OMFG

Arrived on time for The Bonzo movie. It was the beginning of a heat wave in NYC, and I arrived dressed for the shoot. I only had to change the skirt once wardrobe checked me out. Water nowhere to be found, so I asked wardrobe who was kind to bring me and another girl cold bottled water. I noticed there was not a lot of people in the unconditioned auditorium, where we were sitting and silently perspiring as one of the PA's would yell out from time to time that they were filming in the room next door which was the cafeteria and wanted quiet.

Three fans whirled, and two were sitting next to each other and were flush to the wall, which means NO air circulated save for the ten people who hung out in front of it as they loudly bleated answers to some Q&A game they were playing. Two loudly voiced their displeasure when hushed by the PA's.

11:00 and 11:30 came and went with no word as to when we would go on set. The PA's hung out and chatted amongst themselves and hushed us when they filming next door while they checked fashion websites, one regarding a fashion spread out of one of the Olsen twins in some magazine as we continued to sit and wait. One of the extras confided they had been there the last time and noted that it was a 8:30 am call and they didn't get fed until 4 pm. Then they were filming til 9 pm or so. The extra concluded their story by stating that they were not used for the filming, although they had asked to be released if they weren't going to be used and were advised by the PA that they would be used -- and never were used.

That had me worried, and I went to go find something to eat. I kept noting a catering sign so I followed the signs after seeing no action by 12:00. The school was a bit of a maze so I just followed the signs. I found a catering room alright. There was a PA sitting, looking flushed from the heat, head leaning on one hand as she peered intently at her laptop screen. She barely glanced up and I noticed through some wide windows that kids were laughing loudly and splashing in a pool that was no more than three feet deep. The pool looked cool and inviting. I tried to ignore the teacher get-up I was wearing and went over to the table where I found some bagels, some organic peanut butter that when opened had the consistency of soup, and two yogurts that were room temperature along with a small bowl of sliced fruit.

There was nothing cold to drink. There were tons of soda cans, that apparently hadn't seen the refrigerator in some time that were stacked. Other than that, there seemed to be coffee and not much else.

A PA called my attention and asked if I was me, and I said yes, rather surprised. I had worked with this PA prior on another separate paid gig, and we had recognized and greeted each other warmly. "They're wanting you on set," the PA explained. "Oh!" I had the bagel in my hand and wrapped it in a napkin to take back. "You could take it with you to set," the PA offered, and I asked if it was OK to simply drop it off in holding -- it was determined that we were on our way to pass holding to go to set anyway as it was next door.

I got to drop it off and the other PA looked at me urgently as he could, holding the door and looking at me. I grabbed my glasses that completed my look and put the bagel in my bag and headed up. I went to set and was ushered to another PA who didn't provide much direction other than to blend in with the other extras. Turns out they weren't even filming, just blocking, and the area wasn't huge to do so.

After a minute, I kid you not, we were sent back to holding for another two hours to do absolutely nothing.

We found the notes for the breakdown of what the scene would be, plus I found the pink sheets that are normally the updated sheets of what would be going down. It all took place in the cafeteria, a simple set up of the zoom in to the lunch food, then lunch lady serving lunch, then Jesse and co-star talking amongst themselves about female classmates that pass them by in the school cafeteria. That was it. There were no other lines or even a direction about me or any other extra having a line or some thing. The group I was a part of wasn't even mentioned in the bloody script, white or pink. I was like, WTF? I had suspicions that this was going to be another day that the certain extras would not be used, AGAIN. They were focusing on the kids, so that was basically that. I checked to see if there was going to be subsequent scene and nothing more was indicated. Just this one scene in the cafeteria. This apparently took a lot of discussion and blocking on behalf of the crew that labored and sweated in the heat trying to get everything just right for the director to film. Outside there was an extra strong power light that was on while it was a sunny day already out and plenty of sunlight was streaming into the cafeteria.

One of the extras came quietly from the side of the building and announced that pizza had arrived. The PA in charge of us came in and announced that they were waiting for the pizza to arrive. Yet we already knew the pizza was there and most likely would be gone through first by the crew as they had declared their break. It was all very informal with not much information being given to the extras. Lots of buzz amongst themselves as we sat and waited, perspiring in the non air conditioned space.

It was after 3 pm when one of the extras came in from hanging out in the hallway and grabbed a slice of leftover pizza that was put out in the hallway for the extras to eat. No real announcement was made. We starving extras made our way to the table, where there were about six boxes. They were quickly gone through, with the young teenagers young adults taking two slices and not realizing that other people were there to eat too and hadn't gotten to the pizza yet and still waiting on line.

By the time I got to the pizza, it was all gone. I put down my plate and grabbed a little soda and went back to holding in a mixed feeling of amusement and disgust. It was going on 3:30 and there was nothing to eat. I went to catering and there was nothing.

I was done. I went back to the holding area that had gotten warmer as a new batch of extras had arrived at 3 to help polish off the pizza we had been waiting so patiently on for an hour before.

I went to speak to the PA in charge of us, but I could tell the PA knew I was going to be the bearer of bad news and avoided me twice. I wanted to know when we would be used, as that would be my final determination as to whether I would stay or leave.

The TBD that had been placed in the compensation area of the casting ad for this gig was now determined to be zero. Should have read "to be diddly" as far as pay. And yet they seemed to have no problem asking for four days from the extras involved. The other extras said they would not be coming back. I had shrugged, saying that I was going to wait and see what they did today and that would decide my staying on. The extra that had been there prior explained that we would not be paid, even though I had told the extra I had seen the company place ads stating TBD on pay and even offering some roles a certain amount, like for the featured parents they wanted, they would be giving $100. "Gas money," snorted another extra who was there with her two starry eyed kids who wanted to say they worked on a movie with Jesse McCartney. I wondered if Jesse was working for free or got a slice of pizza for his trouble.

I tried to get the attention of the PA who clearly didn't want to hear me, so I gathered my bags and said goodbye to the extras and headed out. I found the exit on my own and didn't stop walking until I reached the turnstiles of the train to put my Metrocard in -- another thought -- transportation money is another thing that will not be reimbursed by these cheapies. I'm supposed to be thrilled to work a movie with a Disney star who certainly was not working for free and would not notice if I was there or not anyway. And feel lucky as a sonofabitch for getting a squeaked thank you from the sweaty PA -- wonder if the crew worked for free.

I reminded myself this is why unions will never go away, as they serve a purpose. I didn't feel a pang of guilt as the gush of cool air conditioned air greeted me as I walked through the passenger door of the waiting train. The shoot was so far out in Brooklyn, that the train sat on the very last stop and then you had to walk several blocks and a couple of long avenues to get to the shoot site which was on a private school that had ducks and geese and even roosters walking around on its grounds.