Call time: 9:00am, Location: LA Convention Center
The best part of being a Background Actor is that you get to be so many different characters. One day you can be a nurse, get to wear scrubs and play with a stethoscope. The next day you can be a police officer, wear the uniform, get a prop gun, handcuffs, baton, the works! Or the next day you can simply be a regular Joe Schmo walking down the street with your jeans, iPod and cellphone as Tom Cruise or George Clooney runs down the street past you chasing a bad guy...not that I've ever been on the street when George Clooney is running but I'm sure some lucky BGA has! The closest I've been to The G man was when he was stopped at a light on his motocycle and I was in a car next to him. I was admiring his bike when I looked up and saw it was George Clooney. Ladies, he IS as good looking in person as he is on screen. Sorry guys, I just had to throw that in there.
Anyway, I've been a nurse (several times), a teacher, a detective, and even a Wall Street executive. For that character I got to wear a suit that Vera Farmiga wore in UP IN THE AIR! Today I'm a FLIGHT ATTENDANT. Coffee, tea, peanuts?
It's an important shoot because it's the last scene of the season finale of a very popular TV show. In other words, I know how the season ends before anyone else. Again, another perk of being a BGA, we get to know how scenes are shot, what happens in a movie during a pivotal moment, how a show ends, etc, all before the general public finds out.
Today, we are cheating the LA Convention Center for an airport. Again, set design has done an outstanding job. They've brought in airport monitors that tell you Arrivals and Departures. They've set up gate numbers, directions to Baggage claim, everything you would see at the airport. At this point, I'm even expecting to see a plane parked outside a gate. Okay, that WOULD be impossible. But you get the idea.
I arrive and check in. I go see wardrobe who outfits me with the entire Flight Attendant wardrobe; white shirt, blue skirt suit with matching vest and the very popular scarf tied stylishly around my neck. I'm loving it! I then walk over to the prop department and get a name badge (I will be Susan Westlocke for the day) and the requisite rolling carry-on luggage. I'm in heaven!
We are three Flight attendants; two females and one male.
I have also noticed that wardrobe is outfitting TSA workers, Airport security and SWAT team police officers. I can't begin to tell you how amazing everyone looks. We are ready for our close-ups! Where is Mr. DeMille??*
As we are gathered outside the Convention center waiting for everyone to get their props and things, the very famous STAR of the show walks by, head down, not even acknowledging we are there. Now, at this point of my story I can get really caddy and say that he was a jerk, he should have at least said, "Hey" and kept walking. But I WILL give him the benefit of the doubt. This is the season finale, he may have been getting into an emotional state of mind to shoot a scene. I'm an actress, a professional, I've studied Meisner, "Method", etc. I understand preparation. No problem. Let's move on with the rest of the story.
BACK TO HOLDING
Background holding today will be a humongous room with hundreds of fold up chairs. Remember, this is supposed to be an airport, it's got to look crowded and busy. Today will be chaos. We number around 300 BGAs. We are assigned 4 PAs, and given a brief overview of the day. The scene is quickly read to us so we are aware of what is going on. Unfortunately, I don't watch this show so I have no clue who the characters are or what is going on. But there are some fans of the show among the crowd. I hear gasping and "Oh!" when they finish reading the scene. I guess that means they're not happy with the ending.
Anyway, the PA finishes her speech with a directive. WE ARE NOT TO LOOK OR TALK TO THE ACTORS, ESPECIALLY...THE MAIN STAR.
Okay. Fine. No problem. However, just one thing...the actors will be standing in the middle of the airport, we are 300 BGAs walking with luggage through the terminal, if we can't look at them, how do we know NOT TO RUN INTO THEM!!!! It would be kind of funny if a BGA with a large rolling suitcase ran right into the STAR then said, "Hey, I was just following orders. I was told not to look at you." I'm just saying.
Alright, alright, I'm being literal, but I can't help it. That directive irked me a little. But I understand. I got it, Meisner, The Method, blah, blah...
EVERYONE! ON THE SET!
OMG!! Have you ever tried to move, simultaneously, 300 people into one room, position them in various locations in the room then give them directions on how to move around without bumping into each other or looking staged in any way? Well these 4 PA's did just that. Excellent. I give them props. I would never be able to do that.
The other female Flight attendant and I are placed behind the STAR several yards away. We will be walking towards him. The 1st AD wants to make sure our costumes (not us) are in the shot. The exact wording was, "I don't want to waste the outfits." Yeah, my outfit is to get screen time, not me. Okay.
So we take our positions. The cue to move will be when the STAR turns around. I got that.
BACKGROUND...ACTION!
We wait...and wait...the STAR and the co-star are saying their lines. Looks emotional...we wait...okay, the STAR turns around..this is our big moment...we start walking...we're walking and talking (actually miming, no sound please!)...we are just about to cross the STAR when...CUT!!!
Back to our 1st position.
The 1st AD comes over to us. That's not going to work. We have to move further back and start sooner. We have to start when the STAR is ABOUT to turn.
