to play opposite myself (time travel is involved in the script...can you say "AWESOME"?). What a challenge, and I was up for it.
I got to the set on Saturday Night, 8 PM. Traffic was a bitch that night because USC campus is right by the Shrine auditorium and that night was the SAG Awards show. After finally getting to Gate 5 and talking to the security guard (he told me I looked like Tom Cruise - he needs glasses), I parked the car and walked over to the Cafe where I could hear the voices of techies setting up.After all the introductions to the crew, the cast began to show up. First were two of the extras; a white guy who went by "Honkie" and his African American friend named "Po". No, I am not making this up. Great guys, though. There was one other extra but I didn't get his name. These three were going to make up the back ground of a crowded cafe. Honkie was also going to be the waiter. I love film.
My love interest in the film, Ivory, showed up and I was surprised. You see, I had googled her earlier and found a site with a photo thinking it was her, just so I would know what she looked like. It was not her. Sometimes the Internet is not as good as you would think.
Ivory and I sat and talked, ran through our lines and began to realize that it was pretty cold out. In all fairness, the director did let us know that it was going to be cold and to dress accordingly, but we are actors...we know more than directors, right?
Luckily the crew had blankets and heaters that we could all hover around and the first day of shooting went without a hitch. It did go until 2 AM, but that was expected. I wrapped at 1:40 AM but didn't get home until after 2 AM. It's funny how tired you get when you crank the heat up in your car for a half hour.
Day two was to be a shorter day; get there by 8 PM and have the 'Martini Shot' by midnight. After I arrived, I noticed that it was not as cold as the previous day...nice. Ivory showed up, we started right at 8 PM and she was wrapped at 9:40 PM. Since we didn't have Honkie, Po and Extra #3, the crew became 'patrons' in the cafe. Did I mention I love film?
The cold stayed off for awhile, then...BAM. Suddenly, I could not stop shaking.
The space heater and someone's NY Giants blanket had become my best friends. I actually did one of my takes with the blanket just off my shoulders out of frame, it was that cold. I did start to warm up when my character had to be under the cafe table. The tablecloth was blocking the wind as well as holding in my body heat. After that, there were some physical 'stunts' that were needed from me which kept my blood pumping. It also helped that the crew was there with blankets once 'cut' was called.
Thank goodness we finished shooting by 12:05 AM. I think I lost 5 pounds just from the arobic workout my twitching muscles were doing.
I don't know that I am a fan of night shoots, but this film seems like it is going to be great and everyone involved made it a 'warm' set to be on. Two more days of shooting so more fun times to write about.
Labels: On The Set, Short Film, USC
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