Red Cross PSA
Red Cross Lifeguarding Video

Monday August 26, 2013
A busy day
A week or so earlier I'd come across a post on LA Casting about this project to which I submitted. I auditioned on Thursday August 22nd in Santa Monica, and had a callback on Monday; I was seen just at my calltime. It was an easy enough location to which to get as the audition time was 3pm, and, characteristically, I arrived way early.
I received word for the callback, and even though it was a 2:55pm calltime, I was rather concerned about being late for it. As I was set to work in a few weeks/months on the feature film Everything, I needed to have a valid passport, and my previous one had expired in May 1994.
I had researched where to get an Expedited Passport, and had all my ducks in a row about it; the writer/director had provided me the funds to get the Expedited Passport, which I thought entailed being handled online. Turned out, there were a few more hoops. After the paperwork was done, I had to "see a federal agent," which thankfully only meant going to the Post Office on Sherman Way at Haskell, which I knew well, but busing up there then back would take time. The MTA was remarkably cooperative with my bus connections, and thankfully I was able to get through to the counter relatively quickly to a quote helpful fellow, the oath essentially consisting of my swearing that the information on the form was accurate and correct. I was given the Walkaway Pouch to return to the office doing the expediting, and that was handled.
I took the Radio 761 down to UCLA where the Santa Monica 1 bus took me to the audition location and I was still early by about 40 minutes before my 2:55pm calltime. I signed in and despite having self-submitted, I logged my agency on the sign-in sheet.
I was paired with a new guy playing the somewhat negligent lifeguard, and we went in, and our bit got a substantial amount of giggles from whom I presumed were the producers.

Tuesday August 27, 2013
Booked / Fitting
Monday afternoon my agent called me, understandably somewhat puzzled, notifying me I was On Avail for the PSA spot. She'd had another actor sent and she was also On Avail, but couldn't recall how/why I'd be on the inside track, so I explained I'd self-submitted via LA Casting.
Tuesday morning I got a call I answered, but the caller realized it was Me not Circle Talent, and that's she'd Call Me Back, just as I was saying, "Wait, is this about--?" she'd already rung off.
I was silent, trying to deduce whether that was indeed production, which had my number due to my having self-submitted, but as they now knew who is my agent, meant to call her first. It turned out to be so: Jennifer called to congratulate me I'd booked the spot.
I quickly posted the good news on my Career Progress Group, to much rejoicing.
I knew today was a fitting, and once Jennifer knew where and when she'd call.
At 1:44pm I got a call from Boxer Films, asking if I could get to their office (ten miles away), by 2pm. This would have been fine had the location and time been provided when I'd been mistakenly called in the mid morning. As it was, not exactly having access to a jet-helicopter or a TARDIS, I let her know I could be there within the hour, certainly as quickly as I could, transport willing.
I managed to get a friend to scoot me over there and drop me off, which turned out to be right where near where I'd worked on the interactive Intel project (the "commercial" project that turned out to be a webisode series). In fact, our catered lunch for that project had been in their same parking lot.
My friend got me there by about 2:25 or so; we agreed he wouldn't wait: I'd bus home. I'd brought with me the swim trunks I'd brought to the audition and callback, and the fellow working wardrobe fell in love with them, but there was enough red in them (and the lifeguard/s would be wearing red), that we switched out for a cute blue Hawaiian pattern.
The clients, producers, et al, approved it, as did Murphy, who either was the office dog (an awesome chocolate lab), or the dog of one of the clients, producers.
The pleasant production manager provided me with a preliminary callsheet, and we were able to calculate the best bus route for me to get to the Rosemead location the next morning. While I worked on my SmartPhone, she did what I'd do when I got home, and used google maps, calculating for a 7am calltime.
It was a simple bus ride from there back to the bus connection back to where I was staying.
In the evening, an email was sent out with the 6am calltime, mentioning a "RTS" breakfast. With no frame of reference, I could only hope it meant that that would be when it was served.
I packed up my blue bag so apart from shirt (and underwear) changes, I'd have my Metaboliq ready for lunch; I also made sure I'd have my Qore packet ready for mid-morning.

