Extra, Extra, read all about it!

Well, today was certainly a unique experience for me. It began with waking up at 4 a.m. and setting out on a two hour drive which became a two-and-a-half hour drive when I made a mistake with my Mapquest directions in the dark and ended up stranded, going the wrong way on the freeway with no off-ramp to turn around in sight. So, even though I left an extra half-hour of time, I ended up ariving with less than 30 seconds to spare at my destination- the Bayonne High School in Bayonne New Jersey. If you're wondering where it is... it's basically the northernmost part of New Jersey, period. Litterally- the school sits at the edge of a beach, and across the water, you can see Manhattan.
I was there, completely clean-shaven for the first time since I started growing facial hair, in dress clothes that included a borrowed long-sleeve white buttondown shirt, to be an extra in 'The Sophmore,' a Bruce Willis film that will, I assume, be coming out in the next year or two. I, along with everyone else there, were portraying high school students.
After a series of long waits in the Hockey Rink 'holding area' for non-SAG extras (Those not suplied by the Screen Actors Guild) and a number of lines and forms, I was called off along with the massive throng of my fellow extras to the wardrobe department. The whole setup was located inside the school, having taken over nearly every classroom, and at every corner were single-sheet-of-paper signs pointing arrows to various production departments. I arrived in wardrobe to be given a black cardigan sweater with school emblem (which was fairly tight and extremely warm- welcome in the hockey rink bleacher area!) and a marron tie which I, of course, had no clue how to tie. After fumbling with it for a few minutes, I decided that since only about the top inch could be seen above the sweaters neckline, I could get away with looping the exposed portion into something that slightly resembled a tie-knot and leave the rest stuffed haphazardly under the sweater.
Finally, about three hours after my arrival, we were led into the cafeteria of another building, our main 'holding area.' It was comforting to note that already our situation was being labeled with the same terms given to livestock.
The room was filled with desks, already full, and we (the second group of extras to arrive) had to make due with standing around in the back half of the room. I finished my book far too quickly and soon began to notice what many others already had, to their dismay... it was hot. Really hot. And a thick sweater, or suit-jacket as others wore, did not help the sweltering temperatures any! As it turns out, I didn't even need to borrow the long-sleeved shirt- it was completely hidden by the sweater except for the collar, and my own short-sleeved version would have served fine. I was certainly wishing I had short sleeves as we baked in the early morning!
Finally, we were called in for our first shot. We were lined up in rows; I was in row A (near the back), situated as extra #113 next to a girl who didn't know her number and directly behind one of those guys unfortunate enough to have a face that you really can't tell what gender they are. After a few minutes, they started things rolling.
We were background for one of the teen actors to come stumbling past- I'm guessing, actually, that his character was late for our assembly- and the row he decied to run down was right in front of us, so perhaps I'll even be in the final shot- you'll be able to tell by the red folder (which had my mapquest directions to and from the shooting site) which I was holding in every scene.
As for what we were doing... just my luck- we were singing in a group. Only, to keep the sound from the actor's microphone uninterfered-with, they cut off the music as soon as 'action' was yelled, so we had to pretend to be singing, try to keep time with the imaginary beat, and look to a woman standing on a box to wave her arms as the cue that we were again supposed to mouth shouting "America!", our part of the chorus. Of all the things I cannot do... pretending to sing and dance aloud convincingly is pretty high on the list. I can hardly do them convincingly when I'm NOT pretending to! Nonetheless, I did my best to get into it- the director kept calling for "more energy this time," so I started bobbing up and down with the beat- meaning my lack of rhythm could now be preserved on celluloid for all the generations to come.
