Holiday Joy

It amazes me sometimes just how quickly the time passes, even if in the moment it seems slow.  My only regret is not writing more stuff down as it happens so that I can give you more details.

So when you heard from me last I was working on NCIS.  The next day was a night shoot for Castle.  It was originally scheduled for Noon, but it was pushed back until 4am because the crew had worked late the night before.  I thought it would be a relatively short night, even though we had been in for a fitting and there were a lot of us, because I figured on a friday everyone would want to get home early, so they wouldn't have that many shots.  Even when the wardrobe guy asked if we were ready for a long one when waiting in line, I thought he was joking.  The joke was in fact on me.  We worked until 7am the next morning.

The trick with the night shoots or any long shoot is resting prior and eating.  Obviously it is going to be easier to stay up all night if you are rested, but equally important is keeping food in your system.  Good food.  Healthy food.  Not so much food you are going into food comma, but you want to be eating a fair chunk every few hours.  The second trick is not to over caffeinate.  Your body quickly builds up a tolerance and that 4am cup of tea is only going to make you more tired if you were pounding coffee at 7pm.  The last trick is to stay occupied and if you can active.  A lot of people fell asleep in holding that night and all of them were sitting down.

That was actually the night of the lunar eclipse, which was pretty cool, until it hid behind a building (we were shooting downtown) before it was full. 

The rest of the weekend was power naps and relaxation as you might imagine.

Next up was a bud commercial that will probably be aired during the super bowl.  I obviously can't tell you anything about it since I would get sued, but I can say the Clydesdales were there and they were huge!  Also there was a very mellow dog named Gus riding along.  I found this especially funny since it is my brother's nickname.

It was a pretty easy day and I was happy to run into my friend Malik again, who is a set buddy of mine.

The next day I had some of my easiest work ever.  I was called in to stand in for Christian Kane for some promos for Leverage.  My entire days work involved me standing in front of a green screen for about ten minutes and then sitting for maybe another hour.  Good times.

That was it for that week, which is no surprise considering the time of year it is, but I did have a happy surprise the next week when I worked 4 days on a NFL commercial.  It wasn't easy work with 6am calls in the freezing cold, but it paid well, so worth the struggle.  I'm sure it is nothing compared to the cold I will be feeling when I go back to NJ, but at least I expect it there.

My Chrismas was lots of fun.  I got to see my friends for brunch, then visit the tree I planted (more on that later) and enjoyed a movie at night with some other friends.  Funny how much fun Chrismas can be when you aren't held back by conventions.  :)

So, since I probably won't be working again before the new year, here is a list of everything I've worked on in the last few months so you can look out for me!  :)