Wednesday August 28, 2013
Shoot
At around 2:15am I awoke, unable to get back to sleep. That's the thing about shoot dates; I get super energized. I made sure I had everything ready, and headed down for my trip, starting at 4am to downtown, to El Monte, then up to Rosemead by 5:30am+ to arrive an easy march to the location for the 6am calltime.
Due to a miscommunication (e.g., my misreading the email that declared 6am, when there turned out to be a mentioned of an attached callsheet that had not been attached, which contained my real calltime), The buses got me to my stop by 5am. At 6am the breakfast began, but late in the day I would learn surprise surprise, my calltime was actually 6:30am, which would have been on the non-attached callsheet.
It was an awesome park, and even at 5am onwards there were numerous locals both walking the perimeter walkway (I did not know if it was a precise half-mile or full mile walk), along the way off which were various exercise machines, making much of the park similar to Vernona Park back in New Jersey.
My friend Rhoda Pell arrived, with whom on many a project I've worked (both professional projects and student films).
I changed into my provided swim trunks, and right after they'd filmed one fellow in the water, it was my turn. I did not let on my dreading the coldness of the water I presumed would be, considering the sun had only just cleared the horizon; I gently dove in and found it was startlingly pleasant: not exactly warm, per se, but absolutely not really cold.
Considering how exerting was my segment, I could only thank heavens for the Qivana health products I'd been taking since April, having improved my health considerably and having regained my youthful strength, particularly upper body strength, as well as taking out most of my belly gut so I didn't have to feel overly self-conscious being just in swim trunks. It could not avoid at one point whilst drown-acting having an expected mouthful of water, which thankfully did not cause any problems apart from being really annoying and my having to get back to the side of the pool in a hurry (or else there could have been a problem).
The most strenuous aspect was filming me "as a series," meaning not just Action and Cut, but continuous action, letting the take roll while an actor goes Back To One and redoes the bit, in this case the Goofus lifeguard taunting me instead of helping as I flail in the water. I was expecting a Cut but quickly realized it was a Series, and had to Keep Going with my flailing. Thankfully we only did that twice (two sets of series).
I was done at about 9:30am, and technically could have been wrapped, but I was kept around ("Just In Case," I was needed again, I presumed).
A few hours later, Rhoda was selected to do a similar drowing bit, their having her 1950s-movie-screaming for help, thereby Rhoda being upgraded to a principal contract as well. I had not thought to ask her to take photos of me doing my bit (we did get a photo of me in my outfit), but I did snap a shot of her in the pool, as well as some video of one of her takes.
Eventually I learned this PSA would be up on YouTube and such (possibly slightly viral as well), so I knew to keep an eye out for it in a month or two.
Lunch was delicious, tri-tip steak I had, with which I had my shake instead of soda.
Between lunch and being wrapped the day got brutally hot to the point I was tempted to climb silently into the pool for a few moments just to cool off when they were between set-ups (I didn't).
With Rhoda upgraded, she "couldn't" be shepherded along with the rest of the background, so we waited until the paperwork was complete. Se had to go check her charging phone, during which I was summoned to make sure the paperwork was all complete, and I was wrapped a little after 4pm. According to the contact, the project was ("tentatively") titled "Red Cross Lifeguarding Video," while the callsheet simply called it "Lifeguard." I would have waited to say goodbye to Rhoda more officially, but my phone App was telling me the bus heading me back would be arriving in nine minutes from then, and I rushed down so as not to have to wait a half hour or so for the next one, and we texted each other.
The bus was visible in the distance as I got to the stop, and it was thankfully filled with such gloriously cold air-conditioning. Due to traffic and such, and a short connection downtown to the local bus to get me back to where I was staying, I got home just before 6pm.
According to the contract, I would receive my private-sector compensation for labour within thirty days. As I self-submitted, once I received the payment, I planned to do a money-order of 10% of my gross for my agent (which I would do even if she was not aware of the project).

Friday August 30, 2013
Whoops
Normally on any set, right after you've gone before the cameras and/or at the end of the day before one changes out, photos are taken by wardrobe, sometimes ADs, etc., in case for any reason it's needed for reference. I got a call from production, inquiring as to whether the swim trunks I'd worn were mine or wardrobe, to which I responded their being the latter.
It turned out they'd forgotten to take a photo of me in my outfit, equally surprising me I'd not thought of that myself (to remind them).
I pointed out I had had a photo of me taken (the one below), and At That Time for a few days, I'd comically used it as my Facebook profile photo, so thankfully production could access it and acquire it from there.