After that we were marched back into the 'holding pen' to hurry up and wait for another half hour. The extra-director (sort of our liason to the director) came in and said "Well, for this next shot, I need short people. So everyone that's, like, 5-2, 5-4, come to the center of the room." A lot of girls came forward, and the extra-director called out "We need a couple of guys, too!" I heard a number of people shouting encouragements, "Go on, man!" "Go for it!" behind me to the people around us as I went back to my book- until one of them tapped me on the shoulder and I realized they were all talking to me. "Don't be shy, man- go on!" she said. Thanks allot! I stalked into the middle of the room grumbling- I'll have you know I am 5-9! And I was hardly the shortest guy that stepped forward. but apparently I looked that way enough to my surrounding co-extras... that really had me steamed!
We were called in for another shot, lining up in our same rows, and we did yet another session of "America!"s. Then, we returned to the break room. There were some sandwiches set out because it was lunchtime, but they were quickly descended upon and by the time half my group got to them, myself included, there was nothing left.
Finally, they called for people that hadn't been used yet, and almost all of the seat-bound group of extras raised their hands, so they were ushered into the other room for filming... and we stole their chairs. I took a seat up front where I could observe an absolute beauty that I can only recal being bested twice in my life... the boom/crane-arm mounted camera. I was suprised by how many of the components I recognized... I guess I didn't expect Hollywood equipment to have common video components!
Finally, we were called in for our third shot, which ended up being our last. In this one, the principle of the school (represented by the same lady on the box) was in the middle of giving a speech- "When I look at you, I don't see juniors or seniors... I see Friars! BANG!" 'Friars' was the name on all the cheerleader unifroms that I saw, so I'm sure it's the fictional school team- and the BANG! was shouted by the extra director as a cue that the principle had just been shot. Our job... was to dissolve into panicked chaos. Headless chickens, as he described it. I was designated as one of four or five people that actually looked backwards and realized that there was a shooter on the roof of the building opposite us. So, I pushed forward, as if to help the injured principle, turned, did a double take, and tried to fish my phone out of my pocket and pretend to call 911 while being slammed from all sides by rushing, trampling people. It was actually quite fun- you don't get to participate in mass chaos with like-minded individuals very often. The shot had to be done several times as the first few takes were not chaotic enough- people just making straight lines for the door- and a number of people were apparently smiling or laughing at the chaos. Once the smiles dissapeared, and the panic looked more real, and several groups of people were routed to farther-off doors to confuse the foot-traffic pattern a bit more, we got a satisfactory take. Somehow, I kept ending up fairly well in front of the camera, pulling out my cell in the middle of a thinnning crowd (without meaning to) so if they use that shot, there's a good chance I'll show up. Who knows.
After that, it was back to wardrobe to turn things in. I must say that the Catholic school dress uniforms were a lot more modest than what most of the women chose to wear, and I had to make an abrupt about-face while heading for the snack table (back in our hockey rink holding area) as one woman apparently had no compunction about taking her shirt off and changing right then and there. After returning my tie (which had been un-mangled by a touch-up woman before the first shot, though it took us about 30 seconds to get it undone from what I'd done to it first)- and apparently the art of tie-tying is largely lost in today's world, as I had at least three people ask me if I knew how to help them with theirs- I returned downstairs and made the drive back- all told, having spent 7 and a half hours as an extra, while filming three shots. I'm sure I'll be going to see the film when it comes out... if nothing else, to figure out what the plot was about! So, that was my busy day for Thursday- the next few plan to be equally so, and I will keep you all updated!

