Call time: 10:00am, location: Venice Beach, CA
The sweetest sound a Background Actor (BGA) can hear is the "ping" of the cell phone announcing that you've been BOOKED!!! Yay!!! That means you work tomorrow; money, moola, another shot at getting noticed by nobody!!!
That "ping" came to me on Friday night for a Monday booking on one of my favorite shows. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was. Not only is it one of my faves, but the call time was 10:00am (late for most call times) and I would be working at the beach. Yay again!!!
Okay, I'm playing a TOURIST. Clothing; shorts, colorful tops (no red, black or white), sandals, sneakers, hats, anything NOT California looking because we are supposed to be...Tourists. I got that.
I go through my closet. Hum, I don't have a lot of non California looking clothes mainly because I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA. But that's fine, I can make do with some khaki shorts, a few bright colored tops (no logos please!), sandals and a pair of VERY white sneakers I use when I play a nurse. Okay those will do. I'll throw on a pair of white socks, real touristy looking. I got a straw hat (which I hate) but I know will work. I'm ready.
I check the weather, Valley: mid 80's Sunny, Beach: low 60's foggy, overcast.
No problem, I'll take a sweater, the fog will burn up as the day goes by, it is almost May.
So I pack all my things into my carry-on bag (I'll go into the standard Background Actor essential supplies another day), get my info (I'm to check in with Jeff or Kia), the directions and hit the road.
As I approach Venice Beach, the weather turns ugly. It's cold, really cold. But then again, it's only 9:30am. I arrive at Crew parking and cross the street to Base Camp. Immediately I spot Background Holding (that would be under the breakfast/lunch tents). I say hello to my fellow Background thespians, ask about Jeff or Kia (it's early they aren't checking people in yet) and take a seat.
At 10:00am our assigned PA (Production Assistant) Kia comes over with our vouchers and to let us know that wardrobe will be ready in a few minutes. Let me briefly address the voucher thing. First of all there are two possible vouchers that you can receive as a BGA. One is Blue and the other is Yellow. The coveted voucher is the Yellow one because that means you are SAG and you will make twice as much as the Blue people (non union). I, well, I'm one of the privileged, I get the yellow voucher. I've been SAG since 2001 when I was Taft-Hartley by a production company that booked me to be a mom (Principal actor) on a commercial. Ah, those were the days...
Anyway, we finished filling out the vouchers, pick up our bags and head out to the wardrobe trailer. There are 4 wardrobe ladies working today. They all dress exactly alike (black pants, black boots, grey or black top with a white shirt underneath, a dark jacket, almost always black and a scarf. The scarf is where they demonstrate their individuality. Some like color others stick to dark tones, but all wear it exactly the same, wrapped around the neck into an ascot looking thing. Trust me, ALL wardrobe women and men dress exactly like this. They pride themselves on being "stylish". THIS is what they consider stylish.
The wardrobe trailer is a big semi truck with literally hundreds of clothing options from pants to shirts to shoes, etc. It is basically a traveling wardrobe department. The back of the trailer has a lift. I assume that is where they can roll clothing racks in and out of the truck. However, it is from this lift that the wardrobe people stand in judgment of our clothing choices. I cannot tell you how it bothers me when they won't come down from that stupid lift. I do not appreciate it and I believe it is rude. The "main" wardrobe lady, in other words the biggest snob, stays on the lift and directs the other women (who have come down and are standing on the ground looking through our bags). They aren't happy with our choices. They can do better. Let me skip through the rest of the wardrobe situation because I won't bore you and furthermore, the wardrobe people really irk me and I'd prefer not to speak about them. Let's just say that they gave me a very ugly plaid linen top and told me to wear my khaki shorts, brown sandals and ugly hat. They also gave me a huge summer bag. I looked like an idiot from the mid-west who hasn't picked up a fashion magazine since 1995. Fine. I'm being paid. If they want me to look like an idiot, okay, I'll look like an idiot.
Our PA tells us to hurry up and get into our wardrobe, so we hurry up and get dressed. Wow! This sounds like we are going to the set immediately. Great! No waiting around.
Wrong.
We sat under this open tent in our summer beach attire from 10:30am until 1:30pm. It was cold. No, cold is not the word...it was FREEZING!! No heaters, no changing back into our jeans. No. Just sitting around trying everything in our power to keep warm. One guy ran back to his car and came back with a blanket, and I mean a blanket, like the type you use in NYC in January when it's below 0. I have NO idea why this guy had a blanket, and this type of blanket to boot, in his car. But I envied him. He looked very warm...and happy.
I sat trying to keep busy so I wouldn't think about the cold. A very nice man, who was hired to work as a "street performer" (Remember, we are in Venice Beach where street performers range from very talented to not so talented to silly to crazy to just plain weird) This very nice man was, what I would say, in the weird category. His costume; black pants, black jacket, a red, white and blue studded cape, a white studded apron-thing worn around his butt and a red, white and blue Uncle Sam hat. His talent, twirling. Yes, twirling. He twirled a white pole. A white pole which appeared to be a shower curtain rod. I'll leave that mental image with you.
