Finally got a call. Out of the blue. From an agency that I hadn't heard from in like a year. For BG work on The Good Wife. It would mean getting out of the day job for the day. What was interesting was I had never submitted to it.
Transportation was provided for the ride to set for the established gig, there was a number to call to get information, and I soon found myself on a nice comfy bus riding to Long Island. We shot in a real correctional facility, and the scene was about a woman who was being held in an immigration jail. We went through at least three sets of clanging metal jail bar doors, with officers manning each section with a bunch of keys in their hand as they glanced at us and checked for our in-jail ID that separated us from the population. Those extras who had to wear prison garb were warned not to wander anywhere off-set as they could be mistaken for real prisoners and would be taken away.
I was playing one of the correctional officers, standing behind the star of the show. I refrained from taking any photos on set, just to not annoy anybody. The fact I wore lipstick threw one of the makeup people into a mini uproar, and I quietly and amiably took off the lipstick. The makeup person had brought another over, and they briefly debated over how a correctional officer would look. The second makeup person found it amusing that the first one seemed so huffy about it and said correctional officers had a life outside the building so why not wear lipstick, no big deal. I said nothing. In the end, I went to the bathroom and took it off. After that, though, I heard the crew refer to me as the lipstick girl.
Guess they must've gotten a good laugh over that.
Before we had even gotten into the prison, we had to leave a proper ID card with the security post out front. Luckily I had brought two ID's, my state ID and my US passport. I gave my state ID at the gate and had to leave my passport when I had to go to the Props department to get the fake walkie-talkie, keys and badges to complete the 'look'. The makeup girl told me to make a messy ponitail which I quickly accomplished and she actually loved. I heard one of the crew stating how they seemed to assemble a bunch of people so quickly, and apparently all had the right look for them, and the director said that everyone was very good.
When we went to get our uniforms, and it was fairly quick and easy to pick out my size (lucky I remembered what size I was in men's shirts because I was dressed in a man's uniform!) and had to leave my voucher for that.
The shoot went pretty quickly. The star, Julianna Margulies, was professional, joked with the crew, and went in and out with these really high Frankenstein platform heeled shoes that added inches to her height. In the shoes she was eye level to me. Without, she was about by my neck. What was funny is her profile on IMDB lists her at 5 foot 6. I'm 5 foot 7, so I found that a bit interesting. She looked at me and I nodded slightly then looked away.
That rule about not interacting with the stars unless they address you -- I kept to it. I knew quite a few who couldn't wrap their egos around that and wouldn't hesitate to break that rule almost every chance they got in some convoluted home to be 'remembered' for 'something next time'. And to have something to brag about later with other BGers.
About four to six takes for each angle, and we were done. The guest star was impressed with how quickly the scene was done. About 3 or 4 angles in all, and I was saved for the final set before they announced that non-union was wrapped. I was asked to relax my stance, but it wasn't that easy -- my body wanted to go rigid and be 'on guard' as soon as I was fully in uniform. It is true what they say, the uniform can really make your mind 'go there' and it was easy to act.
They initally were going to hold on to me as I was in full get up still but decided to let me go. Darn! The ride back was relaxing, as I made sure I had room this time on the way home. It was a beautiful day and we were dropped off in midtown by Lexington Avenue. I thanked the driver and quickly found the subway and took the short ride home in a crowded train as we had just hit rush hour.
Overall a pleasant experience. Four hours, not including traffic. Nice weather. A good day.
Showing posts with label background. Show all posts
Showing posts with label background. Show all posts
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
February 1st
Got an email from a fellow BG'er asking how I was and what I was up to. So much had changed. I had passed the three month trial run at the office gig and was full time. I had health insurance. I was getting regular checks...when I was keeping an eye on them.
The biggest issue was dealing with the personalities that were content on rotting there and infecting anyone new with their attitude problems. There was a lot of laziness and lethargy. A lot of don't give a damns and clients are crazy not us, type of thing. I was learning that keeping my mouth shut and letting them run their mouths was enough evidence.
So far the only complaint was I stepped away from my desk one too many times in order to help people out. This could be getting some water for a client, checking on whether something was done for another employee or client, anything job related, it didn't matter.
