Developing a Pavlovian* response to my cell phone

Most of my job offers and confirmations for work come through as phone calls on my cell phone.  Before doing extra work, I used my cell phone almost exclusively for texts, email, and internet. I rarely used my cell phone for any personal phone calls--those calls I take on our home land line phone.  So when my cell phone is ringing now, it almost always means a WORK OFFER or CONFIRMATION of a shoot. A very "YAY!!!" experience.   I now, literally, start to salivate and my heart rate goes up when my cell phone goes off because it's most assuredly a sign of work.

It's so funny because I think it's happening to Bob by association...  I had a phone call this morning on my cell phone to which I predictably reacted with great excitement when it went off because I thought I was hearing back on a 5 day job I submitted for to be background medical personnel for a new doctor show pilot.  When I saw that it wasn't a call from a casting agency but from an acquaintance instead, my whole physiology just completely deflated.  A terrible reaction to what should have been a pleasant surprise to hear from this acquaintance.  Bob had the same reaction.  When I came out of the bedroom, he could hear that I had been listening to someone on my cell.  He too was excited that maybe I had gotten that extra job.  When I told him what it was, he looked a little deflated too.  He is so sweet, supportive and in tune with me about my excitement for this work.

* For those of you who never took that intro to psychology course in high school or college, a Pavlovian response is when a neutral stimulus (a bell tone for example) is paired with a stimulus (like food for a dog) that induces a biological response (like salivation) such that with enough pairings, it only takes the sound of the bell to start the dog to salivate even without food being present.

That translates to my phone ringing, being paired enough now with job offers or confirmations that make my heart beat faster such that now any time my cell phone goes off,  I get a hyper physiological response even though the call may be no actual job offer presented.   Hope that makes some sense.

Okay, psychology lesson over... Have a nice day... 

Easy to get spoiled--a good opportunity for enhancing an attitude of gratitude

It's always a little tricky to calculate what you will get credited toward paid hours.  Each production company seems to work a little differently.  Some include the lunch hour towards the 10 hour flat rate day pay, others do not.  Some pay for the RT bus ride if they have to transport extras out to a location.   Some add a 30 minute grace period after the shoot is wrapped to account for turning props back in and getting through the paper work sign off.  Some will give you $10 if you have a "walk away lunch" meaning you literally walk away to find lunch and pay for it on your own dime, as it is not being provided on set.  Some give $14. 43 for OT pay, others give $13.35.

With just a few experiences of getting the best of everything (paid for the commute, given the 30 minute grace period, paid the higher rate for OT, having the lunch break included in the 10 hours, etc)  It's very easy to get grumbly when you don't get any of those things.  You start to just expect them. And that is where I think people's bad attitudes start to emerge.  I try to take a very spiritual approach to the whole thing by not getting attached or expectant to receiving these perks.  Just staying focused on enjoying the process, being glad for having this opportunity and not expecting anything beyond the baseline--which really is the agreement when you take the job.  So when any one of these perks does happen, it truly feels like a gift and I can genuinely be happy and thankful for it.  It's a much better position to be in than a constant one of disappointment and disgruntlement--which seems to be the case with a few of the people on each set.  

A waiver and a pay bump......what a missed opportunity

Why or why did I not take this exercise class when I had the chance.  Pole dancing could have been started my path to getting my 3 waivers needed to join SAG!  I guess the age range is slightly out of my league, but hey,  shot in a dark room with me wearing flesh colored spandex, I might have been able to pass if they were desperate!

Casting Notice
Project Name:	The Good Wife
Project Type:	Film & TV
Format:	Other
Rate/Compensation:
Message:
Role Role Type Gender/Age/Ethnicities Description/Note Union or Non-Union Females w/Pole Dancing Experience - Shoots on Tues. 3/24th - Please Read Carefully Special Female / 18 to 40 / All Ethnicities, AfricanAm, Am-Indian, Asian, Caucasian, East-Ind, Hispanic, MidEastern, Mixed, PacificIsland Union or Non-Union female stripper types THAT HAVE POLE DANCING EXPERIENCE. Shoot date is Tues. 3/24th. Must be comfortable in revealing/skimpy attire. Non-Union will be waivered. Pics will be submitted to the director-please submit only if you are comfortable with this type of content and have experience. There will be a bump in pay. Please indicate pole dancing experience in the note. If you have submitted to a similar posting you may resubmit.

