Monday and Tuesday, May 12 and 13, 2008
Super Featured
In the late afternoon Friday the 9th I received a call that I was booked for Monday, with a possible Tuesday recall, on the independent feature film
Barry Munday.
I had looked up the film's IMDB entry, so I knew in advance it starred the very funny Judy Greer of Miss Guided,
Patrick Wilson
of Little Children
and Hard Candy,
and veteran actor
Billy Dee Williams; at the helm would be the film's writer and first time director
Chris D'Arienzo.
(Remember that I do not believe in providing storyline spoilers myself [such generally being readily available Elsewhere notwithstanding], only indications of where I can be seen.)
The location was up on Sherman Way, right by Van Nuys Airport (and a couple of blocks shy of where I once did a temp assignment for a few weeks), I arrived around 7:15 for my 8am calltime.
[Slightly resembling Marsha Thomason
from Lost],
Felicia
was the set PA who signed in the background and handed out the vouchers.
2nd AD Tessa Stephenson
came to holding and explained the scenes involved would be a series of nine different days within the film, as well as the fact that we were all Definitely Recalled for Tuesday.
We also learned the feature comedy as yet did not have actual distribution, but the plan is to have it submitted for next year's Sundance Film Festival.
Via the hotline recording with calltimes, I had been made aware to have some wardrobe changes, plus a Hawaiian shirt.
To my annoyance, I could not locate my "subdued" Hawaiian shirt, an unobtrusive blue with white.
My super-bright orange with green and yellow highlights shirt: no problem.
Stuck with the one, I brought it along and thankfully wardrobe had no problem with the brightly coloured one.
Tessa returned and claimed me (and two other ladies, the quiet Jennifer, and the affable Youlanda Davis) as chosen to be, as Tessa said, "super featured" in the office scenes.
Soon we were brought in to the offices.
I was given a desk across from Patrick Wilson, so his desk and mine both faced the office interior, our chair-backs along the same wall, each desk having a single cubicle-like wall in front dividing from the opposing desk each facing each of our desks.
For the first bit, as I sit at my desk, the office boss Lonnie (Billy Dee Williams), brings to me a file folder; he points at a page inside, and stage-whispers to me to "call this guy." As he goes to leave, he notices Barry Munday (Patrick Wilson) doing a good job on the phone.
With Billy Dee Williams as the office boss, in my head I wondered if that classified him as "the administrator of this facility"...?
J
Initially Billy Dee Williams politely shook my hand in greetings (though not officially by-name "introducting himself," as it were), while Patrick Wilson made a point to shake my hand and introduce himself and ask my name.
I indicated he and I had "met," albeit momentarily, after a Q&A following a screening of his awesome film Little Children.
I didn't expect Patrick would remember me specifically, but he recalled the screening and concurred he'd met numerous people from the audience that night; impressively, he made it a point to get my name.
Writer/director (and extremely friendly)
Chris D'Arienzo
ran a fun while effective set.
Reminding me of the
Clint Eastwood
school of directing, Chris pretty much efficiently stuck to about five or less takes.
We also did the Hawaiian shirt scene in which the office had a slight Hawaiian theme.
I was given a comical
Gilligan's Island'esque
cocoanut-shell bra of sorts, that went right over my shirt.
Chris even veto'd wardrobe's inquiry/suggestion if anyone else in the office should wear one as well, as the visual joke would have been watered down.
Chris had begun "cutting out the middle man" and directed a few of us directly.
I had no issue with this as Chris's enthusiasm and passion for his project was contagious; I knew that a less honourable SAG backgrounder could argue for and insist on an upgrade to Day Player, not only being directed by the [main] director but also interacting with the principal actors.
I felt more loyalty to this project and to Chris than for me to be some petty jerk over such.
Now had Chris considered or treated me as though I were a Prop That Eats, I might have considered "suggesting" an upgrade or filing a claim with SAG, but Chris was super friendly and learned my name really quick, so I felt an upgrade should be offered from the production, not demanded from me.
There were other scenes and coverage that didn't need us, so we hung out in holding.
We were brought back in for a more choreographed scene, with various people doing crosses while Patrick goes to his desk.
As he gets level to the front of his desk, an angle at which he's headed, I step up, hand him a folder, pat him on the back as I casually pass behind him to get to my own desk.
As we'd reset he'd return to me the file; once he didn't but remembered, and spinning about in mid apology, he saw that I was already retrieving it from his desk.
"Ah, you're on it," he said.
As at the time I was house and dog-sitting for my producer friend who was off at Cannes, I had no access to my computer, so the scenes we shot Monday and Tuesday, being at the same location, I've just melded into this two-day entry.
Monday was cool but a bitingly bitter wind throughout the day made it far more unpleasant in the outdoor holding, while Tuesday the temperature was far more toasty.
