Well, I'm not at work right now because I had a fall yesterday around the end (11:30pm ish). There are some cement steps in the church where we hold background extras. What none of us realized is that they have a strip of metal on their edges. And after it started to rain, I was going downstairs with newly wetshoes and slipped. Luckily the next landing was only three steps down. But I strategically hit the top step right below my shoulder blades and the next step with tail bone. I am ok. Nothing is broken but I am very sore and the bruises are going to show soon. I took off work because there is no way I can be running around or standing around a movie set for an 18-hr day while in pain. Just keep me in your prayers because I am ok. I just have muscle spasms and bruisng but no bones were broken.
Also pray for this set because we are so far behind and things are very tense. Pray that we may have the patience to continue working, that we may accomplish everything we can, and that what we do accomplish will be good.... or good enough. This has been a great learning experience but it is still very stressful.
Yesterday was a big day. We were down 6 PAs actually. We lost Sean, Buck, and Jamie to Indiana Jones which started filming abt 4 blocks away from us. We didn't have Rebecca because she showed up for the bus from NYC, the bus was not there. She thought it had left without her so she went home. And then when she tried to go back and catch it, the bus DID leave without her. We also lost Casey and Vincent due to PA car troubles or whatever. We did have Ali, Ernie, and Albert show up. But Bryan, Sally, Michelle, Patrick, Meredith, Sarah, and I can only do SO much. Plus we had abt 300 extras to control. That was a crazy day.
I got a lot of compliments yestreday. I do what needs to be done as efficiently as possible. I also have a nice temperment that some people respond to. SO I was able to say things in a way that people responded to. They would listen. Extras are an interesting bunch of people. You have the brash ones that always want to think they are superior to you. You have the whiny ones that complain abt everything from the bus selection, to water and snacks, to how long this day is going to take. I mean, I understand if you feel offended that the directors have not gotten to you and you have to wait for most of your day, but SERIOUSLY... You want to come and have job? I will give you the walkie and you can deal with this mess. I'm there as long as you are. No, longer. And I don't get to sit on my laurels and wait until they are ready for me. I am working here. And then there were the nice talkative ones who wanted to know abt me and the work that we're doing. The ones who want to be helpful and stress-free. They appreciated the time I spent with them; being real with them and not patronizing. Ali was impressed by my ability to handle them, as well as all the other responsibilities as a PA and a liason between new and old PAs. He said that he would not be surprised to show up and find that I'm running things within the next year. He also recommended I try to be a DGA trainee. I have been thinking abt it, but am undecided. All things in there time....
None of them really believed that this was my first movie set. It was fun. Especially when Stephanie came out with Baby Spencer. I swear I had the crowd fixated when I walked around with him for a while. And they commented that I always seemed happy. My reaction was always "Why not?" And it was true. We maybe be off schedule and outside in muggy, humid 90 degree weather, but it was still a good day.
So other than my fall, things were ... okay. I may have been a little snippy first thing in the morning because I was dealing with 15 things. People kept on calling me - both on walkie and on the cell - while I was trying to bring a cup of hot coffee (with no lid that fit - yeah that was not fun), a plate, and a burrito down the street. I felt that I actually answered the walkie with a "Yes! Go for Claire. My hands are really full at the moment. What do you want?" Then Patrick called me and gave me a lecture abt how he can't get any 1st-team-experienced PA so he has trained one (obviously me) in a short amount of time. To my credit, I listened while I finished placing his order and doing three other things at the time. And - while completely exasperatd and defensive - I managed to just say "Ok, Patrick. I hear you. I'll be back in Base Camp in 5 minutes." And you know, it is so hard for me to NOT get defensive and not talk back. But I am learning and I am greatful that he's trying to teach me. I may screw up only a couple of times a day but I try my best at getting 1st team (and just abt everyone else) what they want and they appreciated.
We were filming at Yale again today. I'm sorry I missed our 20-extras day. It would have been a little easier. It is horrible though because we were having 6-day weeks because America needs to get back to shoot Ugly Betty. And since we are days behind, things are getting pushed and pushed. Here's hoping that today could have been productive enough. Maybe, just maybe we'll be in Bridgeport tomorrow. Here's hoping....
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Very Bitter
To all you people who are early morning risers after a long night's sleep. To all you who get up early to go for your morning job. To everyone in the world waking up right now to enjoy this beautiful day.... I hate you right now. I just got back to the hotel from set. We wrapped at about 6:30. I didn't get out of there til 7:15.... And the actors revolted (which was maybe a few hrs before the crew would have done likewise) so we get all of today and tomorrow off. Starting again 5am Tuesday. So goodnight all. I'll see you when I get up at 4pm....