Now I know why some cops might be irritable

Went to my police officer uniform fitting this morning. Turns out there will be 200 of us extras dressed as officers of varying ranks for that shoot on Monday.  I have no idea what the scene is but I'm guessing its some kind of graduation ceremony or funeral service.  I don't watch the show so not sure how this figures into the plot.  I will be a higher ranking officer which is kind of cool. I don't have any pictures to share today because they didn't have a hat on hand that fit me, ordering one from their bigger wardrobe warehouse. It'll be there on Monday.  They also had to alter the neck of my shirt and the hem of my pants.  I know I say this repeatedly, but AGAIN, I just cannot get over the level of detail they put into making us extras look authentic even when there are so many of us, and in general, we are seen so little in the show.  So many alternations to get through 200 extras.

Now this is where my hypothesis of why some cops might be irritable comes in ....The uniform I am wearing is so taut and form fitting. I am wearing the absolute smallest size they could fit me into for the shirt, jacket and pants.  I dare not eat much over the next few days for fear there will be no way I'm going to be able to button the waist on the pants.  The neck of my shirt is being taken in so that there is absolutely no crevice between my neck and the collar.  The tailor and I could barely button the collar once he pinched the back to pull it as taut as he could. I felt like I was being vacuum packed and sealed.  I don't know how I will tolerate being in that uniform for a full day of shooting.  The other thing is that the dress jacket that goes with this higher ranking officer uniform is HEAVY.  The jacket and pants are a dense wool.  I'm really hoping we are doing an exterior shoot with a predicted temp of 42 degrees and sunny and not indoors where it might be quite warm under the studio lights.  The only saving grace (besides the TOTAL COOL FACTOR of wearing this uniform)  is that I was issued a pair of comfy cop shoes.  The have lots of padding and are a nice wide width.  Anyway, anyone who has to be trapped in a uniform like that all day, everyday, is just not going to be a happy person.

I had every intention of asking the head wardrobe person about the whole owning a cop uniform thing and about the patches etc., but got no chance.  Even though I was in the first batch of extras to be fitted, she already had her hands full with really no time to talk at all.  So foiled again.  But I did go Junior's Police Equipment afterwards to check with them and see what they could offer.  Turns out they are authorized to sell the full uniform INCLUDING the NYPD arm patches to actors....the only catch being, the actor has to have a current active SAG card--meaning they are dues paying members of the Screen Actors Guild Union--which, of course, I AM NOT.   I asked him if I brought in someone with a SAG card, could they buy all my stuff for me and he said that was fine.  So now I really have to buddy up with a SAG actor to ask this favor. He was also saying that if I wanted to buy the ENTIRE line of police uniform wardrobe, it would set me back $900.  The basics are about $400.  I felt like talking to him gave me the clarity I've been wanting.  I'm still going to ask around to other extras just because every person I ask gives me different info. Now, I'm kind of just interested in hearing the variability of people's responses.  The last person I talked to said that the production companies just velcro on the patches and I didn't have to buy any!!  It's kind of taking on an urban myth quality for me. I've not heard the same story twice yet...and I've talked to at least 6 or 7 people about it now.

Turns out that a friend of mine who just started doing background acting as a result of hearing about my experiences is booked for the same shoot on Monday! It didn't take long at all for us to collide on a booking  That means it'll be really easy to get pictures to post next week.  Stay tuned!

I don't look middle American but not enough like Non middle American

It's been a very interesting experience to submit for specific ethnic roles. In some ways the diversity represented among the Extras at any given job is impressive.  The casting companies make it a point to have reasonable representation of the major ethnicities (Asian, Hispanic, Black).  But my submissions for very specific ethnic roles just don't catch.  The casting companies seem to be looking for more stereotypical ethnic looking people.  My own feeling is that I know I don't look middle American but I also don't look totally Mexican or any other specific ethnicity for that matter.  My height for one throws people off right away. If I did look Mexican or Eastern Indian or Middle Eastern, or Mediterranean, or Central European (guesses by a whole host of people throughout my life), I don't think people would ask me so often--"Just what ethnicity are you?"  I'm different looking enough to pique people's interest but not exotic enough to be representative for any specific ethnicity. I also don't have any kind of foreign accent and I don't speak Spanish either.  At this late date, even if I learned a foreign language, I doubt I could speak with any authentic accent. So I feel kind of stuck in limbo land as far as submitting for ethnic specific parts. My culture is more academic nerd which doesn't exactly translate to many parts. Maybe it's just super competitive for those jobs and I'm making something out of nothing but I can't help but feel that my intuition about this is on target.  Especially as I now look more carefully at TV, movies, and print work of people who do get those roles.

It's kind of the same feeling with the whole Social Economic Status roles too.  I'm clearly not working class but also not high class.  I doubt I will every get those high class, wealthy type roles.  I met a woman yesterday who is just the embodiment of what, at least I think, casting directors are looking for.  I will never be able to achieve that look without a lot of help with hair, make up, and wardrobe. It's a world I don't have a lot of experience in. So I feel like I can't even get my foot in the door for those roles given my profile pictures.  I am happy with the roles I am getting and am getting steady work but this has been an interesting observation.  Not the first time this has crossed my mind for sure, but it brings it to the forefront in a way it hadn't been before. 