Yet, I wasn't hitting the pavement as much as I used to, since my hours were now dedicated to sitting in an office dealing with people. Although I still submitted, and had the new PDA to thank for that, I wasn't really holding my breath on getting responses. The few responses I got were repeat offenders that I dealt with last year who never answered or seemed shady last year.
So instead of panicking or hyperventilating as to how'm I paying the rent this month, I merely keep it moving, and next month, start the work on joining union.
Today I got what I think is the rest of my W-2's, and in another week or so, I am going to do my taxes and get it over with.
Back to the BGer. I filled them in briefly on what I've been doing. The voiceover site I had a complimentary membership at didn't really prove to me that they had an abundance of voiceover work, and I had a long way to go in regards to submitting for anything at this point. The site could not justify paying $200 a year. I just couldn't see it. I had it for two months, and I submitted to about ten jobs. I was selective too, just as the bullshit it claimed to say, that the more you submit, the less success and job leads one would get.
So...followed the rules, and got only one feedback, that my voice wasn't right for their particular project. Otherwise, the pricings were way low and not very promising. I have to go union. This is ridiculous.
The biggest issue was dealing with the personalities that were content on rotting there and infecting anyone new with their attitude problems. There was a lot of laziness and lethargy. A lot of don't give a damns and clients are crazy not us, type of thing. I was learning that keeping my mouth shut and letting them run their mouths was enough evidence.
So far the only complaint was I stepped away from my desk one too many times in order to help people out. This could be getting some water for a client, checking on whether something was done for another employee or client, anything job related, it didn't matter.
Yet, I wasn't hitting the pavement as much as I used to, since my hours were now dedicated to sitting in an office dealing with people. Although I still submitted, and had the new PDA to thank for that, I wasn't really holding my breath on getting responses. The few responses I got were repeat offenders that I dealt with last year who never answered or seemed shady last year.
So instead of panicking or hyperventilating as to how'm I paying the rent this month, I merely keep it moving, and next month, start the work on joining union.
Today I got what I think is the rest of my W-2's, and in another week or so, I am going to do my taxes and get it over with.
Back to the BGer. I filled them in briefly on what I've been doing. The voiceover site I had a complimentary membership at didn't really prove to me that they had an abundance of voiceover work, and I had a long way to go in regards to submitting for anything at this point. The site could not justify paying $200 a year. I just couldn't see it. I had it for two months, and I submitted to about ten jobs. I was selective too, just as the bullshit it claimed to say, that the more you submit, the less success and job leads one would get.
So...followed the rules, and got only one feedback, that my voice wasn't right for their particular project. Otherwise, the pricings were way low and not very promising. I have to go union. This is ridiculous.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Freebies
Lately I've been seeing a ton of free gigs (read: non-paying) and that one will get a copy of the film and get fed, whatever that means (could be chips and water, sandwiches, snacks, or a real hot meal).
Non-union does not mean free. I'm seeing these postings on paid sites -- sites that I pay a monthly fee in order to have the privilege of accessing and submitting electronically for gigs. Why the f-c-k would I submit on a paid site to a non-paying gig that 99.9 percent of the time will lead NOwhere nor build up my resume anyway?
I'm wondering if I should advise these paid sites that wasting my membership fee by having to scroll down the growing longer every week list of freebie gigs is not adding up to making this monthly payment a viable investment. Nonpaying gigs do not pay my rent either, buddy.
Some of the ads are mildly defensive. I recall one saying that no one else is getting paid and that included the production crew, which I found completely hard to believe. Who the h-e-ll works for free unless they are getting something out of it? Then another ad memorably read something along the lines they are looking for Artists, not people looking to make a dollar. Um, hello? You think the landlord will appreciate my artistry when I explain I can't pay the rent? Um, sure, yeah, right.
It IS a business, and just as the writer, producer and director are dreaming for it to lead to bigger better things for themselves, why can't I dream and pursue the same? Idiots.