12-14-2011	PROMO/ION**AFTRA	DAN@ATMOSPHERE
12-13-2011	COMM/BUDWEISER	DAN@ATMOSPHERE
12-09-2011	CASTLE	ROCIO@CENTRALCASTING
12-08-2011	NCIS	SARAH V@CENTRAL
12-07-2011	FITT/CASTLE	ANNIE@CENTRAL
12-06-2011	MOMENT	RICH@RICH KING CASTI
11-21-2011	PRINT/CORONA	MICHAEL@LA CASTING
11-18-2011	FINDER	SANDI@CENTRAL
11-17-2011	FRANKLIN & BASH*AFTR	DENISE@CENTRAL
11-15-2011	CASTLE	ANNIE@CENTRAL
11-11-2011	FRANKLIN & BASH*AFTR	DENISE@CENTRAL
11-10-2011	MIDDLE	ET@CENTRAL
11-09-2011	MIDDLE	WALEED@CENTRAL
11-08-2011	CSI MIAMI	DENISE@CENTRAL
11-06-2011	GREEN STORY	VANESSA@CEC
11-04-2011	SUPER MOM**AFTRA	MAYUKO@PRIME
11-03-2011	UROK	MARIANN@CENTRAL
11-02-2011	CRIMINAL MIND	SARAH@CENTRAL
10-27-2011	FITT/UROK	MARIANN@CENTRAL
10-26-2011	FRANKLIN & BASH*AFTR	SELF
10-25-2011	GLEE	GUY@SANDE ALESSI
10-24-2011	MENTALIST	TANYA@CENTRAL
10-21-2011	CSI NEW YORK	TANYA@CENTRAL
10-20-2011	SUBURGATORY	MARIANN@CENTRAL
10-14-2011	RINGER*AFT*	CLAIRE@CENTRAL
10-13-2011	BIG TIME REALITY SHO	ALICE@ALICE ELLIS
10-06-2011	GREEN STORY	VANESSA@CEC
10-05-2011	DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES	ANNIE@CENTRAL
10-04-2011	DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES	ANNIE@CENTRAL
09-29-2011	GANGESTER SQUAD	TRACY@CASTING ASSOCI
09-28-2011	FITT/GANGESTER SQUAD	TRACY@CASTING ASSOCI
09-26-2011	CASTLE	ANNIE@CENTRAL
09-23-2011	PRIME SUSPECT	CHRIS@CENTRAL
09-22-2011	HOUSE	MARIANN@CENTRAL
09-21-2011	WEB/FETCHING	HEATHER@PRIME
09-20-2011	DEXTER	ANNIE@CENTRAL
09-19-2011	GOOD CHRISTIAN BELLE	CLAIRE@CENTRAL
09-16-2011	BEV HILL CHIHUAHUA 3	DOUG@RICHKING
09-15-2011	FITT/GOOD CHRISTIAN	CLAIRE@CENTRAL
09-14-2011	MENTALIST	TAYLOR@CENTRAL
09-13-2011	WHITNEY	TONYA@CENTRAL
09-10-2011	IND/ARMSTRONG	HEATHER@PRIME
09-09-2011	WHAT DOSENT KILL YO	DOUG@RICHKING
09-08-2011	CSI NEW YORK	WALLID@CENTRAL
09-03-2011	FITT/MAGNUS REX	DIXIE WEBSTER
09-02-2011	BREAKING THE GIRL	TAMMY SMITH

back in action

so i am back from a great wedding weekend feeling all warm and fuzzy and jumped right back into work.  tuesday was an indie movie called the moment.  it was an easy shoot day with some classic background moments, the first of which being the call from my calling service just as i woke up at telling my call time, which was two hours away was changed to get there as soon as you can.  of course i live a good fifty minutes away from where i was going.  and of course in the end we werent even used for the first four hours.  the group that day managed to cover ever taboo topic out there except race during those four hours, which was interesting because it was a very diverse group.

the next day i had a fitting for castle, which ran an hour and a half late that almost made me late for my date that night.  the date went well, but in case she reads this, im not going to go into details.

today im on ncis.  it is early, but we have already hit eighty percent of the background stereotypes.  so i guess it is quickly back in the saddle for me this week.  no complaints though, i need the work. .?

My new Home

Hi Everyone!

So work has been super slow lately, so I thought I would take this chance to give you all a tour of my new home.  I have two wonderful apartment pals Matt and Jeffro.  We live in the Glassell Park neighborhood of LA, but are also right near Eagle Rock.

Here is what the front of our house looks like!

That is Jeffro's truck in the driveway.

These are the front stairs.  Kind of bare right now, but I'm sure we will decorate soon.

This is our garage.  On the left is Matt's drum set and you can see Jeffro's bike in the middle.  I'm not sure what is in all the boxes, but I'm told it is all really important burning man stuff.

This is my corner of the garage.  I'm still unpacking.  On the right side you can see the awesome closet that Jeffro built for me.  Packing for work is going to be a lot easier now!

Up the stairs we go!  from here you can see the kitchen.  Off to the right out of sight is the downstairs bathroom and a door leading to the back porch.  Speaking off...

It is hard to tell how big it is from this picture, but trust me, it is nice.  In the Spring I plan on doing some gardening back here.

Here is another shot of the kitchen and you can start so see the living room behind it.  The fridge has many amusing things on it, but you will have to come visit me to see them!

Here is the front porch.  I bought those chairs so I could sit out here and enjoy the view.

The view from the porch offers a lot of green for so hilly an area.  The house across the street is often buzzing with activity, especially since they were practicing for a quinceanera there.

Here are some shots of our living room.  It's nice and big so we can host all kinds of parties here or just relax and watch a movie.  I did yoga for the first time in almost a year here just this morning.

Ok, time to go up to the 3rd floor...

At the top of the stairs now.  The closed door leads into Jeffro's room.  It's big and he has his own bathroom.  Lucky!  The open door leads to my room.

That is my room on the left and Matt's room straight ahead.  We share the bathroom in the middle.

