Keg stands, college football, and drunk sorority chicks, what more does a guy need right? Well, anyone that knows me, knows that I am all about these things, so I thought naturally, I would be perfect for this show.
Ehem. Well, as it turns out...I would not be an Omega Chi pledge, but rather was cast as a faculty member. Hmm, what does that say about my age!??
Well, I arrived for my 8am call time, only to find out when I got there that they had changed it suddenly to 10:30am. BLURG %$#@!!
Considering the time I had to kill, and my fond affection for a little "Moons over my Hammy", I proceeded to the local Denny's down the street and indulged.
Okay, 10:00...time to go to work! I arrive to wardrobe and almost forgot that this show has a reputation for being complete assholes to background performers, good thing the wardrobe lady yelling at the guy at the front of the line was there to remind us. "Don't you listen? ...there is NO blue on set!"
...ahhhh, to be a human being.
We arrive at holding to be greeted by one of the AD's, who made the announcement that all non-union background is under no circumstances allowed to visit the crafty truck, and that that is reserved for crew, cast and SAG members, and anyone caught out there, will feel the wrath! There was a table set up for us outside the tent though, which had doughnuts, water, and luke warm coffee.
I took it with a grain of salt, until I heard the first victims screams later that evening. She was smoking a cigarette somewhere near the area and one of the vultures came down and demanded to see her SAG card and that there was no smoking there unless she was SAG. I mean, really!!??
Moving on to set, we were filming in a residential area outside of Koreatown. Some guy rents out his house for the show when they need it, and I could see why...it was enormous, and looked like your typical frat house, but on an IVY league scale. Big time $$$
The scene we were filming was a cocktail party for me and the rest of the faculty (who were all young mind you) and at one point, one of the principles who plays a teacher or perhaps the Dean, came up and was pantomiming with me, and continued to do so for every take, which should allow for some great screen time for me. The whole shoot lasted about 10 hours, which wasn't too terrible as we were working constantly.
Aside from the crew treating non-union like freshmen getting hazed (I think that smoker is still tied to the flagpole)...the actual cast, director & AD's were very friendly and professional.
Now if you'll excuse me, I must prepare for tomorrow's lecture...good day.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Without a Trace
This could quite possibly be the most boring blog entry I post, as absolutely nothing happened all day, so please bare with me as I try to turn something out of nothing...
Let's take a look at how my day went, shall we?
(taking off shoe, signaling you to follow me, and fade out to flashback)
- - - - - - -
(Setting) - cafeteria with folding tables and chairs, on set of WB.
7:00am - report to set, check in, warm up with coffee
8:00am - wardrobe, then over to crafty for breakfast
9:00am - waiting to be called to set
10:00am - still waiting, opened book
11:00am - still waiting, finished book
12:00pm - any time now...?
1:00pm - finally, break for lunch! (1 hour walkaway) which I was happy to leave for an hour.
2:00pm - okay, let's get to work..."Wha'? Whats that...no? Oh, not yet? (sigh) Oh, alright...I guess I'll just wait some more over there then"
3:00pm - "Zzzz"
4:00pm - fiddle with iPhone
5:00pm - battery dead on iPhone
6:00pm - ...getting restless...
7:00pm - FINALLY, called to set! Okay, ready for my close up!! Set was a hospital, I was a visitor...finding my motivation, "annnnnd...Action!" walk, walk, walk, pantomime, pantomime...15 mins later, I am done...and it's back to the folding chairs for me.
8:00pm - I officially cannot feel my ass on these folding chairs any longer.
9:00pm - the PA arrives, and fortunately for me, called a wrap for the visitors...that's me! I can only imagine how long the rest of the patients and doctors had to stay.
So, as you can see...it's not all glamorous work, but I usually try to find something interesting to note and share with you, unfortunately today just happened to be about as exciting as your typical 13 hour lobby wait could be...but I felt obligated to share with you none the less.
