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Copyright 2006 by Phillip Moon
Photographs Copyright 2005/6 by Phillip Moon

Archive January 2006
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Date: January 13 and 16, 2006
Show: Holiday
Episode: Movie
Location: Occidental College, Pasadena

DAY ONE
Jan. 13 – Fri.

This is the first movie booking I've had, and this was a Director's pick. That means that If you wanted to do this film, you told Central to send your picture to the director, and she would look over them, deciding who she wanted to use. That's a lot of pictures, because Nancy Meyers (the Director) had 550 background actors on location today. This is the biggest call I've been on yet.

Holiday stars Jack Black, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Cameron Diaz. I am sorry to report that Cameron was not on set today. (Not sorry for you, but for me!) Still, Jack Black, and Kate Winslet were there and so was Eli Wallach, but I get ahead of my self.

One of the BG actors on set today was on her first booking. I had to laugh when she told me her last name, which is Luna (Spanish for Moon). I also ran into a few folks who I've worked with before on T.V. shows. Nice to see faces I recognize.

It's lunch time on the Holiday set.The holding area is big. Remember we have 550 background working today, so we have taken over the entire cafeteria, additional dining areas and an outside quad. The pictures I got just don't do it justice because you don't really see the lines of people going off into the distance, seemingly without end. To handle the crowd, the production company brought in Mark, who is a specialist at working with large numbers of BG. After he finishes with this film, he starts on Spiderman 3.

I ran into Steve, with whom I worked on Heist (Nov. 28, 05). Steve is also a consultant on the side, and told me that he has a new contract that will have him working two days a week. He will make as much in those two days as he would if he did thirty-three days of BG work.

And I met Emperor, who's mother and father were entertainers and historians, thus the name Emperor Fredrick. That's almost like walking into school and saying “My name is Sue, how do you do?” Makes you happy to have a normal name.

The director decided she needed to check out the costuming of the extras, so all 550 of us were set up in two lines (boys and girls) and she walked up one side and down the other, sending several people back to wardrobe to be changed. She pulled some folk for a shot she was doing and sent the rest of us back to holding. Took about forty minutes out in the sun. She did that twice during the day, and that kinda makes you believe that she really did pick 550 background actors from pictures.

When we went in to shoot the scene for which we were hired (and will return on Monday to finish) one of the actors in the scene was Eli Wallach. He has played rolls in Batman (T.V.) as Mr. Freeze, Playhouse 90 in For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Magnificent Seven, The Executioner's Song and Godfather: Part III, just to name a few. His character enters the auditorium and walks to the front where he climbs the stairs and gives a short speech. As he enters, the audience (the 550 BG actors) stands and give him a rousing ovation. I think it was clear that the first ovation, and the one at the end of his speech were actually for Eli, rather than just for the character. After all, we couldn't hear the director call cut. He has been acting since 1945 when he made his debut on Broadway, and has had a busy carrier over the last 60 years. I think the BG actors realized this.

I come back to do it all again at 6:00 AM Monday morning, and I must remember Row J, Seat 101. This is where I will be sitting during the scene in the posh theater with the well cushioned seats. Hard work making a movie.

DAY TWO
Jan. 16 – Mon.

Now remember the line at the end of the Day One report. It comes into play later.

A 6:00 AM call means a 4:00 AM alarm. While I did manage to get some sleep, the total was about five hours, give or take. Despite years of effort in perfecting the Noon Lay-in, I have learned to arise and become aware of my surroundings hours before proper folk get up. This is not a brag, but simply an admission of yielding to a well grounded reality.

I arrived on set before my call time and got set up in holding. BG holding used some of the same buildings as before and another large room where I set up camp. Warm, if not cozy. I went to hair and make-up because the AD wanted us to go there. I have short hair, so mostly the hair people look at me and go, “He's fine”, and keep going down the line. Guys have it easy if they have short hair because they also wiz by make-up most of the time. The exception is the balding man, who may need something to cut the shine down.

At 9:00 AM we went to set and proceeded to do the same thing we did yesterday, only we did it for another ten or so hours. Stand up, applaud, sit and look at the speaker (even if there is no speaker). Do it again, do it again, do it again! Warning Will Robinson, you are caught in a time loop. Warning Will Robinson... You get the message. Given the budget of a movie compared to a T.V. show, a director can spend two days on the same three minute scene with three stars and Five Hundred and Fifty BG actors, plus crew.