Here is my room!  Not the biggest room ever, but it is cozy.  Plus I have the whole rest of the house to play with.  Obviously I'm still unpacking and decorating.  You can't see it from these pictures, but just to the right as you walk in my door is a door to the balcony...

I will never have to go downstairs to find out what the weather is like again!  Also, my room quickly airs out when I have girls over and they fart.  Icky girls!

So there you have it, my wonderful new home.  I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I did.  Stop by anytime now y'here.

xoxo,
Chris

Hello loyal fans!

So it has been almost a month since I have posted due to some housing craziness, so I want to apologize to my loyal fans and promise to do better now that things have settled down.

Around the beginning of October I happily agreed to take over a room at my friend Jeffro's house.  He had been having problems with his current roommate Ariana and had asked her to leave.  I was to move in at the beginning of November.  Less than a week before I was scheduled to move in I got a call from Jeffro saying that Ariana had asked to stay an extra week because of something to do with a dance performance.  I agreed as long as I could move my stuff into the house (there is a nice big garage, so not a problem) and had the guarantee of a couch to sleep on during that week.  As it turned out, I wouldn't need the couch as my friend Jess was in the process of moving in with her boyfriend, so didn't need her apartment for that week.  So I made sure to pack in a way where I would have access to the clothes I needed for work and anything else I might need for that week.  Despite living out of boxes, it was really a nice week for me since I had a nice apartment to myself and it had a great view of the mountains.

Meanwhile I was stopping by the house for anything I had forgotten, which was easy since it was only a few miles away from where I was staying.  I ran into Ariana a few times and she was very nice.  However, there was some concern since she didn't appear to be doing any packing.  She hadn't lived many places, so I figured that she didn't realize what an ordeal packing can be.  Jeffro thought she was going to try to pull something.  His experience won out.

On November 6th, a day before she was supposed to move out, Ariana texted Jeffro and said, "So I guess we should talk about this moving thing".  She hadn't found a place (I'm not sure she even really tried) and wasn't going to leave because Jeffro had, "done it wrong" and hadn't formally evicted her and her mom said that meant she could stay.  The answer is "21" to those of you who just went, "how old is this girl?".

I wasn't too terribly upset since Jess was ok with me staying at her place longer and now that I had found the heat switch and learned that heat was included in her rent, I was quite cozy.

The ordeal continued for another full week with no progress.  There was a bunch of theorizing about what to do and conversations had between different parties, but I won't bore you with that hear. 

The next weekend I moved the rest of my stuff into the house and started sleeping there, in the living room.  I set up my bed and a bookcase and tried to make the best of it.  I even borrowed a divider screen for a little bit of privacy.  Of course when Ariana came home at 8:30 that Sunday morning with two boys talking about the ecstasy they had taken and how much they had had to drink in a very loud manner, privacy is a moot point. 

The next week would be a roller coaster of ups and downs.  By Wednesday Ariana had found a place and was going to put a deposit down.  She had started paying by the day (although she was instantly behind) instead of the week since that was supposed to motivate her to move and motivate us not to throw her stuff out the window.  She moved slowly.  First just a few things, choosing to spend most of her time getting high and talk about how high she was instead of pack.  Finally by Friday her bed was gone, but that was to be another tease.  It wasn't until Monday afternoon, the 3rd week of November, that she finally got everything out.  She did not clean.

Last night Jeffro was nice enough to vacuum and rug doctor the carpets.  As the carpets dried, I spent my last night in the living room.  Today I moved the majority of my stuff into the room and tonight will be my first night sleeping in here. 

So I'm back, just in time for the slow season!  :)  Hopefully my life will compensate for any lack of engaging work stories that I have.

Now without further ado, here is what you missed:

Criminal Minds - Don't remember this day at all.
Mad Men - Fun day, grumpy "girlfriend" on set, kept late.
Signed up with Virgo talent.
CSI: Miami - Cold morning, put in shorts to play a bellboy, got bumped to stand-in.  Managed to get a girl to go out for a drink after work.
The Middle (two days) - Really nice people, best food on a set yet, wish I could work on this show all the time.
Franklin & Bash - Far drive, something always feels off when I work on this show.
Audition for "Dumped", an indie.  Felt really good about the audition, but didn't get a call back.
Castle - Good day, nice people.
Franklin & Bash - Still weird on this show, something about the communication.
Finder - Totally blanking right now.
Corona commercial - Long drive to Malibu, but absolutely gorgeous: both there and the drive.  Fun easy day laying around with a bunch of new and old friends.

