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Photographs Copyright 2005/6 by Phillip Moon
Archive May/July 2006
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May 12, 2006
Show:The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.
Location: Hollywood Center Studios

This week, the scene's are shot on two different set pieces, one being the lobby of the Hotel Tipton where we were shooting before an audience. Thankfully, the audience is made up of lots of kids, so they shoot this show early and fast. I feel for the comedian who keeps the kids interest in the show during taping, because it is a lot of work. If you have ever been to a taping of a show, there are scenes shot three or four times, and each time they want you to laugh just like the first time. And, of course, there are the long stretches between takes, and scenes, and that is where the comedian comes in handy, with games, prizes and interaction with the crowd.

Because of the way we shot the show today, it turned out to be a long day. We got there before the audience, and blocked the lobby scenes (two of them. One near the top of the show and one near the bottom.) Then we spent most of our time in stage 10 which served as our background holding. At dinner time, before filming, we all shuffled off to another stage where lots of good food was to be had. After dinner, the audience was already in place, and the show began. It took about four hours to shoot the show with the audience, and then it was back to holding. About twenty minutes before we shoot a scene, we arrive on set, and when the scene is finished, we go back to holding. That way, there aren't lots of bodies getting in the way.

When the audience left, we went back to stage 11 (where Suite Life is shot), only this time, we went to a temporary set that looked like a school gym for little people. Just wide and long enough for a volleyball court and some bleachers. There were a number of High school girls hired because they were on their high school volleyball team. And it was a good thing too.

Their job was to make the game played by the shows two young female leads look authentic. That meant lots of well placed shots with volleyballs, with the aim of NOT hitting the thousands of dollars worth of studio equipment, from lights to cameras. To get some of the shots needed, the actors had to get in there and hit the ball too. More than one volleyball went 30 feet into the lights above, and not once did the lights take a hit. Wish we could say the same for the camera operators.

One ball took off and whizzed by the camera, hit the wall and shot off into the crowd of crew, watching from the side lines. In another shot, one of the leads is seen spiking the ball over the net. Now the top of the net is maybe seven feet up and the actor is seen at the top of the net, spiking the ball down, and the actor is almost 5' 1”. The crew brought out a two foot platform and she would hit the ball from there, and sink (bend her knees) to give the impression that she was dropping to the floor after her amazing jump. Many shots were taken of the actors serving, blocking, and placing the ball, and each one generally required many takes. Volleyballs shot into the lights, the audience (that being us background) and the crew and cameras. Eventually, enough takes with good plays were captured. It was fun to watch and now you know how actors, who can't otherwise even serve a volleyball, can look like they are practiced pros.

May 16 and 19, 2006
Movie: License to Wed
First Congregational Church
241 Cedar Ave. Long Beach
(Founded in 1914)

Much fun was to be had today, and most all of it on set. Robin Williams was the actor of note on the set today, and it is really fun to watch him work. True to his stand-up comedy beginnings, Robin has a tendency to entertain the actors, crew and background between takes.

This movie makes Robin, Father Frank, a marriage counselor who puts one couple through a series of relationship challenges during the most grueling marriage preparation course ever. Our scene involves the couple coming into church late (after services start) and Father Franks reaction, which is public and immediate. The scene has Father Frank turn to the choir, after nailing the young couple in their tracks, and leading them in a chorus of “You're late!”. You'd only have to be the center of attention once in that church to know you would never be late again. Makes you wonder what happens of he hears a coin drop into the collection plate.

In between takes, Robin would often stay in character and pray for one or another of the celebrities or public officials we all know and love. He prayed that God should help Gov. Schwarzenegger in learning how to spell California without the “K”, and that perhaps he could grant Paris Hilton a conscience.

One of those floating helium lights was being used on set, so Robin dubbed the church “Our Lady of the Zeppelin.”, and announced in a voice that rose in pitch as he spoke that, “if there is a helium leak, you'll know.”

At one point, the wait between takes was running long, and Robin went into a riff, complete with drums, choir voiced “amens” and a mini sermon about what Nefertiti would say to Rameses, “Not tonight. It's my pyramid.”

Ed Sullivan, automated services with robot priests, and celebrities prayed for, kept us entertained most of the day.

But as sometimes happens, there were technical problems. The biggest was the fact that the recording of the choir singing went bad, and the choir had to perform the song during the shots. The choir and Robin were up to the task, and with the drums and piano to play along, belted out the chorus of “You're Late” with gusto.