Speaking of freebies, here's the latest insult coming from an office that specializes in dealing with only extras -- why they would forward this to me I have no idea but apparently whoever sent it was high on crack. This link is for people who just want to have fun but not necessarily get paid. But hey, you never know. You just might be in the right place at the right time and....presto! You could be a star!
http://www.beinamovie.com/
Non-union does not mean free. I'm seeing these postings on paid sites -- sites that I pay a monthly fee in order to have the privilege of accessing and submitting electronically for gigs. Why the f-c-k would I submit on a paid site to a non-paying gig that 99.9 percent of the time will lead NOwhere nor build up my resume anyway?
I'm wondering if I should advise these paid sites that wasting my membership fee by having to scroll down the growing longer every week list of freebie gigs is not adding up to making this monthly payment a viable investment. Nonpaying gigs do not pay my rent either, buddy.
Some of the ads are mildly defensive. I recall one saying that no one else is getting paid and that included the production crew, which I found completely hard to believe. Who the h-e-ll works for free unless they are getting something out of it? Then another ad memorably read something along the lines they are looking for Artists, not people looking to make a dollar. Um, hello? You think the landlord will appreciate my artistry when I explain I can't pay the rent? Um, sure, yeah, right.
It IS a business, and just as the writer, producer and director are dreaming for it to lead to bigger better things for themselves, why can't I dream and pursue the same? Idiots.
Speaking of freebies, here's the latest insult coming from an office that specializes in dealing with only extras -- why they would forward this to me I have no idea but apparently whoever sent it was high on crack. This link is for people who just want to have fun but not necessarily get paid. But hey, you never know. You just might be in the right place at the right time and....presto! You could be a star!
http://www.beinamovie.com/
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Truth...? Baby you can't handle the Truth.
One for the books is the infamous truth.com anti-smoking campaign ads that you see from time to time on television or in viral where usually a mob of people suddenly show up somehow and do something wild or frenzied.
In the four commercials that were filmed almost guerilla style over the course of several days, I found myself as an upscale snobby restaurant patron, where I just merely sat at the bar and was served pretend pinot g, and had to gasp in pretend snobby indignation. The lead guy who had the megaphone remarked about my reaction to him, apparently my look of pretend disgust looked pretty convincing and threw him off a bit.
When it was time for lunch, we had to walk over to holding which was a couple of blocks away, and when we got there, the Production Assistants or PA's walkies went off and we heard that everyone had to come back to set. We each grabbed a sandwich, water, some chips, and quickly headed back, biting and chewing into our lunch as we headed back to set. We sat in a temporary place next door, as they were still setting up, and barely sat down to take a bite of food when the PA's order us to head back into the set. I said, "oh no!" and a PA took pity on me and said to take a minute but hurry. So I tore into three mini-chicken drumsticks/wings, swallowed some water and left the rest of my nice plate behind to go next door to set.
The idea of it was: someone, a diner at this fancy restaurant and bar, suddenly gasps and yells, "It's PEPPER!" and we hear screaming and yelling and a bunch of people come tearing through the restaurant in bright orange shirts along with several people in 'hasmat' suits squeaking as they stormed out of the place holding up carefully the pepper grinders. Then the megaphone guy appears along with another holding up a sign declaring a quote about some cigarette executive talking down the dangers of second hand smoke and compared it to black pepper.
So it was very dramatic and over the top and made its point. We consider black pepper to be harmless, sneezing aside. No one's ever gotten cancer or died from using it.
The second commercial was more interesting and much more physically demanding. In this one, I got to be one of the orange mob and wear this orange tshirt that screamed prison inmate or construction worker. We had been asked prior to taking the gig whether we were lactose intolerant or diabetic. If any of us were, we were advised that we could not take the gig. We were told we might be eating candy and drinking milk for the commercial. Interesting. We were told to bring a change of clothes and a towel, wear comfortable shoes, and to wear clothes we didn't mind getting 'a bit dirty'. So I guess I'll just keep the Gucci and other bling at home.
The production company had us meet in a supermarket they rented for an overnight shoot. There is something spooky yet weirdly fun and space-agey about being in a supermarket and seeing all the different colored packages all lined up so nicely, row by row. And besides you, the fellow background and the production crew, there are no customers with shopping carts moseying down the aisles and then rushing all at once to the registers to form lines. The place is as quiet as a church except for the faint whoosh of water that comes out of the sprinklers that line the fresh veggies and salads to keep them pert and crisp.