So that was my November so far.  Like I said, it is the slow time, so probably no more work this week, but hopefully the next couple will be ok. 

I hope everyone is well and I promise to do a better job keeping up with my blog now that I'm not homeless.

xoxox,
Chris

The luck of the draw. OR They are out to get you.

So I know a lot of you out there already know that their is a lot of luck involved in getting work in the acting world.  What you may not realize is that luck can work both ways:

I got up at 5:30am for a 6:45am call in Santa Clarita today.  I have been giving myself 30 minutes to get ready in the morning even though that is cutting it a little close because I usually give myself a little buffer time in the drive time also.  Today I was that much slower or my car was parked that much farther or way that I was cutting it a little close on making my call time.  I was still going to be a few minutes early, but had anything gone wrong or I got lost, it would have been bad. 

I pull up to my 2nd to last turn according to the GPS.  The same GPS that I had let auto fill the address and hadn't double checked because I was running a little late and tired.  It was a long stop light and while I was looking down at my paper to double check any last minute instructions in the directions my mirror steamed over.  The light turned green just as I looked up and I cranked the defrost and bent my head down to see much like my Grandmother used to when she drove, except that she did it all the time.  As the window started clearing I was told to make another turn.  I couldn't see the road sign nor the sign of the building I had just passed.  This was an industrial area so the buildings were big and the addresses far apart.  The GPS then mumbled something about my destination being on the left, but I didn't see anything.  Sure, there was a building, but no bright yellow sign with the shows name on it pointing me in the right direction.  I pulled over to the right and looked at my GPS.  The auto fill function didn't list the address, just the street I was on.  I pulled out my paper again and inserted the full address in the GPS.  Four right turns later I was back to wear I had started.  Except now my mirror was steam free and I saw cars in a parking lot to the left.  I entered the driveway and parked near the other cars. 

"Is this (name removed)?" I asked.

I got the younger man's confirmation and proceeded to get out and get my things together.  Soon after about 8 more cars pulled up.  Each of them asked the same question I had.  No one knew where the white van that was supposed to take us to set was.  Most stayed in their cars for warmth. 

I felt like something was wrong.  I knew I wouldn't get in trouble since there were so many of us sitting there, but I still felt like we were in the wrong place.  The parking lot was in the shape of a giant L.  So big that from the end of the L we were on, we couldn't see the other end.  More cars pulled in and I decided to take action.  I took a quick jog to the middle and there at the other end I saw what I thought might be a white van.  I came back and discussed it and we sent a woman who was already in her car to go check.  She confirmed it was for us and in a scene that could have been in it's a Mad mad mad mad mad (how many are there?) world, we ran for our cars and took off for the van.

Arriving safely at set me formed a line and got our vouchers.  It should be noted that these vouchers were not pre-filled out with our names.  Next up was wardrobe.  I was playing a lawyer and had worn my gray suit, which almost always gets approved by wardrobe.  This time was no different.  Next up was breakfast.

I grabbed my standard eggs and bacon and sat down to eat.  People were friendly and I chatted it up with some people.  We talked about the parking thing and how there were no signs, etc..  We had all been late to our official call times, so I started to wonder if the casting agency had called in search of me.  I glanced at my phone and saw a missed call from a number I didn't know.  I listened to the voicemail and confirmed it was from casting wondering where I was.  This would normally not be a big deal since sometimes they jump the gun with the calling, but when I asked around to the other actors if they had received similar calls, they had not.  I was a little concerned.  I tried calling the casting agency back, but their office that I had called the day before wasn't open yet and I hadn't listened to the voicemail long enough to get the call back number.  I decided to go ask the PA who had checked us in.

As I approached the check in table, now a good 20 minutes since I had received my voucher, and saw the PA on the phone.  He was looking at a piece of paper and talking about replacing 3 background actors that had presumably not shown up or cancelled last minute.  I looked down at the paper and saw a bunch of names with check marks next to them.  My name did not have a check mark next to it.  I pointed at my name and then at myself. 

A woman was standing next to the PA and said, "That's you?". 

I agreed to the fact and mentioned I had been there a while already.  The PA caught on and started to explain the need for only 2 replacements to the man on the other end of the phone line.