Prop program for the Award sceneAll this time, 90 year old Eli Wallach is marching up and down the slopped aisle of the theater, proudly tottering on the arm of Kate Winslet going down, and calmly sauntering back up to do it again. If the poor guy kicks it somewhere in the next few weeks, I suspect it will be from the mileage he put on in that one scene. Each time he got up to the podium, he would try to start his speech, and each time the Director would yell “Cut” just as he began. At one point, after quite a few of these abrupt cuts, the scene went like this:

Eli Wallach: (totters to the podium) “I came to Hollywood 60 years ago”
Director: “Cut”
Eli Wallach: Turns away, stops, turns back and says, “And I'm still here!”
That got him a well deserved laugh and applause.

It was a long day, and while I admit that this is not one of the hardest jobs out there, after 10 hours, my eyes were hardly focusing. As to the rising and falling of the audience, one BG actor said she hadn't stood up and sat down this much since she went to a Catholic wedding.

Amen.

Date: January 17, 2006
Show: The Bernie Mac Show
Episode: ?
Location: CBS Radford

The movie experience (Holiday) was interesting, but it was nice to be back on a T.V. show. This was one of the last episodes of the season for Bernie Mac. They won't know if they are picked up by the network until May, and then would not go back to shooting until August. That's seven months of down time, and all the cast and crew will be looking for other jobs in the mean time. Few people think about the time that actors don't work, and not all of them get BMW type pay checks. Back when “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” aired (1968 to 1970 with Hope Lange and Edward Mulhare), Reta Shaw, who played the house keeper (and the maid in Mary Poppins) had the opportunity to do what many actors had to do in the summer or when the show closed down, and that was go to the unemployment line. While there, some guy in line recognized her and made a crack about her being there and not needing the money. Truth is, most actors just make a living. If they are not getting work, they too, must sometimes file for unemployment.

Turns out a lot of background actors have second jobs, a spouse with a second income, or are retired. Given the minimum wage, I can understand that.

The Crew on The Bernie Mac Show is a fun crew and relaxed, and they are well organized. BG was signed in, to wardrobe and ready for set in quick time. They seem to like to tease the background actors though. One BG was being featured in the second scene we shot and Bernie Mac was going to approach him and pat him on the back. First, the AD hollered “Picture up” which warns that we are going to begin taping soon, then he turned to the BG actor and says not to worry, relax and enjoy himself, the whole shot rests on him. “No pressure”, Bernie Mac said. They pointed out that the shot starts and stops on him. At the end of the shot, Bernie Mac walks up to the BG actor and slaps him on the back. Most of us could feel the vibrations, even several feet away. On the second take, the BG pulled a face on the impact, but his timing was off just a little, which caused Bernie Mac to break and laugh. Third shot was a charm.

One of the things you will almost never notice on T.V. is that the set pieces move about to accommodate the shot. They used three sets of takes for the same lines. For the first set of takes (in a two shot from the front), the actors stood next to a table and said their lines. In the second set of takes (from the side, looking at the niece past Bernie Mac) they move the actors a few feet back and to the left. And for the third set of takes (over the shoulder looking at the banquet table and the BG actor that would be featured in the last shot) they moved the actors several feet left of their original positions and moved a table, chair and potted plant. These will all look like part of the same shot when they are done, and no one will realize that the actors were moved around the set like checkers, and set pieces slipped and slided to improve the view.


Date: January 18, 2006
Show: Spiderman 3
Episode: Fitting
Location: Sony Studios

This was a short day. Fittings are just that. Today, I drove to Sony Studios (just down the street) and went to stage 20, where costuming for Spiderman 3 was located. The trick is to listen to the recording that tells you what to wear, and hope that you come close. I get it right about 95 percent of the time now, and am not often surprised. Today was the 5 percent day where I was off the mark.

The recording said fall colors, and everything from upscale to funky. Wardrobe seems to have been on a different wavelength, and the first thing that started happening was we were being told to change into other things we brought with us, or to change into what they brought us. In my case, I will be wearing my own shirt (gray) with the tan pants and black jacket they gave me. By the time they were done, we were all in the same basic colors. Black, tan and gray. Ah well, that's fine. I'll still get to be in the Spiderman movie, and if I'm lucky, I'll even be visible.

