update on that police uniform purchase

The plot thickens...turns out there are a number of surreptitious ways to get the necessary NYPD patches.  The more people I talk to the more shady tips I get.  So far what I've been told is that if I go to one particular police uniform store and explain I am a background actor "they will fix me up." Not exactly sure what that entails on my part--meaning if I have to pay anybody off to get them. Then another person told me that her cousin who is a cop bought her uniform, patches, and badge. Then another person told me that sometimes the production company will give them to you but not really sure how that happens.  Another told me that I should get to know a cop well enough to ask him/her to get me some patches--somehow, I just don't think that is going to happen. Another person told me that at the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market (just up the street from me on the weekends), there is one vendor there who sells the patches for 3 bucks each. Truth or rumor?? I'll find out this weekend. Another person told me he bought his from a retiring actor or was it a retiring police officer?? And yet another person told me to try a certain website that makes very realistic fake patches and badges.

My strategy now is to buy the basic uniform (long sleeve winter shirt, short sleeve summer shirt, pants, jacket, hat, gun belt, tie and clip, turtle neck, shoes) from the uniform store that can "potentially fix me up" and if that doesn't work, check out the Hell's Kitchen flea market vendor.  If that doesn't work, I'll probably ask one of the production sets that uses a lot of cops and see what they say.  I'm on a hunt for sure! 

Mark and recapture, population estimates--very common in wildlife studies

This is how the brain of my husband works....I'm telling him that I'd like to figure out how many other extras are applying for the same job notices I'm applying to--essentially what is my competition. Now that I've done 16 shoots, I am definitely seeing several of the same people over and over again at these various shoots.  It's nice because it increases the camaraderie and sense of community.  Easy to share experiences, tips, inside jokes, etc.

I'd say that on any given shoot, I recognize now about 10 percent of the people from other jobs.  Bob says he can calculate an estimate of the potential applying population if I start to give sample counts of those I recognize and how many total extras there on any particular job.  It's a method he learned in a class back in graduate school for Quantitative Ecology--over 25 years ago.  It's called Mark and Recapture for population estimates. I'm going to pay closer attention and start feeding Bob data so he can develop the model.  Nerd Alert!! And that refers to both of US!!  

Free job training

I was supposed to be a tourist extra for a new CBS pilot, DOUBT but at the last minute they switched me to be a boom operator at a press conference on the steps of courthouse.  This was great on a couple of levels.  As a tourist extra, I would have been banished out to the hinterlands of extra non-exposure but as a boom operator, I wound up right on the front lines with lots of camera exposure. I was the front boom operator at the press conference so was in lots of the main shots of the main characters.  I was on camera so much, they couldn't use in any of the follow up scenes because I'd been so exposed on camera in the first scene.

An actual boom operator came over to demonstrate how we were to hold the pole to make it look authentic, how to hold it in front of the person depending on the distance, how to pivot the boom from one person to another, etc.  It was kind of a meta experience because as we were pretending to be boom operators he was working right along side of us off camera being a real boom operator capturing the actors speaking their lines.

Check me out!!

a little more on that talent form you have to fill out

Besides asking for what you look like, all your physical stats, whether you actually have any real talent or special skills and what your limits are for nudity, one other thing they ask on that form is whether you are willing to kiss someone of the same sex, opposite sex or not at all.  I gave it a fair amount of thought and decided to check the box for same sex kissing.  It made me think of that Katy Perry song--I Kissed a Girl (and I Liked It).  I decided on same sex versus opposite sex or none at all for a variety of reasons.  The main one for no opposite sex kissing is that I really don't want to kiss any man other than Bob.  It would just weird me out and I don't think Bob would be too keen on it.  Bob is saying as I am writing this that he would be okay if that scene came with a waiver to put towards earning my SAG card. What a generous husband I have!

