FilmChatter

After spending a lot of Day 2 with my face in the carpet during the police raid, things were definitely going to be more quiet on Day 3! This was the last of my three days working as an extra (or background actor) on "Southern Comfort," a pilot produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The show is set in Memphis, Tennessee and is being filmed here through Thursday. I worked in an upscale birthday party scene being held for Madeline Stowe's character. (As before, SPOILERS applenty will follow in my reports!).

Before we had left on Day 2, we were told that our Call Time was 8:00 a.m. But, just before bed time, I was called by the casting folks, telling me that I was supposed to be there at 6:00 a.m. instead. What?! So much for those two hours of sleep! Well, what I do for my craft! Luckily (kinda), they called me back and said that Call Time would be 6:30 a.m. Okay, a little better. So, I got up and got myself to the set. As soon as I got there, though, I was told to get right over to the house where they were filming. So, I grabbed part of a muffin, some milk, and got myself over there. We were then positioned to pass in front of the camera during a dialogue scene to add movement to the shot.

After that, though, there wasn't much to do for the day. So, I guess I should be lucky I got to do a little more. Those who didn't hear their messages in time (yeah, right!) were waiting around until after lunch. By mid-afternoon, we did get to do some final cool stuff. We got to stand below the back porch where Eric Roberts' character made a birthday speech for Madeline Stowe's character. Then, we went down towards the lake where we watched Madeline Stowe's character as she fired the new rifle she received as a birthday present.

Things wrapped up as we got to have hot dogs and pizza that the production brought in. We had our final time sheets signed and got the vans back to the parking lot. Towards the end of the day, I was able to trade names and information with other extras so I could keep in touch. As our van left the set, we passed all of the trailers lining the suburban streets, heading off to whatever filmmaking adventure would come next.

     Pilot for Fox Series To Be Shot in Memphis - The Commercial Appeal

     Cameras Set to Roll on Fox Pilot - The Commercial Appeal

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Posted by John at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Things got very busy on Day 2 of my three days working as an extra (or background actor) on "Southern Comfort," a pilot produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The show is set in Memphis, Tennessee and is being filmed here through Thursday. I worked in an upscale birthday party scene being held for Madeline Stowe's character. (As before, SPOILERS applenty will follow in my reports!).

This day got busy fast, as the Memphis Police Organized Crime Unit was on the set for the big scene where they were raiding the house of Madeline Stowe's and Eric Roberts' characters. In the story, we find out that, unbeknownst to Madeline Stowe's character, her husband is actually a crime kingpin. The raid included a police helicopter that swoops in front of the house, and armed policemen who burst in during the birthday party and force everyone to the ground as they move in to arrest Eric Roberts' character. Volunteers were first chosen (including me!) to be near the living room's window as the helicopter came in to hover over the lake in front of the house, and as the police moved up the lawn towards the house. Pretty cool as I was only one of ten people who got to see the action unfold first hand! The camera crew was basically shooting from inside out, catching the tops of our heads as we reacted to the raid. A camera-eqipped helicopter shadowed the police helicopter as it came in towards the house.

This took up much of the morning. We had an early lunch so that we would have most of the afternoon available for the big raid inside the house. As we entered, the gaffer and grip crew had set up the lighting for the interior filming. We were placed in position. We sang "Happy Birthday" to Madeline Stowe's character. As we finished and applauded, the police yelled as they raided the house. They were armed with prop weapons, but they were realistic enough! We all hit the deck and had our heads covered as they arrested Eric Roberts' character. The police had warned us that they would act like this was a real raid, so we needed to really hit the deck. We did, and had to brush ourselves off, or have one of the wardrobe folks come and use lint rollers on us between takes.

Filming that scene took the afternoon, and the day wrapped up as the crew filmed extra scenes involving the police as they came into the front driveway, and later as they took Eric Roberts' character away. Today ended up being a 12-hour day. We were released for the day and went home to get some rest for the next and final day for the location. All about Day 3 tomorrow!

     Pilot for Fox Series To Be Shot in Memphis - The Commercial Appeal

     Cameras Set to Roll on Fox Pilot - The Commercial Appeal

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Posted by John at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I spent three days working as an extra (or background actor) on "Southern Comfort," a pilot produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The show is set in Memphis, Tennessee and is being filmed here through next Thursday. I worked in an upscale birthday party scene being held for Madeline Stowe's character. (By the way, SPOILERS applenty will follow over my reports, so if you don't want to know what's going to happen, better check my Archives after the show airs!).

