As in both catching tasty crustaceans and being "crabby". This weekend started with a "job interview" as a receptionist at ITT Tech. I went in and discovered there were about seven other women waiting for the group interview setup. No problem, I've done group interviews before. What it actually turned out to be was a thinly veiled attempt at school recruitment. Two hours later, I left the building more than a little pissed that my time had been wasted and gas burned for nothing while Mike was waiting on me to leave the building.
Fortunately, there was some good that came out of it and that was we were close enough to pick up my friend Jason who was in town on his new truck route. We went home, made some smoked sausage po' boys and homemade okra caponata with the backyard crop and had a good time.
Bedtime came early Friday night because Saturday morning we were up before the roosters (who were still at Pal's on the other side of the Bayou) and on set early for Ricochet. Six in the morning was the starting time and boy were there a lot of bleary eyeballs. The set was at the Orleans County Courthouse because it's a crime drama and the scenes being shot were all trial scenes.
Now, for those of you who aren't that familiar with the behind the scenes ways and means of movies and tv, one of the things they make sure you know as an extra is to not wear logos (copyright stuff), whites, or reds. White stands out too much and red bleeds when you're on camera. When I looked through my closet the night before, all I had was reds and whites that were suitable for a courtroom setting except for one shirt. It's a swirly pattern in primarily black and purple...and very low cut. It's classy, but well, let's face it; I can't help the way I'm built. The girls were definitely wanting to be part of the show through no fault of my own.
It was still pretty early on and the director was telling people which side of the courtroom he wanted people to go to. The PA's were calling extras out based on their appearance and the director said "Now everyone, if we say for example, 'Red Shirt' go to the other side, don't take it personally. We're trying to get things done quickly here." He then pointed to the mid-twenties guy next to me who looked like this: http://nerf-this.com/motherly-issue/.
"Moustache! You, go over there. And the young lady next to you (pointing to me) , who we'll call Poochie...um, because...of her...shirt design."
I grinned and laughed along with everyone else. Poochie? I had a brief, bright memory of the little fluffy pink dog that had a stamper in its paw. Mike texted me from across the room. "Did he just say what I think he said?" Yep. He sure did. I knew he was trying to find a descriptive, yet non-offensive adjective for my buxomness, but it just didn't get any better. So for the rest of the day, I found myself trying to keep my cleavage to a minimum, and the crew moving me as far in the back as they could without being too obvious about it.
Mike, on the other hand, got tons of on screen camera time including interaction with Julie Benz! She played
"Darla" on Buffy and Angel and is on Dexter as the serial killer's girlfriend/wife. Too cool! Mike started out as a juror, then got moved to being a reporter, then replacing a guy who started drooling in his sleep mid-shot behind the actress. He says he doesn't want to be an actor, but I really don't think they're giving him the option.
While I'll probably never be anything more than an extra on television, I have decided to take a hint from reality tv with crab fishing a la Deadliest Catch. There's a big roll of chicken wire stuffed beneath the house and we're about to create a crab trap or two to take to Lake Ponchartrain. You can catch all kinds of stuff in there, but the blue crabs are all over the place. And with a lot fewer freezing temperatures. Tune in next week when we bring you the catch of the day!
Fortunately, there was some good that came out of it and that was we were close enough to pick up my friend Jason who was in town on his new truck route. We went home, made some smoked sausage po' boys and homemade okra caponata with the backyard crop and had a good time.
Bedtime came early Friday night because Saturday morning we were up before the roosters (who were still at Pal's on the other side of the Bayou) and on set early for Ricochet. Six in the morning was the starting time and boy were there a lot of bleary eyeballs. The set was at the Orleans County Courthouse because it's a crime drama and the scenes being shot were all trial scenes.
Now, for those of you who aren't that familiar with the behind the scenes ways and means of movies and tv, one of the things they make sure you know as an extra is to not wear logos (copyright stuff), whites, or reds. White stands out too much and red bleeds when you're on camera. When I looked through my closet the night before, all I had was reds and whites that were suitable for a courtroom setting except for one shirt. It's a swirly pattern in primarily black and purple...and very low cut. It's classy, but well, let's face it; I can't help the way I'm built. The girls were definitely wanting to be part of the show through no fault of my own.
It was still pretty early on and the director was telling people which side of the courtroom he wanted people to go to. The PA's were calling extras out based on their appearance and the director said "Now everyone, if we say for example, 'Red Shirt' go to the other side, don't take it personally. We're trying to get things done quickly here." He then pointed to the mid-twenties guy next to me who looked like this: http://nerf-this.com/motherly-issue/.
"Moustache! You, go over there. And the young lady next to you (pointing to me) , who we'll call Poochie...um, because...of her...shirt design."
I grinned and laughed along with everyone else. Poochie? I had a brief, bright memory of the little fluffy pink dog that had a stamper in its paw. Mike texted me from across the room. "Did he just say what I think he said?" Yep. He sure did. I knew he was trying to find a descriptive, yet non-offensive adjective for my buxomness, but it just didn't get any better. So for the rest of the day, I found myself trying to keep my cleavage to a minimum, and the crew moving me as far in the back as they could without being too obvious about it.
Mike, on the other hand, got tons of on screen camera time including interaction with Julie Benz! She played
"Darla" on Buffy and Angel and is on Dexter as the serial killer's girlfriend/wife. Too cool! Mike started out as a juror, then got moved to being a reporter, then replacing a guy who started drooling in his sleep mid-shot behind the actress. He says he doesn't want to be an actor, but I really don't think they're giving him the option.
While I'll probably never be anything more than an extra on television, I have decided to take a hint from reality tv with crab fishing a la Deadliest Catch. There's a big roll of chicken wire stuffed beneath the house and we're about to create a crab trap or two to take to Lake Ponchartrain. You can catch all kinds of stuff in there, but the blue crabs are all over the place. And with a lot fewer freezing temperatures. Tune in next week when we bring you the catch of the day!
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