I decided against checking the no kissing at all box because I don't want to rule out what could be an interesting role.  I have so many gay and lesbian friends that it all just seems pretty normal to me.  And it's not like I haven't kissed a girl before.  I think it was Kinsey that made the scientific observation that most people fall along a continuum for hetersexual to homosexual.  With very few people being a 10 for either.  I would say I probably fall around a 7 or 8 for heterosexual.  I have certainly been attracted to or had crushes on women but far more so on men.  I did some experimentation in college but mostly realized, at least with that particular woman, that what I was really craving from her was the closeness you have with a girlfriend when you are very preadolescent, not really sexual as much as genuine innocence and intimacy.  Like holding hands and skipping together or giggling secrets in each other's ears.  Where you have a physical closeness that is joyful and energetic. Anyway, all this is to say is that I don't really have a problem with kissing a woman for a scene.  But, I seemingly have a problem with saying that publicly or else I would have written that in when I was blogging about filling out the form earlier.   I don't really know why I hesitated about blogging on that.  Maybe it's because it's such a mixed group of people reading this or maybe it's my own latent issues.  I spoke with my Kelly about this and she was great.  She made a really good statement to me about how my opening up about this might give people a different perspective or even permission to think about this for themselves.  I may be making more of it that what it needs to be, but for some reason, it just didn't flow back then.

One other reason I decided on same sex versus opposite sex kissing relates to my OCDness and sometimes illogical thinking.... but....I also think women keep their mouths cleaner.  It was pointed out to me that it's probably a very case by case basis for either men or women, but somehow, I think the odds are just better that a random woman I might be paired with is going to have a cleaner mouth and better oral hygiene that any random man.  Sorry guys--it's just a gut feeling.  I think women just think about and act on that kind of stuff more than men do.

I don't know if anything will ever come of me checking that same sex kissing box, but again, I love the whole process of what it provokes and promotes in my thinking, acting and being. 

Paranoia/guilt still a problem

I can't believe that as old as I am, I still am subject to concerns of paranoia when I am not the nicest person.  I was booked to be a CEO on The Blacklist for Monday.  A promotion from being a hospital visitor the last time I was on it!  On Sunday Bob and I were grocery shopping at our food coop and it was a mad house there. Jam packed and the check out lines went on forever.  I decided to call in for my wardrobe, call in time, and location since we had a wait ahead of us to check out.  I was already feeling tired and cranky from maneuvering through the tight crowds while shopping.  To get wardrobe, location and call time, I have to listen through an interminably long message (like 15 mins--no kidding) to get the few bits that relate to what is meaningful for me. Usually the info is organized by the numbers Extras are assigned so you know exactly what to listen for.  Turns out the casting person who recorded the message for Monday's The Blacklist info was so repetitive, did not use the usual number system, and made so many extraneous remarks. I found it confusing and frustrating.  I then called the number given for "emergencies" or if in need of other info.  I called in, couldn't really hear well because of being in the coop, and was cranky and frustrated. I was a bit whiney and complaining on the phone with the person I was speaking with as to how bad the info was organized and that I needed clarification as to my role was and what wardrobe I needed to bring.  He made some curt comment about how everyone has their own method for leaving the info and I just had to deal with it, he told me what I needed to listen for (which I had to ask for twice--which didn't help his mood or mine). By the end of our phone call, it felt like a bad exchange.  About 9 in the evening,  I got a phone call from the casting agency saying the scene for which I was supposed to be background was cut and they didn't need me anymore.  I just felt so paranoid after that phone call that I was being cut because of my "bad" phone behavior.  I know logically that could not be the case but that Catholic guilt still runs deep.  It's so crazy making.  I did get booked today by the same casting agency for work tomorrow on a CBS pilot, DOUBT.  That was very reassuring but all the same, I wish I wasn't so prone to feeling so guilty about such minor transgressions.  I can hold on to that guilt for way too long.  It comes with being so rule bound.  I love structure and rules which has worked really well for me except when I feel like I've broken them then the guilt just makes itself at home in my head.  