And to top it all off, they paid me to be there. Hallelujah!

May 18, 2006
Show: Weeds
Ren Mar Studios, Hollywood.

I kind of thought I had been to this little studio before, and I was right. This is where Monk is shot. The sets for the characters apartments, and the precinct offices fill many of the stages, and what they don't take up, Weeds uses. Weeds is a Showtime comedy, and as such, I'll likely never see it.

This was a short day, but as many short days start out, the omelet bar provided a great breakfast. We ate and waited about an hour before going to set. Once there, we kept busy for the two hours we worked before calling it a day. (That is me and my fellow background. The crew was just starting their day).

The scene we were shooting takes place in the office building of one of the characters, who is being fired, and escorted from the building. There is an argument, verbiage is thrown around (not repeatable here...this is Showtime, after all.) and the character is rendered senseless with a taser.

During the set up, the Director came up and looked at all of us standing there. He finally pointed to me and told me to come down (I was at the top of a flight of stairs) and stand by the camera. For the remainder of the day, I served as the “Boss” and sight line for the actor (Andy) who got tased, and as the focus for the turn around shots.

The actor's sight line is established so that he is looking in the right direction and level past the camera. The Director came up and told me that the actor was going to be swearing at me, and not to take it personally. And during the takes, that is precisely what he did. Looked right into my eyes and said many things I am sure he didn't mean. I had asked the actor if he wanted reactions from me, or even if he wanted me looking at him, and he said that my reactions were great, and to keep it up.

On the turn around, (when the camera shoots from the opposite direction), I ended up in the shot, and several times the director came out to talk to the actor, and would stop to tell me that I was giving him great facial reactions to work with. Of course, there is no telling if any of this will make it on the screen, but it was nice to have another Director choose me from the many to be singled out and featured. Bodes well for when I start auditioning for rolls as CEO's and Lawyers.

June 6, 2006
Show: Kellogg's Commercial
Crunchy Nut Bars

Keep your eyes open for a new Kellogg's product. Crunchy Nut Bars will soon hit the market, and there is a good chance you will see me as one of many “think tank” types trying to name the product.

Commercials, like T.V. shows and Movies hire background actors to fill out the crowd when needed, and while I have been working almost a year now, this is my first commercial. Funny thing, but it works just like anything else I've done. We were served breakfast and taken to the set, where we were checked by wardrobe, and fitted with white lab coats, with triangular stickers that looked official.

On set, the task was simple, if repetitive. We sat in our chairs, put fore finger of right hand to chin and tapped. For hours and hours, we tapped our chins. The big scene involved the naming of the product, and the young actor who comes up with the name would stand, announce, “I've got it.” at which we would all stop chin tapping and turn to look at him. Then he would say, “Crunchy Nut Bar.” and we would all wait a beat and then proceed in applause and kudos aimed his way.

Sometimes the Director would have him say his line in the Indian accent that matched his looks, and other times he would have him drop the accent all together and deliver the line in an unfettered American accent, all the time, we happy background tapping our chins.

In a few takes, he had the actor change the product name to Nutty Crunch Bar, where upon, the background would simply look at him until he announce his alternate choice, Crunchy Nut Bar, and again, we would all cheer his genius.

There were principal actors in this commercial who had no lines (at least not in this scene), but will still get nice pay checks. Their job, like ours was to tap their chins, but they were to stop, glance at someone, maybe start to say something and return to chin tapping. I would love to have been in on those auditions. “OK now,” says the Casting Director, “stop tapping your chin, and look like you've got an idea.”

For almost 10 hours, I was on set, with the occasional break for a reset, and lunch, tap tap taping my chin in perfect synchronization with fifty other background, five or six silent principals and one speaking actor. How, I hear you ask, ignoring my numb posterior and my tired index finger, did all of you stay in sync with you tapping fingers? Why there was a talking sound synthesizer which, when it wasn't saying sweet things to the female crew, was tapping out an obnoxious metronome beat that we all lived by for hours. You will never hear it. The editor will replace it with sounds that were never heard on set, and it always shut off just before the lines, “I've got it.”

May 10, 17, 31 – June 7, 2006
Commercial Acting Class
Daphney Kirby's studio

This report includes classes 2, 3, 4, and 5.