Some background individuals, giddy from god knows what, took it upon themselves to suddenly view the fruit in the veggie aisle as props for juggling -- and badly. Dropping apples, oranges, and laughing as if they were being very clever for coming up with the idea. Bad idea. They would drop the fruit, bruise it, put it back, pick up another one. I asked them to stop as people buy and eat that food and it would be all bruised and that wasn't right. Ignored, I signaled to a PA who seemed to be looking at these juggling dorks and advised that dropping the fruit was bruising it and could the PA do something? Like furtive five year olds, they put the fruit back, shrugging sheepishly that they were 'only juggling' and would put the food back -- but that was not the point. One bright extra juggled apples right in front of another PA and promptly dropped them, and actually blushed for being 'singled out'. In every case, it was someone attempting to impress a member of the opposite sex or simply get attention. I wondered if their parents ever told them how it was not nice to play with your food. Maybe they thought it wasn't technically their food, so they could do what they liked and let the next person who bought it be the sucker.
The first commercial assignment for that night was to run like mad through a pre-mapped course through the front of the supermarket right before you reach the registers, grab a bunch of bagged or assorted candies, and act like crackheads for candy, shoving some in your mouth, semi-fighting over some candy then rushing through certain aisles towards the back of the supermarket and out of sight of the numerous cameras placed throughout the pre-mapped area that captured all the action. We ran several times, grabbing candy like a lunatic and running like mad, yelling and hollering like maniacs to the back of the supermarket. It was chaos but that is what the director was looking for. We went out with a roar and grabbed candy, and on one of the first runs, my legs were kicked out from under me and I literally fell on my ass, my legs up in the air. Lucky I was wearing jeans. The problem was there was a huge crowd of people pushing and running, and all I could do was tuck myself up in a ball and watch this sea of legs jump over me and the subsequent knocked over shopping cart that another actor had to conveniently throw on its side as part of the 'enthusiasm' to reach for the candy that was stacked within it. Within seconds, three sets of hands grabbed me and lifted me up and we all ran like lunatics screaming down the canned food aisle towards the back. We hear "CUT!" and "Back to one!"
One of the AD's came over to me and singled me out, "YOU were the one who fell," and I was thinking, "Oh shit, I fucked up," but instead I nodded and said, "Yeah, got my legs kicked out from under me by someone," and he just practically high fived me, gave me a thumbs up and said, "That was TERRIFIC! It looked great on camera!" And I was like, "Really?" And he said it looked really good and showed the chaos and it was just right. Realizing he wasn't kidding but was truly delighted with how it looked on his side, I relaxed and smiled and said, "Ohhhh. Good!" He asked if I was OK and I said yes, and I was, I landed nice on my ass and not on my tailbone or thighbone which was perfect and not painful. He trotted back to his crew and I thanked the ones who helped pull me up.
The second time, my foot got stepped on, hard, on the outer part of the arch, which was a bit painful but nothing was broken and, best part, I didn't fall once after that first time. Each time got better and more fun. One guy grabbed for the candy bin like on the third or fourth take and found he had a head of lettuce in his hand, had to make the most of it and just run with it. Another guy ended up with a huge eggplant, no one knows how THAT got in the candy bin but he just took off with it. The image of seeing him run with the eggplant was a sight to behold. The head of lettuce was thrown up in the air and leaves from the lettuce came showering down. One guy grabbed a container of candy, opened it, and just poured it into his mouth as if he was a thirsty man in the desert about to drink lush delicious clean water and I went to grab it but he was too tall and kept it out of my reach and I just ran, howling with the rest of my orange shirted brothers and sisters, as the night went on.
We took a break for 'lunch' in the middle of the night and the production company had rented out some time at a nearby diner where we ate some fresh hot prepared food served buffet style. It was ethnic, lots of potatoes and sausage, there was salad, some pasta, and dessert looked so yummy but I stayed away from it. I grabbed a ginger ale from the tub that was there full of sodas and water, and the food line moved quickly, everyone found a seat and we all paired up and laughed, joked, and talked about what we had just done and about how some of our fellow background people were a bit too method. In a couple of instances, some were picking up loose candy that had fallen on the floor and were cramming them into their mouths, as if in hopes that someone famous might see them being so dedicated to the role of a frantic candy junkie.
