Today we are back at Club Challenge. Yesterday we filmed here when we were going my scenes but we were using the offices so you couldn't tell that we were in a club. But today was the day that we had about 100 extras coming to help us out to make it look like we had a packed burlesque club scene.
It was the first early morning shoot that we've had in over a week. A lot of the scenes that we have had to do previously were supposed to take place in the afternoon or at night, so in a way we've been a bit spoiled by getting to sleep in. But this morning we were on the road by 8. When I say we were on the road by eight I mean that everyone else was on the road by eight. Myself and Rob and Ticho were still waiting for our ride at the hotel. It wasn't Matt's fault this time, surprisingly, we were waiting for Maaike who was asked to pick us up. But because the Rembrandtplein Hotel was completely out of her way, she was late and in turn we were all late getting to set, again.
By the time we got there I was greeted by about 50 scantily clad ladies waiting in the lobby all dressed in burlesque. Most of them looked really good and when I was thinking about it I was surprised that people have these types of clothes just laying around the house. But I have learned to never be surprised by anything that happens in Amsterdam. But on the other hand we also had a handful of old people dressed up in burlesque. I can even put into words how wrong some of them looked and I was asking myself where we found these people but they did seem to be having a good time so who am I to judge? But one of the old ladies did ask me to help her fasten up her revealing top when I made the mistake of going to the bathroom. I obliged but it was a rather uncomfortable experience.
The club we were in was pretty cool. It was two stories, with four bars, a VIP area and cool decorations. I may have gone to party there but its hard to tell what kind of place it would be at night. We were there through the day filming so that is the only context I can imagine it in.
I thought filming went pretty smoothly today. The extras took direction well and we were able to filter in and out new extras that were coming in. Also, every time we had to shoot a new scene we would just move the extras around to make it look like it was a new group of people or a different day. Something I've realized while shooting this film is how unreal films are. When you watch films in a movie theatre, everything seems to run smoothly and it makes sense, even when you are watching movies at home. But when you are watching the filming process you wonder to yourself how exactly all of these tiny cut scenes are going to fit into the film as a whole. And when you are watching fight scenes that clearly look fake, that how do they look real in the movie. So when I have been watching shows while I've been here I've been looking at them with more scrutiny, trying to dissect how they did things. I have a feeling that is going to be a bad thing. The magic of the cinema is slowly slipping away.
Like I said the rest of the day went pretty smoothly. About two hours before wrap Amy and I decided to start cleaning up because the extras were pigs and because we had lit candelabra all over the club there was wax on practically every table. Amy and I were under the mentality that if we didn't clean it, it would never get done. Good thing we did all that cleaning because then when filming was over we were able to relax while everyone else packed up their equipment.
A whole bunch of us came back to the Rembrandtplein and were greeted by the owner of the hotel with two mini-kegs of Heineken and bottles of alcohol. It seemed rude to refuse such hospitality so we sat and drank for awhile. Beer for the men and Bailey for the ladies as the owner says. We also order these awesome burgers from a place called "Burger Bar." I didn't think you could find a really good burger in Amsterdam but it was possible. I probably got to bed by one in the morning after a night of socializing.
But all of this random sleeping is really throwing me off. That is one thing I can't wait to do. Get back to the states and just sleep consistently for a couple days. That may be one of the only things I am looking forward to in America.
Sleepy Love from Amsterdam,
-M
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Day 19 - January 27, 2011 FILMING DAY!!!
Today is the day that I become Dr. Maria Bouer. Hmmm, well I am not sure how I feel about the Doctor part of that character because I am clearly not old enough for that title, but I'll take it.
I awoke early today because I was scared that I would over sleep and wouldn't have time to take a shower and I honestly couldn't sleep anymore because all I could think about was how being an actress was going to go today. But in the end, regardless of how the day would go, I knew it would be a great experience and a huge resume builder to get the ball rolling on my acting experiences in front of the camera. The downside was that today was the day I wished I would have stopped eating like three weeks ago. I was feeling very self conscious about my appearance. The thing that was going right was that no army of pimples appeared on my face overnight, thank goodness!
And of course we were running late as usual. Rob, Ticho and I were to ride with Matt to set today and I swear to the heavens that he is THE slowest person in the entire world. Or maybe guilt is not a problem with him because he'll get to set whenever he pleases. Even if he does have to take three of us with him. I guess I am just not used to being constantly late because in theatre, if you are early then you are on time, if you are on time then you are late, and if you are late then you could be fired or reprimanded in some way. Time has become very fluid on set so no one really sticks to it, just as long as we are generally running on time they let it slide.
Today I didn't have to worry about being 2nd Assistant Director. As soon as I arrived on set I went to find out what they needed me to do in the position of 2 A.D. before I got into costume. But Michael Wright came up to me, gave me a hug, and told me that he was going to treat me very special today because I was an actor. HAHAHAHA I think it's funny that when you are an actor, people lovingly kiss the ground that you walk on and when you are part of the crew the day consists of being yelled at all day. I much prefer the treatment of being an actress! But it is sad that the people who are working hard all day get little gratification when an actor comes for one scene and they are praised. You just have to remember that you do it because you love it, not because you will get a lot of special treatment for a job well done.
Next I was off to hair and makeup. The makeup was to be very natural and understated and I was given a very matronly bun. They wanted to make me look like a professional but I felt like I had hair from the same character as when I played Annie Sullivan in "The Miracle Worker." But matronly is definitely a step in a very different direction from my usual prostitute or man roles so bring on the matronly buns. Costume was a whole other situation. I was told before I left the states that I should being something business'y' so I brought a business jacket, a blouse, a skirt, tights, heels and a dress so that they would have options to choose from if they needed my stuff. The head of the wardrobe department asked for my sizes so I was told that my costume was taken care of. Like a boyscout and always being prepared I still brought all my own stuff just in case. And it is a good thing I did. What wardrobe brought for me wasn't anything like what the director had in mind. The European female business suit must be different from the American female business suit. So in the end I wore my own skirt, tights, shoes, jackets and they just provided me with a button down white suit shirt. I wish I had had the mentally capacity to remember to grab my camera, but unfortunately I don't have any pictures on my own camera of my experience that day but plenty of other people were taking pictures so I am going to try and scrounge up a few of my day as Dr. Maria Bouer.
So now I was in makeup, costume and hair and I was ready to go but getting more nervous by the minute. Now it was time to meet the actor in which I would be playing all my scenes with. His name was Mimoun Ouled Radi, and what a character he was too. I'll start this story by painting a picture of the scene we were supposed to be creating. My character has entered the Immigration Office to compile data for a study on efficiency within the department. Mimoun's character is pissed that I have come to call on them so late but I would be impressed by how they got things done and he would show me by letting me sit in on an interrogation of a man they found in a freight container trying, what they thought, to get illegally into the country. The man in said box is the protagonist of the whole film, Rik Sinkeldam. As the scene progresses, JD (Rik) disarms the two armed guards in his holding cell and flees the immigration office all while I'm taking notes on an IPad. It was a really fun scene to shoot. There were many takes and a lot of it ended up being improvisation because that was just how Mimoun was working that day. And in between every take he would sing to me and he even made me a rose out of a napkin at lunch. Obviously smitten with me and my brilliant acting ;) I also had to run around the corridors of the office building while Mimoun was chasing after the escaped possible terrorist. I ended up having to film all day but it was A LOT of fun and I hope to get to have a chance to do it again soon. I keep looking on IMDB.com to look for the update on my acting gig on the 'Amsterdam Heavy' page. It is still not there but I am hoping it will be up soon!
And now that I got to play around on an IPad all day I really want one. I always thought that they were just an overrated IPod but now I feel obsessed.
The rest of the day went off without any major problems. The only one I can think of was when one of the actors' planes got delayed in Belgium and was running late to get to set. If he had been running on time we could have been done filming 2 or 3 hours before the scheduled wrap time. But since we had to wait for him we just got out on time, which is still fine with me. I was on a euphoric high and I was in the best possible mood for the rest of the day. I think Amy was quite annoyed with my positive mood because she was having a bad day. So instead of hanging out with her because I knew that she was stressed to the max, I went with Courtney to make sandwiches in the catering truck for our wrap dinner. I normally don't have to help out with that sort of thing but I was feeling generous so I didn't feel exploited to help out with good duty.