Anyway, he seemed very nice. He asked me how long I had been acting. I started to answer him, but in the middle of my answer he fell asleep. He is a narcoleptic. At first I thought I must have been really boring to put this man, who is sitting in a virtual meat locker, to sleep. But when he woke up like nothing happened I realized he was a narcoleptic. Also, I saw him dozing off several times while talking to other people.
After lunch which was at 1:30-2:00pm we were shuttled to the set. Finally! We get to work. The set was the Venice Beach walk. For those of you from LA or for those of you who have visited this area know that there are hundreds of people walking back and forth all day long. The set was right smack in the middle of all the craziness. I must also tell you that the main star of the show is a very big celebrity so not only do we have all the bystanders watching just because it was a "movie set" but all the paparazzi and fans. It was a bit chaotic. But that's okay. We are professionals. We can handle anything.
Anything came in the form of a street performer who set up his mike stand and speakers a few yards from the set. Needless to say, he was distracting and interfering with the shoot. A producer walked over to him I imagine to request he refrain from performing until we finished. The request did not go over well. This man begins to yell out how it was a free country and that he had been assigned this spot and he was going to perform no matter what. Before we knew it, a large crowd had gathered around this man, the producer and at this point several police officers. The crowd began chanting, "let him play, let him play." He begins to yell out even louder that he was being harassed and that his civil rights were being violated. I presume you know what happens next...he was arrested.
That was the first incident. The next "anything" was the Aboriginal-Polynesian-Bodybuilder that wandered onto the set. Now, I'm going to emphasize again that it was cold, freezing cold. This man comes over wearing a black speedo, sneakers and socks. That's it. He is completely oiled up and is wearing a head piece made of tusks and rope. Oh, he's also carrying a bottle of oil...in case he dries up. But he was also a very nice man who had a bright smile and great attitude. They loved him on the set. In fact, they gave him a cameo.
The day wrapped up for me around 5:00pm. By that time, I had lost all feeling in my limps from the cold. We were shuttled back to base camp. I got out of my plaid shirt and khaki shorts. Threw on my cool California jeans and warm jacket, and signed out. With the bottom copy of my Yellow voucher in hand, I headed to my car for the drive home during rush hour.
It may have been a difficult day, but in the grand scheme of things, I'm lucky. I made more money today than some people make working behind a desk in a cubicle somewhere. I got to stand next to a very famous person, meet some interesting people and pretend to be someone I'm not. Not bad. Not bad for a days work.
That "ping" came to me on Friday night for a Monday booking on one of my favorite shows. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was. Not only is it one of my faves, but the call time was 10:00am (late for most call times) and I would be working at the beach. Yay again!!!
Okay, I'm playing a TOURIST. Clothing; shorts, colorful tops (no red, black or white), sandals, sneakers, hats, anything NOT California looking because we are supposed to be...Tourists. I got that.
I go through my closet. Hum, I don't have a lot of non California looking clothes mainly because I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA. But that's fine, I can make do with some khaki shorts, a few bright colored tops (no logos please!), sandals and a pair of VERY white sneakers I use when I play a nurse. Okay those will do. I'll throw on a pair of white socks, real touristy looking. I got a straw hat (which I hate) but I know will work. I'm ready.
I check the weather, Valley: mid 80's Sunny, Beach: low 60's foggy, overcast.
No problem, I'll take a sweater, the fog will burn up as the day goes by, it is almost May.
So I pack all my things into my carry-on bag (I'll go into the standard Background Actor essential supplies another day), get my info (I'm to check in with Jeff or Kia), the directions and hit the road.
As I approach Venice Beach, the weather turns ugly. It's cold, really cold. But then again, it's only 9:30am. I arrive at Crew parking and cross the street to Base Camp. Immediately I spot Background Holding (that would be under the breakfast/lunch tents). I say hello to my fellow Background thespians, ask about Jeff or Kia (it's early they aren't checking people in yet) and take a seat.
At 10:00am our assigned PA (Production Assistant) Kia comes over with our vouchers and to let us know that wardrobe will be ready in a few minutes. Let me briefly address the voucher thing. First of all there are two possible vouchers that you can receive as a BGA. One is Blue and the other is Yellow. The coveted voucher is the Yellow one because that means you are SAG and you will make twice as much as the Blue people (non union). I, well, I'm one of the privileged, I get the yellow voucher. I've been SAG since 2001 when I was Taft-Hartley by a production company that booked me to be a mom (Principal actor) on a commercial. Ah, those were the days...
Anyway, we finished filling out the vouchers, pick up our bags and head out to the wardrobe trailer. There are 4 wardrobe ladies working today. They all dress exactly alike (black pants, black boots, grey or black top with a white shirt underneath, a dark jacket, almost always black and a scarf. The scarf is where they demonstrate their individuality. Some like color others stick to dark tones, but all wear it exactly the same, wrapped around the neck into an ascot looking thing. Trust me, ALL wardrobe women and men dress exactly like this. They pride themselves on being "stylish". THIS is what they consider stylish.