The focus of the first four classes is improvisation. This is something that actors are often asked to do at an audition for commercial work. They may want you to be a person trying to get someone to give you their car, or someone you have met in a restaurant. Sometimes, there would be a goal in mind, such as the close of the scene would be watching the imaginary backside of someone walking past. This might be for a weight loss commercial. The idea is to learn the many things that will carry you through an audition, and on to a call back.

The first audition for a commercial, is just to get you that call back. Make them like you enough to bring you back for round two. Fewer people there to contend with, and a greater chance of getting the job. Here is one of the things that most people don't think about. When most folks go out and get a job, they go to an interview, and try to make the “boss” like them and believe that they are the one for the job. Then they get hired (one hopes) and they try to stay in that job as long as they can.

Actors, on the other hand, spend much of their professional life, auditioning. If you are a commercial actor, and you do 20 commercials in one year, that is at least 40 auditions, and likely more. This class is designed to teach the basics in how to get that second audition. What we say when we walk in to an audition, and what we wear, can get us or lose us a job. We may be too tall, not tall enough. Our hair may be the wrong color, or we may look like the producers or casting directors ex-wife or ex-husband. We may be the perfect person for the part, until the next guy walks in. And in most cases, we will never know why we didn't get the job.

Learning to take direction is important, and being able to give the director something else to work with. When I did the Kellogg commercial, the young man with the speaking roll would listen after each take to whatever the Director had to say. Sometimes he would say it from twenty feet away, and sometimes he would walk up and talk in a near whisper with the actor. Try this. Try that. Drop the accent, add the accent, speak faster, speak slower. Let's change the line, or give it a beat here, or there. And that young fellow followed each and every direction to the letter.

The class is now shy a few people, and that is a good thing, because two of them dropped it for movie rolls. But I am not turning green here, because the auditioning processes is a spooky one. In class number five, we entered class as if it was a call back. I was nervous as heck, and probably couldn't have been more so if I was going on a real call back. I am lucky though, in that I have two people who constantly provide guidance. Linda, who has been though so much of this with Jessica, helps me, and Jessica also puts in her two cents. She's the one who told me that I have to go in, do the best job in the audition I can, and then forget about it when I walk out. If you don't let go, you'll have this ever increasing pile of auditions hanging over your head, and you'll never get any sleep.

I have one more class, and yes, one more mock audition/call back. I hope I am a little calmer for this one, but if not, I will at least learn to let it go when I walk out.

June 30, 2006
Show: House M.D.
Episode: Meaning
Location: UCLA

UCLA CampusNice to be back to work. I missed hearing the director's call of action, and the atmosphere on set, with the lights and the bustle of crew, background and cast. Set today is the campus of UCLA near one of their fountains, in a big courtyard.

I parked the car on the 5th level of the parking structure on campus, and transportation took us to location about a half mile away. Once there we got our vouchers and waited, ate breakfast and checked in with wardrobe. One of the AD's was worried because one of the union actors hadn't shown, and they were concerned with replacing her.

“I can do a girl.” I said (and I know that sounds bad, but really, it only means that I can “act” the part). “She wears a dress,” the 2nd 2nd said.
“I can wear a dress,” I said, striking a fetching pose. She just stared. I quietly returned to my chair and read. Heck. For a union voucher, I'd wear a pink tutu.

I got a huge amount of reading done today. There was need for us, but we were used only the last few hours of the shoot. They took us on set, near a fountain and told us what to do. While waiting for the action to begin, I heard one of the crew talk about how they rigged the fountain, which originally had only a waterfall and a center piece that really didn't shoot much water up. When they were done with it, there were six jets of water arcing to the center of the fountain from the inside edge. Looked very nice. From what I understood, this was part of the plot of the episode, involving a character walking into the fountain later in the shoot.

I had a chat with one of the AD's and we discussed the “worst day of filming” stories, and truthfully, she kicked my butt, because she has worked longer than I, and also had the best stories.

While she was shooting on an L.A. street, doing the hookers on the corner type New York look, they had a real pimp and one of his girls come onto set and demand that the “girls” production had on “his” corner be removed. He didn't want any competition on “his” corner. The AD explained that the “girls” were not real prostitutes and that they would not be there the next day. The pimp explained that if the “girls” were not taken off of his corner, he would cut them up. The “girls” were moved until the LAPD arrived and explained that he needed to work another corner for the day. He left, but was not a happy camper.