When we did finally wrap, the ride I usually get back to the hotel was going in the complete opposite direction of home so Rob, Ticho and I took the train home to Centraal Station Amsterdam and then walked to a grocery store and headed home for a nice relaxing evening. I took all of my groceries and sat at the bar in the lobby and caught up on the blogs that I was a week behind on. So for three hours I sat at the bar with my headphones in, listening to music, eating, and pouring my last weeks adventures into some sort of controlled chaos that would make sense to anyone reading it. I also called Caity to tell her all about what I was doing here! (Hi Caity if you are reading this). So it was really nice to catch up with her and then I headed to bed where Courtney and Amy were watching Sex and the City. This would be the last night of 3P because the next day after filming Courtney was headed straight to the airport to get back to London with the friends that she was staying with. I will desperately miss her when she is gone. From now til the rest of the shooting it will just me Amy and myself in the room. Home, Sweet Home.
Check me out on IMDB.com!
-M
And thank you for all your love and support, it completely and utterly keeps me sane!
I awoke early today because I was scared that I would over sleep and wouldn't have time to take a shower and I honestly couldn't sleep anymore because all I could think about was how being an actress was going to go today. But in the end, regardless of how the day would go, I knew it would be a great experience and a huge resume builder to get the ball rolling on my acting experiences in front of the camera. The downside was that today was the day I wished I would have stopped eating like three weeks ago. I was feeling very self conscious about my appearance. The thing that was going right was that no army of pimples appeared on my face overnight, thank goodness!
And of course we were running late as usual. Rob, Ticho and I were to ride with Matt to set today and I swear to the heavens that he is THE slowest person in the entire world. Or maybe guilt is not a problem with him because he'll get to set whenever he pleases. Even if he does have to take three of us with him. I guess I am just not used to being constantly late because in theatre, if you are early then you are on time, if you are on time then you are late, and if you are late then you could be fired or reprimanded in some way. Time has become very fluid on set so no one really sticks to it, just as long as we are generally running on time they let it slide.
Today I didn't have to worry about being 2nd Assistant Director. As soon as I arrived on set I went to find out what they needed me to do in the position of 2 A.D. before I got into costume. But Michael Wright came up to me, gave me a hug, and told me that he was going to treat me very special today because I was an actor. HAHAHAHA I think it's funny that when you are an actor, people lovingly kiss the ground that you walk on and when you are part of the crew the day consists of being yelled at all day. I much prefer the treatment of being an actress! But it is sad that the people who are working hard all day get little gratification when an actor comes for one scene and they are praised. You just have to remember that you do it because you love it, not because you will get a lot of special treatment for a job well done.
Next I was off to hair and makeup. The makeup was to be very natural and understated and I was given a very matronly bun. They wanted to make me look like a professional but I felt like I had hair from the same character as when I played Annie Sullivan in "The Miracle Worker." But matronly is definitely a step in a very different direction from my usual prostitute or man roles so bring on the matronly buns. Costume was a whole other situation. I was told before I left the states that I should being something business'y' so I brought a business jacket, a blouse, a skirt, tights, heels and a dress so that they would have options to choose from if they needed my stuff. The head of the wardrobe department asked for my sizes so I was told that my costume was taken care of. Like a boyscout and always being prepared I still brought all my own stuff just in case. And it is a good thing I did. What wardrobe brought for me wasn't anything like what the director had in mind. The European female business suit must be different from the American female business suit. So in the end I wore my own skirt, tights, shoes, jackets and they just provided me with a button down white suit shirt. I wish I had had the mentally capacity to remember to grab my camera, but unfortunately I don't have any pictures on my own camera of my experience that day but plenty of other people were taking pictures so I am going to try and scrounge up a few of my day as Dr. Maria Bouer.
So now I was in makeup, costume and hair and I was ready to go but getting more nervous by the minute. Now it was time to meet the actor in which I would be playing all my scenes with. His name was Mimoun Ouled Radi, and what a character he was too. I'll start this story by painting a picture of the scene we were supposed to be creating. My character has entered the Immigration Office to compile data for a study on efficiency within the department. Mimoun's character is pissed that I have come to call on them so late but I would be impressed by how they got things done and he would show me by letting me sit in on an interrogation of a man they found in a freight container trying, what they thought, to get illegally into the country. The man in said box is the protagonist of the whole film, Rik Sinkeldam. As the scene progresses, JD (Rik) disarms the two armed guards in his holding cell and flees the immigration office all while I'm taking notes on an IPad. It was a really fun scene to shoot. There were many takes and a lot of it ended up being improvisation because that was just how Mimoun was working that day. And in between every take he would sing to me and he even made me a rose out of a napkin at lunch. Obviously smitten with me and my brilliant acting ;) I also had to run around the corridors of the office building while Mimoun was chasing after the escaped possible terrorist. I ended up having to film all day but it was A LOT of fun and I hope to get to have a chance to do it again soon. I keep looking on IMDB.com to look for the update on my acting gig on the 'Amsterdam Heavy' page. It is still not there but I am hoping it will be up soon!
And now that I got to play around on an IPad all day I really want one. I always thought that they were just an overrated IPod but now I feel obsessed.
The rest of the day went off without any major problems. The only one I can think of was when one of the actors' planes got delayed in Belgium and was running late to get to set. If he had been running on time we could have been done filming 2 or 3 hours before the scheduled wrap time. But since we had to wait for him we just got out on time, which is still fine with me. I was on a euphoric high and I was in the best possible mood for the rest of the day. I think Amy was quite annoyed with my positive mood because she was having a bad day. So instead of hanging out with her because I knew that she was stressed to the max, I went with Courtney to make sandwiches in the catering truck for our wrap dinner. I normally don't have to help out with that sort of thing but I was feeling generous so I didn't feel exploited to help out with good duty.
When we did finally wrap, the ride I usually get back to the hotel was going in the complete opposite direction of home so Rob, Ticho and I took the train home to Centraal Station Amsterdam and then walked to a grocery store and headed home for a nice relaxing evening. I took all of my groceries and sat at the bar in the lobby and caught up on the blogs that I was a week behind on. So for three hours I sat at the bar with my headphones in, listening to music, eating, and pouring my last weeks adventures into some sort of controlled chaos that would make sense to anyone reading it. I also called Caity to tell her all about what I was doing here! (Hi Caity if you are reading this). So it was really nice to catch up with her and then I headed to bed where Courtney and Amy were watching Sex and the City. This would be the last night of 3P because the next day after filming Courtney was headed straight to the airport to get back to London with the friends that she was staying with. I will desperately miss her when she is gone. From now til the rest of the shooting it will just me Amy and myself in the room. Home, Sweet Home.
Check me out on IMDB.com!
-M
And thank you for all your love and support, it completely and utterly keeps me sane!
Day 18 - January 26, 2011
Nice and rested. I got plenty of sleep last night and I am ready to take the day head on. This is clearly evident because I have decided to wear a shirt and nice blouse to work today rather than my typical jeans and a sweater ensemble. I even put on uncomfortable tights, that's how good I was feeling about this day.
Our call time on set, like I said before was one in the afternoon. We were off to shoot at the Apollo Museum Hotel (AKA Best Western). This is wear our lead actress, Alison Carroll, was staying and we were using her suite to shoot a kidnap scene. Today was one of those days in which whatever normally would go wrong on set was running smoothly and whatever normally ran smoothly was going terribly wrong. It felt like opposite day and it was fast spiraling out of my control. Wardrobe was 1.5 hours late while sound was 2 hours late. We definitely made use of our time though because we managed to film a whole bunch of scenes without either. We were improvising with great ease, which I don't think would have been possible if it weren't for our director, Michael Wright. I have never seen him lose his cool even in the most sticky situations and he always has a creative solution to any problem. He keeps his cool which helps everyone else do their work.
So regardless of the lateness of half of the crew, it turned out to be a very fast film in the afternoon. So another positive note was that we were still running on time in order to get to our second filming location for the day. We were headed to film the exterior of the club that the bad guy in the movie owns. Of course by this time it is already dark and cold outside so we were in for a long, cold night. When arriving at Club Sportive, we could clearly see a win for the Art Department. Everything was set up, the sign, the red carpet, the velvet ropes. They did a great job and could now finally relax for once. The problem with this shoot was that we had 15 to 20 extras to wrangle together. Their part in the film at this point was to be clubbers in line to get into this awesome party. Well it was freezing outside so I am not sure how convincing their party faces were because I haven't seen that part of the film yet but everyone seemed happy with what we had to I'm sure it was great.
We stopped shooting and wrapping a little later than we had expected and it turned out to be a stressful day so all anyone wanted to do was head back to the hotel and have a drink. I joined them for the company but I didn't drink or do anything naughty because MY ACTING PART WAS TO BE FILMED THE NEXT DAY!!!!