More on Spiderman 3 from the set on the 27th. After a big 550 BG call like “Holiday”, 500 extras on Spiderman 3 should be a breeze. Oh my! I just realized I'll be sitting in a theater again. The Fates can be cruel.


Date: January 19, 2006
Show: Close to Home
Episode: Land of Opportunity
Location: Sony Studios (Stage 26)

Something must have been in the air today, because this was a day for whining. It didn't seem to matter where I turned, all I could hear were complaints about how life was unfair to the speaker. Mostly, people were gripping about the issues they had with whatever agency they used, had used or were never gonna use. Sheesh. And, of course, they also complained about the studios as though they were supposed to behave in an altruistic manner, rather than as the money making businesses they are. After a while, I turned to my book and tuned out the tears. This is far from a perfect business, but it is far from the worst.

Some of the worst of the gripers were also the worst of the transgressors as far as behavior was concerned. One gal who spent several hours venting to anyone who would listen, called her booking agency and started to give her information in a nice clear ringing voice. The only problem was, we were on the bell. That means we were rolling and actors were talking and sound engineers were recording. She didn't get three words out before she was shushed, where upon she headed for the door, to take her conversation outside. Again, we were on a bell. Red light flashing. She had to be intercepted to prevent her from strolling off set.

Another fellow decided to open his soda when we were on the bell. The sound man complained about that one, which could be heard clear across the stage, on set. The AD came over and reminded us to avoid that kind of noise making while on the bell. An hour later, his buddy did the same thing.

I got lots of reading done because this was a fourteen hour day. Now I only spent about one hour of that on set (and was on set only three times), but I did get a lot of reading done. Also had a chance to chat with other background people about many different subjects. One fellow from Riverside thinks he even knows who my brother-in-law is, having seen him in Riverside doing his civilian volunteer police thing. Described him to a tee.

Close to Home has been a good show for me. Good set and crew, and I like only having to drive five minutes to get there. Today I spent about thirty minutes talking to Peter, who is one of the ADs, about acting and my plans. He asked some good questions and actually seemed interested (a good trait when you have probably heard many other stories on a similar topic). Got lots of exercise walking the set and the lot. During the lunch break I talked on the phone with Linda and wandered the studio. That's how I found “The Grill” which is where the ones in the know go (cause you gotta know where to go to get there). Funny thing is, it is right next to where I went to get fitted for Spiderman 3. At the time, I thought it was a set. I guess not, at least during lunch and dinner hours.

Date: January 20, 2006
Show: West Wing
Episode: Election Day
Location: Universal Sheraton Hotel

Back on West Wing, and I am beginning to feel like that song line from That's Life by Frank Sinatra. Remember how it goes: “I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king”. Well, I've been a protester, a teacher, a reporter, a diplomat/King, an elevator repairman and now a hotel guest.

How to become an unpaid extraWe were shooting at the Universal Sheraton Hotel at Universal Studios, and like many location sets, this one was open to the public (at least hotel guests). That means that there is a sign that warns people that if they walk on set during filming, they have given their permission to the WB to use their image on the show. Most people wait for the shot to finish before walking through the cameras line of sight. But not everyone was happy about it. We were shooting near the bar, and while most people including the bar patrons were patient and enjoyed watching the filming, a few were less than happy at having a few minutes of their time compromised by the film company.

One guy protested to one of the crew that he was a paying guest, and the crew member pointed out the the production company was also a paying guest. He also declared that he was one of the people who were attending the GE seminars that were taking place, and that GE owns NBC (which airs West Wing) and that he pays our salaries. I am guessing that most of you can catch the failure of reasoning that is part of his train of thought (derailed though it is). First of all, GE paid for his room, not him. Second, West Wing is a WB production, shown on NBC and while it is possible, this guy didn't seem like he was on the board of directors of GE, so it is unlikely he pays anyones salaries at the WB or NBC. And third, he is in the public area of a hotel located on a studio lot that makes movies, T.V. and commercials.

Quite a few people asked questions, of me and others, and we kept them entertained between shots. There was a bar, built just for this scene, in the lobby, and plenty of fake drinks to serve the actors during filming. Stacy, the 2nd 2nd AD, had a plan for how the background would look, and had to toss that when the director decided to shoot things in a manner that didn't work with Stacy's well thought out plans. So I ended up walking back and forth past the lobby during each shot, and it was well into the second hour of shooting before people stopped trying to keep me from walking out in front of the camera's. It turns out that I looked just like a hotel guest, and security, crew and on lookers felt compelled to tell me a television show was being shot and I was in the picture. Several people thought that if I could do it they should be able to as well, and had to be told that I actually worked for the production company.

