There was a bit of drama at the beginning - they had me down as a non-union contract - the t.v. show called the casting company who insisted I filled out the paper work incorrectly, then haughtily said - we'll go pull her file and call you back. Well - lo and behold - they pulled my file and realized that I had in fact - provided them with my AFTRA number and a copy of my AFTRA card - and they changed the contract.
I didn't know what to expect. The first thing to expect is - TONS of carbs! CARBS EVERYWHERE you go! Danishes, muffins, bagels, crackers, cookies, chips, pancakes, and - some nuts. Carbs for days!
They also told us to come "Camera Ready." This being said - I woke up early and did myself up the best I could. They actually sent us to wardrobe, hair, and makeup though and provided us with whatever we needed. Apparently my wardrobe was perfect for a patron at a Karaoke bar. My make-up was fine - it didn't need anything. (it was a replica - or as close I could come - to the make-up Sierra wears in Love Never Dies -hrmmmm - I'm not obsessed - nooooooo...) but everyone kept commenting on how pretty it looked so - hey - whatever works. My hair - oh my hair was a different matter. After being blown dry straight then straightened with an iron TWICE - I was good to go. My hair was amazing and I got compliments on it for the rest of the day. Everyone wanted to touch it at Fiddler rehearsal. Crazy. After all this time - I STILL haven't figured out how to do my hair. lol.
Then - we waited around for two hours - nibbling on carbs and making small talk. I met a whole bunch of really interesting, kind, helpful, sweet, informative people - some pursuing acting, some pursuing fashion, some just looking for a part time job of any sort. It was really interesting.
Then they called us in. I got sat down right next to the main talent - so I guess I was important and was assigned a hair and makeup person - which meant MORE hair straightening (Oh you HAIR! Trying to take over the world! ) I was sat down next to a really obnoxious boy who was apparently "over" the whole extra thing and was incredibly distracting and wanted to know why I was taking it all so seriously. I told him, because I am interested in how t.v. is directed and because I treat every performing gig, no matter how small or large, as if it was Broadway - it's all practice. He looked a little taken aback - and stopped trying to act cool and over everything. (He even missed our great exit out of the bar once because he was busy being cool. GAH!) Anyhow, apparently we did a good job in the end - the director gave us a good job signal. The "background" (me) was released and we were told to go home. $139 for what actually amounted to about an hours of actual work. 6 hours of time. Pretty harmless. I'm told the other jobs are usually harder but I'm glad - VERY VERY VERY glad - that MERCY was MERCIFUL!
And thus concluded my first foray into the wonderful world of extra work.
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