I guess the lessons I learned today are, A) there is an awful lot of money being thrown around on these sets paying actors for basically sitting around, doing nothing all day...and B) I would absolutely HATE prison!
Let's take a look at how my day went, shall we?
(taking off shoe, signaling you to follow me, and fade out to flashback)
- - - - - - -
(Setting) - cafeteria with folding tables and chairs, on set of WB.
7:00am - report to set, check in, warm up with coffee
8:00am - wardrobe, then over to crafty for breakfast
9:00am - waiting to be called to set
10:00am - still waiting, opened book
11:00am - still waiting, finished book
12:00pm - any time now...?
1:00pm - finally, break for lunch! (1 hour walkaway) which I was happy to leave for an hour.
2:00pm - okay, let's get to work..."Wha'? Whats that...no? Oh, not yet? (sigh) Oh, alright...I guess I'll just wait some more over there then"
3:00pm - "Zzzz"
4:00pm - fiddle with iPhone
5:00pm - battery dead on iPhone
6:00pm - ...getting restless...
7:00pm - FINALLY, called to set! Okay, ready for my close up!! Set was a hospital, I was a visitor...finding my motivation, "annnnnd...Action!" walk, walk, walk, pantomime, pantomime...15 mins later, I am done...and it's back to the folding chairs for me.
8:00pm - I officially cannot feel my ass on these folding chairs any longer.
9:00pm - the PA arrives, and fortunately for me, called a wrap for the visitors...that's me! I can only imagine how long the rest of the patients and doctors had to stay.
So, as you can see...it's not all glamorous work, but I usually try to find something interesting to note and share with you, unfortunately today just happened to be about as exciting as your typical 13 hour lobby wait could be...but I felt obligated to share with you none the less.
I guess the lessons I learned today are, A) there is an awful lot of money being thrown around on these sets paying actors for basically sitting around, doing nothing all day...and B) I would absolutely HATE prison!
Silent Blog
Happy Holidays! I realize that I haven't updated my blog in a little while, thanks for being patient...I have just been busy with work, and the Holiday hustle and bustle. I added a couple posts this evening, and will continue to try and get you all caught up to speed before I make the trek back home for xmas.
"Merry Christmas. Shitter was full!" ~ Cousin Eddie
"Merry Christmas. Shitter was full!" ~ Cousin Eddie
Monday, December 15, 2008
Flower Girl
It's the Holiday season, and while I love receiving cards in the mail and seeing friends/family in their favorite sweaters, Sherri and I really aren't the card sending types. However, that doesn't mean I am Hallmark-free this year. Just recently I worked on a movie called 'Flower Girl', which is a direct to television, Hallmark movie of the week. Oh boy!
It was quite the drive up, as we were filming on location in the Santa Monica Mountains in Malibu. The call time wasn't until early afternoon, but I knew we would probably go into the night...so I brought a jacket and scarf as I knew it was going to get cold! I realize I get zero sympathy from my Swedish-Norwegian-Irish-German-Polish brethren back in Minnesota, but to my credit, I could see my breath.
The location was on a ranch in the mountains, which must be owned by a studio, as it was almost too picturesque. I wasn't able to take any pictures on the shuttle ride out to set, but believe me when I tell you, the scenery was like being in any Tim Burton film.
The grounds were very colorful...filled with flowers, the grass was indeed greener, but on both sides...there was an old time Ferris wheel, an antique carousel that without a doubt put numerous smiles on youngsters back in the 19th century, "Milky" the cow, who is actually a cow/model/actor and is on pretty much every milk commercial or print ad in the country...and lastly, do you remember the American Pie movie where a certain someone played a certain instrument in a certain area? "And this one time...in band camp" Yep, filmed here.