Date: January 23, 2006
Show: Pepper Dennis
Episode: 101 (The Premier Episode)
Location: 20th Century Fox

This new show shot at 20th stars Rebecca Romijn, Josh Hopkins, Brooke Burns and Alexandrea Barreto. The only one I recognized was Rebecca Romijn (until recently Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) who was one of the bad guys in the first two X-Men movies. Prior to being an actor in movies and T.V., she was a model.

This is the premier episode of Pepper Dennis (a reporter for a T.V. station), and that means that as we go along here, I will try to see if I can become a regular background on this show. This happens on shows that have an established setting like a newsroom, hospital, precinct, or other set local. I have run into quite a few background artists who have played a show season after season, having that nice feeling of almost parenteral work. We'll see if that might play out for me.

Backdrop for Pepper DennisIn this episode, (which takes place in the news studios) five executives are sitting in judgment on a young lady who is auditioning for the “Lotto Girl” position at the station. I am one of the executives. Our orders are simple, as related by the director. This girl is tanking. Cute though she may be (short and low cut dress included), she is clumsy and clearly has no personality. Realizing her audition is going down the tubes, she picks up a ball she dropped, draws it seductively from ear to cleavage, and aces the interview, getting the job. As you can tell from the description, it is clear that our job was to look bored until we locked onto her cleavage, at which point we were all in agreement that the young lady would be perfect. Now tell me how many jobs do you know of that require you to look at cleavage. I did my best to make it believable.

While shooting this scene, I spent some time looking at the back drop of Chicago buildings that is visible from the newsroom. It was so realistic, I thought the numbers “55” on one of the buildings were raised. I spent much of the time I was not gazing at other sites, looking at the numbers trying to tell if they were raised or not. They aren't.

Date: January 24, 2006
Show: Close to Home
Episode: Land of Opportunity
Location: On Location at Warner Brothers Studios

If the above location looks different from others you've seen, that's because it is. Close to Home is shot close to my home at Sony Studios in Culver City. Alas, Sony (which bought out MGM years ago) has sold the back lots that had the outside sets, and other buildings they could have used for this episode. That is why I ended up on the WB lot today.

Now if you look back on the January 19 log, you will notice that I just worked Close to Home. It's a good show and I enjoy working it, but there is usually a restriction on just how often you can work some shows. Many of them, and Close to Home is one of them, prefer to have three to four weeks between the last time you worked a show and the current booking. This helps to keep fresh faces on the show and helps prevent some of the anomaly's that pop up from time to time. Like someone noting that a Swedish Royal turns up the next episode as an elevator repairman. Or worse, an elevator repairman turns up seconds later as a cook in the same episode (as happened to my fellow BG artist on West Wing). But for some reason, Close to Home waved the waiting period, and Linda hesitated not a second to get me booked.

Now that is the reason why the delay period is there, and I think it is possible that I could end up in two scenes in this show even though today, we shot only one scene. On January 19th, I was on Close to Home, shooting at the Sony lot, and the episode was Land of Opportunity. Now look up at the title of this episode one more time. Yep. Same episode.

Today, in the only scene I was in, the AD made a point of telling me that I was clearly in the shot that included the star of the show and this weeks bad guy. This is the same fellow that I, as a jury member later in the episode, will find guilty of many things and terminate his freedom. If the editor so allows it, or just doesn't notice, I could end up seen clearly, both working in his building and his jury. Can't wait to see what happens. Boy, talk about a possible reason for a new trial.

Date: January 25, 2006
Show: CSI
Episode: Pirates of the Third Reich
Location: Universal Studios

I know that in the past, I have pointed out how important it is to keep wardrobe happy. I always bring what they want, or at least what I think they want, and as I do this job, I'm getting better at it. But sometimes things just get complicated, mixed up, or just plain fumbled, and that's the way this day started. Somewhere in the line of communication that runs from the production team, to Central Casting, to the background artist, the message got garbled and that cost three people a days work.

