1st Time on a Real Set

About a week after I arrived in CA, I drove into Burbank and registered with an extra (or background actors - as most of the people prefer to be called) company called, Central Casting. Basically through them you get jobs to be an extra for movies and shows. You have to call into a recorded line that lists all of the jobs that extras are being hired for - but you have to fit all of the things they are looking for. Sometimes its very specific things. When you fit what they are looking for then you call in and try to book yourself for the job.

Anyways, its hard for me to get work through them because they only register people 18 and older. So for most jobs they are looking for people in their late twenties - which I don't fit at all. My age range (the range of ages an actor can play accurately based on looks, etc) is 14-20. Which means I can only play high school and early college age. Any younger or older I can't play because I don't look it.

I went without luck on finding any jobs I could fit for about a month. Then on September 12th I received a message from Central Casting asking if I could work on the coming Friday, September 18th. I called them back and got a voice mail, but I left them a message saying that yes I could and wanted to work. I was excited about this for a few reasons. (1) I would finally be working and getting some money. I hadn't had any source of income at all since I moved to CA, (2) I would be on a real set, (3) I finally fit the part for something. I knew I had to have fit it otherwise they wouldn't have called me, and (4) They had called me for it! In the info pack they give everyone when you register it stats that only 5% of jobs come from them contacting you - 95% of the jobs come from you calling in and booking yourself for it. So I was excited.

The next few days came and went without me hearing back from the lady about the job. I tried calling a couple more times but always got voice mail. Come Thursday, I was disappointed and figured they must have already booked someone else for the job. But on my way to my acting class, my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number but picked it up anyway. It was the lady from Central asking if I was still available to work the next day. I said yes! I was so excited that they still needed me. And I got my information for the job.

My job was for a Nickelodeon Pilot. It was currently not named, going by "Untitled Surf Show". My role was Girl in Classroom. I was told to bring 4 outfits, because being a pilot they don't have the budget to supply clothes. I picked and packed 4 outfits that I thought would fit for a school near the beach (like its supposed to be in the show). Then I picked out one to wear.

The next day I woke up early - unsure how long it would take me to arrive on location. My call time (the time I needed to show up at set) was at 9:00am. I arrived at 7:30, found the place, and then went to a park near by and read. Around 8:30 I drove back to the set. Being my first job I didn't know where to go or what to do. I was really excited but nervous too. The first person (who was also an extra hired) I met was another girl who it was her first time too. Then I met all the other extras. Most of them had done other jobs before so they helped us out and answered any questions we had. We all then met up with the guy who would be our "boss" so to speak for the day, signed in with him, and ate breakfast.

We filmed in Long Beach at an actual high school. Being a Friday, there were actual students around us and in the school. We got some funny looks from students obviously trying to figure out if they should know us from anything. It was kind of a cool feeling. During the students lunch break, some of them came up to us. We could tell they were nervous and unsure it they were aloud to talk to us. They were just curious and asked us questions and stuff. It was cool. This one guy was asking our ages - all of us were out of high school. He couldn't believe it. He asked me what grade I was in. I told him I'm 19 and he was like "No way!". Then he asked what we were doing in the show and we told him "Oh, we're playing high school students" -- He was just like "Really?". It was funny.

On of the first things we did when arriving on set was report to wardrobe - to figure out what to wear. The wardrobe people checked us all over - they told me my outfit I had worn there was good. So I never had to show them my other outfits, that was pretty cool. There were only 10 of us extras hired. We all played high school students. The scenes I shot were all scenes in a classroom. The two main actors for the show - I have no idea who they are. I assume their kind of new. Their names were Taylor and Dylan but that was all I really caught about them and I hadn't ever seen them before. I was cut (wrapped for the day and could go home) at 3:00pm, right after lunch.

Over all I had so much fun. I loved being on a real set. It was so cool seeing how everything runs and works on set. I just loved the whole atmosphere of it. I did get a couple close ups for a couple different shots which was so cool. I hope the pilot gets picked up and airs on TV so that I can watch it! I'm keeping my eyes open for it. I will let you know if it does so you can all watch it too.