When we got back, it was when the challenges really began. The second commercial part involved milk. Yes, milk. And lots of it. We were no longer candy junkies but MILK junkies, and we again had a new pre-mapped way of getting to the 'milk' section. It involved grabbing dedicated gallons and half gallons of milk, opening them and taking big swigs and passing them around, except no one really did and milk started spilling in the aisle. People had big spills (no pun intended) running into the milk and a couple of people swerved into the jelly aisle and got some minor cuts.
People got treated while the rest of us moved on. After several takes, we were all shivering and people were not as energized -- we did take after take. Finally, the director advised if they could get six people to 'take one for the team' and instead of involving everyone, for these six to sit and lie down in pools of milk by the freezer section. After a short silence, I was one of the six picked and we had to lie down as if we just 'died' of an overdose and landed in the milk. The girl next to me was shivering and stuttering "fuckfuckfuckffffuckfuck" and she was cold. I tried not to laugh through my own shivering teeth and thought about Bermuda, some place warm and hot, and these liquid lapping at me was really warm clear blue ocean water.
After several takes, it was one more shot -- and I decided I would pass on this last piece. A PA came over and shook my hand, saying thank you, and something along the lines of my being hardcore and a professional. I was dripping but grateful it was over. As I grabbed some papertowels to start sopping up the milk from my clothes and hair, I watched for a few seconds some brave souls who decided to stick around for the final shot which was to guzzle as quick as they could from half gallon containers of milk. One or two had a gallon. One woman managed to ingest half a gallon of milk before they yelled cut and we were wrapped.
We all whooped in appreciation and headed back to holding, which was a couple of blocks over. The early morning was windy and cold and being soaked in milk only made it more urgent to get back to holding and get toweled off and into dry clothing. I had the presence of mind to bring a plastic bag to hold my wet clothes in and boy did it feel soooo good to get dry and change clothes. During the chaos, my favorite shirt, which I had brought with me to change into, had disappeared. I went back to where we were filming to see where it could be and asked every PA there. No one knew. I was disappointed only because it was a favorite shirt. I was disappointed and a bit annoyed, and headed back to holding to see if it would magically reappear there, asking everyone who passed by me about my shirt and giving a description. Then good news. It was found by a PA who had witnessed it being tossed into the brush nearby the holding area.
When I told my aunt about it, she mused that someone may've taken a liking to me and probably was going to walk off with the shirt as a kind of 'prize', then heard people talking about it and tossed it out of fear. Then I told my cousin and a fellow actor and they thought it was creepy and possible too. That creeped me out even more.
Interestingly, I love milk, love to drink it, and this experience will not keep me from drinking it further. Milk does a body good!
In the four commercials that were filmed almost guerilla style over the course of several days, I found myself as an upscale snobby restaurant patron, where I just merely sat at the bar and was served pretend pinot g, and had to gasp in pretend snobby indignation. The lead guy who had the megaphone remarked about my reaction to him, apparently my look of pretend disgust looked pretty convincing and threw him off a bit.
When it was time for lunch, we had to walk over to holding which was a couple of blocks away, and when we got there, the Production Assistants or PA's walkies went off and we heard that everyone had to come back to set. We each grabbed a sandwich, water, some chips, and quickly headed back, biting and chewing into our lunch as we headed back to set. We sat in a temporary place next door, as they were still setting up, and barely sat down to take a bite of food when the PA's order us to head back into the set. I said, "oh no!" and a PA took pity on me and said to take a minute but hurry. So I tore into three mini-chicken drumsticks/wings, swallowed some water and left the rest of my nice plate behind to go next door to set.
The idea of it was: someone, a diner at this fancy restaurant and bar, suddenly gasps and yells, "It's PEPPER!" and we hear screaming and yelling and a bunch of people come tearing through the restaurant in bright orange shirts along with several people in 'hasmat' suits squeaking as they stormed out of the place holding up carefully the pepper grinders. Then the megaphone guy appears along with another holding up a sign declaring a quote about some cigarette executive talking down the dangers of second hand smoke and compared it to black pepper.
