Background Acting

Yesterday, I was on ER.

I don’t work a whole lot anymore–gotta leave time for writing!–but I do what I can. Truthfully, if I felt safe enough bringing my laptop, I could get stuff done while I’m on set, but batteries only last so long plus I’ve heard horror stories about people having stuff stolen. I don’t want to be a horror story!

I might write one, but I don’t want to be the heroine!!!!!

I do bring at least one notebook. Sometimes I noodle with writing and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I print out scenes or chapters and edit, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I have twelve hours of doing nothing and sometimes I have about five minutes. Every shoot is different.

Hollywood is a strange place and so is background acting. Yes, background acting is more like a place than a job. Extras are at the very bottom of the food chain–sometimes not even allowed near the food! [I’ve been on several sets like that] But I say place because it’s a certain frame of mind…a certain place you gotta be in if you’re going to do lots of background work and still retain your sanity.

You have to accept that: [in no particular order]

~You’re not important
~You’re not intelligent
~No matter what, you’re wrong
~You will be blamed for everything–literally everything–that goes wrong whether or not it has to do with background acting
~Some sets appreciate background, some hate background and there’s no way to know until something goes wrong
~The days are long
~The pay is low [non-union actors make minimum wage]
~You probably won’t be seen in the finished product
~It’s a lot of work for a different kind of reward than money or fame.

However, it is nice to not have any responsibilities and to be assumed stupid sometimes. Then, there are no expectations of brilliance and you can goof off without getting in trouble.

Personally, I do it for stories and characters. I never know who I’m going to meet or what I’m going to do. It’s all an adventure and I go into it hoping it’s fun rather than work… It’s usually fun. Usually.

E.R.

The show has only been on for eleven years. I’m amazed I got on it all… Ha!

I don’t do a whole lot of television. It’s actually more difficult to get on than features because I’m in SAG [Screen Actors Guild] and more jobs are available for non-union work. SAG pays better and only a small amount of SAG actors are required before non-union people can be hired.

ER was pretty fun. They’re a long-running show so they know what they’re doing and are used to each other. That’s always a plus. It makes the day go by faster and in a more organized fashion.

I showed up, got my scrubs and went to holding where I read a couple chapters of ‘Welcome To Temptation’ by Jennifer Crusie. It didn’t hook me like I’d hoped and when I’m in holding, that means lots of boredom, so reading a book that doesn’t hook me? Oh hell no… I’ve learned never to only bring one book.

During lunch, we were told to go to the commissary or wherever…we were given an hour. I wasn’t particularly hungry so I snagged a vanilla bean frappacino after yacking on my cell phone with Jen for awhile. When I got back to holding, it was freezing! It was a hundred degrees outside, but stage two was about fifty.

And there was still probably an hour or two before us extras would work.

Sometimes, I talk to people. Sometimes I don’t. This was one of those times where I was more interested in reading than talking. I pulled out ‘Ill Wind’ by Rachel Caine and got sucked in pretty hard…

When it came time to work, I didn’t want to put the book down.

On the set, I was a poison control lab technician. The AD [assistant director] separated myself and another woman to do crosses in the deep background.

That lab–with the dead lizards, snakes and fake mice–was the height of ‘interesting’ for about four hours. I intimately got to know a green folder with safety rules in it, a thin black binder with blank pages, and another green folder whose contents I couldn’t figure out. Yeah, this was a typical office background pinball day to start. I banana-ed. I mimed. I looked busy.

Then, the snake handlers came in with the rattlers. One of the handlers milked the snakes, but I wasn’t allowed in the room during that shot. I watched it on the monitor. Too bad. I dig snakes…

Next, a pissed off rattler was put into an aquarium and another aquarium of scorpions were brought in. This was the martini shot–the last shot of the night–and of course the darn scorpions kept ceasing all motion once the camera was on them. They’d all be running around, messing with each other, but as soon as the board clapped, they froze. One of the camera guys tapped and shook the aquarium and the snake handler reached in to stir them up, but most of the shots had very little motion from the darn things. Oh well. The snake was pissed off enough. It rattled a lot.

I got to walk right past Shane West as he tapped on the snake’s aquarium. Oh boy. Lots of fun for me!

Truthfully, just listening to the safety meetings and hearing the crew talk about how they were going to shoot, not to mention all the action with the snakes was a million times more interesting than my background pinball. Ah well. I had a great time. The danager aspect kept it interesting.

I hope I get called back to work in the poison control center again, but somehow I doubt I will. I was misinformed by a PA about where I was supposed to turn in my props so consequently, I was late and the prop guy wasn’t thrilled about it. Oh well. I know in my heart that I did the right thing and that’s all that matters. When it comes down to it, I’m still just another stupid extra.

Ignorance is bliss!!!! 🙂

Excitement and such

The final few scenes of DTD are upon Jen and I. And it’s about friggin’ time!

This was our most-interrupted book–2 years in the making–and it’s finally going to be finished. I’m pretty damn excited about it, too. I got to use my movie-making knowledge as well as fantasize a much better ending to a little incident I had years ago involving a hot guy with a broken car whom I’d stopped to help.

In real life, he waved me away, saying he’d be fine. In DTD, well, guess you’ll have to read and find out!