Same old, same old...

Still nothing new to report, really... just checking in! The weeks continue to move slowly as the job search continues. A change of heart and a lot of soul-searching is about the only thing occupying my time other than that. I am looking towards resurrecting an old audio drama project on the principle of Murphy's Law... I know if I can just get really interested in it, a job will pop up to take all of my time away. For once, I REALLY wouldn't mind that! This Saturday, I will be going to the local Rennisance Fair, so I will, with any luck, have something interesting to report next time!

Just another update...

Well, this is another week of not much happening. I've signed up with a Temp Agency, testing quite high on their typing and Microsoft Word tests, so hopefully some work will be coming my way soon. Meanwhile, this has been a fairly rough week for me, and loneliness isdeffinetly at an all-time high. I wish I had a little more to report, but that's it for this week- hopefully the next one will bring some better things!

For the record...

...I didn't die in a tornado. Thanks to all the concerned phone calls and e-mails.

Well Blow Me Down!

So, here's a 'happening' for you- I am sitting at the library, which is mostly deserted, at 2:45 in the afternoon, with wind and raining howling outside- and I just overheard the librarians saying that we are under a Red Level Tornado Warning. Now THAT is something new and different! If this is my last post, you'll now know why...

Settling In

Well, there really isn't much new to report; but I don't want this to appear to be a dead blog. Life procedes fairly slowly and simply. Resumes are flying out left and right via cyberspace. A few interviews have come and gone, but at the moment, there are no current prospects- just more searching and waiting for someone to respond to me.

Just yesterday I finally got 'geared up'- all my cash organized, wallet cleared out and equiped with ym new 1 GB flash drive ($13- I remember back when a Gig used to cost some serious money!), new checkbook primed and ready to go, etc. I think I have finally made it past the 'settling in' phase and I am all ready to go... as soon as I have somewhere TO go. If progress continues as is, I am looking towards a temp agency on Monday so that I can at least be earning something- though it will of course cut down on my search time for a living-wage level job.

Meanwhile, I am also getting all prepared for this Saturday, a most joyous event- the one year anniversary of meeting my Best Friend; though we didn't meet in person until last February, August 18th is the one year anniversary of the beginning of our 'pen pal' relationship over the internet- and what a wonderful year it has been!

As always, I will keep posting in this blog whenever... well, whenever something actually HAPPENS! Caio for now!

First Post

Well, I am not going to mince words- I said I was never going to do this.

One of those 'all about me' blogs that offers nothing substantive and focuses solely on the boring personal life of the reader. Ugh. Well, hopefully, I still won't- I'd like to hope I'll still have a little something substantive to offer. But circumstances have changed. I've suddenly found myself resonating well with reruns of Star Trek: Voyager; flung out across far distances, out of contact with everything I know familiarly as 'home,' forced to make it on my own in a strange place with naught but my wits and my principles... okay, well not quite yet. Actually, for the moment, I am staying with relatives in rather extravagant comfort. Nonetheless, I am now a stranger in a strange land, and for all those back home that have been asking for updates, this is intended to be the place.
Of course, I must start by pointing out to you my three other great web endeavors:
1. My website.
http://www.nolinecinemas.com
This website is the home base for all of my movies (a few are yet waiting to be uploaded, but most are here), my work resources, and pretty much any video projects on the web I have are here.

2. My blog.
http://nolinecinemas.blog.com
This is the 'God Nerd Blog,' a web blog devoted to everything this and similar posts aren't... edifying (hopefully) content based on some of my musings and (hopeful) insights- something focused on the readers, not the writer.

3. My Myspace page.
http://www.myspace.com/andrewgilbetson/
This is my Myspace page- it also has a running blog, updates on my current status, etc. and every now and then, a chance to express myself.

I direct you to these sites for two reasons: One, because I like to shamelessly self-promote, and these are also good ways to find out about me (a little more of 'about me in general' than 'about me currently'), and Two, because... they appear to be dead. They aren't, of course- I am still on Myspace at the moment, and the other two are not forgotten, just un-updated. They serve as a warning- at the moment, I am job-searching and have my time fairly empty. Once I get a job, and especially once I move out on my own, it is entirely possible that activity on this blog will drop off, just as it did/does on those three every time things get busy. Just a warning.
It doesn't help that I have currently been bumped from the glorious realm of Cable Internet to a 56K connection that usually connects at 28K and I can only access for about half an hour a day... so, my mornings at the local public library with it's DSL access are generally my only net time. So again, this stint on the web may be short-lived. Not to sound pessimistic. But there is a history told in those three links above... and so, I am just being REALISTIC.