Saturday, June 23, 2007
on late nights
I'm off to work now..... Seriously! We wrapped up last night (or should I say this morning) at 5:30AM! I wasn't on the road back to my hotel until 6.... The sun was up people!!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Long Time, No See, Hello Civilization!
Wow.... There are few things I can say that can better describe that stretch than "Wow". I mean, I can communicate how it feels to be running around Base Camp or Camper Land trying to make sure that everyone is uptodate on the goings on of the day. So that the Production Office back in Stamford can get all the information that they need to ensure filming budget, salary, catering, transport coordination, room reservations (for EVERYBODY!).
When we started on Monday we had mostly day or early evening shots. So it made sense to start with call at 8 or 9 and go til 9 at night. But then there is a need for an 11:30ish hr turn around for some Union crew members. So they are "not allowed" to be at work for 11 hr and 30 mins after wrap. And as day shots roll into night shots, and as hours working go from 12 days to 14, even 16 hrs days.... call is later and later because we wrap later and later and LATER! And to add, we finished the exterior shots on wednesday when we were done in kent, so now we have interior shots that have nothing to do with day or night. It does not become essential to do things expeditiously anymore. Mostly they just try to let us get through it because some people have other jobs and need to work in the morning, or need to get back to the city. So we wrapped last night around 2. We maybe got everyone out of the building at 3. Got back to Stamford by 4. And I have to be on a van back to New Haven at 1:30p for a 2p call.
We send out call sheets every day which let people know what is going on for the day. We always have 3 or 4 scenes that we want to shoot during a day. Yesterday we had 4. The first scene took 8 hrs because we shot it from about 4 DIFFERENT CAMERA ANGLES! And we didnt finish the 2nd one.... And with the travelling from Stamford to New Haven, we didnt even start shooting until 4 hrs after call. Even though everyone arrived at least an hr after call. We had rush hour traffic in new haven
we got there at 1, at call. and it took us 15 minutes just to get around the block because we are located on a one way street. Then to add to insult to injury, the Honey Wagon, Wardrobe truck, and Hair/Make-up truck along with The director's, producers', and actors' trailers are 6 big blocks away because that's the only place we can park them. Sonow we have bus the actors back and forth.... and the Holding for the Background Extras is one over and two blocks down in the other direction
Oh yay for the Yale University Theater...
When we started on Monday we had mostly day or early evening shots. So it made sense to start with call at 8 or 9 and go til 9 at night. But then there is a need for an 11:30ish hr turn around for some Union crew members. So they are "not allowed" to be at work for 11 hr and 30 mins after wrap. And as day shots roll into night shots, and as hours working go from 12 days to 14, even 16 hrs days.... call is later and later because we wrap later and later and LATER! And to add, we finished the exterior shots on wednesday when we were done in kent, so now we have interior shots that have nothing to do with day or night. It does not become essential to do things expeditiously anymore. Mostly they just try to let us get through it because some people have other jobs and need to work in the morning, or need to get back to the city. So we wrapped last night around 2. We maybe got everyone out of the building at 3. Got back to Stamford by 4. And I have to be on a van back to New Haven at 1:30p for a 2p call.
We send out call sheets every day which let people know what is going on for the day. We always have 3 or 4 scenes that we want to shoot during a day. Yesterday we had 4. The first scene took 8 hrs because we shot it from about 4 DIFFERENT CAMERA ANGLES! And we didnt finish the 2nd one.... And with the travelling from Stamford to New Haven, we didnt even start shooting until 4 hrs after call. Even though everyone arrived at least an hr after call. We had rush hour traffic in new haven
we got there at 1, at call. and it took us 15 minutes just to get around the block because we are located on a one way street. Then to add to insult to injury, the Honey Wagon, Wardrobe truck, and Hair/Make-up truck along with The director's, producers', and actors' trailers are 6 big blocks away because that's the only place we can park them. Sonow we have bus the actors back and forth.... and the Holding for the Background Extras is one over and two blocks down in the other direction
Oh yay for the Yale University Theater...