The wardrobe trailer is a big semi truck with literally hundreds of clothing options from pants to shirts to shoes, etc. It is basically a traveling wardrobe department. The back of the trailer has a lift. I assume that is where they can roll clothing racks in and out of the truck. However, it is from this lift that the wardrobe people stand in judgment of our clothing choices. I cannot tell you how it bothers me when they won't come down from that stupid lift. I do not appreciate it and I believe it is rude. The "main" wardrobe lady, in other words the biggest snob, stays on the lift and directs the other women (who have come down and are standing on the ground looking through our bags). They aren't happy with our choices. They can do better. Let me skip through the rest of the wardrobe situation because I won't bore you and furthermore, the wardrobe people really irk me and I'd prefer not to speak about them. Let's just say that they gave me a very ugly plaid linen top and told me to wear my khaki shorts, brown sandals and ugly hat. They also gave me a huge summer bag. I looked like an idiot from the mid-west who hasn't picked up a fashion magazine since 1995. Fine. I'm being paid. If they want me to look like an idiot, okay, I'll look like an idiot.
Our PA tells us to hurry up and get into our wardrobe, so we hurry up and get dressed. Wow! This sounds like we are going to the set immediately. Great! No waiting around.
Wrong.
We sat under this open tent in our summer beach attire from 10:30am until 1:30pm. It was cold. No, cold is not the word...it was FREEZING!! No heaters, no changing back into our jeans. No. Just sitting around trying everything in our power to keep warm. One guy ran back to his car and came back with a blanket, and I mean a blanket, like the type you use in NYC in January when it's below 0. I have NO idea why this guy had a blanket, and this type of blanket to boot, in his car. But I envied him. He looked very warm...and happy.
I sat trying to keep busy so I wouldn't think about the cold. A very nice man, who was hired to work as a "street performer" (Remember, we are in Venice Beach where street performers range from very talented to not so talented to silly to crazy to just plain weird) This very nice man was, what I would say, in the weird category. His costume; black pants, black jacket, a red, white and blue studded cape, a white studded apron-thing worn around his butt and a red, white and blue Uncle Sam hat. His talent, twirling. Yes, twirling. He twirled a white pole. A white pole which appeared to be a shower curtain rod. I'll leave that mental image with you.
Anyway, he seemed very nice. He asked me how long I had been acting. I started to answer him, but in the middle of my answer he fell asleep. He is a narcoleptic. At first I thought I must have been really boring to put this man, who is sitting in a virtual meat locker, to sleep. But when he woke up like nothing happened I realized he was a narcoleptic. Also, I saw him dozing off several times while talking to other people.
After lunch which was at 1:30-2:00pm we were shuttled to the set. Finally! We get to work. The set was the Venice Beach walk. For those of you from LA or for those of you who have visited this area know that there are hundreds of people walking back and forth all day long. The set was right smack in the middle of all the craziness. I must also tell you that the main star of the show is a very big celebrity so not only do we have all the bystanders watching just because it was a "movie set" but all the paparazzi and fans. It was a bit chaotic. But that's okay. We are professionals. We can handle anything.
Anything came in the form of a street performer who set up his mike stand and speakers a few yards from the set. Needless to say, he was distracting and interfering with the shoot. A producer walked over to him I imagine to request he refrain from performing until we finished. The request did not go over well. This man begins to yell out how it was a free country and that he had been assigned this spot and he was going to perform no matter what. Before we knew it, a large crowd had gathered around this man, the producer and at this point several police officers. The crowd began chanting, "let him play, let him play." He begins to yell out even louder that he was being harassed and that his civil rights were being violated. I presume you know what happens next...he was arrested.
That was the first incident. The next "anything" was the Aboriginal-Polynesian-Bodybuilder that wandered onto the set. Now, I'm going to emphasize again that it was cold, freezing cold. This man comes over wearing a black speedo, sneakers and socks. That's it. He is completely oiled up and is wearing a head piece made of tusks and rope. Oh, he's also carrying a bottle of oil...in case he dries up. But he was also a very nice man who had a bright smile and great attitude. They loved him on the set. In fact, they gave him a cameo.
The day wrapped up for me around 5:00pm. By that time, I had lost all feeling in my limps from the cold. We were shuttled back to base camp. I got out of my plaid shirt and khaki shorts. Threw on my cool California jeans and warm jacket, and signed out. With the bottom copy of my Yellow voucher in hand, I headed to my car for the drive home during rush hour.
It may have been a difficult day, but in the grand scheme of things, I'm lucky. I made more money today than some people make working behind a desk in a cubicle somewhere. I got to stand next to a very famous person, meet some interesting people and pretend to be someone I'm not. Not bad. Not bad for a days work.
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