The scene we were filming was a wedding, unfortunately for us...it was an outdoor wedding, and it was almost midnight. Up to this point, I had not recognized a single name actor, which I guess isn't surprising for a Hallmark movie, but still...I had high hopes I would at least get to see a Kirk Cameron or Patrick Duffy appearance. As I about to give up hope, the director called for 1st team (principle actors) to come on set and lo and behold, Marion Ross aka 'Mrs. C' (as the Fonz liked to call her) came and sat down at her mark. She is 80 years old, still working...and looked great. I think that deserves an Arthur Fonzarelli double thumbs up, Ayyyy!
On a side note, we were in a valley within the mountains and late in the evening the fog had rolled in, giving the outdoor set a very eerie but gorgeous backdrop. I was able to capture a pic with my phone...see below.
Moving on to the last shot of the night...we were now at the reception, and the child actor in this shot was instructed to run by the main table where the lead actors were giving their lines, and bump into one of the guys at the table, so as to stop him mid sentence so he could give the line "...and THAT'S why I hate kids!"
Well, all this happened and went off without a hitch...except for when the guy gave his line, it must have been too believable as the child froze like a deer in headlights staring at the guy, his eyes started to tear up, his lips started pouting and shaking...he was about to lose it!
I felt so bad for the little boy, as did the whole crew...the director ran up to him and kissed him on the cheek and tried to explain that this is all make believe and that this was his line. Fortunately, that pep talk got him through one more take and we were able to call it a night.
It was quite the drive up, as we were filming on location in the Santa Monica Mountains in Malibu. The call time wasn't until early afternoon, but I knew we would probably go into the night...so I brought a jacket and scarf as I knew it was going to get cold! I realize I get zero sympathy from my Swedish-Norwegian-Irish-German-Polish brethren back in Minnesota, but to my credit, I could see my breath.
The location was on a ranch in the mountains, which must be owned by a studio, as it was almost too picturesque. I wasn't able to take any pictures on the shuttle ride out to set, but believe me when I tell you, the scenery was like being in any Tim Burton film.
The grounds were very colorful...filled with flowers, the grass was indeed greener, but on both sides...there was an old time Ferris wheel, an antique carousel that without a doubt put numerous smiles on youngsters back in the 19th century, "Milky" the cow, who is actually a cow/model/actor and is on pretty much every milk commercial or print ad in the country...and lastly, do you remember the American Pie movie where a certain someone played a certain instrument in a certain area? "And this one time...in band camp" Yep, filmed here.
The scene we were filming was a wedding, unfortunately for us...it was an outdoor wedding, and it was almost midnight. Up to this point, I had not recognized a single name actor, which I guess isn't surprising for a Hallmark movie, but still...I had high hopes I would at least get to see a Kirk Cameron or Patrick Duffy appearance. As I about to give up hope, the director called for 1st team (principle actors) to come on set and lo and behold, Marion Ross aka 'Mrs. C' (as the Fonz liked to call her) came and sat down at her mark. She is 80 years old, still working...and looked great. I think that deserves an Arthur Fonzarelli double thumbs up, Ayyyy!
On a side note, we were in a valley within the mountains and late in the evening the fog had rolled in, giving the outdoor set a very eerie but gorgeous backdrop. I was able to capture a pic with my phone...see below.
Moving on to the last shot of the night...we were now at the reception, and the child actor in this shot was instructed to run by the main table where the lead actors were giving their lines, and bump into one of the guys at the table, so as to stop him mid sentence so he could give the line "...and THAT'S why I hate kids!"
Well, all this happened and went off without a hitch...except for when the guy gave his line, it must have been too believable as the child froze like a deer in headlights staring at the guy, his eyes started to tear up, his lips started pouting and shaking...he was about to lose it!
I felt so bad for the little boy, as did the whole crew...the director ran up to him and kissed him on the cheek and tried to explain that this is all make believe and that this was his line. Fortunately, that pep talk got him through one more take and we were able to call it a night.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
CSI NY
Ahhh...back to the work week.
While Monday found most of America pushing pens at their respective desk jobs, I was busy infiltrating a teenage sex ring operation in a seedy hotel room in New York's Lower East Side.