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
On Set
Reporting to you from Base Camp.... I am all walkie-ed up. In other words I have messages pumping in and out of my ear. It is a little uncomfortable. I don't know how much time I have. I'm on Holding lockdown. I.E. I am watching the computers in the Holding area for Background extras and I'm not allowed to leave. Can I just say that this is exciting and stressful.... There is a lot of paperwork that I have to take care of when shadowing the 2nd Assistant Director Amy Lynn and Michelle, who's official title is DGA Trainee (Directors Guild of America). Shooting takes so long. Because there is set up, organizing extras and principles, rehearsals with stand-ins, and then an avg of 3 or 4 takes per one camera position.... And you know they have to do more than one camera position. I was up on set yesterday watching. It is an interesting process. But it is a little nice to be around the outskirts of the shooting, even though my main position is copy and running memos, scripts, revisions, and whatever else people need back and forth between the set and the "Honey Wagon", Production's base of operation and all things wonderful.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
On My Own
Dropped Mom off at the airport around 12:30 today. So I came back to the Sheraton (the company put me up in a room) and relaxed for a bit. It is kind of weird to be by myself up here. It is different when I was dropped off for college because I knew family was 3 hrs away. Or when I go visit Boston because I am with my friends and their families. Here I am ... almost alone. Aunt Sharon and Uncle Larry are in the City (40 mi). The Underhills are over in Fairfield (~15 mi). And the Nunns are maybe 10 min away in North Stamford. But for all intents and purposes, I am here alone in a different state from my parents.
At least on the weekends I can go visit Heather at Drew or go to Boston. But not till July when the work lets up a bit.
My fellow crew members are around here ... somewhere. And for now I have a room to myself. Sally, my roommate, will be here when we get back from Kent on Thursday, I believe. I could go find them but I am enjoying the laziness of it all. I'll wander for a bit. And then early to bed tonight. We're leaving on a van from here at 5:30 AM.... Which means I'll be asleep on the van at 5:45 AM. I may be up and slightly awake, but they are about to experience the fact that I am not a morning person....
At least on the weekends I can go visit Heather at Drew or go to Boston. But not till July when the work lets up a bit.
My fellow crew members are around here ... somewhere. And for now I have a room to myself. Sally, my roommate, will be here when we get back from Kent on Thursday, I believe. I could go find them but I am enjoying the laziness of it all. I'll wander for a bit. And then early to bed tonight. We're leaving on a van from here at 5:30 AM.... Which means I'll be asleep on the van at 5:45 AM. I may be up and slightly awake, but they are about to experience the fact that I am not a morning person....
Saturday, June 16, 2007
First Day
First day was long. I wasn't in Michelle's ("head production assistant") makeshift office for 30 minutes when I had to lug suitcases down to the Hair and Makeup trailer. We loaded up that trailer, the props trailer, and the wardrobe trailer. We also worked to prep everyone to be out of the office for the next few days.
We did do a lot of sitting around, but that was because the bosses went into a meeting at 1:30... and stayed there for 6 hours!! So we ran errands, copied and handed out memos, read the script and made more copies. Warning, if you have to make copies of a script, be wary that you have to count all the pages to make sure they are all there. There are too many revisions; so the page numbers are irrelevant by the end. Try counting up to 187 six times... not the most exciting part of your day ::wink::. We also had to figure out how to get a printer working. Which was at least three hours of fiddling with it.... At the end of the day, the printer does not work with a MAC. Hahaha.
On a lighter note... the girls stopped by during the day. Blake Lively came in to see the director for a bit. America Ferrera showed up to see the Dialect couch (there is some Shakespeare in this one). Amber Tamblyn came in for wardrobe touch-ups. And then they had her wait for about 3 hrs to get some hair and clothes pictures approved.... So she was sitting on the floor in the hall of the offices because there were no chairs left. She was mostly complaining on the phone because she was jet-lagged, getting over a sickness, and had been asked to fly to Toronto this weekend to introduce someone she didn't know well for a performance this woman was doing at an award ceremony.... or something like that. The only one I didn't see was Alexis Bledel, but they had her in earlier that week.
So I worked from 10 to 8. And I have to go to Kent on Monday through Wednesday for the shooting. This will be fun.
We did do a lot of sitting around, but that was because the bosses went into a meeting at 1:30... and stayed there for 6 hours!! So we ran errands, copied and handed out memos, read the script and made more copies. Warning, if you have to make copies of a script, be wary that you have to count all the pages to make sure they are all there. There are too many revisions; so the page numbers are irrelevant by the end. Try counting up to 187 six times... not the most exciting part of your day ::wink::. We also had to figure out how to get a printer working. Which was at least three hours of fiddling with it.... At the end of the day, the printer does not work with a MAC. Hahaha.
