Still Background Acting

Well I must not have come off as too inexperienced.  I got a call back for Episode 2 & 3. 

Now I really hope all the shots I'm in won't end up on the cutting room floor.  I want to see me, abet deep in the background, in a scene I helped create.  Guess the acting bug bit, and hard.

It is exciting to hear the phone ring late in the evening now.  Used to be, I'd cringe, count my kids, then wonder which relative might be calling with bad news.  Now, I run to the phone praying its the casting director.  And hoping if it is her, I won't have a 6:30am set call.

I know, as this isn't steady work, that my being available last minute is a boon for her.  So many of the background actors have day jobs.  They can't just phone work and say they can't make it that day. When I got the call late Wednesday and agreed, the poor Casting Director sounded relieved I could turn up Thursday morning.

My set time was 8:15.  Unfortunately that takes me into rush hour traffic.  And, surprise, even though I leave in plenty of time, there is an accident on my route.  But I make the set only 6 minutes late.  And Sign-In knows all about the accident, so she doesn't say a thing about my tardiness. 

We can get docked pay for being late.  There is a minute-by-minute schedule for filming.  And filming costs thousands of dollars a minute.  So a late, lowly background actor, holding up production is a detriment to the whole production.

But my tardiness accepted, I signed in, work my way into my many layers of costume, hit the makeup and hair trailer and waited my turn to get dirtied.  Yup, that's what I said.  Dirtied.  You come in freshly showered with clean  hair.  You sit in the makeup chair and you get powdered and smudged.  Even under my nails got a good portion of grime.

 Because there were so many men scheduled to act Thursday, the hair ladies wore gloves.  Taking them off to braid my hair in those wonderful 1850s hairdos would take precious minutes.

I want to commend those ladies in Hair and Makeup for the job they do transforming regular people into characters from another era.  Last week I nodded to a few fellow actors before makeup got them.  Not that I recognized anyone in their street clothes, but they did look familiar, sort of.  I managed to get done and shipped down to set holding before I'd seen many of the men transform.  So when I stepped out of the holding trailer at our call, I halted, unnerved.  Afraid, even.  All around me were these swarthy, grimy, dangerous looking male strangers.  I tell you, I truly wanted to go back into that trailer and just shiver.  Thankfully one of the men I'd played with the last week came over to talk to me.  Relief swept through my whole body and I felt protected.  Of course, once I starting talking to these dangerous looking males, I realized hair/makeup had veneered 2012 civilized men into 1850s pioneers.  Well done ladies!

Anyway, I was sent to the Casting hair/makeup trailer.  A whole new world, with bright lights, mirrors and comfortable chairs.  I sat, totally silent, listening to the kibitzing between main actors as they were transformed into their grubby characters for the 1850s setting.  This hair lady played with my long hair for a few moments, rubbing in the dirt laden conditioner, checked the location of my hat before braiding my hair into an intricate creation before pinning my hat into place. 

Usually, in background hair and makeup, a minimum of pins go into any creation - just enough to keep the hair and hat in place.  Not in Casting's hair and makeup.  I swear there were more than 50 pins keeping my hair in place.  And 8 pins to hold that hat.

Back to holding, then on to loading, down the trail and we're near the set.  Another hurry up and wait.  We didn't wait long, though.  Just enough time to greet familiar background actors, grab a tea, sip it twice, hoist myself into the pee trailer before the 'Background on set' call came.  Our keeper, Alex, told us where to go what to do. 

We set ourselves up in our starting spots, in the rain, and wait for the 'Background, Action' call.  Because background always starts their action first so the scene looks like it naturally unfolds.  I think the cameras roll just after we start to move, but who can tell.

Last week my group was pantomiming a group gossip and comments - silently of course - of the happenings right in from of us, when the camera appeared between us, from behind me.  Talk about being startled.  There's this bright orange cage along the side, so no-one can accidentally fall into the camera, that almost touched my shoulder.  And I'm supposed to act like it wasn't there.  I tell you, they could have warned me.

Well, we acted through the rehearsals, listened to the dialogue we could hear trying to figure out what was happening and waited for the 'Reset' call that tells us to go back to our starting position.  If the director wants more action, or different action, he tells our handler through the radio.  Alex comes to us to move us, give instructions or tell us we're doing it fine.  Then we do it again.  And again.  Until the director likes what he sees.  We all wait for that 'Cut.  Wrap.' bellow.  Then we find Alex to see what we do next. 

Yesterday, we walked and we stared and walked some more, like busy-body townfolk anywhere.  And watched, after 4 hours on set, while the goody trolley carrying drinks and warm snacks wended its way through the Cast and crew.  None of that for us.  Not even a bathroom break.  We acted some more before, finally, we heard 'Background to Holding'.  And through the mud we traipse back to the trailer hoping for warm liquids and a not too big a lineup to the potty trailer. 

See background must always give way to Cast or crew.  They get first dibs on the two stalls in the trailer.  Or if those are busy, the port-a-potties (4) nearby.

Back to set after a quick nibble - we got tuna sandwiches.  Just tuna, nothing warmed like the whatevers the 'real' members get in their tinfoil wrapped packages.

Six hours total on set in scattered showers, cold weather and a creeping damp cold wind before we finally hear "Background Holding'.  We know it's lunch now, so we slip our way to holding, pick up whatever we need from our bags and shiver at 'Muster' for the ride up to the food tent.

Background arrived first yesterday.  Usually we have to wait patiently at the end of the line for warm food, then pick through the Cast/Crew's leftovers on the 'sides' table before trying to find a place to sit down.  We stood in line, ushering to the front any 'real' members as they appeared.  We got through the buffet fairly fast and had our choice of seats. 

Now they say they give us an hour for 'lunch', but usually we don't get much more than 15 minutes because we aren't first up to muster.  Yesterday we had time to sit and digest, enjoy that warm cup of coffee, and in my case, a cigarette (out in the specially designated area).  Wasn't too cold, we didn't get relegated to the seats no-one wants in the food tent - the seats in front of the heaters, where you burn for however long it takes to eat.

The food is good there.  Full meals with salads, fruit, choice of tea, coffee, lemonade, water, hot chocolate, several desserts and ice cream.  They do feed us well.

And back to set holding we go, waiting for our call to get our butts on set, for another round of  'Action.  Reset.  Action.'

I used to think acting looked like a fairly easy job.  Not anymore.  I've gotta admit, I am now truly impressed with the skills a main actor must possess.  Scenes are rarely shot in order - sequentially.  So though the actor may have learned his part that way, it is up to the director which scene follows which.   We watch the actors study the scene script just before a shot, probably refamiliarizing themselves with that particular part.  I guess the director puts it all in order after all the shooting is finished. 

Whenever the director is shooting a close-up or an enclosed scene where extras aren't needed / won't be seen, we're sent back to holding - another trek through muddy streets - to wait.  we're waiting there when Taz, one of our Herders, totally out of breath, rushes up and yells for me.  'They need you on set, right now,' she yells at me.  'Taz, I can't run in that mud,' I grumble following her.  I get to the building where the scene is taking place and realize I'm still wearing my glasses.  Off they go, popped into my sleeve, and in I go.  And yes, unless they cut that scene, I'm standing there preforming my pantomimed scene right in the camera's lens.  Ok, the camera is on the Actor, but I'm there in a major scene!  For sure this time! 

So now that I've been in 3 episodes, and hopefully more, I will watch this TV program  And get all my family to watch it too, just to hunt through the scenes and see if they recognize me. 

I'm having a great time doing this background acting.  Think I'll stick around for a while.