Actually, the day was broken into two parts...the first half of the day I was booked as a CSI Tech in the lab. Let me start this entry by saying that I have not seen a single CSI show, since it's existence, and don't plan on it anytime soon. The idea of catching up on all these CSI's SVU's, NCIS's, etc...seems so overwhelming, as they crank them out faster than one can catch up, but I understand it's popularity.
This crime lab set was pretty impressive, it consisted of several different rooms, hallways, elevators, and was detailed all the way down to the software programs running on the laptops. I had to look up 100 feet at the stage roof to remind myself that I was not on location somewhere. If you look closely in this pic, you can see the Brooklyn Bridge in the window of this side room.
The second half of the day was great fun, which had me doing a little bit of actual "acting". Me and one other guy were cast as Missing Persons detectives in charge of rescuing said 'teenage sex slaves'. Gary Sinise bravely led on point for this operation, guns drawn, we kicked in the door and rescued all but one girl, (she couldn't get around the cameraman in time). The actor playing my partner was brand new to the business, so when the director was giving him direction to come in and escort a few of the girls, he assumed she gave him free range to use dialogue..."Right this way ladies, everything will be okay, just follow me" he exclaimed.
The director of course had to yell "cut", as this is a no-no in the world of background. Well, unfortunately for me...the AD came in and looked at me thinking I was the culprit, yelling "Who is talking? This isn't a speaking part, blah, blah, blah!" Of course, I wasn't going to rat the other guy out...but after it happened again on the 2nd take, I ended up talking to the rookie, and asking what the hell he was doing! He's a good guy, and we ended up having a good laugh about it afterward.
On a side note, me and another guy crept around the set over lunch and took a couple pictures. We found the interrogation room, and here is me doing my best 'Jack Bauer' impersonation.
"WHO DO YOU WORK FOR!!?"
boop. beep. boop. beep.
While Monday found most of America pushing pens at their respective desk jobs, I was busy infiltrating a teenage sex ring operation in a seedy hotel room in New York's Lower East Side.
Actually, the day was broken into two parts...the first half of the day I was booked as a CSI Tech in the lab. Let me start this entry by saying that I have not seen a single CSI show, since it's existence, and don't plan on it anytime soon. The idea of catching up on all these CSI's SVU's, NCIS's, etc...seems so overwhelming, as they crank them out faster than one can catch up, but I understand it's popularity.
This crime lab set was pretty impressive, it consisted of several different rooms, hallways, elevators, and was detailed all the way down to the software programs running on the laptops. I had to look up 100 feet at the stage roof to remind myself that I was not on location somewhere. If you look closely in this pic, you can see the Brooklyn Bridge in the window of this side room.
The second half of the day was great fun, which had me doing a little bit of actual "acting". Me and one other guy were cast as Missing Persons detectives in charge of rescuing said 'teenage sex slaves'. Gary Sinise bravely led on point for this operation, guns drawn, we kicked in the door and rescued all but one girl, (she couldn't get around the cameraman in time). The actor playing my partner was brand new to the business, so when the director was giving him direction to come in and escort a few of the girls, he assumed she gave him free range to use dialogue..."Right this way ladies, everything will be okay, just follow me" he exclaimed.
The director of course had to yell "cut", as this is a no-no in the world of background. Well, unfortunately for me...the AD came in and looked at me thinking I was the culprit, yelling "Who is talking? This isn't a speaking part, blah, blah, blah!" Of course, I wasn't going to rat the other guy out...but after it happened again on the 2nd take, I ended up talking to the rookie, and asking what the hell he was doing! He's a good guy, and we ended up having a good laugh about it afterward.
On a side note, me and another guy crept around the set over lunch and took a couple pictures. We found the interrogation room, and here is me doing my best 'Jack Bauer' impersonation.
"WHO DO YOU WORK FOR!!?"
boop. beep. boop. beep.
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