I was somewhat at a loss for how to prepare for my first time in front of the camera. I had all two of my lines memorized and I had figured out the motivation for the character and how I was going to play her. But I was still nervous, and it was hard to get to sleep that night because I was constantly thinking about the next day and the fact that a lot of the people that are working as crew have some sort of extra part but none of them were speaking roles. I actually get to say lines and be an actress for a whole day instead of some random person walking by the camera not in focus. Wish me luck, I hope it goes well!
Candy dreams for you all!
-M
Our call time on set, like I said before was one in the afternoon. We were off to shoot at the Apollo Museum Hotel (AKA Best Western). This is wear our lead actress, Alison Carroll, was staying and we were using her suite to shoot a kidnap scene. Today was one of those days in which whatever normally would go wrong on set was running smoothly and whatever normally ran smoothly was going terribly wrong. It felt like opposite day and it was fast spiraling out of my control. Wardrobe was 1.5 hours late while sound was 2 hours late. We definitely made use of our time though because we managed to film a whole bunch of scenes without either. We were improvising with great ease, which I don't think would have been possible if it weren't for our director, Michael Wright. I have never seen him lose his cool even in the most sticky situations and he always has a creative solution to any problem. He keeps his cool which helps everyone else do their work.
So regardless of the lateness of half of the crew, it turned out to be a very fast film in the afternoon. So another positive note was that we were still running on time in order to get to our second filming location for the day. We were headed to film the exterior of the club that the bad guy in the movie owns. Of course by this time it is already dark and cold outside so we were in for a long, cold night. When arriving at Club Sportive, we could clearly see a win for the Art Department. Everything was set up, the sign, the red carpet, the velvet ropes. They did a great job and could now finally relax for once. The problem with this shoot was that we had 15 to 20 extras to wrangle together. Their part in the film at this point was to be clubbers in line to get into this awesome party. Well it was freezing outside so I am not sure how convincing their party faces were because I haven't seen that part of the film yet but everyone seemed happy with what we had to I'm sure it was great.
We stopped shooting and wrapping a little later than we had expected and it turned out to be a stressful day so all anyone wanted to do was head back to the hotel and have a drink. I joined them for the company but I didn't drink or do anything naughty because MY ACTING PART WAS TO BE FILMED THE NEXT DAY!!!!
I was somewhat at a loss for how to prepare for my first time in front of the camera. I had all two of my lines memorized and I had figured out the motivation for the character and how I was going to play her. But I was still nervous, and it was hard to get to sleep that night because I was constantly thinking about the next day and the fact that a lot of the people that are working as crew have some sort of extra part but none of them were speaking roles. I actually get to say lines and be an actress for a whole day instead of some random person walking by the camera not in focus. Wish me luck, I hope it goes well!
Candy dreams for you all!
-M
Day 17 - January 25, 2011
So after Courtney, Amy and I got home from our screening of 'Mad Cow' at three in the morning, I had the privilege of sleeping in the middle of what the three of us lovingly referred to as "3P." We had taken a bed from another room so Courtney could stay with us instead of being shipped off to a hostel by herself. We called it '3P' because the van that holds nine persons to take us to set everyday is called the '9P' so our three person bed is called the '3P.' While climbing into the middle of the '3P' i realized that the foot of my bed was soaking wet. The blankets on top weren't wet but the sheets and the mattress were soaking. I think there is foul-play going on with one of the girls on set. She and I just don't get along, mainly because she is useless and every time I see her on set she is napping, so that could have something to do with it. But this wetness could be in retaliation for something. Just speculation, but who knows.
Today was our glorious full day off. I planned on sleeping in and maybe going on a canal cruise with Amy like I mentioned earlier, but I was woken up at 9:30 with incessant phone calls from our Production Assistant, Bo. I figured since she was calling me so much that it must be important. So after ignoring her third call, I decided to ring her back. A lot of the crew actually didn't have a day off. Many of the people who work for The Content Factory were required to be on set for a different film that they had started before 'Amsterdam Heavy.' It was a film called STUK, which in Dutch means 'piece' and can be used to refer to a beautiful woman or some such description. I think the film was based on a play that was running in London when I was there last January because the plot sounds very similar. So a whole bunch of people were working on another film and they needed the production kit, that I was responsible for in regards to 'Amsterdam Heavy,' for the movie that they were finishing up today. So I made my way down to the lobby in the pajamas to make sure I was there when they swung by the hotel. Since I was already up, I decided to stay down in the lobby for breakfast. I have actually grown quite fond of the bread, butter and jelly and coffee that has been my routine for breakfast. It actually reminds me of my Grandma's house, because when we would stay over, in the morning we would have bread, butter, jelly and frosted flakes. So it is rather comforting to have this kind of food for breakfast.
When Bo arrived to pick up the call sheet I traversed back up to my room to spend some time creating the call sheet for tomorrow. Half-heartedly because I really don't enjoy doing the call sheet because there is such a large margin for one thing, or everything, to go terribly wrong. When Amy got up we headed down to the Waterlooplein market, I kind of adored it because it was very second-hand and if you are in the mood to dig you can find some really great stuff. But I don't think Amy enjoyed it all that much because she was eager to just walk through quickly and press on to a different venture. We continued to walk through this massive flower market. It is incredible that even in winter, the tulips that are everywhere are so bright, and vibrant! Picture Below:
I've decided that if I ever lived in Holland that I would constantly have tulips around my house. One, because they are very pretty and two, you get fifty tulips for 5 Euros. That is a deal. Next to the flower market was a Pankooken House (Dutch for pancake) so Amy and I decided to have lunch there. The pankooken here are thin, buttery and absolutely delicious. I ordered an Apple Pankook and it was easily one of the best things I've had in Amsterdam so far. But, as filming would have it, Amy was called away for a meeting so I was left to my own vices. I bought some souvenirs, some funny and some practical, and then I took pictures because it was finally a sunny day in Amsterdam, so I wanted to make sure that I got some blue sky pictures of my stay in Holland.
So now that the canal cruise was out of the question because I didn't really feel like going by myself, I decided to head to the STUK set to watch everyone work on set. I got what I will call an 'encouraging' email from Rik suggesting that I attend to shoot for moral support. Honestly it sounded more like a guilt trip but I figured since I had nothing else to do that I would go and keep people company for a little while.
Example of me keeping Rik company while he edited film.
My visit to the STUK set was a dual purpose one. I knew Carlijn would be there and we desperately needed to get the next days call sheet out so I sat on set waiting for her to arrive so we could wrap up tomorrow's duties. It was actually a good thing that I went because I ended up working all day on things that should have been done before. So my day off which started out grand turned into working until nine or ten o'clock at night. The silver lining was that we were allowed to stay for their wrap party (drinks, dancing, company). But I really just wasn't in the mood. I stayed for maybe fifteen minutes into the wrap party and then decided that it was in my best interest to head home and get some sleep. I rendezvoused with Courtney and Amy at the hotel and we watched Sex and the City in the 3P until 11 and then we were all asleep. Right now I have the potential to sleep for twelve hours because our call tomorrow isn't until one in the afternoon. Here's to hoping that I'll get a good nights sleep.
Kisses,
-M
Today was our glorious full day off. I planned on sleeping in and maybe going on a canal cruise with Amy like I mentioned earlier, but I was woken up at 9:30 with incessant phone calls from our Production Assistant, Bo. I figured since she was calling me so much that it must be important. So after ignoring her third call, I decided to ring her back. A lot of the crew actually didn't have a day off. Many of the people who work for The Content Factory were required to be on set for a different film that they had started before 'Amsterdam Heavy.' It was a film called STUK, which in Dutch means 'piece' and can be used to refer to a beautiful woman or some such description. I think the film was based on a play that was running in London when I was there last January because the plot sounds very similar. So a whole bunch of people were working on another film and they needed the production kit, that I was responsible for in regards to 'Amsterdam Heavy,' for the movie that they were finishing up today. So I made my way down to the lobby in the pajamas to make sure I was there when they swung by the hotel. Since I was already up, I decided to stay down in the lobby for breakfast. I have actually grown quite fond of the bread, butter and jelly and coffee that has been my routine for breakfast. It actually reminds me of my Grandma's house, because when we would stay over, in the morning we would have bread, butter, jelly and frosted flakes. So it is rather comforting to have this kind of food for breakfast.