It starts with our mass migration from holding to wardrobe. Some shows like to send you as you get your voucher, others make you wait and then take you there in mass. The wardrobe gal comes out and got the first voucher and asks the BG artist if he has his white shoes and socks. Alas, the answer is no. He (as was I) was booked as a visitor/patient, and our wardrobe was listed as casual street close reasonable to Las Vegas. In fact, we were the only category that did not list white shoes and white socks to be brought with us. CSI often uses background actors in several capacities. You might be a CSI tech and a pedestrian, or a tech and a body in the morgue (as I was on CSI: NY), so they want you to have the white shoes and socks.

The only people who had white shoes were those who happened to be wearing them to the lot. Mine were black shoes, as were many others. Wardrobe said, after the first few of us were seen, that if we didn't have our white shoes, we could expect to be sent home. Clearly that didn't sit well with any of us, and I for one, pointed out that we were not told to bring them by Central.

Enter the AD. Toussaint is the AD that wrangles the BG, and he was brought into this to help figure out what to do. First thing was to calm down the wardrobe gal, who was rather put out by the whole thing, and look for options. Option one was to get everyone with white shoes into “whites”, that is, the white pants and tops worn by nurse's and orderly. The second thing was to put some of us into “doctor whites” which are the white jackets you see doctors (and actors playing doctors) wear. Even though I dressed down for the visitor/patient call, I had a dress shirt and slacks, my dress shoes and ties (in my wardrobe bag) which made me a doctor (see what I mean about keeping wardrobe happy?).

Patching things together this way, wardrobe was able to give the production what they needed, but three BG actors were out of luck because they had no white shoes or dressy clothes.

While working the show, I received a call from Karen at Central Casting letting me know that if I wanted to be cast on Pepper Dennis, I should contact her ASAP. Seems they are looking for people to fill out the newsroom on a regular basses (possible work two to three times a week) and they were looking to some of the people who were there during the first week. When I got hold of her, she confirmed that I was able to work the next day, and booked me for the show.

Please tune in for the continuing trauma, I mean drama, of the Pepper Dennis Casting Crisis.

Date: January 26, 2006
Show: Pepper Dennis
Episode: “Frat Boys May Loose Their Manhood, Film at Eleven.”
Location: 20th Century Fox

While working CSI on the 25th, I spent time with an AD named Neil. While I was trying to get confirmed for working on Pepper Dennis, he made sure I didn't get in trouble for using my cell phone on set by having me step off without consequence. I made sure to thank him and told him that thanks to the call, I was now booked on Pepper Dennis with possible long term bookings ahead. Turns out Neil knows the 2nd AD on the show. Her name is Shay. Neil said to say hi to Shay for him, and thanks to that little intro, I started out on the 2nd AD's radar and her good side.

In this episode of Pepper Dennis, there are several people in the outer office who have come to the notice of the receptionist (sister of Pepper Dennis) and being a person who can't say no, she is going to try to get their individual stories told. We have in the crowd, a juggler (with a perpetual, and strange, smile) a frat boy who suffered a hazing, and a cross dresser (complete with his own wig) who hadn't yet finished his cross gender operation. No doubt about it, this guy makes the ugliest woman one has ever seen.

Now I knew that there was the possibility of coming back to the show for more work. If you recall some of my past writings, you will understand that getting to be a regular BG actor on a show has some perks and can make life a little easier. Karen at Central Casting had made a point in letting me know that they were looking for regulars to fill the newsroom, so I was on my best behavior (always am anyway). Just after lunch, the temporary 2nd 2nd AD (Shannon) came in to let us know that we were all called back for the next day (Friday). And so the saga continues.

I will be on the set of Spiderman III on Friday, and it was a special fitting for which the studio paid me. And I was not the only one with a problem. Several others had either bookings, funerals or in the case of one gal, her mothers doctor visit for Chemo treatment. Seems there were some mis communications again. (Keep in mind that I have done this for almost five months and this is the first serial screwup I had seen by Central Casting). To put it mildly, the bio-hazardousness waste material hit the oscillating air circulation device, and for the next few hours, calls were being made, bookings canceled and collars were heating up. Some folks were re-booked on Pepper Dennis because the show had priority. The need for continuity beat a new booking on another show.

My own story was that Karen at Central told me I would return to the show for Friday, and would not shoot Spiderman the next day. While disappointed, I a) want to keep my job, and b) wanted to have the chance to return to Pepper Dennis on a regular basses. I told Shannon that I would be returning, only to receive a phone call from Karen telling me that after consulting with the casting director for Spiderman III, it was decided that the special fitting card trumped the continuity card of Pepper Dennis. I found Shannon who understood the decision, and told me she was glad that she would be home tomorrow sleeping in. I left my name with Zack (another AD) who said he would try to get me back on the show if he could.