Huh? How do we know when he's ABOUT to turn? We can't hear him. The 1st AD thinks for a moment. Okay, you are going to start walking when he takes his cap off. He does that just as he is about to turn. GREAT! No problem. We got that.
BACKGROUND...ACTION!
We wait...we wait...the actors are doing their lines. Things are getting emotional...looks good...we wait...we wait...the STAR turns around and starts walking, cap on his head...CUT!!!!
We obviously never left our spot because the STAR never took his cap off.
The 1st AD comes up to us..."Okay, that's not going to work." After several minutes of consultation, he just told us to "wing it." Yes folks. The outcome of our very important outfits making it to the screen was left in our hands.
My fellow BGA and I talked it over. We had a pretty good idea as to what was going in the scene even if we couldn't hear the lines. We came up with a plan.
BACKGROUND...ACTION!
We wait...we wait...the actors are doing their lines...emotions...lines...we wait...the STAR pauses, there is a moment of silence, no words are spoken...we start to walk...we're walking...the STAR turns around...we're walking...we cross just in the right place at the right time...magic...the STAR keeps walking, fading into the sunset...we pass the cameras...CUT!!!
Perfection.
We did our job, our outfits got their moment on the screen. Do you think they'll get credit at the end of the show?
FLIGHT ATTENDANT OUTFIT played by the BLUE SUIT WITH MATCHING VEST AND SCARF
It was a very long day. There were 6 main actors in the shot and it took a long time to set up, rehearse, shoot, then break down, change angle, rehearse, shoot, etc.
Towards the end of the evening my feet were yelling at me and my back was screaming as well. The scenes also became a blur and we were told to "just walk around." During one of the camera angle changes I was standing around a nice size crowd of BGAs. I struck up a conversation with a young man. He'd been a BGA for about a year but really considers himself to be a "serious" actor. (WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!!) Anyway, I'm in the middle of a sentence with this "serious" actor when he just walks away and disappears into the crowd. At first I was insulted, but within seconds it became crystal clear to me why he had walked away. He had farted. And I don't mean a small Chihuahua fart. I mean a Great Dane having just finished a bowl of chili fart. You know? The kind of fart that requires a gas mask.
So I'm standing there, in the middle of this invisible cloud of stink when I notice people are staring at ME! NO!!!! THAT WASN'T ME!!! THAT WAS THE SERIOUS ACTOR!!!
I realize quickly that no one is going to believe me so I walk away and disappear into the crowd as well.
The rest of the evening was quite uneventful. We made some overtime $$$ which is ALWAYS good. When it was time to say good night, I took my outfit into it's dressing room. I removed it from my body and placed it gingerly back on its hanger. I walked it back to the wardrobe department and handed it over to its agent, the wardrobe girl. It had done a wonderful job. Perhaps it will be nominated for Best Costume in a Supporting Role.
"Thank you for flying with us. Please come again."
*For those not familiar, reference is to the movie SUNSET BOULEVARD If you haven't seen it...GO RENT IT!!!! It's a classic.
Anyway, I've been a nurse (several times), a teacher, a detective, and even a Wall Street executive. For that character I got to wear a suit that Vera Farmiga wore in UP IN THE AIR! Today I'm a FLIGHT ATTENDANT. Coffee, tea, peanuts?
It's an important shoot because it's the last scene of the season finale of a very popular TV show. In other words, I know how the season ends before anyone else. Again, another perk of being a BGA, we get to know how scenes are shot, what happens in a movie during a pivotal moment, how a show ends, etc, all before the general public finds out.
Today, we are cheating the LA Convention Center for an airport. Again, set design has done an outstanding job. They've brought in airport monitors that tell you Arrivals and Departures. They've set up gate numbers, directions to Baggage claim, everything you would see at the airport. At this point, I'm even expecting to see a plane parked outside a gate. Okay, that WOULD be impossible. But you get the idea.
I arrive and check in. I go see wardrobe who outfits me with the entire Flight Attendant wardrobe; white shirt, blue skirt suit with matching vest and the very popular scarf tied stylishly around my neck. I'm loving it! I then walk over to the prop department and get a name badge (I will be Susan Westlocke for the day) and the requisite rolling carry-on luggage. I'm in heaven!
We are three Flight attendants; two females and one male.
I have also noticed that wardrobe is outfitting TSA workers, Airport security and SWAT team police officers. I can't begin to tell you how amazing everyone looks. We are ready for our close-ups! Where is Mr. DeMille??*
As we are gathered outside the Convention center waiting for everyone to get their props and things, the very famous STAR of the show walks by, head down, not even acknowledging we are there. Now, at this point of my story I can get really caddy and say that he was a jerk, he should have at least said, "Hey" and kept walking. But I WILL give him the benefit of the doubt. This is the season finale, he may have been getting into an emotional state of mind to shoot a scene. I'm an actress, a professional, I've studied Meisner, "Method", etc. I understand preparation. No problem. Let's move on with the rest of the story.