When Bo arrived to pick up the call sheet I traversed back up to my room to spend some time creating the call sheet for tomorrow. Half-heartedly because I really don't enjoy doing the call sheet because there is such a large margin for one thing, or everything, to go terribly wrong. When Amy got up we headed down to the Waterlooplein market, I kind of adored it because it was very second-hand and if you are in the mood to dig you can find some really great stuff. But I don't think Amy enjoyed it all that much because she was eager to just walk through quickly and press on to a different venture. We continued to walk through this massive flower market. It is incredible that even in winter, the tulips that are everywhere are so bright, and vibrant! Picture Below:
My visit to the STUK set was a dual purpose one. I knew Carlijn would be there and we desperately needed to get the next days call sheet out so I sat on set waiting for her to arrive so we could wrap up tomorrow's duties. It was actually a good thing that I went because I ended up working all day on things that should have been done before. So my day off which started out grand turned into working until nine or ten o'clock at night. The silver lining was that we were allowed to stay for their wrap party (drinks, dancing, company). But I really just wasn't in the mood. I stayed for maybe fifteen minutes into the wrap party and then decided that it was in my best interest to head home and get some sleep. I rendezvoused with Courtney and Amy at the hotel and we watched Sex and the City in the 3P until 11 and then we were all asleep. Right now I have the potential to sleep for twelve hours because our call tomorrow isn't until one in the afternoon. Here's to hoping that I'll get a good nights sleep.
Kisses,
-M
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Day 16 - Jaunary 24, 2011
So if you have just joined me I am in the middle of a 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. shooting call. I am at an overpass in the misty cold waiting for the location switch because I know the next location will at least be warmer than the one we are at now. While waiting for location change I talked to mom on the phone and I also gave Joey a prank call that I was drunk, crying and lost in Amsterdam. No trip to a foreign country is complete without a desperate phone call to my little brother.
We finally wrapped at the overpass at one in the morning and Ticho, Rob, Matt and I were carpooling to the next location. If I am not spending all my time with Amy then I am completely surrounded by guys. I actually prefer it that way. Men can be such simple and uncomplicated creatures that its less work to be surrounded by them than to keep up face with women. True.
Our next location was the Casa Rosso. You may remember this name from one of my previous posts because this is the same location we were at a week or so ago. I honestly can't remember how long ago because all of my days are running together and the only way I can manage to remember what I do for this blog is to write it down at the end of the day so when I get around to writing each day I at least have an outline. But Casa Rosso was the establishment in the Red Light District that has the very graphic pornography shows. Not an ideal location to return to but I was happy to be someplace warm and dry. Outside of the Casa Rosso we were filming a fight scene where JD, Rik Sinkeldam, is getting the shit kicked out of him by two women in full latex suits. Interesting concept. So by the time we start shooting and get everyone out on the bridge a whole lotta crazy started spilling on to the Red Light. We had a handful of drunk, horny or drugged out men passing our set. I of course, being the intimidating creature that I am, was in charge of crowd control. Not an easy task because whenever I stopped a man and told him that he had to stop where he was because he was going to be in the shot we were in the middle of, they assumed that I was trying to solicit sex from them. I got a number of interesting responses and I shouldn't be surprised that people acted that way toward me because I am a women, standing by myself in the Red Light District that I was be working the streets. An experience that I will not soon forget, even if I wanted to.
We finally wrapped on set at 7 in the morning, an hour before we were originally told that we were going to be let out so that was exciting. I rode with Ticho and Matt back to Rotterdam to take a quick nap. I went to Rotterdam because Matt said he wanted to take my out to brunch. I wasn't planning on taking a full sleep anyways because I didn't want to mess up my sleep cycle otherwise I would become a huge bitch. Matt took me to Hotel New York, how appropriate right!? The building used to be a docking for large ships that would take people from Rotterdam to NYC. I was curious if that sort of boat was still running but she laughed and said that it stopped longer than all our ages put together. We went here I'm assuming because of the NYC title but also it had a great English-style breakfast that I was told that I couldn't pass up. Brunch was, as promised, delicious and then I caught the train back to Amsterdam.
When I got back 'home' I organized my crap once again because it was in desperate need of some TLC. When Amy and Courtney got home from their walking tour with Henri, we went to grab groceries from the Albert again, another prepackaged dinner, before heading over to Jason's house.
The people that actually worked on 'Mad Cow' were invited to Jason's house for a celebratory screening and a champagne toast to congratulate ourselves on all the hard work it took to get the movie a theatrical release.
Below is a picture of the three of us waiting outside in the cold because the guys had gone out to buy champagne.
And everyone waiting patiently for Jason to figure out how to get the projector to work for the screening.
I also showed the gang how to set up the hookah and then ended up smoking it all by myself. I know, at least, if Roxanne was here I wouldn't have to smoke this by myself.
The only three girls there, me, Amy and Courtney, were ready to go to bed by three so we caught a cab home with director, Michael Wright, and tried to catch some ZZZZ's. Amy and I were going to wake up early because we have the WHOLE day off tomorrow. Crazy I know but I think we want to do something that would take a whole day.
Well see what the day brings tomorrow.
-M
We finally wrapped at the overpass at one in the morning and Ticho, Rob, Matt and I were carpooling to the next location. If I am not spending all my time with Amy then I am completely surrounded by guys. I actually prefer it that way. Men can be such simple and uncomplicated creatures that its less work to be surrounded by them than to keep up face with women. True.
Our next location was the Casa Rosso. You may remember this name from one of my previous posts because this is the same location we were at a week or so ago. I honestly can't remember how long ago because all of my days are running together and the only way I can manage to remember what I do for this blog is to write it down at the end of the day so when I get around to writing each day I at least have an outline. But Casa Rosso was the establishment in the Red Light District that has the very graphic pornography shows. Not an ideal location to return to but I was happy to be someplace warm and dry. Outside of the Casa Rosso we were filming a fight scene where JD, Rik Sinkeldam, is getting the shit kicked out of him by two women in full latex suits. Interesting concept. So by the time we start shooting and get everyone out on the bridge a whole lotta crazy started spilling on to the Red Light. We had a handful of drunk, horny or drugged out men passing our set. I of course, being the intimidating creature that I am, was in charge of crowd control. Not an easy task because whenever I stopped a man and told him that he had to stop where he was because he was going to be in the shot we were in the middle of, they assumed that I was trying to solicit sex from them. I got a number of interesting responses and I shouldn't be surprised that people acted that way toward me because I am a women, standing by myself in the Red Light District that I was be working the streets. An experience that I will not soon forget, even if I wanted to.
We finally wrapped on set at 7 in the morning, an hour before we were originally told that we were going to be let out so that was exciting. I rode with Ticho and Matt back to Rotterdam to take a quick nap. I went to Rotterdam because Matt said he wanted to take my out to brunch. I wasn't planning on taking a full sleep anyways because I didn't want to mess up my sleep cycle otherwise I would become a huge bitch. Matt took me to Hotel New York, how appropriate right!? The building used to be a docking for large ships that would take people from Rotterdam to NYC. I was curious if that sort of boat was still running but she laughed and said that it stopped longer than all our ages put together. We went here I'm assuming because of the NYC title but also it had a great English-style breakfast that I was told that I couldn't pass up. Brunch was, as promised, delicious and then I caught the train back to Amsterdam.
When I got back 'home' I organized my crap once again because it was in desperate need of some TLC. When Amy and Courtney got home from their walking tour with Henri, we went to grab groceries from the Albert again, another prepackaged dinner, before heading over to Jason's house.
The people that actually worked on 'Mad Cow' were invited to Jason's house for a celebratory screening and a champagne toast to congratulate ourselves on all the hard work it took to get the movie a theatrical release.
Below is a picture of the three of us waiting outside in the cold because the guys had gone out to buy champagne.
I also showed the gang how to set up the hookah and then ended up smoking it all by myself. I know, at least, if Roxanne was here I wouldn't have to smoke this by myself.
The only three girls there, me, Amy and Courtney, were ready to go to bed by three so we caught a cab home with director, Michael Wright, and tried to catch some ZZZZ's. Amy and I were going to wake up early because we have the WHOLE day off tomorrow. Crazy I know but I think we want to do something that would take a whole day.
Well see what the day brings tomorrow.
-M
Day 15 - January 23, 2011
Well, since I got home at 3 in the morning last night I slept soundly until noon today! I tried to sleep longer because I was mentally preparing myself for the all night shoot that was going to happen tonight. We have a call time of 8:00 p.m., but I just couldn't sleep anymore.
Amy and I had talked about doing something, really anything because we wanted to do something for ourselves on our semi-day off. So what did we decide to do...shopping. None of you should really be surprised, let's be honest! We headed to Dam Square. It is surrounded by shops, boulangeries, Madame Tussaud's, palaces and the biggest phallic statue/monument that I have seen since the Washington Monument. Picture below.