Next time: Spiderman III

Date: January 27, 2006
Show: Spiderman III
Episode: Movie
Location: Downtown LA (Orpheum Theater)

Only one month into the new year and I am doing my second movie. I may not do anything else on this film other than sit in the audience of the Orpheum Theater applauding for Mary Jane Watson (played by Kirsten Dunst) but I still found it fun with elements of mild disappointment.

To aid the memory, I will remind you that I had a special fitting for this film. Went down to Sony studios, tried on some clothes, stood for pictures, and went home. I was pulled off of a second day of shooting on Pepper Dennis for this. After an hour or so, all of the special fittings were taken to the parking lot and 25 men and 25 women were paired up, where-upon, the rest of us were sent back to holding. That was the extent of the special handling the special fitting people got. Oh well, fame ain't the only thing that's fleeting.

There were quite a few BG that I recognized, and a few whose names I know. I met Debra on my first shoot (Huff – Aug. 16, 2005) and have worked with her many time since. She brings her knitting with her to shoots, and makes items for her grandchildren. She just returned from Texas with pictures of her new granddaughter, and new yarn for the new project. Ray was there also (met him on the set of Ghost Whisperer), and I had just worked with him on Close to Home (at Warner Brothers back lot). Ray had worked on The Poseidon Adventure and taken me on a tour of the sound stages where the film was shot. Ms. Luna whom I met on the set of my other movie (Holiday) was on location also. Seems that while she was not overly excited about the whole BG thing, she has two grandsons who can now tell their friend that grandma was in Spiderman III. Last time I saw her, she was three sheets to the wind, head down and dead to the world. Still, the grandchildren will be happy.

The LA Orpheum TheaterDuring shooting, Toby Maguire (Peter Parker/Spiderman) and James Franco (Harry Osborn) were in the audience with the background. Toby was in the front row, and James was in the third Balcony Box just a stones throw away (and if you've seen me throw stones, you know that's close). But I doubt that I will be seen in this scene. Still, I will go to the movie when it comes out and watch for myself in the scene were MJ sings.
At about the time I was wrapped, Karen called from Central Casting to let me know I was to return to the Pepper Dennis show on Monday, with a possible call back on Wednesday and Friday. Things may yet work out for me as a regular on Pepper Dennis. 20th Century Fox is close to my home and two to three days of almost certain work makes for less stress and driving. Well, we'll see.
Monday – Pepper Dennis.


Date: January 30, 2006
Show: Pepper Dennis
Episode: “Frat Boys May Loose Their Manhood, Film at Eleven.”
Location: 20th Century Fox

Well I'm back on Pepper Dennis and so is the 2nd 2nd AD Paula (whose shoes were filled by Shannon last Thursday). I let Paula know that I had worked the first episode and had worked the Thursday shoot, and that I had to do Spiderman III on Friday. She smiled and said, “I'm going to have to punish you.”, and she did keep me busy all day.

Pepper Dennis VanPepper Dennis works for WEIE Channel 4 in Chicago, and the first shooting they had to do that day was outside the stage. They used the blue news van. There is an actual news van for driving around in, but on stage, they have a shell of the van for shooting scenes in the back of it, and in the cab against a green screen.

On set at Pepper DennisWhile most of the things I did today were crosses (mostly down a long hallway), one of the things I did was stand in the newsroom and practice giving an editorial for the camera. Alas, it was one of the non-working set pieces that dressed up the news studio set, but still, it was fun. At one point, I noticed a spot that was on and moved under it. I could see myself in the reflection of the window glass, and made sure that I was well lit. The real camera was thirty feet away on the other set, but could see me, so I had high hopes that being well lit would help. A few minutes before we started shooting, a lighting guy came in and asked me if “...this is where they told you to stand.”, to which I said yes. He proptly told someone to turn off my little spotlight, leaving me again, in the dark.

There was a script left on the set, and I managed to read it while the scene was shot. Gave me an idea of what was left to shoot. This show had seven days to shoot, while a normal show shoots in eight. I can tell there will be plenty to keep us busy on Pepper Dennis. By this time next week, I should know if I am going to be a regular background on the show. Till then, this is in the dark Phil...signing off.