Set

The shoot was SO MUCH FUN!!!

I arrived at crew parking at quarter to 7am, where I met up with our director, my co-star and various crew members--was introduced to the 1st & 2nd ADs, the DP, etc. They had a lovely catering spread, complete with an omelet bar! Sets are always catered in some way, but I still thought it was so cool. My breakfast was an awesome scramble with turkey, cheese, zucchini and corn, some bacon (you know I love bacon!), raspberries...and a doughnut, for good measure. :) I made good use of the catering, obviously. ;-)

After being driven over to the location--which was a GORGEOUS Craftsmen-style home in South Pasadena, near the crew parking--my co-star and I hung out in the production trailer while we waited to go into hair and make-up. I went in first, put on my costume (which was comprised of my clothing and accessories from the wardrobe gal), then had my make-up done and my hair styled a little nicer than how I had it.

The production crew did a great job of being on top of everything and moving quickly. A lot of times, the general thing on set is "Hurry up and wait", which is in reference to how everyone always needs everything to be ready, even if the shot is an hour away. :) However, they called for me, and once I was done being styled, I was driven to set and my first shot came very shortly afterward! It was great!

Filming itself was so much fun. We worked straight through, with set-ups going very quickly, and I believe we had the majority of filming done in about four hours. The shots began in the house, following me as I went to answer the door, then moved on to do the medium and close ups for my co-star. The camera was then turned around to do my medium and close ups.

My co-star was so great--really funny and quick with his improvisation. After getting the lines that were down on paper, he was given the chance to run with his improvisation at the end of the scene, and it was very, very funny! My lines were a little trickier, as they were the "selling point" sort of lines, more about how great the product is, etc. It's interesting to find the balance between selling the product and being a normal person. :) However, I was told I did well, so that's great! I was able to improvise a little bit, but as my character was the straight man, it was more about my reactions. I got a couple of funny moments in there, but on the whole, it was more important for me to hit the scripted lines. They were rewriting some of my lines as I went along, so I had the challenge of learning them on the fly, which was great to experience, as I'm sure it won't be the last time that happens!

Overall, we received a lot of positive feedback from the director and crew, as well as the production/marketing company rep and the reps from Cox. I met a couple of them at the craft table, after my scenes were wrapped, and they were incredibly nice. Actually, everyone on set was amazing and kind, very friendly and professional. Our director was great--really hands on, very involved, creative, positive--it was fun to work with him. I feel very lucky to be involved in such a great production!!

I wasn't able to see any of the footage, but I saw a couple of black and white polaroid type shots, used by the script supervisor to track for continuity, and the shots looked nice. I'm really excited to see how it's all edited together--the director had us playing around, saying a lot of lines over and over again, just to give him options in editing. That's a learning experience for me, for sure--I've not had to repeat a lot of things like that, and I love the opportunity to learn how to do that well.

One of the things I realized was that I was feeling a little curious as to whether or not I was doing well, if they were happy with what they got, but then I realized that if they weren't happy, they would have kept me there until I got it right. :) Also, I believe that if there had been any serious issues, I would have been worked with so that I could make the necessary adjustments. I also really realized how true it is that everyone does want you to do well! :) The folks I spoke to seemed very happy with what I was doing and happy to have me there, and it really made an impact on me to see that sort of energy all around me, because lord knows I was thrilled to be there myself!!!!

Overall, I'm so very happy and excited to have had this opportunity!!!!!!!! I was nervous this morning, before I got there, but just found that my joy at being involved won out over anything else. I really loved being the "talent"--so much fun!!! :) I have already sent out thank you cards to my agents, the casting director, the production/marketing company rep and one of the Cox reps that I met on set--and I passed a thank you card to the director before I left. I've been told it's rare for people to send thank you cards out like that, but I guess I've just had great teachers in the past, who have given me the amazing advice to always show gratitude for those folks. I love being able to send thank you cards to people--I feel like it's an awesome way to send out gratitude and positive energy into the world.

I look forward to seeing a final cut of the commercial--the production/marketing company rep told me to make sure they had my contact info so they could mail me a copy for my reel (my info was on the contract/waiver I signed). If it's not put online by someone else or by Cox, I'll try to upload it once it arrives, so I can have it to send to people and put on my website. I was told we looked great, so it should be fun to see!

I'm looking forward to my next commercial audition!! I can't wait to ROCK it and enjoy it just like I enjoyed this whole experience!!! Next up, I am ready to book a SAG commercial and be Taft-Hartleyed!!!! Yay!!!!!!!