Job notices for special people with special skills

I don't watch the show Gotham but it's recruiting for some very special people as is The Knick.... Casting Notice
Project Name:	Gotham
Project Type:	Film & TV
Format:
Rate/Compensation:
Message: GWC is seeking REAL Dominatrix with their own equipment to work 3/10 in a Brothel scene. Please note if you have your own equipment.
Role Role Type Gender/Age/Ethnicities Description/Note SEEKING REAL DOMINATRIX WORKS 3/10 Extra Female / 18 to 50 / All Ethnicities, AfricanAm, Am-Indian, Asian, Caucasian, East-Ind, Hispanic, MidEastern, Mixed, PacificIsland GWC is seeking REAL Dominatrix with their own equipment to work 3/10 in a Brothel scene. Please note if you have your own equipment.
Casting Notice   Project Name: The Knick Season 2 Project Type: Film & TV Format: Rate/Compensation:   Message: GWCI is seeking SAG-AFTRA/NON-UNION men and women to portray caucasian Houdini type escape artist, African American or Hispanic male fire breather, Hispanic male knife thrower, and Hispanic female burlesque performer. We are seeking people with REAL experience. Works Tues. 3/17 and Wed. 3/18. Fitting next week in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This is for paid work. TBD rate. PLEASE NOTE RELEVANT EXPERIENCE.   Role Role Type Gender/Age/Ethnicities Description/Note SAG-AFTRA/NON-UNION AFRICAN AMERICAN FIRE BREATHER, CAUCASIAN HOUDINI TYPE ESCAPE ARTIST, HISPANIC BURLESQUE PERFORMER,  Extra Male or Female / 18 to 65 / All Ethnicities, AfricanAm, Am-Indian, Asian, Caucasian, East-Ind, Hispanic, MidEastern, Mixed, PacificIsland GWCI is seeking SAG-AFTRA/NON-UNION men and women to portray caucasian Houdini type escape artist, African American or Hispanic male fire breather, Hispanic male knife thrower, and Hispanic female burlesque performer. We are seeking people with REAL experience. Works Tues. 3/17 and Wed. 3/18. Fitting next week in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This is for paid work. TBD rate. PLEASE NOTE RELEVANT EXPERIENCE. Casting Notice   Project Name: Gotham Project Type: Film & TV Format: Rate/Compensation:   Message: GWC is seeking UNION/NONUNION Attractive Older Couple for Brothel Scene. See specifics below! Works 3/10, prefit TOMORROW 3/4 MUST be comfortable being in a scene portraying various "orgy" scenarios. MUST be comfortable wearing latex/leather attire. Please note in your submission the following: 1) Comfort level with nudity/partial nudity (underwear, portraying nude, etc) 2) Comfort level portraying acts of sexual nature 3)your sizes of the following: MEN: height, weight, jacket, waist x inseam, neck x sleeve, shoe WOMEN: height, weight, dress, bust x waist x hip, shoe if you have worked on Gotham at all previously, note date(s) and role(s) you have portrayed. Must not have ever been featured, prefit, or worked as a prisoner/inmate or patient.   Role Role Type Gender/Age/Ethnicities Description/Note UNION/NONUNION Attractive Older Couple for Brothel Scene. See specifics below! Works 3/10, prefit TOMORROW 3/4 Extra Male or Female / 60 to 75 / All Ethnicities, AfricanAm, Am-Indian, Asian, Caucasian, East-Ind, Hispanic, MidEastern, Mixed, PacificIsland GWC is seeking UNION/NONUNION Attractive Older Couple for Brothel Scene. See specifics below! Works 3/10, prefit TOMORROW 3/4 MUST be comfortable being in a scene portraying various "orgy" scenarios. MUST be comfortable wearing latex/leather attire. Please note in your submission the following: 1) Comfort level with nudity/partial nudity (underwear, portraying nude, etc) 2) Comfort level portraying acts of sexual nature 3)your sizes of the following: MEN: height, weight, jacket, wai

Casting Notice
Project Name:	Gotham
Project Type:	Film & TV
Format:
Rate/Compensation:
Message: GWC is seeking UNION/NONUNION Men & Women for Brothel Scene. See specifics below! Works 3/10, prefit TBD MUST be comfortable being in a scene portraying various "orgy" scenarios. Please note in your submission the following: 1) Comfort level with nudity/partial nudity (underwear, portraying nude, etc) 2) Comfort level portraying acts of sexual nature 3) whether or not you own leather or laytex attire 4) whether or not you have any experience with shibari, dominatrix, or similar 5) your sizes of the following: MEN: height, weight, jacket, waist x inseam, neck x sleeve, shoe WOMEN: height, weight, dress, bust x waist x hip, shoe if you have worked on Gotham at all previously, note date(s) and role(s) you have portrayed. Must not have ever been featured, prefit, or worked as a prisoner/inmate or patient.
Role Role Type Gender/Age/Ethnicities Description/Note UNION/NONUNION Men & Women for Brothel Scene. See details in posting! Works 3/10, prefit TBD Extra Male or Female / 18 to 50 / All Ethnicities, AfricanAm, Am-Indian, Asian, Caucasian, East-Ind, Hispanic, MidEastern, Mixed, PacificIsland GWC is seeking UNION/NONUNION Men & Women for Brothel Scene. See specifics below! Works 3/10, prefit TBD MUST be comfortable being in a scene portraying various "orgy" scenarios. Please note in your submission the following: 1) Comfort level with nudity/partial nudity (underwear, portraying nude, etc) 2) Comfort level portraying acts of sexual nature 3) whether or not you own leather or laytex attire 4) whether or not you have any experience with shibari, dominatrix, or similar 5) you

