The life of a starlet

It’s not so sparkly as one would think. Today we met on set to shoot our first ever video where of course tea is the main attraction. In several shots, I held the spoon scooping loose tea into a bowl, lamenting of course that the nail polish on my right hand was chipping. Working on set at a video shoot is no big deal to me anymore. After the about.com pieces from last year, I feel as though they initiated me by hell fire into the world of film, making it now somewhat old hat. I was reminded again of why I wouldn’t want to be a starlet.

#1: They are on their feet ALL stinking day long and even in my comfiest tennis shoes, my feet were aching once we wrapped.

#2: “That’s good. Now let’s do it again but turn a little to the left. A little more. Good.” Okay, seriously, the amount of repetition required to get a perfect scene can be staggering. With tea, we sometimes had around four takes and you can imagine what it’s like once a human enters the film’s frame. So unless you have a proclivity for memorizing lines and being able to self-correct a bajillion times, this may not be the gig for you.

#3: Working through lunch means pizza. I cannot fathom day after day of pizza and no resting during the middle of the day. I’m so spoiled.

#4: Call at 6:30 a.m. Okay, so while I didn’t have to be there until 9:30 a.m., the crew arrived nice and early to prep the set and get the lighting mounted. While I was still in some REM-induced la-la land, they were already hard at work.

I am reminded how long it takes to get one simple scene wrapped that is only 30 seconds in length. I think, if anything this increases my appreciation for full length movies and really ALL the WORK that goes into them. K and I saw “The Life Before Her Eyes” this past weekend and I was struck with the incredible camera work done throughout the movie and the editing that was pretty seamless as “Diana” toggles back and forth between present and past. In the film’s thank you’s, they actually thanked the Hubbles, which is the cause for the inquisitively tight shots in the opening credits. I felt like a bee violating the Brown Eyed Susans…

Today, a few of the scenes we shot reminded me of Borges with his love of the labyrinth and building mirrors inside of mirrors. That was a cool moment in which I internally geeked out because no one else would have given a flip over “some guy” named Borges. While the cross-pollenization is pretty fabulous, as for me I will stick with poetry.

2 comments

  1. hmmm I didn’t notice that about the Hubbles in the credits. But then again, I wasn’t paying attention to the credits. i was definitely in my own little black hole.

    sounds like today was fun! (and hard!)

  2. hey! I need to get you in touch with my friend Satya. He used to work for a tea company here in India… you could totally bond over tea, but not in the cup and saucer way.. hehe
    Are you on facebook ??

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