So, as to my first update on this insanity that is my life:
The short version is, I embarked on a four-day cross-country drive with my dad, followed by a nine-day stay with friends, and just now, on Monday the 6th of August, really 'entered' what constitutes my life at present. In this case, I am staying with my Aunt and Uncle and their two small boys in Malvern, PA. On Saturday mornings, I'll make the hour drive down to Aura, NJ, to stay with friends, and return to PA on Monday mornings. During the weekdays, I am generally job searching in the morning, getting whatever misc. errands I may have to do as I settle in done in the afternoons, and spending time with my young cousins (ages 2 and 4) and a little bit to myself in the evenings.
Of course, this little routine is only temporary. Once I actually FIND a job, I am certain the routine will change. It will change even further within three months, by which time I must move out on my own... which is all the more incentive to get a job QUICKLY to both be saving up and getting the cash flow needed for suddenly paying for all of my food, apartment, etc. A slightly scary thought considering how slow things have been moving on the job front... but a large part of that is due to the time warp I seem to be experiencing, considering I have only been at things for three days.
A combination of factors, especially the general lack of anything I can do to speed along the job search process, the general lack of anything I can do otherwise throughout the day, and the lack of social contact (as, during the weekdays with both aunt and uncle working and the boys in school, I am the only one home), is simply causing every day to seem like a large, empty eternity! It is long, slow waiting until the next weekend, and only the certain knowledge that I am going to see my friends weekly and I have only seen them once keeps my brain from convincing me that far more time has past than it actually has.
Other than that (loneliness, lack of success on the job front, and long, empty days) everything is going fairly well. My only other aggravation at present is the roads- I have had somewhere to go of a 45-minute or longer commute pretty much every day I have been here, and I do NOT like it. The road marking system is somewhat confusing, the traffic bad, the roads all feel rather narrow and claustrophobic, and the builders of every major city I've been to (Philadelphia, Wilmington, etc.) seem obsessed with the bane of all drivers, everywhere: the one-way street. The road-builders must have been, I believe, Sadducees- very much opposed to the idea of redemption, resurrection, or a second chance- for if one makes a wrong turn in any of these cities, the roads seem excellently designed to funnel them farther and farther from any hope of turning around or getting back to where they were- what a nightmare! I've been in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, and I must say, I thoroughly dislike the former two! And while I very much love the climate, conditions, and atmosphere of New Jersey, as well as several of the people there, it is also reputed to have an EXTREMELY high cost of living, so it is sadly likely to be the one place I CAN'T move out to once I do.
The weather has been somewhat vexing, hot and humid to extremes that I am extremely un-used to from Washington state. For any reading this that were on the Costa Rica missions trip, remember Manuel Antonio? Walking out of the front door of the air-conditioned apartments and feeling like you just stepped into a hot tub? Yeah, like that. Actually, between climate and the trees we saw driving into Pennsylvania, I begin to wonder if I only found Costa Rica so unique only because I was from Washington- there are parts of PA during the summer that almost seem similar. But of course, nowhere on the East Coast can you find the incredibly beautiful plant life, the amazing abundant wildlife, or the friendly culture that made Costa Rica so incredible- don't worry... similar as a few of the trees may be, the beauty of Costa Rica's vistas is in no danger of competition from Pennsylvania any time soon.
Although, when speaking of the wildlife, there is certainly a far greater variety here than there ever was in Washington- most especially the insect life! There are dozens more species than we ever had in Washington... I find a number of things- especially the lighting bugs and the lightning storms- that the natives take for granted to be both beautiful and fascinating. Though again, this primarily happens in New Jersey... if only it were cheaper to live there!

Well, this was just sort of a hodge-podge of initial impressions- future entries will probably be much shorter, dealing mostly with events instead of surroundings. I will do my best to keep things updated! Until then, I shall sign off...


-Andrew Gilbertson