And here are some other touristy pictures that I was finally able to take during our dreary-weathered morning out.
Before heading home to take a power nap and relax before a night of shooting, Amy and I stopped at a boulangerie (french for bakery) and I stocked up on sweets and then headed home for nap time. I slept for 3 hours and when I woke the three of us girls were driven to Albert Haijn (grocery store) by Erwin to stock up on food for the night because we were told we weren't getting a hot meal. Erwin, how do I describe him? I have taught the locals this saying "Jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none" and that is all I need to say about Erwin. He thinks about half as much as he talks and sometimes he is a little too much to handle, but he was giving us a ride to the store so I was grateful, but annoyed at the same time!
When it was time for our pickup, we were taken just outside the city of Amsterdam to our lead actor and producers house, Rik Sinkeldam. This is where we were meeting for the shoot and setting up makeup and wardrobe. Our set location was a creepy overpass on a dimly lit road. We brought our own generator to light the scene just as we needed so the whole scene looked great but it was quite miserable. It was drizzling the whole time and we only had the passenger van to keep us dry during takes, so no one really utilized the van, we all braved the rain. But I was amped on practically a liter of Red Bull so there was no way that I was falling asleep and I was in a very, very good mood! I was actually probably too much for people to handle on the Red Bull. People dislike cheerful Americans and they dislike them even more when they are bouncing off the walls at one in the morning when all anyone wants to be is home asleep. But now since I have gotten to midnight in my story and I am about to start a new day I will continue this story in a new post.
See you there.
-M
Amy and I had talked about doing something, really anything because we wanted to do something for ourselves on our semi-day off. So what did we decide to do...shopping. None of you should really be surprised, let's be honest! We headed to Dam Square. It is surrounded by shops, boulangeries, Madame Tussaud's, palaces and the biggest phallic statue/monument that I have seen since the Washington Monument. Picture below.
When it was time for our pickup, we were taken just outside the city of Amsterdam to our lead actor and producers house, Rik Sinkeldam. This is where we were meeting for the shoot and setting up makeup and wardrobe. Our set location was a creepy overpass on a dimly lit road. We brought our own generator to light the scene just as we needed so the whole scene looked great but it was quite miserable. It was drizzling the whole time and we only had the passenger van to keep us dry during takes, so no one really utilized the van, we all braved the rain. But I was amped on practically a liter of Red Bull so there was no way that I was falling asleep and I was in a very, very good mood! I was actually probably too much for people to handle on the Red Bull. People dislike cheerful Americans and they dislike them even more when they are bouncing off the walls at one in the morning when all anyone wants to be is home asleep. But now since I have gotten to midnight in my story and I am about to start a new day I will continue this story in a new post.
See you there.
-M
Day 14 - January 22, 2011
Another late start today.
The crew is started to get spoiled by having all of these 1 o'clock starts. We had to have a later call today because we were shooting on a houseboat and the residents of the boat weren't leaving until noon so we couldn't get in any sooner than that. Seriously, fine by me. I've always been more of a night owl than a morning bird anyways, so this suited me just fine.
We also were graced with a new member to our crew, and what a breath of fresh air she is. Her name is Courtney and she is from South Africa. She got connected with this projected because she actually acted and helped out on the film, "Mad Cow" and kept in touch with everyone and she happened to be in Europe so she is staying with us until Friday and then she is headed back to London to stay with extended family. She is an absolute doll and she is never in a bad mood. I wish I had her spirit!
I met Courtney for the first time in holding, which was at Jason's house today because the Houseboat was just out his back door. To be honest though the concept of a houseboat somewhat scares me. This thing is continuously in the water, the risk of constantly being water sick is high and there just isn't enough room for all the crap I tend to accumulate in my life. I could probably live on a houseboat for six months, maybe even a year but that would be pushing it. It would be a novelty for me that would eventually wear off but this houseboat we were on today was seriously modernized and I heard that it cost one million dollars to fix it up to what it looked like! Wow.
Today was another small crew because the set was a closed one. We had some steamy scenes with nudity that was easier to control with minimal people in the room. Mainly for the comfort of the actors. The thought of doing a love scene in front of an audience of people with a camera honestly makes me want to die of embarrassment. And when its all cut it looks good and steamy but when you break it down technically into every scene and every take, its really just awkward. Amy was on boob patrol and I was lucky enough to get to sit in holding and learn how to do call sheets.
Call sheets is another duty added to the list of things I have to do. I really don't mind, any chance to learn is exciting for me. It is going to be rather stressful but I think I am up for the challenge. But while I was supposed to be doing call sheets I took a mini break while everyone was on the boat to call my mom and Roxanne (Hi ladies!!!)
Another exciting thing about today is that we found out that 'Mad Cow' was getting a theatrical release in South Africa. That was really cool to hear because it means that when we went to France last May and partied and had fun that we also did something right and sold the movie that we brought. Win.
After we wrapped on the day in the houseboat we decided to go out and celebrated the good news of 'Mad Cow.' I thought it was just going to be a small crew of people, the ones who worked on the film and helped promote it, but no, we were rolling 25 people deep when we headed out to the bars. It is rather difficult to get into a bar when you have to get in with 24 other people. So after several failed attempts to get into bars together and 4 grumpy people later we decided to try a completely empty bar. We figured that we were the party and it didn't really matter if there was anyone else in the bar as long as there was booze and a bathroom. I don't recall the name of the bar we went to but after two beers, a Village People song, Elvis and Celine Dion song later we realized that we had entered a gay bar. This was not a bad thing, it just became painfully obvious after taking a look around at the people that had joined us in a bar. Leave it to our crew to discover gems like that.
I didn't stay out too late but I definitely stayed out longer than I intended. At about three o'clock, Courtney, Amy and myself got a ride home from Alfonso, listen to 'Who let the dogs out' on the ride home and fell right to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. It was a surprisingly fun night considering I didn't want to go out in the first place and ended up staying out that late.
Until tomorrow.
-M
The crew is started to get spoiled by having all of these 1 o'clock starts. We had to have a later call today because we were shooting on a houseboat and the residents of the boat weren't leaving until noon so we couldn't get in any sooner than that. Seriously, fine by me. I've always been more of a night owl than a morning bird anyways, so this suited me just fine.
We also were graced with a new member to our crew, and what a breath of fresh air she is. Her name is Courtney and she is from South Africa. She got connected with this projected because she actually acted and helped out on the film, "Mad Cow" and kept in touch with everyone and she happened to be in Europe so she is staying with us until Friday and then she is headed back to London to stay with extended family. She is an absolute doll and she is never in a bad mood. I wish I had her spirit!
I met Courtney for the first time in holding, which was at Jason's house today because the Houseboat was just out his back door. To be honest though the concept of a houseboat somewhat scares me. This thing is continuously in the water, the risk of constantly being water sick is high and there just isn't enough room for all the crap I tend to accumulate in my life. I could probably live on a houseboat for six months, maybe even a year but that would be pushing it. It would be a novelty for me that would eventually wear off but this houseboat we were on today was seriously modernized and I heard that it cost one million dollars to fix it up to what it looked like! Wow.
Today was another small crew because the set was a closed one. We had some steamy scenes with nudity that was easier to control with minimal people in the room. Mainly for the comfort of the actors. The thought of doing a love scene in front of an audience of people with a camera honestly makes me want to die of embarrassment. And when its all cut it looks good and steamy but when you break it down technically into every scene and every take, its really just awkward. Amy was on boob patrol and I was lucky enough to get to sit in holding and learn how to do call sheets.
Call sheets is another duty added to the list of things I have to do. I really don't mind, any chance to learn is exciting for me. It is going to be rather stressful but I think I am up for the challenge. But while I was supposed to be doing call sheets I took a mini break while everyone was on the boat to call my mom and Roxanne (Hi ladies!!!)
Another exciting thing about today is that we found out that 'Mad Cow' was getting a theatrical release in South Africa. That was really cool to hear because it means that when we went to France last May and partied and had fun that we also did something right and sold the movie that we brought. Win.
After we wrapped on the day in the houseboat we decided to go out and celebrated the good news of 'Mad Cow.' I thought it was just going to be a small crew of people, the ones who worked on the film and helped promote it, but no, we were rolling 25 people deep when we headed out to the bars. It is rather difficult to get into a bar when you have to get in with 24 other people. So after several failed attempts to get into bars together and 4 grumpy people later we decided to try a completely empty bar. We figured that we were the party and it didn't really matter if there was anyone else in the bar as long as there was booze and a bathroom. I don't recall the name of the bar we went to but after two beers, a Village People song, Elvis and Celine Dion song later we realized that we had entered a gay bar. This was not a bad thing, it just became painfully obvious after taking a look around at the people that had joined us in a bar. Leave it to our crew to discover gems like that.