In other news, I got my first rejection letter the other day. I finally feel like I’m a real member of the writing community. I look at the letter as my initiation. I have landed and I’m here to stay.

If I can take one rejection, I can take them all!!!!!!

Changing my mind

So, I’m still not done editing SR. It’s getting tighter, happier, yummier and I’m still loving it despite that it seems like I’ve been working on it for an eternity.

I’d assumed that OR would be up for editing next while I do all my crazy backstory research for O2, but then I got a better idea. A much more fun idea. One I can’t ignore.

I really can’t get it out of my head. It keeps getting better and more fun every time I think about it, too.

Unfortunately, I don’t know how to write it yet. The research is already done. I just need to cull and hone and come up with a decent plot. I think I’ve got an idea about at least the hero and heroine, but they aren’t cemented yet.

I love how stuff hits me when I least expect–nor truly want–it. Oh well. I suppose that’s the price I pay for being a writer.

Hell, SR came out of a poignant moment in time and sustained me for over 100K words. This next one came out of several long moments so therefore it should sustain me for far longer…

It’s a series. Definitely a series.

Now if I could just come up with a way to make it work.

In the mean time, OR and O2 get to languish in a proverbial drawer for a later time. Big deal. They’re timeless and I can always go back to them.

Grandma’s Boy

It’s either called ‘Nana’s Boy’, ‘Mama’s Boy’ or ‘Grandma’s Boy’. I have no idea why it had three names or what name it’ll actually come out under. Adam Sandler produced it, but was not there. [which for me was kind of a good thing seeing as how years earlier while being a seatfiller, I tripped and landed in his lap…yes, my forehead, his hip]

I was a patron in a vegan restaurant. I wore very comfy, natural fabrics and my silly blue Indian slippers. This was one of the most comfortable costumes I’ve ever worn…except that my happy shoes gave me blisters, but I overlooked those because the experience was nice.

It was the last day of principle photography and a general happiness was in the air. I spent a lot of time in holding, reading a book that must not have been all that great because I genuinely don’t remember it. But when I went into the restaurant they’d set up and was seated next to the pan flute player, I started to enjoy the gig.

I was across from a fellow who was supposed to be a stand-in, but due to his spiky hair, piercings, tatoos and happy-gay attitude, they put him in the scene and gave him a nice lady for a date. My ‘date’ turned out to be a funky, short-haired chick-a-dee who came up with the idea that we were roomies…very close roomies. I soooo went along with it and we held hands through part of the scene.

The prop guy came by and gave us all pretty glasses and then a choice of drinks. There were some wild berry ones and fruity ones and I simply opted for water. That was the only liquid I knew I could drink on camera without the possibility of spitting it all over the wheatgrass centerpiece. Then, a plate of snap peas was set next to me.

I’d never eaten them before. I didn’t know how… Were they like edamame where you eat the beans, not the husk? Was I supposed to just dive on in and shove the whole pod in my mouth? Dammit, why did the plate have to land next to me? It made me nervous, but I didn’t say anything…yet.

We did the first take, pretending to eat our food and miming fabulous conversation with all four of us involved commenting on how delicious the food was and passing around the dish of snap peas–which I was thankful to hand over…except that my ‘roomie’ handed it back and no one else wanted peas. Oh the horror…the terrible plate of questionable food was now being commented about–with my roomie suggesting I try one! Good golly, I was terrified!

But just as I daintily picked one up, the word “CUT!” was shouted and I breathed a sigh of relief. The prop guy came back to refill a few drinks and add a couple more snap peas to the plate.

And then I met the star of the scene.

See, this movie has a million cameos. I was in one where the main characters go into this vegan restaurant, piss off the waiter and then leave without having eaten.

The waiter…David Spade.

He walked up to me and asked, “Are those real?”

I was a little more stunned than I would normally be when a principle actor actually speaks to an extra. Thankfully, my roomie was more attentive… “Yeah, they’re great. Try some!” She encouraged him by biting into a snap pea.

He was inquiring about the snap peas. What did you think he was asking about?!?!?

We all had a good laugh and I learned that snap peas could be eaten whole or just the peas. I also learned that David Spade really is great and is very easy to smile. I like that a lot in people.

During the next shot, the camera was going to be where my table was, so I went to holding…not the holding where my book was, but the holding right next to the set–where the producers had rented a chocolate fountain in early celebration of wrapping that night.

Yes…chocolate fountain…with strawberries, bananas, rice krispy treats, marshmallows and various other goodies ready to be dipped and eaten. Yum yum yum yum yum.

Another hour or two went by and then we all got to go home. I got paid to learn how to eat snap peas and dip yummies in chocolate. Now you understand why my blisters didn’t matter by the time I signed out.

First time jitters gone haywire

I survived RWA National.

Let me say that again ‘cuz it feels so good to say it…

I survived RWA National.

It was my first one and I had a lot to accomplish notwithstanding. I could have been slightly more successful, but I’m overall quite pleased with everything.

Now, I’m submitting and thanking and unpacking and trying to get my head back above water writingwise.

…And I’m absolutely loving it!!!!!

I can’t wait until next year!

My wardrobe was quite a hit and for that I’m thankful. I was memorable, professional and most of all fun. I was there to learn and grow my career.

And from this vantage point, I believe I succeeded! I suppose there’ll be plenty more on this topic in another month or two and I can’t wait to share!