A few minutes later as I sat in holding the PA came in and asked me if I had been to wardrobe.  I said that I had and he told me they didn't remember me.  My reply that I was just that good of a background actor was met with much laughter, but internally I was starting to feel some concern.  Have I really become that unnoticeable?  Do I blend in that well?  I mean I want to be good at my job, but it would be nice to also act in the foreground one of these days.  For the rest of the day (which was thankfully short) I became known as the guy that no one remembers seeing.

Not too long after we were moved to another holding area.  The AC was going full blast in the studio and we were all cold, so some of us went outside.  I delayed my departure to check some emails.  When I made it to the hallway I considered going left to the bathroom, but decided I didn't have to go that bad and made a right out into the sunlight.  I was met by the PA and a wardrobe person.  The PA once again had his trusty piece of paper.  They were talking about changing someone into different clothes for a different scene.  There weren't a lot of details, but somehow by virtue of me standing there, I became that person.  There was some debate about timing and I was rushed off to wardrobe to try on jeans and a shirts and some shoes.  I had heard there was a construction scene, so I assumed it was for that.  I didn't get any real details, just that when it was time to change I should go back to the wardrobe truck and grab my new clothes.

On my way back to holding I saw all the other background standing in a line shoulder to shoulder and joined them.  I  asked the woman on the end to catch me up with what we were doing.  She said she didn't know, but said not to stand on the end because then I would be her and that I should go to my spot.  If that makes no sense to you, good, because it made no sense to me either. 

I thought maybe it was a boy girl thing or a lawyer thing, so moved to stand next to a guy I thought was both a boy and a lawyer.  Just as I was trying to fit myself in there the director (?) started going down the line of people and labeling them either "Tango" or "Cash".  The 1st AD was behind him making notes on a list.  When they got to me the director got to me he paused (presumably because I had never made it fully into the shoulder to shoulder line) and several people spoke at once about how I wasn't supposed to be there.  The AD asked if I was Chris France and pointed me to my new spot toward the end of the line.  In the end I would be labeled as "Cash".  As best as anyone could figure out it had something to do with what scene they may bring us back for or maybe just if we were going to work tomorrow, which I think most of the Tango's are.

The actual shooting of the scene went very smoothly and I was complemented on my bit.  In fact the rest of the day really went easily except for the part where the Tangos were all called in another room and then told they were coming back tomorrow, but were about to leave for the day and us Cashs weren't told anything.  I wasn't worried though because I had assumed I was staying later for the other scene.  Then one of the Cashs found out they were all leaving, so I had to walk over to the PA and ask if I should change into my worker clothes.  Long story short, they had fitted me as a pizza delivery guy and actually didn't need me after all, so I could go home.  Good thing I asked.  I'm pretty sure they would have left me in holding all day.

So the moral of the story, if there is one, is that just as everything can go right and you can get your line or get to meet a star you admire, it isn't necessarily something you did.  Just like if you look like a complete slacker who is late to everything and doesn't know what he is doing isn't necessarily your fault.  Chance is just that.  Save your mental energy for more important things, like wondering if the reason they didn't bring you back is because you look better than the lead, who is super handsome by the way and they didn't want you upstaging him even though you aren't wearing any make up and he has like a ton on and are those lifts?  Those totally look like lifts...  :)

Life is good.

  I got up for work yesterday at 4:45am and today at 5:15am and tomorrow I will get up at 5:30 am.  It was cold and raining today and the tent they had for holding leaks in it.  Normally they would have the gym for holding, but today they had a blood drive, which, if I heard the announcement correctly, got cancelled.  I've been sick for about 2 weeks, first with a stuffy cold, now with what is sure to be an infection of the throat/ear (my lymph node is huge!).  After all that and some more I'm sure I could dredge up if I tried, I'm still happy.  I'm working more, I've gone to new levels in my meditation and I have new perspectives on life.  I'm not saying I'm running around with a smile on my face all the time.  It is more like I'm just not letting things get me down and not to double up on cliches, but I'm enjoying the little things in life.  Anyway, just thought I would share.

Oh and the love update...