But Tuesday morning Jennifer, Youlanda and I were asked our availability for the next day, Wednesday.
As we were, on the spot we were booked/recalled.
I called and notified my calling service.
Towards the end of Tuesday, the caterers were packing up the chairs and tables to bring "to the new location."
Realizing we would be going elsewhere the next day, I asked Felicia if she knew where.
She showed me, then gave me, a copy of the following day's callsheet.
To my astonishment, the new location was in El Monte.
At that time, I wasn't even sure where El Monte was located.
Thankfully the callsheet already listed we three "Barry's co-workers" as having a 4:30pm call.
I knew this would give me time to go home in the morning to Mapquest and mta.net it.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Where everybody knows [my] name
I got the bus information to get to El Monte, which I learned pretty much is dead south of Pasadena.
I returned to the Valley to feed early the dogs, and walk them, hoping they could Hold It until I got back that evening (thankfully, they did hold on until I got back).
Having never been to El Monte and unaware if there'd be any traffic, I ended up timing it on the safe side, and arrived about quarter past 3pm for my 4:30pm calltime.
There was a lot of new background people throughout the day, with a mid-morning calltime.
While my voucher had me in from 4:30pm to 9:18pm, lunch was actually called from 4:30-5pm.
Jennifer stayed by herself again, while Youlanda and I sat with a pretty and friendly woman named Marissa.
As it was the final day of the main principal photograhy (a "splinter unit" the next day would be shooting some footage that would be used for an opening credits sequence), director Chris was given a director's gift from the crew, a montage of photos or such, compiled by the prop department.
Sporting a blue t-shirt comically proclaiming "Bowling sucks," Chris came over to Youlanda and me, shook our hands and thanked us profusely for coming back for another day.
As we chatted, Chris clarified the Sundance game-plan for the film, and he also stressed having gone over the dailies and that my outfit with the cocoanut bra looks great; really funny.
He was so open and friendly I risked asking him for a photo with him to which he graciously accepted.
Youlanda took the shot (twice as I may have moved my eyes for the first one).
Chris also accepted my contact card, declaring he would indeed check out my site and my demo reel, our indicating mutual hopes of working together on a future project of his (in my case, hoping more than "just" background...).
Eventually the catering company declared they were taking not only all the tables, but also all the chairs.
As such would violate SAG contracts (e.g., background is to be provided chairs), we were brought inside the restaurant (called Edwards, on Flair), where in the back we all sat at the booths, et al.
At one point as I headed out to get something from craft services, I came upon Patrick Wilson who gregariously said, "Geoff, how are y'...?" and swung his arm around for a warm and sincerely friendly handshake.
When Youlanda and Jennifer and I were set at the bar with Patrick and
Barret Swatek
of the webisode series Quarterlife.
I was at first given a glass of apple juice, which was replaced by a glass of non-alcoholic beer.
I suspected this bit could be part of a montage; based on results it could also have been MOS (no actual recorded line dialogue).
At the call of "Action!", at the top of the first take or last camera rehearsal, Patrick suddenly piped up, "So Geoff, what're you drinkin' there?"
I didn't expect this, and quickly just responded it was "just regular beer," after which I remembered the term should be "on tap" (this is what happens with my not being an alcohol drinker as such).
As it was, from then on Patrick's references to me (by name) were about my hitting it back.
Billy Dee Williams comes over and joins us, all but leaning up against Youlanda and me.
Jennifer was at my right, in the film would be far screen left.
In one take after our toast, Billy Dee (whose character is a bit tipsy), suddenly started to seem to be about to "hit on" Youlanda.
It was announced Billy Dee Williams was officially picture wrapped, to which there was much applause.
He thanked everybody for their wonderful work and what a great film it was on which to work.
Then it was announced that
Barret Swatek
was also wrapped, after the applause to which she comically added, "And my boobs!"
As they were checking the gate, I risked asking Patrick (that if it wasn't too out of line), if he was open to a posed photo with me.
He heartily agreed, and Chris suddenly walked by, thanking me.
Chris even accepted taking the photo of Patrick and me, right after another bit of production business.
It's a shame I didn't have any photos taken while working as the principal lead on the
McDonalds commercial,
else the roll of this one-time-use camera would have been closer to finish off and get developed earlier and faster.
If the shots come out most definitely they will added here below, as well as to my
photo gallery
at my
MySpace profile.
I look forward to seeing Barry Munday when it's released; I'm certain it will get distribution.
Chris and Patrick were so friendly and pleasant to me, I'm certainly that Badger Luck will have this movie kick-ass.
Wednesday May 20, 2008
The Behind the scenes photos
By the previous day I had managed to finish off the roll of film and dropped it off for next-day development...
Behind the scenes with Barry Munday writer and first time director Chris D'Arienzo. |
Behind the scenes with Patrick Wilson, title role of Barry Munday. |