Her other story was about a fellow who had given his permission for the production to use his front lawn (in exchange for a fee) to put their equipment on. He kept watching them and finally came out at one point and demanded more money. They had put too much stuff on his lawn. After some arguing, they increased his fee. A while later, he did this again, arguing that, once again, the production had put more stuff on his lawn. After more pressure, they gave him another raise in his fee. He kept watching the crew, and would come outside and check to see what they were putting on his lawn, and yes, came out once again for his next round of extortion.

This time they refused to give him any more money. They had already given him way more than they had contractually agreed on before starting the days shoot. He hollered and went in and out of his house slamming the door during takes, and yelling. Finally, with thousands of dollars of film equipment on his front lawn, he came out and turned on the sprinklers. According to the AD, several of the crew had to be held back, in order to keep them from causing the little extortionist bodily harm. The police were called, the damage tallied and I am sure that by the time this guy paid for damaged equipment, he lost more that he made.

At the end of day, I walked back to my car (apparel bag, chair and book bag all in tow) and made it to my car about the same time the others who took the van did. They all thought I was crazy, but really, there is something relaxing about walking across a collage campus. Thankfully, I did not have the heart attack my pounding chest was threatening me with.

July 8, 2006
Show: Standoff
Episode: First Episode
Location: 20th Century Fox

Here's the funny part of reporting to the set today. Standoff is a new show and is being shot on stage 9 on 20th's lot. Stage nine was the home to Pepper Dennis (her apartment sets) which is no longer filming having not survived the season. I, however, was back, so no complaints here.

Standoff is about hostage negotiators, and the drama in this episode takes place in the tower where the traffic controllers are. The scenes we are shooting however, are on board one of the planes stuck in a holding pattern over the airport. I am one of the unlucky passengers. Lucky for me, we never left the ground.

Our airplane had no wings, no nose, and no tail, making it easy to get in and out of, and impossible to fly. As I really hate to fly, this is a good thing. While the plane looked really good on the inside, had this been a Boeing product, I would have gotten off and walked. As I sat down on the left end of a row of four seats on set, the right end of the row tipped up, giving me one of those teeter-toter moments. I moved to one of the center seats, which worked better and pulled out my book. In between takes, those of us on board Standoff flight “going nowhere”, pulled out magazines, books and laptop computers, and once I was sure I wasn't going to tip over, I too relaxed. The seats were comfortable, although it was very warm.

To get the look of an airplane flying, during the take a fan was switched on and smoke was blown by the right side windows giving that flying though the clouds look. A bank of five large stage lights on a gimble allowed them to tilt and turn the lights, thus simulating the sun's lighting coming in the planes left windows giving you a convincing effect of movement. The nice part was, I could look down on the earth below, and see the wires that covered the stage floor only a few comfortable feet away.

After shooting three scenes on board Hollywood airplanes, we went to LAX and shot a scene at one of the unused terminals just off the airport access road. When we were done, we were bussed back to 20th, and wrapped. Best time I ever had on an airplane.

July 17, 2006
Show: Desperate Housewives
Episode: Listen to the rain on the roof
Location: El Cabellero Country Club

On rare occasion, I get to the set about the same time as the crew, and today was one of those times. As I pulled into the lot, many of the trucks and trailers for production were still arriving and there were no AD's or PA's present. I have a new acting class on Sunday nights, and by the time I got home, to bed, to sleep, and up for my 3:30 am alarm, I had had less than 3 hours sleep. Call time was 5:30 am (please don't be late) and I arrived at 4:50 am, 25 minutes before the first AD.

We were ushered into holding, which was not at all far from the set, and after getting my voucher, checking in with wardrobe and getting breakfast, I sat down to some serious napping. Every little while, the AD would come in and take people off to set, and around 10:00 am, I finally ended up on set, sitting at a table with my back to the camera and to the hero table (where the stars sit).

During each take, I would have a mimed conversation with the woman on my left, and after the second take, she told me how easy I made it for her to talk to me because I would respond to her with facial reactions that made her feel as thought she were really carrying on a conversation, and that I really looked as though I was talking.

The trick is, I really do talk. Even though the person I am “chatting” with usually can't understand a thing I am saying (after all, I don't use my voice), I end up talking about whatever comes to mind, and I always act as if the camera can see me, because it makes it easier for the person who is facing the camera to look like they are really talking to someone.

That was it. A very short day, and I drove home, dived into bed and napped for about 5 hours. Tomorrow, another early call, but a brand new studio for me.