Volume 3 Number 05
Copyright 2007 Phillip Moon
Show: Gilmore Girls
Date: January 8, 2007
Episode: Farewell My Pet
Location: Warner Brothers Studio
The characters of Stars Hallow go to New York. Well, not really. They only go down the block and around the corner to a glass and steel building on the lot where we pretend it's New York. Dress us up in fancy suits and dresses, and we look all New Yorkish, and help convince the viewing public that this is so.
An hour and a half later, we are dressed down, as in changed clothes, not chewed out, and are the happy folk of Stars Hallow again. And while doing the show this time, I discover that there are two buildings that I have seen many a time.
The first is on the left. Think happy family, with troublesome son, bright but unstylish older daughter and easily influenced and out numbered younger brother and while you could come up with half a dozen shows with that description, I am referring to Growing Pains. This is the exterior set for the show, that the cast stands in front of each episode opening. I saw an episode the other day, and yes, it really is the same place.
The other set is this old gas station (on the right), which in better days was (Geek Alert) the home of Ma and Pa Kent, of Lois and Clark. Gosh I love working in this town.
Show: “24”
Date: January 11, 12, 15 and 17, 2007
Episode:
Location: 20th Century Fox Valley Studio
I will be truly sorry when this show runs down for me. It's a nice gig, and each time I come on lot, I get a hair trim. I haven't paid for a hair cut since September.
This was a busy shoot, with lots of table scenes (which are good for me, because I am almost always at the table when we shoot there). There was lots of tension between the character in these scenes, and it is always fun watching the actors during and between takes. Peter MacNicol had some tough speeches, and one of the ways the actors get around these are to write notes when they can. In one of the scenes, Peter was “reading” from a folder (a long boring fact based report), and had his lines in the folder so he could reference them. Often, actors will slip their sides (small photocopied scripts) into books, folders, hats or whatever is handy so that between takes, they can look them over.
Often, the actors are brought in to read their lines off camera. I've seen that during several episode on “24”. This week it was James Morrison who plays Bill Buchanan, head of the CTU. That's a nice way to work. Come in, get a comfy chair and read your lines while the other actor pretends to talk to you on the phone. I want that job.
One thing you are not likely to see on this show is the camera man. All the camera operators are very aware of reflections, and there is plenty of glass around the bunker. When they are filming in a way that will almost guarantee them being seen, they mask the camera in black cloth, and put on black clothes or cover-alls. Instant invisibility.
And during this four day shoot (for me, anyway), Powers Boothe, who plays Vice President Noah Daniels, had a good question. He had noted that many of the crew were wearing tee-shirts with the “24” logo on them, and asked, “If you work just half the season, do you get a '12' tee-shirt?”
Show: Gilmore Girls
Date: 01-18-04
Episode:
Location: Warner Brothers Studios
The last time I worked Gilmore Girls was on the “town square” set on the back lot of Warners, and we were stashed in the church. One of my shirts was hanging on a back wall and fell behind a set piece and I didn't take it home. I called the production office, and let them know where it was, and told them I would come by to pick it up. Booking the show again makes it easy to pick it up. A.K. is the 2nd 2nd and when she saw me, she said, “Hey Phil, I have your shirt.” Nice to be known.
We were shooting in Stage 12 today, and a small corner of the set had been turned into a nice little restaurant with fancy décor and a maitre d', and a coat closet that was stocked with coats provided by background.
You have to wonder sometimes how the day player feels when working on a show. A day player is an actor who is hired to play a speaking part, like a waiter. In this case the waiter had to approach the table and place a bottle of wine, say his line and leave, and keep the Director happy with the timing. Alas, he was having trouble with the timing and they had to do several more takes until it was done right. I remember my first visit to Gilmore Girls and the multiple takes needed to get my little featured scene, so I feel for the guy. Nothing like being the lowest one in the scene and being the reason for do overs. When you stop to think about it, there are always plenty of things that can intimidate you in this business, and you have to learn how to cope with that. Fear, as always, just gets in the way.
Show: The Suite Life of Zach and Cody
Date: January 19, 2007
Episode:
Location: Hollywood Center Studios
This was a short work day, but not a short day. We were shooting before a live audience, so there was no leaving early even though the scenes we were in were short and quick. Our rehearsal time was hardly more than an hour, and when we were done, we had over three hours to kill before lunch and show time. That leaves time for stories, and so...
One of the background regulars on this show, and it seems several other shows that I do, is dealing with Chemotherapy, and thanks to the state laws of California can use marijuana as a legal means of controlling pain. As a result, this fellow had the opportunity to work on a print ad for a center that issues legal and safe pot. There are rules to all of this and the business follows them, according to my fellow background, but there are those who see it otherwise. That would be the DEA and federal government.
The DEA and federal government don't see that the state of California has the right to pass this kind of law, and so they have embarked on a campaign of harassment. It seems that picking on the business is not enough, so they have also gone after the actor who posed for the ads used by this company. On arriving home one day, the DEA were there to tell him that they were investigating him on drug trafficking charges for his appearance in the ad. Not for any possible use of the product. That not being enough, they went to the set of one of the shows he was working (after raiding the company of its marijuana) and threatened him with legal action. The production company told him to do whatever he needed to, and let him know that he would be welcome back when he returned. Turns out the DEA had to return the confiscated pot, and an apology was issue to the background actor for the harassment.
Now, politics aside, that has to be worrisome for an actor/model. Nothing like being visited by a federal agency when your involvement has to do with the image of you used in an ad deemed legal by the State of California.