It Isn’t Cold Until You Call Cut

The title of this post is in reference to my filming outside on Saturday night, and to the fact that it felt so much warmer between action and cut. It still was cold while we were filming, but you have so many other things on your mind, and you’re in the moment, so it doesn’t affect you as much. Also, everyone was super nice about the weather, letting me wear my jacket until the very last second, and hang out inside while they got everything ready. They also tried to take 5-10 minute breaks every once in a while, just so I could warm up before the next take. Wasn’t necessary, but I appreciated the gesture 🙂

We were filming a short, where I play the waitress, but we still have a conversation that only very slightly has anything to do with me being a waitress. I got this part not through an audition, but a direct offer from the writer/director who worked with me last spring on Sasha: Portrait of An Artist. This is my absolute favorite way to get parts, not just because you don’t have to go through the whole auditioning process, but because it means that someone who knows your work and has worked with you before thinks that you are talented and wants to work with you again. It feels amazing, and then you come to set already knowing the people you are going to be working with.

Since we were filming at a restaurant, we had to wait until they were pretty much closed before we could start filming, which brought us to 10 o’clock. It turns out that in addition to the directors and writer I worked with last Spring, I also knew my scene partner, from an audition and background work on Sex and Ethnicity. In the non-union world of Montreal, I very rarely come on set without knowing anyone.

We ran our scene before going outside so we could block it. I basically come out of the restaurant, we talk and then I leave and go back inside, so I really only had to be out in the cold while we were filming. While I had been really cold while we were blocking and I had my jacket on, it truly wasn’t bad when we were filming, even with my lighter outfit. We did a few takes of me from over his shoulder, then close ups of me, before finally flipping to film him from over my shoulder, where I was allowed to put my jacket back on 🙂 We had to do a lot more takes than it took for us as actors to get it right, because there were cars going by and a lot of activity on the street, which was ruining the sound. Still, I could have kept going a lot longer. It’s a fun scene to play and everyone there was incredibly nice and professional and fun to hang around with.

They did my scene first, since it was so late, but if it had been earlier, I would have loved to stick around and watch them film the other scenes. Luckily I’ll get to see how it all turns out, since we are going to be having a sort of a viewing party once the film is done. And just like last time, I had a really fun time working with them, and hope to be able to do it again 🙂

As I was leaving, the sound guy called out to say that I was great in Sasha, having just recognized me. A perfect ending to a perfect day 🙂

“Don’t build links. Build relationships.”

-Rand Fishkin