I didn't stay out too late but I definitely stayed out longer than I intended. At about three o'clock, Courtney, Amy and myself got a ride home from Alfonso, listen to 'Who let the dogs out' on the ride home and fell right to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. It was a surprisingly fun night considering I didn't want to go out in the first place and ended up staying out that late.
Until tomorrow.
-M
Day 13 - January 21, 2011
Today we were back in the Red Light District.
We had several pick-up shots to shoot that we didn't get to finish the last time that we were in the District. It was a very refreshing day because it was a small cast and crew and it was our set manager, Sabrina's, last day so everyone was in a very relaxed mood. Sabrina is leaving us to go and shoot a TV show in Thailand. I wish I was going to Thailand so I could be somewhere that is warm. But then again, I do appreciate the fact that a lot of Dutch people speak English so I would be warmer in Thailand but completely lost in the language barrier.
This day was turning out to be a complete 180 degrees from shooting at The Supperclub yesterday. And because of this general relaxed feel I was then kidnapped by Sabrina in Matt's convertible so we could drive around Amsterdam with the top down looking like we owned the place. It was actually quite fun just to relax and let the wind blow through my hair on an actual SUNNY day in the city, but the weird thing is that at the same time I felt really guilty. I know there wasn't much need for me on the set but you never know when issues may arise that need tending to and if I was rogue then there was no way to get a hold of me. So while I was trying to enjoy myself I was also worried that i would get in trouble. I do not have a high tolerance for guilt.
But we weren't filming on the street for the whole day. After three or four hours we were switching locations to a place outside of Amsterdam. We were off to Hoofddorp, which was twenty minutes outside the city when the traffic was tame, to a place called "China Fantasy." It was a very ritzy Chinese restaurant that we were going to film a short flashback scene. I said driving there would only take twenty minutes but it took our driver FOREVER to get there so I was sitting in the back of the car with the Assistant Director, Henri, and he was very chatty and empassioned about the idea that sometime soon weed will be legal everywhere and that having it illegal at all is an enfringement of our rights. Well...I don't know that I agreed with all that he was saying but I do see a point there. When we finally got there our long drive was made worth while because our small crew was treated by a lavish buffet of food at our table. The food was very good and I even tried something new, duck. I have never had it before and after trying it, I am not sure that I will ever eat it again. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad it just wasn't my favorite type of fowl. :)
We wrapped at ten and then it was back to Amsterdam for a restful night sleep. At this point in the trip I have started referring to the Rembrandtplein Hotel as home. I am desensitized to everything that horrified me at the beginning and now I find it endearing and I enjoy and look forward to going back to our 'home.'
Off to bed. Love you all!
-M
We had several pick-up shots to shoot that we didn't get to finish the last time that we were in the District. It was a very refreshing day because it was a small cast and crew and it was our set manager, Sabrina's, last day so everyone was in a very relaxed mood. Sabrina is leaving us to go and shoot a TV show in Thailand. I wish I was going to Thailand so I could be somewhere that is warm. But then again, I do appreciate the fact that a lot of Dutch people speak English so I would be warmer in Thailand but completely lost in the language barrier.
This day was turning out to be a complete 180 degrees from shooting at The Supperclub yesterday. And because of this general relaxed feel I was then kidnapped by Sabrina in Matt's convertible so we could drive around Amsterdam with the top down looking like we owned the place. It was actually quite fun just to relax and let the wind blow through my hair on an actual SUNNY day in the city, but the weird thing is that at the same time I felt really guilty. I know there wasn't much need for me on the set but you never know when issues may arise that need tending to and if I was rogue then there was no way to get a hold of me. So while I was trying to enjoy myself I was also worried that i would get in trouble. I do not have a high tolerance for guilt.
But we weren't filming on the street for the whole day. After three or four hours we were switching locations to a place outside of Amsterdam. We were off to Hoofddorp, which was twenty minutes outside the city when the traffic was tame, to a place called "China Fantasy." It was a very ritzy Chinese restaurant that we were going to film a short flashback scene. I said driving there would only take twenty minutes but it took our driver FOREVER to get there so I was sitting in the back of the car with the Assistant Director, Henri, and he was very chatty and empassioned about the idea that sometime soon weed will be legal everywhere and that having it illegal at all is an enfringement of our rights. Well...I don't know that I agreed with all that he was saying but I do see a point there. When we finally got there our long drive was made worth while because our small crew was treated by a lavish buffet of food at our table. The food was very good and I even tried something new, duck. I have never had it before and after trying it, I am not sure that I will ever eat it again. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad it just wasn't my favorite type of fowl. :)
We wrapped at ten and then it was back to Amsterdam for a restful night sleep. At this point in the trip I have started referring to the Rembrandtplein Hotel as home. I am desensitized to everything that horrified me at the beginning and now I find it endearing and I enjoy and look forward to going back to our 'home.'
Off to bed. Love you all!
-M
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Day 12 - January 20, 2011
Hello my lovelies! Have you missed me? Sorry that it has been so long since I've last updated you all but I am taking the time to sit down with a giant cookie and tell you all about it!
Today was an early start day, well it was eight o'clock but it sure felt early. The few of us that were staying at the Rembrandtplein Hotel thought that we were getting picked up from the hotel at 7:30 in the morning because that was what the callsheet said. Like a lot of the things on this set there was a misunderstanding, we were meant to walk to set. This task wasn't that difficult but because it was early in the morning, I wasn't happy with this change of plans. I walked to set with Arie van Dam, our camera operator, Marie, our gaffer and all around doll and Chloe, the gymnast from Belgium who is playing one of Gunter's body guards in the movie. It took us about fifteen minutes to walk to our intended destination.
Our aforementioned destination was a place called "The Supperclub." Now I don't know what Supperclub means to the rest of the world but in Wisconsin it means family dinners on over-sized wooden and round tables covered in a checkered table cloth or no tablecloth at all where high school age students who comprise the wait staff ask you if you would like the fried fish or baked fish for your all you can eat fish fry. Apparently that description only pertains to the Wisconsin area. In Amsterdam, the Supperclub is a super niche restaurant that has no tables, only beds. Yes, that is not a typo, they serve their meals from white beds with red curtains to enclose them with bed trays to hold the food. I don't know about you but I can't even keep my clothes clean throughout the day without spilling food on them, I can't even begin to imagine how a restaurant keeps their white beds pristine when they serve dinner to hundreds of people every night. They must not serve ribs I'm assuming. The room with the white beds is on the first floor, as you make your way down the stairs from the dining room/bedroom you run into the bathroom. Seeing as this place doesn't follow what I would consider normal decorum, the bathrooms are clearly not just boringly labeled "Male" and "Female." The bathrooms are separated into "Hetero" and "Homo" classifications. Interpret that as you wish. Past the bathrooms in the basement you make your way to a room that has a black padded wall with hooks in the middle of each pad. On several of the hooks you will find handcuffs and other paraphernalia. There are also two beds that mysteriously appear our of the walls. I wouldn't even want to sit on these beds let alone eat off of them. Hygiene not included.
The holding room for makeup and costumes was meant to be in the homo bathroom but with enough complaining by the wardrobe department, it was moved four stories up to the office of the Supperclub. The new holding was nice and warm and no one used it as a bathroom, so it was a nice change for wardrobe and makeup. But for me it was a pain in the ass, literally. I was now responsible to run up and down the four flights of exposed metal stairs once every five minutes. Now that is a leg and butt workout if I've ever experienced one.
Another annoying this today was the actors. We had so many actors on set today that it was hard to keep them all wrangled, especially because they were in a very squirrelly mood. No matter how nicely or how forcibly I told them to shut the hell up, nothing worked. So I know hate actors ;) Not really but I have come to realize how annoying we can be. Sorry everyone who has ever had to put up with me as an actor!
This particular location required a hard-in and a hard-wrap. This was the first time that we were at this location and we weren't going to be allowed to come back. With this in mind we had to make sure that we were on schedule so we could go in, get filmed everything that we needed and get our butts out of their by 6 o'clock. But with everything running behind, getting everything filmed by 6 when we were going to get kicked out of this freaky place wasn't looking good. By the end of the day we had to cut one part of a scene because wardrobe was being a diva and we managed to wrap filming at 6:30 and then complete chaos broke out. Usually we allot ourselves an hour for a hard-wrap so we can get all the lights and props and equipment out of the set. But this time we only have 30 minutes to clear out before the club opened for dinner. Most of us were running around trying our hardest to make sure that we were out in time, which was very helpful. But then, as in life their usually are, people who feel that they are too important to help clean up the space in which we have been inhabiting all day. But whatever, karma.