On a lighter note... the girls stopped by during the day. Blake Lively came in to see the director for a bit. America Ferrera showed up to see the Dialect couch (there is some Shakespeare in this one). Amber Tamblyn came in for wardrobe touch-ups. And then they had her wait for about 3 hrs to get some hair and clothes pictures approved.... So she was sitting on the floor in the hall of the offices because there were no chairs left. She was mostly complaining on the phone because she was jet-lagged, getting over a sickness, and had been asked to fly to Toronto this weekend to introduce someone she didn't know well for a performance this woman was doing at an award ceremony.... or something like that. The only one I didn't see was Alexis Bledel, but they had her in earlier that week.
So I worked from 10 to 8. And I have to go to Kent on Monday through Wednesday for the shooting. This will be fun.
Friday, June 15, 2007
on The Road
So Mom and I left late on Wednesday and drove up to Wilmington, DE to stay the night. Maybe it was not the best idea to do it so late, but there was so much stuff we had to get done: allergy shots, doctor's appointments, laptop shopping (which I haven't gotten yet), chiropractor adjustment, etc.
Yesterday we traveled through New Jersey and spent the afternoon in New York. I had forgotten how busy the city can be at rush hour. We had dinner at Cercle Rouge with Micki and Aunt Sharon, stopped by to see Uncle Larry at O'Neal's, and then drove to Stamford.
So now I'm getting ready. I have to be in at 10 and luckily we're 10 minutes away. Supposedly I will be doing some packing... again ::wink:: We have to load equipment to have on the shoot. Projected first location: Kent, CT
Yesterday we traveled through New Jersey and spent the afternoon in New York. I had forgotten how busy the city can be at rush hour. We had dinner at Cercle Rouge with Micki and Aunt Sharon, stopped by to see Uncle Larry at O'Neal's, and then drove to Stamford.
So now I'm getting ready. I have to be in at 10 and luckily we're 10 minutes away. Supposedly I will be doing some packing... again ::wink:: We have to load equipment to have on the shoot. Projected first location: Kent, CT
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Packing... Again
Why does it feel like I'm packing every other day? ... Oh right, because I am! Hopefully I can finish today and be on the way to Connecticut this afternoon. Keep your fingers crossed....
Monday, June 4, 2007
Sunday, June 3, 2007
announcement
I am happy to tell you that I'm working as a Set Production Assistant for The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. My godmother passed my resume on to her good friend Debra Martin Chase who is a producer. She's worked on movies such as the Princess Diaries series, Courage Under Fire, and The Preacher's Wife. They will be hiring me as a local while they shoot in Stamford, CT. I will be up there June 13th to meet the crew, filming will start on the 18th, and I will be up there through the end of July most likely.
Schedule for now...
June 9: Driving back to Chesapeake to drop last of stuff
11: The cast and crew returns from shooting in Greece
13: Drive up to meet them in Stamford. Spend the next few days acquainting myself with the city, meeting the crew, and figuring out my duties
18: Start shooting. I'm told the first couple of weeks will be 6-day weeks, then it will drop back to 5-day weeks
Schedule for now...
June 9: Driving back to Chesapeake to drop last of stuff
11: The cast and crew returns from shooting in Greece
13: Drive up to meet them in Stamford. Spend the next few days acquainting myself with the city, meeting the crew, and figuring out my duties
18: Start shooting. I'm told the first couple of weeks will be 6-day weeks, then it will drop back to 5-day weeks
Friday, June 1, 2007
first emails
I would love for you to be a set production assistant. Our second AD amy linn will be in touch shortly about arrangements. We return from greece on june 11. I am not sure when they will want you to begin working.
Please keep me posted. Email is best.
Look forward to meeting you.
Best regards, Debra
*********************
We are currently scheduled to film 6 day weeks the 1st 2 weeks of filming. Then 5 day weeks mon thru fri till end of July. We may go over a few days into Aug. but currently not scheduled.
Dress code is like packing to be a camp councilor, comfortable, layers, rain gear, sneakers, tevas, rain boots.
We are all staying in Stamford at the Sheraton and when we go further north they will put us up. In and around Stamford, If you don't mind sharing w/ another PA I am positive they will put you up during the week but can't make any promises.
Ok then we will see you in a couple weeks,
Amy Lynn,
Please keep me posted. Email is best.
Look forward to meeting you.
Best regards, Debra
*********************
We are currently scheduled to film 6 day weeks the 1st 2 weeks of filming. Then 5 day weeks mon thru fri till end of July. We may go over a few days into Aug. but currently not scheduled.
Dress code is like packing to be a camp councilor, comfortable, layers, rain gear, sneakers, tevas, rain boots.
We are all staying in Stamford at the Sheraton and when we go further north they will put us up. In and around Stamford, If you don't mind sharing w/ another PA I am positive they will put you up during the week but can't make any promises.
Ok then we will see you in a couple weeks,
Amy Lynn,
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