Behind the Scenes: On the set of my first movie

Two weekends ago, I had one of my best new experiences in Los Angeles. I got to be on set for a real movie shoot! Ok, well reshoots but still. I hung out in “video village” aka the behind the scenes area where all the director chairs are set up to scene the ongoing shot. I arrived during the second scene of the day, the crew’s breakfast spread was still out, and I was shocked by the amount of food. Cereal, eggs benedict, bagels and lox, hashbrowns just to name a few. Reminded me of my good ol’ sorority days when food was simply provided for me without me actually having to cook it! Anyways after I stopped salivating over the breakfast and the extensive coffee selection, I settled down into my own director’s chair (see above if you don't know what I'm talking about). I will just come out and say it, I felt pretty big time even though I was pretty much only observing. I enjoyed seeing first hand how the director can manipulate the entire scene with one simple note to the actors. Dialogue’s tone and volume can also transform a scene from angry to compassionate.  

One of the best parts was seeing our VP in action. At eight months pregnant, she can still command a room. If the director has gone a little too far into his vision, she was able to reel him in and create better takes. She definitely sets a high standard for what you can achieve through hard work and putting in the time to get to a certain position. Before I knew, it was time to break for lunch, and we were presented with another incredible array of food. I don’t know how people on set stay in shape because if I had access to this much food everyday, I would be obese. I have little to no self-control when it comes to good food! I patiently waited for the crew to get their food before I dove in. I filled my plate with salad, mashed potatoes, lemon chicken and veggie meatloaf. If that wasn’t enough, I sampled each of the three types of pie that were available for dessert. After an hour break, we were back on set. Six hours later, it was about time to wrap when the director yelled he needed more young people for a rave scene. I quickly saw one of the on-set producers coming my way. I tried to hide, but it was no use. He had spotted our development exec and I. After a few costume adjustments ie putting an embarrassing pink bowtie around my neck, we were ready for our shining moment. Our task was simple. Dance and then when the other extras run toward you, don’t let them through. I hid in the back and did my part. I danced, I held the line, and I waited to die… Yes, my big debut is a horror movie!

After 10 hours on set, the day finally wrapped! It was an absolutely amazing learning experience, and a great first time on set. I wish we shot more of our movies in Los Angeles! Being on set is a completely different experience than the development side I am used to. There are so many steps that go into making a movie, and I can’t wait to experience even more aspects such as editing, scoring and distribution!