So it was very dramatic and over the top and made its point. We consider black pepper to be harmless, sneezing aside. No one's ever gotten cancer or died from using it.
The second commercial was more interesting and much more physically demanding. In this one, I got to be one of the orange mob and wear this orange tshirt that screamed prison inmate or construction worker. We had been asked prior to taking the gig whether we were lactose intolerant or diabetic. If any of us were, we were advised that we could not take the gig. We were told we might be eating candy and drinking milk for the commercial. Interesting. We were told to bring a change of clothes and a towel, wear comfortable shoes, and to wear clothes we didn't mind getting 'a bit dirty'. So I guess I'll just keep the Gucci and other bling at home.
The production company had us meet in a supermarket they rented for an overnight shoot. There is something spooky yet weirdly fun and space-agey about being in a supermarket and seeing all the different colored packages all lined up so nicely, row by row. And besides you, the fellow background and the production crew, there are no customers with shopping carts moseying down the aisles and then rushing all at once to the registers to form lines. The place is as quiet as a church except for the faint whoosh of water that comes out of the sprinklers that line the fresh veggies and salads to keep them pert and crisp.
Some background individuals, giddy from god knows what, took it upon themselves to suddenly view the fruit in the veggie aisle as props for juggling -- and badly. Dropping apples, oranges, and laughing as if they were being very clever for coming up with the idea. Bad idea. They would drop the fruit, bruise it, put it back, pick up another one. I asked them to stop as people buy and eat that food and it would be all bruised and that wasn't right. Ignored, I signaled to a PA who seemed to be looking at these juggling dorks and advised that dropping the fruit was bruising it and could the PA do something? Like furtive five year olds, they put the fruit back, shrugging sheepishly that they were 'only juggling' and would put the food back -- but that was not the point. One bright extra juggled apples right in front of another PA and promptly dropped them, and actually blushed for being 'singled out'. In every case, it was someone attempting to impress a member of the opposite sex or simply get attention. I wondered if their parents ever told them how it was not nice to play with your food. Maybe they thought it wasn't technically their food, so they could do what they liked and let the next person who bought it be the sucker.
The first commercial assignment for that night was to run like mad through a pre-mapped course through the front of the supermarket right before you reach the registers, grab a bunch of bagged or assorted candies, and act like crackheads for candy, shoving some in your mouth, semi-fighting over some candy then rushing through certain aisles towards the back of the supermarket and out of sight of the numerous cameras placed throughout the pre-mapped area that captured all the action. We ran several times, grabbing candy like a lunatic and running like mad, yelling and hollering like maniacs to the back of the supermarket. It was chaos but that is what the director was looking for. We went out with a roar and grabbed candy, and on one of the first runs, my legs were kicked out from under me and I literally fell on my ass, my legs up in the air. Lucky I was wearing jeans. The problem was there was a huge crowd of people pushing and running, and all I could do was tuck myself up in a ball and watch this sea of legs jump over me and the subsequent knocked over shopping cart that another actor had to conveniently throw on its side as part of the 'enthusiasm' to reach for the candy that was stacked within it. Within seconds, three sets of hands grabbed me and lifted me up and we all ran like lunatics screaming down the canned food aisle towards the back. We hear "CUT!" and "Back to one!"
One of the AD's came over to me and singled me out, "YOU were the one who fell," and I was thinking, "Oh shit, I fucked up," but instead I nodded and said, "Yeah, got my legs kicked out from under me by someone," and he just practically high fived me, gave me a thumbs up and said, "That was TERRIFIC! It looked great on camera!" And I was like, "Really?" And he said it looked really good and showed the chaos and it was just right. Realizing he wasn't kidding but was truly delighted with how it looked on his side, I relaxed and smiled and said, "Ohhhh. Good!" He asked if I was OK and I said yes, and I was, I landed nice on my ass and not on my tailbone or thighbone which was perfect and not painful. He trotted back to his crew and I thanked the ones who helped pull me up.