I know you are all wondering, did you get out on time?!?! Ha, I'm sure you are all sitting on the edges of your seats but the answer is yes, we did get all of our crap out of the Supperclub by 7 but only to have it all sitting in the street because the vans that we were supposed to load all the the production equipment into was MIA. But we were out and all we had to do was just stand their and wait for our ride, the least stressful part of my day. When the vans finally arrived and we loaded everything into them and Marie and I walked back to the Rembrandtplein Hotel. It was pretty to walk home because it was a way that I hadn't been before but it was REALLY cold, so I enjoyed the walk, but in a quick manner.
After this stressful day I decided to head to Rotterdam with Matt. I really needed to do laundry because I was running out of clean things to wear...mainly in the underwear and socks department and Matt said that he wanted to make me dinner. I'm not going to pass up a meal and clean clothes! We ended up doing so much chatting back at his place that we didn't end up eating until after midnight. After my clothes were washed and dinner was done I caught the train back to Amsterdam.
Sidenote: Being on a film set is very similar to being in high school. People are nosy and rather immature and people talk and poke fun at you because you had dinner with the opposite sex. Scandalous I know! But when I have 45 year old men making fun of me, all I want to do is...................
But I did have a very lovely night!
-M
Today was an early start day, well it was eight o'clock but it sure felt early. The few of us that were staying at the Rembrandtplein Hotel thought that we were getting picked up from the hotel at 7:30 in the morning because that was what the callsheet said. Like a lot of the things on this set there was a misunderstanding, we were meant to walk to set. This task wasn't that difficult but because it was early in the morning, I wasn't happy with this change of plans. I walked to set with Arie van Dam, our camera operator, Marie, our gaffer and all around doll and Chloe, the gymnast from Belgium who is playing one of Gunter's body guards in the movie. It took us about fifteen minutes to walk to our intended destination.
Our aforementioned destination was a place called "The Supperclub." Now I don't know what Supperclub means to the rest of the world but in Wisconsin it means family dinners on over-sized wooden and round tables covered in a checkered table cloth or no tablecloth at all where high school age students who comprise the wait staff ask you if you would like the fried fish or baked fish for your all you can eat fish fry. Apparently that description only pertains to the Wisconsin area. In Amsterdam, the Supperclub is a super niche restaurant that has no tables, only beds. Yes, that is not a typo, they serve their meals from white beds with red curtains to enclose them with bed trays to hold the food. I don't know about you but I can't even keep my clothes clean throughout the day without spilling food on them, I can't even begin to imagine how a restaurant keeps their white beds pristine when they serve dinner to hundreds of people every night. They must not serve ribs I'm assuming. The room with the white beds is on the first floor, as you make your way down the stairs from the dining room/bedroom you run into the bathroom. Seeing as this place doesn't follow what I would consider normal decorum, the bathrooms are clearly not just boringly labeled "Male" and "Female." The bathrooms are separated into "Hetero" and "Homo" classifications. Interpret that as you wish. Past the bathrooms in the basement you make your way to a room that has a black padded wall with hooks in the middle of each pad. On several of the hooks you will find handcuffs and other paraphernalia. There are also two beds that mysteriously appear our of the walls. I wouldn't even want to sit on these beds let alone eat off of them. Hygiene not included.
The holding room for makeup and costumes was meant to be in the homo bathroom but with enough complaining by the wardrobe department, it was moved four stories up to the office of the Supperclub. The new holding was nice and warm and no one used it as a bathroom, so it was a nice change for wardrobe and makeup. But for me it was a pain in the ass, literally. I was now responsible to run up and down the four flights of exposed metal stairs once every five minutes. Now that is a leg and butt workout if I've ever experienced one.
Another annoying this today was the actors. We had so many actors on set today that it was hard to keep them all wrangled, especially because they were in a very squirrelly mood. No matter how nicely or how forcibly I told them to shut the hell up, nothing worked. So I know hate actors ;) Not really but I have come to realize how annoying we can be. Sorry everyone who has ever had to put up with me as an actor!
This particular location required a hard-in and a hard-wrap. This was the first time that we were at this location and we weren't going to be allowed to come back. With this in mind we had to make sure that we were on schedule so we could go in, get filmed everything that we needed and get our butts out of their by 6 o'clock. But with everything running behind, getting everything filmed by 6 when we were going to get kicked out of this freaky place wasn't looking good. By the end of the day we had to cut one part of a scene because wardrobe was being a diva and we managed to wrap filming at 6:30 and then complete chaos broke out. Usually we allot ourselves an hour for a hard-wrap so we can get all the lights and props and equipment out of the set. But this time we only have 30 minutes to clear out before the club opened for dinner. Most of us were running around trying our hardest to make sure that we were out in time, which was very helpful. But then, as in life their usually are, people who feel that they are too important to help clean up the space in which we have been inhabiting all day. But whatever, karma.
I know you are all wondering, did you get out on time?!?! Ha, I'm sure you are all sitting on the edges of your seats but the answer is yes, we did get all of our crap out of the Supperclub by 7 but only to have it all sitting in the street because the vans that we were supposed to load all the the production equipment into was MIA. But we were out and all we had to do was just stand their and wait for our ride, the least stressful part of my day. When the vans finally arrived and we loaded everything into them and Marie and I walked back to the Rembrandtplein Hotel. It was pretty to walk home because it was a way that I hadn't been before but it was REALLY cold, so I enjoyed the walk, but in a quick manner.
After this stressful day I decided to head to Rotterdam with Matt. I really needed to do laundry because I was running out of clean things to wear...mainly in the underwear and socks department and Matt said that he wanted to make me dinner. I'm not going to pass up a meal and clean clothes! We ended up doing so much chatting back at his place that we didn't end up eating until after midnight. After my clothes were washed and dinner was done I caught the train back to Amsterdam.
Sidenote: Being on a film set is very similar to being in high school. People are nosy and rather immature and people talk and poke fun at you because you had dinner with the opposite sex. Scandalous I know! But when I have 45 year old men making fun of me, all I want to do is...................
But I did have a very lovely night!
-M
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Day 11 - January 19, 2011
My "day-off"
Those ever elusive days on a film shoot where they say that you get a day off. Well my friends, they are liars. When they say you have a day off from shooting it means that you are not required to be on set, that doesn't mean that there aren't other things that need to be done. Which in all honesty its really quite fine. My day today did consist of getting to sleep in until 9:30. Which back in the states would be really early for me on some days because me sleeping in would mean waking up when the clock said p.m. But I headed over to Alison Carroll's hotel with Amy because she needed someone to read and record her doing lines for a movie that she was auditioning for.
It took us probably 45 minutes to walk to her place because it was across town but Amy and I didn't really mind, we were casually walking around the canals and past shops and a huge floral market. I have decided that if I lived in the Netherlands I would have fresh tulips all around the house. The tulips here aren't big and flimsy as the ones you would find in Wisconsin or even in the United States for that matter. They are tiny, compact and in the most beautiful colors you have ever seen. I didn't have my camera with me today so I didn't get a chance to take pictures of this amazing scene, which makes me sad, but I am hoping to get a chance to go back and take a couple pictures!
So Amy and I had a bit of a jealous moment when we got to where Alison was staying. She is at a suite in the Best Western. Picture this; full size, spacious and soft bed complete with clean sheets and comfy pillows, a bathroom in which the toilet doesn't leak, stain-free towels, a refrigerator to keep fresh groceries, a couch, a desk, and a continental breakfast complete with cereal and fresh croissants in the morning. I would hate her because of this but she is the nicest, sweetest, most down-to-earth girl. So in all honesty she deserves it but it really makes me jealous of her accommodations but it would probably be really lonely over there because she is the only one that is staying there. So I'll take mediocre living and people to talk to and hang out with than luxury living in isolation.
We were only at her place running lines and recording her for about an hour but it was really interesting because what she was reading for she had to not only do her native English accent but she also had to do it in an American accent. And doing accents in school its not weird to think about me practicing another accent or dialect to do but it was really weird to hear her try and do an American accent. I never asked her but I am wondering if it is easy or not?