As with all film productions (movies and TV both), everything is shot out of sequence. This certainly makes things challenging for the actors, but they certainly are used to it. The scenes included were the party guests (us!) milling aound the large house, Eric Roberts' character making a birthday speech, Madeline Stowe's character firing her new vintage rifle, and the house being raided by a police tactical unit, where we find out that Eric Roberts is actually a crime kingpin.

The day started as all of us extras and local crew members parked at a nearby soccer field. We were then shuttled over to the set. As we drove in, we saw the line of trucks and trailers lining the streets near the location. This is usually the main indication that someone is shooting, when you see all of the equipment trucks, wardrobe trailers, actor trailers, and generators needed for lights and equipment. We were then dropped off at the extras' tent, where we signed in, ate our meals, and waited in between takes. Closer to the set, there were lots of cables and more equipment trucks.

The scenes we shot the first day centered around basic dialougue for Madeline Stowe's character as the party guests met and talked. To ensure sound isn't compromised, the extras don't actually talk, they pantomime their talking so that the only thing the microphones pick up the needed dialogue. The camera crew is very busy as they move cameras, change film magazines and lenses, and log shots. Things went fairly smoothly overall and we were there for around 11 hours. The next day promised to be very interesting as things were about to get crazy!

     Pilot for Fox Series To Be Shot in Memphis - The Commercial Appeal

     Cameras Set to Roll on Fox Pilot - The Commercial Appeal

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Posted by John at 04:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, I promised I'd write tomorrow, and here it is! I had an eleven and a half hour day. It was pretty tiring, especially since I work nights usually and had to adjust my sleep to get up for the 7:00 a.m. call time. The day was busy, and a lot of shooting got done. Plus, it sounds like tomorrow should be pretty wild! How wild? I'll give you an update tomorrow!

     Cameras Set to Roll on Fox Pilot - The Commercial Appeal

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Posted by John at 09:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Alright, folks, it's the moment of truth! Tomorrow, I start my first paying film job. I'll be an extra on Fox Network's pilot, "Southern Comfort." It's filming here in Memphis through the middle of next week. I'll be an extra for a country club birthday party scene this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The pilot stars Eric Roberts and Madeline Stowe. It's all about how a wife finds out that her husband is a crime kingpin. She then has to take over the "family business," while her husband is away. "Southern Comfort" is being shot over 15 days in the Memphis area, and is executive produced by Ken Topolsky. The hourlong pilot is being produced by 20th Century Fox Television for the Fox network; if Fox accepts the pilot and orders a series for the 2006-2007 season, 22 episodes could be produced.

Should be an interesting experience! I'll blog about it over the next three days. Since it's a studio production, I would expect a pretty professional setup, which is completely different from the anything goes feeling you get on the microbudget DV movies people shoot around here. My biggest love in filmmaking is cinematography. Since the pilot is being shot with Panavision cameras in 35mm, I'll see if I can get a chance to chat it up with the camera crew. More tomorrow!

     Cameras Set to Roll on Fox Pilot - The Commercial Appeal

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Posted by John at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jeffrey Skoll wants to "do good" by making films with social meaning. The former eBay President left Silicon Valley for Los Angeles two years ago. His Participant Productions has been behind such films as "North Country," "Good Night, and Good Luck," and "Syriana." All three films have been successful with the public and with critics. So, can filmmaking be about more than the bottom line? Jeffrey Skoll thinks so.

     Lights, Camera, Social Action! - The Washington Post

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Posted by John at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Digital Video is becoming the standard in Independent Cinema. And, that could be a problem. This year's Sundance Film Festival spotlights this. Many of this year's entries have been said to look amateurish. Now, don't get me wrong. Digital video has put filmmaking in the hands of many new artists. The problem is that digital video makes filmmakers lazy. The cameras have so many automatic features, people get lulled into thinking they just need to point and shoot. But, digital video can, in some ways, be more demanding than film.

With film, you can get an interesting image, even if light is on the low side. Plus, color is built into the film's chemistry. Digital Video doesn't work that way. Not using enough light means a flat, lifeless image that looks fuzzy and degraded. Many Digital Video filmmakers use either existing light, or use inadequate lights. Often something from Home Depot. Not setting the color controls correctly means strange color shifting. A lot of digital video filmmakers don't set the color controls. Another problem is lack of composition and planning. Lots of these filmmakers point and shoot. You have to plan your shots ahead of time, and think them through.

I've worked on a lot of independent video-shot features. Most of the filmmakers I see simply don't put much thought into the visuals. So, when their final product turns out looking like a home video, it's no surprise. There are tons of books that will help filmmakers improve their visuals. Plus, there are many Internet resources where you can get advice. So, indie filmmakers, use these resources. You'll get better look for your projects, and people will see you as a professional, and not an amateur.

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Posted by John at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)