Digmenow
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- Mar 26, 2011
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This is probably a tl:dr type of post but...
I am no stranger to stepping on my dcik when talking to people IRL but I'll admit to a number of stunningly stupid events over the past few days.
I had naively thought that most everyone else in the room was like me, rearranging our lives to fit it into this amusing interruption. I am an interloper in this acting game. A walk-on who is getting some breaks mostly by happenstance and when all of us "BG" (Back Ground) folk are gathered in our holding area, people tend to while away the wait by chatting about themselves and asking the perennially favorite question, "How did you get started?"
In the beginning, I told the truth. It was a fun thing to do in some nice clothes on a Sunday afternoon. I expected nothing in the way of a call back and had forgotten about the whole deal. I always keep in mind that I was number 519 with a long line behind me at that first cattle call so I'm thinking that they sure were going to use a lot of people!
I have come to learn that this is only partly true.
There have been some larger scenes shot in churches and the opera house using upwards of 200 BG but by and large, Central Casting has been scrambling to fill many of the spots. The people that I have spoken with have told me stories of how they have been doing this for years and they tick off the titles of the movies and TV shows in which they have worked. I've heard stories like, "Russell Crowe literally trips over my foot but you can't even tell that I'm in the scene!
" Then they tell me stories of others they know who love the business and show up religiously for every casting call yet never get selected. In that holding room, I look around at the others (and include myself) and realize that we were not chosen because of our great looks. Truthfully, if you saw the women in a bar, your gaze might linger briefly on them and then move on to better pickings but at the end of the night, you'd settle for almost any one of them and not be unhappy in the morning, figuratively speaking. The men initially look just like average guys but there's a characteristic that you can see about them that makes you realize that if they were standing in a group with nine other regular guys, your eye would be drawn to this one. That said, however, no one in the BG group looks better than the stars.
In the beginning, we all tended to cheer each other on when someone got some coveted "quality screen seconds" close to the camera. As the scenes went on however, despite the P.A.'s insistence that she was making sure everybody got on film, it's become clear that some of the group are more "featured" than others and are placed in longer scenes, closer to the camera. I don't know how long it will last but I place myself in the "featured" group.
But I'm off my original point regarding foot in mouth disease. All of the above was of little importance to me since I had zero expectations going in to this. Then I started answering the others' questions to me.
Now I say as little as possible and stare at my cell phone (because EVERYONE there has one of those, regardless of their situation) because that's how they get their calls from Central Casting.
I am a humbler man for the experience.
I had naively thought that most everyone else in the room was like me, rearranging our lives to fit it into this amusing interruption. I am an interloper in this acting game. A walk-on who is getting some breaks mostly by happenstance and when all of us "BG" (Back Ground) folk are gathered in our holding area, people tend to while away the wait by chatting about themselves and asking the perennially favorite question, "How did you get started?"
In the beginning, I told the truth. It was a fun thing to do in some nice clothes on a Sunday afternoon. I expected nothing in the way of a call back and had forgotten about the whole deal. I always keep in mind that I was number 519 with a long line behind me at that first cattle call so I'm thinking that they sure were going to use a lot of people!
I have come to learn that this is only partly true.
There have been some larger scenes shot in churches and the opera house using upwards of 200 BG but by and large, Central Casting has been scrambling to fill many of the spots. The people that I have spoken with have told me stories of how they have been doing this for years and they tick off the titles of the movies and TV shows in which they have worked. I've heard stories like, "Russell Crowe literally trips over my foot but you can't even tell that I'm in the scene!
" Then they tell me stories of others they know who love the business and show up religiously for every casting call yet never get selected. In that holding room, I look around at the others (and include myself) and realize that we were not chosen because of our great looks. Truthfully, if you saw the women in a bar, your gaze might linger briefly on them and then move on to better pickings but at the end of the night, you'd settle for almost any one of them and not be unhappy in the morning, figuratively speaking. The men initially look just like average guys but there's a characteristic that you can see about them that makes you realize that if they were standing in a group with nine other regular guys, your eye would be drawn to this one. That said, however, no one in the BG group looks better than the stars. In the beginning, we all tended to cheer each other on when someone got some coveted "quality screen seconds" close to the camera. As the scenes went on however, despite the P.A.'s insistence that she was making sure everybody got on film, it's become clear that some of the group are more "featured" than others and are placed in longer scenes, closer to the camera. I don't know how long it will last but I place myself in the "featured" group.
But I'm off my original point regarding foot in mouth disease. All of the above was of little importance to me since I had zero expectations going in to this. Then I started answering the others' questions to me.
Guy Who Looks Like Larry From The 3 Stooges: I started doing this in High School productions and went back to it when I lost my job as a real journalist. How about you?
Dig: Ha ha, it's kind of funny! The only time in my life that I was on stage was in a play in the second grade. This is all new to me.
GWLLLFT3S: Really? (Backs away with a look on his face that says there's a big stamp on my forehead that says "HASN'T PAID DUES BUT IS GETTING BREAKS!")
Dig:
Bald Guy Who Looks Like A Lifelong Bachelor: Did you have to bring a car for today's shoot as well?
Dig: Ha ha, it's kind of funny! When I originally filled out my application, I listed two of my cars and couldn't decide which to bring today!
BGWLLALB: How fortunate that you have more than one vehicle from which to choose. (in a dry tone that suggests that I'm an elitist 1 percenter)
Dig:
Paper Shuffler Guy: It sure is a long day's work for $85! I've been on smaller shoots where I made union scale and got two meals a day.
Dig: Ha ha, it's kind of funny! I'd give up a day's pay just to get my hands on one of the prop mugs that say "WASHINGTON HERALD"!
PSG: I'm hoping to start working at my regular job again in a couple of weeks since being laid off a while back. Living indoors is more preferable to me that living outside. (stares at his feet as though he's just admitted to me that he's been living in a tent for several months)
Dig:
Now I say as little as possible and stare at my cell phone (because EVERYONE there has one of those, regardless of their situation) because that's how they get their calls from Central Casting.
I am a humbler man for the experience.
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