You learn something new every day

While there is lots to learn in terms of production and filming, sets, locations, etc.  Extra work, in and of itself, is not the most intellectually stimulating or academic profession one can engage in but it does have its learning moments.  This moment came with this job notice.  Does anyone know what a Shibari model is?  I certainly did not.  So I looked it up....

Casting Notice
Project Name:	Gotham
Project Type:	Film & TV
Format:
Rate/Compensation:
Message: GWC is seeking REAL Shibari Model to Portray Brothel Companion (Special Ability). Works Tues 3/10 Please note your REAL Shibari experience, as well as any attire/accessories you own. THIS IS FOR REAL EXPERIENCED ONLY!
Role Role Type Gender/Age/Ethnicities Description/Note REAL Shibari Model to Portray Brothel Companion (Special Ability). Works Tues 3/10 Extra Female / 18 to 45 / All Ethnicities, AfricanAm, Am-Indian, Asian, Caucasian, East-Ind, Hispanic, MidEastern, Mixed, PacificIsland GWC is seeking REAL Shibari Model to Portray Brothel Companion (Special Ability). Works Tues 3/10 Please note your REAL Shibari experience, as well as any attire/accessories you own. THIS IS FOR REAL EXPERIENCED ONLY!
What is Shibari? In Japanese, “Shibari” simply means “to tie”. The contemporary meaning of Shibari describes an ancient Japanese artistic form of rope bondage. The origin of Shibari comes from Hojo-jutsu, the martial art of restraining captives. In Japan from 1400 to 1700, while the local police and Samurai used Hojo-jutsu as a form of imprisonment and torture, the honor of these ancient Samurai warriors required them to treat their prisoners well. So, they used different techniques to tie their prisoners, showing the honor and status of their captured prisoner. In the late 1800′s and early 1900′s a new form of erotic Hojo-justu evolved, called Kinbaku, the art of erotic bondage. Today, particularly in the west, the art of erotic bondage is typically called Shibari, which is an art of erotic spirituality, not a martial art. Shibari style rigging creates geometric patterns and shapes with rope that contrast beautifully with the human body’s natural curves. The ropes and their texture provide contrast to smooth skin and curves. In Shibari, the model is the canvas, the rope is the paint and brush, and the rigger is the rope artist. The aesthetic arrangement of ropes and knots on the model’s body in Shibari rigging emphasizes characteristics like sensuality, vulnerability, and also strength. The positioning of knots in appropriate places stimulates pressure points on the body, very similarly to acupuncture techniques and Shiatsu, a form of Japanese massage. Some believe a Shibari experience also stimulates Ki energy flow and transfer. In addition to creating beautiful patterns, with rope, body and limb placements, Shibari rigging induces physiological conditions known as “sub space” and “top space”, which are similar to the “runners high” experienced by athletes. A Shibari experience results in an increased level of endorphins and other hormones, creating a trance-like experience for the bottom/model and an adrenaline rush for the Top/rigger. When a Shibari scene is performed with appropriate ambience, these effects are actually visible in the face of the model. The term “rope drunk” is sometimes affectionately used to describe the euphoric condition of the model after a Shibari experience. For most practitioners of Shibari, the use of rope bondage does not include an unwilling victim like the “Damsels in Distress” images popular in Detective type magazines. Instead, there is a collaboration between the Shibari artist (the rigger/Top) and the Shibari canvas (the model/bottom) to create a combination of effects including visual beauty, power exchange, helplessness, relaxation, and sub space and top space physiological experiences. Contemporary practitioners of Shibari enjoy creating beautiful still images, live and recorded performance art. Shibari can also be used as a component in BDSM play and an enhancement in sexual activities.

shibari