Officer Calderon in the making!

This is just the best opportunity I could have asked for.  When I saw this job notice come out, I was all over it. Felt like a wish come true.  I got the call from Central Casting about an hour after I submitted with confirmation for this role if I was still available and interested. I couldn't help but be totally enthusiastic about getting this role. I don't know if other background actors are as enthusiastic as I am when they get confirmation calls, but I think the casting agency reps get some amusement from my responses. I go for my fitting on Wednesday morning which should take less than an hour and for which I will be paid--though not sure how much.  Then the shoot is on Monday 2/23 for Blue Bloods. I am really hoping to finally get my questions answered as to how this cop uniform business works.  If I get good enough answers, I'm going to make a bee line to Junior's Police Equipment and Uniforms after my fitting. I am now enough ahead of the game income wise that I can buy the complete uniform top to bottom without going into debt.    Casting Notice
Project Name:	BLUE BLOODS - SEASON 5
Project Type:
Format:
Rate/Compensation:
Message: NON UNION FEMALES TO PORTRAY NYPD IN UNI *MUST NOTE SIZES* FITTINGS 317-3/18 WORK DATE IS 3/23. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.
Role Role Type Gender/Age/Ethnicities Description/Note NON UNION FEMALES TO PORTRAY NYPD IN UNI *MUST NOTE SIZES* FITTINGS 317-3/18 WORK DATE IS 3/23. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.  Extra Female / 18 to 55 / All Ethnicities NON UNION FEMALES TO PORTRAY NYPD IN UNI *MUST NOTE SIZES* FITTINGS 317-3/18 WORK DATE IS 3/23. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. ***SHIRT SIZE & WAIST SIZE**** WARDROBE WILL BE PROVIDED. MUST SHIRT SIZE & WAIST SIZE TO BE CONSIDERED. MUST BE AVAIL FOR FITTING ON EITHER 3/17 OR 3/18 AND MUST HAVE ALL DAY AVAIL, WITH NO CONFLICTS ON 3/23.

The 80's called and wants its clothes back...

No really, if you don't turn in the clothes, you will get fined beaucoup de dolars by wardrobe.  Had the best gig so far today as a business traveler for the TV show, The Americans.  I have been wanting to be on a period piece since starting the Extra work and today was the day. The first of many I hope. I didn't really appreciate that 1983 is considered a vintage year in need of very particular hair, make up and clothes.  I guess it is over 30 years ago and no doubt fashion has changed but the level of detail hair, make up, and wardrobe puts in to making us look authentic is so impressive and FUN! There were about 100 extras that needed to be made up and about five stations at each place for getting our hair done, make up applied, and wardrobe assigned. Production staggered our call times so we were arriving in batches of 20 or so every half hour for a couple of hours. They had commandeered lots of older model cars and taxis for the exterior shot at the "airport" which was really a big conference center here in NYC.  I love Keri Russell, one of the principle actors, all the way back from her Felicity days so it was very fun to be on set with her.  I was positioned quite close to her for both of the airport scenes we shot today.  I love being more up front than banished to the Background wasteland.  It much more fun to be where the action is, though I do know some background actors who like being way, way, way off camera so they can essentially just do their own thing like talk on their phone, play games on their phones, etc.

Hair put so much hairspray and gel to get my hair to stay wavy the whole day.  We had to walk for several windy blocks to get from holding where we were being made up to the actual location of the shoot.  My hair person told me not to worry, my hair wasn't going anyplace....It felt like a helmet!  And sure enough, it looked great even after walking 4 blocks in the wind.  I don't know if aerosol cans still damage the ozone but if they do, the amount of hair spray used for that one shoot no doubt widened the hole in the ozone by a measurable amount!! Only the skirt and pumps are mine, everything else came from wardrobe or props, including the purse and suitcase.

Here are a few fun pics of my first period piece.

before

after

The full effect for the interior scene 

For the exterior scene

I am having so much fun with doing the Extra work.  It's adding such a whimsical dimension to my life.  I highly recommend it if you can put up with the hours, logistics of getting to the shoots, some of the tedium and the low pay.  For me, as I've said before, the good totally outweighs the bad.  I really don't understand people who show up for work with such bad attitudes, complaining about this and that.  This is totally voluntary, if you don't like, don't do it.  It's such a bummer to have to be stationed near someone whining all the time.  I try my best to keep my distance and not give them any reinforcement for their commentary.  I'm booked for the Good Wife next Monday.  Another show I'm excited to be on.  I'll be a reporter at a press conference for that shoot.