The second time, my foot got stepped on, hard, on the outer part of the arch, which was a bit painful but nothing was broken and, best part, I didn't fall once after that first time. Each time got better and more fun. One guy grabbed for the candy bin like on the third or fourth take and found he had a head of lettuce in his hand, had to make the most of it and just run with it. Another guy ended up with a huge eggplant, no one knows how THAT got in the candy bin but he just took off with it. The image of seeing him run with the eggplant was a sight to behold. The head of lettuce was thrown up in the air and leaves from the lettuce came showering down. One guy grabbed a container of candy, opened it, and just poured it into his mouth as if he was a thirsty man in the desert about to drink lush delicious clean water and I went to grab it but he was too tall and kept it out of my reach and I just ran, howling with the rest of my orange shirted brothers and sisters, as the night went on.
We took a break for 'lunch' in the middle of the night and the production company had rented out some time at a nearby diner where we ate some fresh hot prepared food served buffet style. It was ethnic, lots of potatoes and sausage, there was salad, some pasta, and dessert looked so yummy but I stayed away from it. I grabbed a ginger ale from the tub that was there full of sodas and water, and the food line moved quickly, everyone found a seat and we all paired up and laughed, joked, and talked about what we had just done and about how some of our fellow background people were a bit too method. In a couple of instances, some were picking up loose candy that had fallen on the floor and were cramming them into their mouths, as if in hopes that someone famous might see them being so dedicated to the role of a frantic candy junkie.
When we got back, it was when the challenges really began. The second commercial part involved milk. Yes, milk. And lots of it. We were no longer candy junkies but MILK junkies, and we again had a new pre-mapped way of getting to the 'milk' section. It involved grabbing dedicated gallons and half gallons of milk, opening them and taking big swigs and passing them around, except no one really did and milk started spilling in the aisle. People had big spills (no pun intended) running into the milk and a couple of people swerved into the jelly aisle and got some minor cuts.
People got treated while the rest of us moved on. After several takes, we were all shivering and people were not as energized -- we did take after take. Finally, the director advised if they could get six people to 'take one for the team' and instead of involving everyone, for these six to sit and lie down in pools of milk by the freezer section. After a short silence, I was one of the six picked and we had to lie down as if we just 'died' of an overdose and landed in the milk. The girl next to me was shivering and stuttering "fuckfuckfuckffffuckfuck" and she was cold. I tried not to laugh through my own shivering teeth and thought about Bermuda, some place warm and hot, and these liquid lapping at me was really warm clear blue ocean water.
After several takes, it was one more shot -- and I decided I would pass on this last piece. A PA came over and shook my hand, saying thank you, and something along the lines of my being hardcore and a professional. I was dripping but grateful it was over. As I grabbed some papertowels to start sopping up the milk from my clothes and hair, I watched for a few seconds some brave souls who decided to stick around for the final shot which was to guzzle as quick as they could from half gallon containers of milk. One or two had a gallon. One woman managed to ingest half a gallon of milk before they yelled cut and we were wrapped.
We all whooped in appreciation and headed back to holding, which was a couple of blocks over. The early morning was windy and cold and being soaked in milk only made it more urgent to get back to holding and get toweled off and into dry clothing. I had the presence of mind to bring a plastic bag to hold my wet clothes in and boy did it feel soooo good to get dry and change clothes. During the chaos, my favorite shirt, which I had brought with me to change into, had disappeared. I went back to where we were filming to see where it could be and asked every PA there. No one knew. I was disappointed only because it was a favorite shirt. I was disappointed and a bit annoyed, and headed back to holding to see if it would magically reappear there, asking everyone who passed by me about my shirt and giving a description. Then good news. It was found by a PA who had witnessed it being tossed into the brush nearby the holding area.
When I told my aunt about it, she mused that someone may've taken a liking to me and probably was going to walk off with the shirt as a kind of 'prize', then heard people talking about it and tossed it out of fear. Then I told my cousin and a fellow actor and they thought it was creepy and possible too. That creeped me out even more.
Interestingly, I love milk, love to drink it, and this experience will not keep me from drinking it further. Milk does a body good!
Dedicated to the Undedicated
I figured, why not write about my adventures in the land of a BG (background) or Extra player on a film or television set? I know I'm not the first to work this idea and certainly won't be the last. So I take this on as a curious side project, see what comes of it, and hope those who by chance or personal invitation read this get a good chuckle or two.
I know I have. And the experiences overall? It's been good. Really good.
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