BACK TO HOLDING
Background holding today will be a humongous room with hundreds of fold up chairs. Remember, this is supposed to be an airport, it's got to look crowded and busy. Today will be chaos. We number around 300 BGAs. We are assigned 4 PAs, and given a brief overview of the day. The scene is quickly read to us so we are aware of what is going on. Unfortunately, I don't watch this show so I have no clue who the characters are or what is going on. But there are some fans of the show among the crowd. I hear gasping and "Oh!" when they finish reading the scene. I guess that means they're not happy with the ending.
Anyway, the PA finishes her speech with a directive. WE ARE NOT TO LOOK OR TALK TO THE ACTORS, ESPECIALLY...THE MAIN STAR.
Okay. Fine. No problem. However, just one thing...the actors will be standing in the middle of the airport, we are 300 BGAs walking with luggage through the terminal, if we can't look at them, how do we know NOT TO RUN INTO THEM!!!! It would be kind of funny if a BGA with a large rolling suitcase ran right into the STAR then said, "Hey, I was just following orders. I was told not to look at you." I'm just saying.
Alright, alright, I'm being literal, but I can't help it. That directive irked me a little. But I understand. I got it, Meisner, The Method, blah, blah...
EVERYONE! ON THE SET!
OMG!! Have you ever tried to move, simultaneously, 300 people into one room, position them in various locations in the room then give them directions on how to move around without bumping into each other or looking staged in any way? Well these 4 PA's did just that. Excellent. I give them props. I would never be able to do that.
The other female Flight attendant and I are placed behind the STAR several yards away. We will be walking towards him. The 1st AD wants to make sure our costumes (not us) are in the shot. The exact wording was, "I don't want to waste the outfits." Yeah, my outfit is to get screen time, not me. Okay.
So we take our positions. The cue to move will be when the STAR turns around. I got that.
BACKGROUND...ACTION!
We wait...and wait...the STAR and the co-star are saying their lines. Looks emotional...we wait...okay, the STAR turns around..this is our big moment...we start walking...we're walking and talking (actually miming, no sound please!)...we are just about to cross the STAR when...CUT!!!
Back to our 1st position.
The 1st AD comes over to us. That's not going to work. We have to move further back and start sooner. We have to start when the STAR is ABOUT to turn.
Huh? How do we know when he's ABOUT to turn? We can't hear him. The 1st AD thinks for a moment. Okay, you are going to start walking when he takes his cap off. He does that just as he is about to turn. GREAT! No problem. We got that.
BACKGROUND...ACTION!
We wait...we wait...the actors are doing their lines. Things are getting emotional...looks good...we wait...we wait...the STAR turns around and starts walking, cap on his head...CUT!!!!
We obviously never left our spot because the STAR never took his cap off.
The 1st AD comes up to us..."Okay, that's not going to work." After several minutes of consultation, he just told us to "wing it." Yes folks. The outcome of our very important outfits making it to the screen was left in our hands.
My fellow BGA and I talked it over. We had a pretty good idea as to what was going in the scene even if we couldn't hear the lines. We came up with a plan.
BACKGROUND...ACTION!
We wait...we wait...the actors are doing their lines...emotions...lines...we wait...the STAR pauses, there is a moment of silence, no words are spoken...we start to walk...we're walking...the STAR turns around...we're walking...we cross just in the right place at the right time...magic...the STAR keeps walking, fading into the sunset...we pass the cameras...CUT!!!
Perfection.
We did our job, our outfits got their moment on the screen. Do you think they'll get credit at the end of the show?
FLIGHT ATTENDANT OUTFIT played by the BLUE SUIT WITH MATCHING VEST AND SCARF
It was a very long day. There were 6 main actors in the shot and it took a long time to set up, rehearse, shoot, then break down, change angle, rehearse, shoot, etc.
Towards the end of the evening my feet were yelling at me and my back was screaming as well. The scenes also became a blur and we were told to "just walk around." During one of the camera angle changes I was standing around a nice size crowd of BGAs. I struck up a conversation with a young man. He'd been a BGA for about a year but really considers himself to be a "serious" actor. (WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!!) Anyway, I'm in the middle of a sentence with this "serious" actor when he just walks away and disappears into the crowd. At first I was insulted, but within seconds it became crystal clear to me why he had walked away. He had farted. And I don't mean a small Chihuahua fart. I mean a Great Dane having just finished a bowl of chili fart. You know? The kind of fart that requires a gas mask.
So I'm standing there, in the middle of this invisible cloud of stink when I notice people are staring at ME! NO!!!! THAT WASN'T ME!!! THAT WAS THE SERIOUS ACTOR!!!
I realize quickly that no one is going to believe me so I walk away and disappear into the crowd as well.
The rest of the evening was quite uneventful. We made some overtime $$$ which is ALWAYS good. When it was time to say good night, I took my outfit into it's dressing room. I removed it from my body and placed it gingerly back on its hanger. I walked it back to the wardrobe department and handed it over to its agent, the wardrobe girl. It had done a wonderful job. Perhaps it will be nominated for Best Costume in a Supporting Role.
"Thank you for flying with us. Please come again."
*For those not familiar, reference is to the movie SUNSET BOULEVARD If you haven't seen it...GO RENT IT!!!! It's a classic.
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