Fell in love with a 20 year old.  Was infatuated with 2 more younger women, although surprisingly neither was a cheerleader (I was on Glee).  1 was a multiple day contender since I've worked with her on 3 different shows.  Starting to figure out why I get crushes on the younger woman.  Besides the obvious youthful beauty (obviously matching my own), they also often don't know how to "behave" in social/work situation and every once in a while hit critical mass and completely lose their self-consciousness and burst into song, dance or sometimes just a spasm.  Long days on set often creates these critical mass situation, so it makes perfect sense that this is where my crushing happens.  Unfortunately peaceful moments of conversation are not quite as riveting.

Oh and I also want to mention I am proud of myself for booking myself on an AFTRA job on my own and booking out with my calling service, who have been slacking lately.

What have you worked on lately?

What have I worked on lately?  In truth, not much.  My average of 4 days a week has slumped to a not so solid 3.  What I'm more interested in though is that question.  Every time I bring up that I'm an actor, which I quickly follow with an explanation that I "mostly do background", people ask me what I have worked on lately.  The desire for small talk coinciding nicely with a desire to recognize and perhaps connect with something bigger than they are.  The fact that I worked on Dexter was big with a lot of people I talked to, but other than a handshake and a thank you at the end of the day, it wasn't very different than any of the other stuff I've worked on.  I'm not immune myself.  After walking over hundreds of pavement stars in Hollywood yesterday, I saw Harrison Ford's, my childhood idol and was moved.  Then, quickly following a decision whether to step on the star or completely avoid it had to be made.  I went with the stepping on firmly to gain the "magic" of it instead of the more respectful going around.

Meanwhile with this time off of work I have been learning more about the ego and the power of now through Eckhart Tolle's books.  They have been very interesting reads and sync up nicely with some of the other books I have read since moving to LA.  It isn't just reading that I do though, I also practice, through various forms of what one would probably call meditation, but without the guidelines laid out in most standard practices.  I'm trying to come to my conclusions from as many different angles as I can.  What conclusions?  Conclusions about life and how to live it.  Obviously this blog is not the spot for going into detail about it, but I encourage everyone to check out some of Tolle's writings and to take their own journeys.

It has been pointed out that I always put something about my love life in these blogs.

Teri Hatcher has a crush on me!

It is true, I worked on Desperate Housewives two days in a row this week and she totally looked right at me and said "Good Morning" to me!

In other news, I've been reading a lot of Eckhart Tolle recently and he talks about how the ego likes to make up stories so that we can feel better about ourselves and identify with people in high places.

The above paragraphs are completely unrelated.

So, it has been a while since I blogged.  Not sure exactly how long, but I am guessing I stopped around the time I had the 5 day work week and then forgot to start again when I had the 3, which was last week.  This one is looking like a 3 as well, which is too bad because I like working and I need the money. 

Regardless of how much I work (and how little sleep I get), I have found a really nice balance of stress, excitement, and enjoyment in my work.  I am generally excited to go to work, but not so excited that I get nervous and I am always happy at the end of the day.  Honestly the 2 things that make me most nervous are getting to work on time and having the right wardrobe, although even the wardrobe thing has gotten pretty routine.  Plus I have now met enough people that when I go to set I already have friends there, so that makes things easier.  Of course I also have mortal enemies that can burn in hell, so that can be difficult.  I'm just kidding about that second part.  While it is true, there are some annoying people I keep running into, I'm pretty good at escaping them now and when I can't I consider them good practice for me in maintaining my zen.

In girl news, I continue to fall in love every day I work without fail.  Sometimes multiple times, depending on how big the call is.  I'm not exactly sure why this is.  It could be because my energy is flowing and I'm happy at work.  Or maybe it is just that acting makes me horny.  I'm not sure.  At the same time I think I'm getting more picky about who I fall for.  There are just so many attractive people here that now I'm demanding they be pretty AND have a personality.  Intelligence is still optional though.  I have increased my rate of keeping in touch with the people I meet on set.  Usually this involves adding each other on facebook.  The card trick still works too, but there is less of a chance since that means they have to do something with it. 

Until next time...
Chris

Plays well with dogs

So I got to do my first professional work with dogs today and I'm happy to say it wasn't dog walking.  I worked on the web series called Fetching that is penned by one of the Sex in the City writers and stars no one whose name you will recognize, but whose face you might.  It takes place in a dog grooming store and my job was to walk the adorable black lab named Cyrus across the room to his trainer right before any of the important action took place.   Pretty fun work.

More good news happened yesterday on Dexter.  After a relatively normal day of shooting where I did my job (i.e. paid attention, walked where I was supposed to and didn't talk when we were rolling) the Assistant Director in charge of the extras thanked me for hustling all day and that she noticed my hard work and then she shook my hand.  Really rare to have that happen, especially on such a big show.  So that made me happy.  :)

Working on House again tomorrow.  Mom, if you are reading this, I will let you know where to look for me.  Word on the street is that there is going to be a girl in a bikini tomorrow... 

What to watch

With the new television season upon us, I thought I would take this time to let you know where you might find a blurry version of me.  So now without any further ado, here is everything I have been in since July:

(Note: Some of these may have already aired.)

Untitled Western
iCarly
He Loves Me
More as this story develops
Ringer
Bones
Unusual Suspects
CSI: LV
Nicolodeon Promo
CSI: NY
The Protector
House of Lies
House
Chuck
The Mentalist
Reverse
Ringer (Different episode)
End of watch
Fantastic Sam's commercial
Breaking the Girl
CSI: NY (Different episode)
Will to live
Industrial for Armstrong (Look for this in your workplace)
Whitney
Good Christian Belle (Just did the fitting, shoot tomorrow)
Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3
Dexter

Let me know if you see me in anything!  (Thanks Jeffro for the Entourage pic!)

Happy Fall!!!

Live shows

So I got to work on the show Whitney for CBS a few days ago.  Obviously I can't tell you anything about it or I will get sued, but I can tell you it was the first shot in front of a live audience gig that I have done, without me being in the audience.

It is an interesting day, much different than the usual shoot and wait.  With live audience work they have all the sets already set up and then they just move the cameras down the line and shoot the scenes that are being shot that day.  So the way it worked for me was we got in early-ish and went through wardrobe as usual and then the 2nd 2nd AD meticulously created blocking for us (we were in a cafe).  Then we rehearsed a little while, which didn't amount to much since the main actors or stand ins were unavailable.  Then a long break, then another quick rehearsal before "lunch" with stand ins.  (I put lunch in quotes because in this business it can happen anywhere between noon and 5pm depending on when you arrive.)  Then lunch and then go stand on the stage and wait for your scene to be up.

The scene itself took maybe 45 minutes to shoot, with multiple takes.  The takes weren't the same as in film.  These were long takes that were supposed to take up the entire scene, but often were stopped for various reasons (i.e. screw ups).  It was definitely fun to be in front of a live audience because there is that energy, but for the more bitter BG it does feel like a lot of time wasted.  I personally liked the formula though because it had that nice work and then rest pace to it that keeps my energy up, but gives me lots of breaks.

After we were done performing we went back to holding where we had to wait to see if they liked what they got.  Apparently if they don't think they got the scene well enough they finish shooting and send the audience home and then shoot the scene some more. 

In the world of ladies, which I know is why you all read my blog, I have now advanced to meeting women on set who are really cool...  and married.  In a weird way, I kind of think that is progress.

Up next:
What to watch for!

Corpse

In one of the more interesting roles I have played so far, today I got to be a corpse.  Not the fancy car accident kind, just a guy in white powder laying on a cold (and trust me, it was) slab of metal.

It was actually one of the easiest days I've ever had as an extra.  My call time was at noon, the CSI: NY studio set is less than 10 minutes from my house and I didn't have to bring anything to wear, although I did bring my own bathrobe, which came in handy since it was warmer than the one they provided.  The work itself was easy as well, just lay there.  Although the breathing thing was a bit hard to get used to.  I decided that short breaths were the way to go since the scene was way to long to try to hold my breath through.  When I relaxed it worked fine.  When I tensed up, it was hard to keep the air flow going as my throat closed up.  Apparently I did a good job though as several of the crew said they thought I was a prosthetic and someone actually tickled my foot to see if I would move.  Luckily in the first scene no one was around, however in the second scene the extras were surrounding me and "examining" me.  Well I guess I got to know some of them too well during the day because they started messing with me.  Putting pencils in my feet, etc..  I couldn't move for fear of messing up the sheet on top of me.  This playfulness diminished some when we got to rehearsal, but still an ear was pulled here and there.  Then by picture up time they stopped completely, but of course the earlier activity left me tense every time I felt them near.

Overall a fun job though and a good chance to do some at work meditation as well as good practice for still modeling.  Although I think they usually want you upright for that.  Enjoy the picture!