Amy and I then went to lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe Amsterdam. Alison decided not to come because she had a lot of work to do so Amy and I decided to have a date to ourselves, not like we don't do that all the time here. And in NYC I would never choose to go to a Hard Rock Cafe because its a touristy place and it just doesn't hold any appeal to me but we were both craving comfort food from the mother country so big, juicy, overpriced burgers were just what we needed.
After lunch Amy went back to the hotel while I was on my way to a meeting with one of the producers, Doug, because he is leaving in a couple of days and I am to take over the call sheet for every shooting day. Feels somewhat like a promotion, no? So I put his address into Google maps and followed the directions and when I got to where Google said the apartment was it was no where to be found. In short, Google is a liar and I had to reschedule my meeting with Doug until tomorrow because where he actually was was clear across town and he had to get the call sheet done soon. So kind of an epic failure but hopefully he won't hold me getting lost in a foreign town against me.
So what do I do with this gift of more free time? I go back to the hotel and sleep for two and a half hours. Seems like a waste when I could have gone and seen something in Amsterdam that I haven't seen yet but it was raining and dreary by this time and I haven't really had a chance to nap during the middle of the day, which is one of my guiltiest pleasures, so a nap it was.
When I woke I had a text message from Alison asking if Amy and I wanted to go out to eat. Again, never being one to turn down food, I was excited to go out with just girls. I do enjoy going out with the guy crew because its usually relaxed and good humor, most of the time, but I had forgotten how nice it was to go out and just gossip shamelessly with girls. With girls, you can laugh until your sides get sore, talk about otherwise inappropriate things and stuff your face without shame. We went to a Thai place and I got two of my favorite things in one meal: shrimp and garlic. And, this is also why I think that Alison is a very sweet girl, she picked up the tab between us because she was grateful that we came to her hotel to help her with her auditions. Very sweet gesture.
I think tonight Amy and I are calling it an early night. She has to be on set by 7:15 tomorrow and I am not really in the mood to go out either. So all and all it was a very relaxing and fun and on top of that I called Roxanne today for the first time and just gossiped with her (Hi Roxanne!) and I called Grandma Poeppel just to let her know that I was still alive and that I loved her and Grandpa. I feel that I can make calls now on my dutch phone because I am now the one putting money on it so its mine. I can do what I want with it. I make my own rules :)
Well that's all for now!
Love,
-M
Those ever elusive days on a film shoot where they say that you get a day off. Well my friends, they are liars. When they say you have a day off from shooting it means that you are not required to be on set, that doesn't mean that there aren't other things that need to be done. Which in all honesty its really quite fine. My day today did consist of getting to sleep in until 9:30. Which back in the states would be really early for me on some days because me sleeping in would mean waking up when the clock said p.m. But I headed over to Alison Carroll's hotel with Amy because she needed someone to read and record her doing lines for a movie that she was auditioning for.
It took us probably 45 minutes to walk to her place because it was across town but Amy and I didn't really mind, we were casually walking around the canals and past shops and a huge floral market. I have decided that if I lived in the Netherlands I would have fresh tulips all around the house. The tulips here aren't big and flimsy as the ones you would find in Wisconsin or even in the United States for that matter. They are tiny, compact and in the most beautiful colors you have ever seen. I didn't have my camera with me today so I didn't get a chance to take pictures of this amazing scene, which makes me sad, but I am hoping to get a chance to go back and take a couple pictures!
So Amy and I had a bit of a jealous moment when we got to where Alison was staying. She is at a suite in the Best Western. Picture this; full size, spacious and soft bed complete with clean sheets and comfy pillows, a bathroom in which the toilet doesn't leak, stain-free towels, a refrigerator to keep fresh groceries, a couch, a desk, and a continental breakfast complete with cereal and fresh croissants in the morning. I would hate her because of this but she is the nicest, sweetest, most down-to-earth girl. So in all honesty she deserves it but it really makes me jealous of her accommodations but it would probably be really lonely over there because she is the only one that is staying there. So I'll take mediocre living and people to talk to and hang out with than luxury living in isolation.
We were only at her place running lines and recording her for about an hour but it was really interesting because what she was reading for she had to not only do her native English accent but she also had to do it in an American accent. And doing accents in school its not weird to think about me practicing another accent or dialect to do but it was really weird to hear her try and do an American accent. I never asked her but I am wondering if it is easy or not?
Amy and I then went to lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe Amsterdam. Alison decided not to come because she had a lot of work to do so Amy and I decided to have a date to ourselves, not like we don't do that all the time here. And in NYC I would never choose to go to a Hard Rock Cafe because its a touristy place and it just doesn't hold any appeal to me but we were both craving comfort food from the mother country so big, juicy, overpriced burgers were just what we needed.
After lunch Amy went back to the hotel while I was on my way to a meeting with one of the producers, Doug, because he is leaving in a couple of days and I am to take over the call sheet for every shooting day. Feels somewhat like a promotion, no? So I put his address into Google maps and followed the directions and when I got to where Google said the apartment was it was no where to be found. In short, Google is a liar and I had to reschedule my meeting with Doug until tomorrow because where he actually was was clear across town and he had to get the call sheet done soon. So kind of an epic failure but hopefully he won't hold me getting lost in a foreign town against me.
So what do I do with this gift of more free time? I go back to the hotel and sleep for two and a half hours. Seems like a waste when I could have gone and seen something in Amsterdam that I haven't seen yet but it was raining and dreary by this time and I haven't really had a chance to nap during the middle of the day, which is one of my guiltiest pleasures, so a nap it was.
When I woke I had a text message from Alison asking if Amy and I wanted to go out to eat. Again, never being one to turn down food, I was excited to go out with just girls. I do enjoy going out with the guy crew because its usually relaxed and good humor, most of the time, but I had forgotten how nice it was to go out and just gossip shamelessly with girls. With girls, you can laugh until your sides get sore, talk about otherwise inappropriate things and stuff your face without shame. We went to a Thai place and I got two of my favorite things in one meal: shrimp and garlic. And, this is also why I think that Alison is a very sweet girl, she picked up the tab between us because she was grateful that we came to her hotel to help her with her auditions. Very sweet gesture.
I think tonight Amy and I are calling it an early night. She has to be on set by 7:15 tomorrow and I am not really in the mood to go out either. So all and all it was a very relaxing and fun and on top of that I called Roxanne today for the first time and just gossiped with her (Hi Roxanne!) and I called Grandma Poeppel just to let her know that I was still alive and that I loved her and Grandpa. I feel that I can make calls now on my dutch phone because I am now the one putting money on it so its mine. I can do what I want with it. I make my own rules :)
Well that's all for now!
Love,
-M
Day 10 - January 18, 2011
What a crazy day!
I believe today was the most difficult/important shoot so far.
We were deep in the heart of the Red Light District to shoot gun and chase scenes along the canal. We had a permit to use guns and shoot blanks out of them for five hours but we had 9 hours of shooting ahead of us, so if we didn't stay on point the day could go sour very fast. And on top of this little predicament it had just started to rain and get windy when we arrived on set at ten to seven in the morning. And on top of the unfortunate weather that was already occurring, the driver that was meant to pick up the directors and producers and the camera equipment that we were meant to use had over slept and was an hour and a half late, so that really botched our timing and everyone was in a terrible mood from the mounting delays and screw-ups that had happened all before nine in the morning.
I on the other hand had a case of 'Schadenfraude.' Seeing as Avenue Q is one of my favorite musicals, this name came to me right away. It's direct German translation, according to the song, is 'happiness at the misfortune of others' which couldn't be more apt at explaining how I felt. I had gotten plenty of sleep, I was on time to set, I felt in control of all of my duties and seeing everyone else scrambling around made me happy that I wasn't stressed and that I wasn't having those problems. If that makes me a terrible person then fine but I wasn't going to let everyone else's mood ruin my genuinely happy mood!
Side note: The only kind of crappy thing to happen to me that morning was that when I got up at 6:30 to take a nice, warm, relaxing shower, I came to the stark realization that there was no hot water coming out the the shower head. Being a trooper I pressed on with the shower because I would rather be cold for a moment then feel gross on set all day. But as I was shivering under the cold water I look down to my feet and realize that brown water is pooling around my feet. Not immediately pulling out of the water because when I dye my hair, several days after the water when I wash my hair with be a murky brown from the dye. But then I remembered that I have NOT dyed my hair since...oh I don't know, since a month after I moved to NYC...so once I remembered that I quickly removed myself from the brown spray. Pissed because I was now cold, wet, covered in what must amount to canal water and with no way to wash off the canal water that was already on me I was in a bit of a pickle. But the shower Gods decided to smile on me because then all of a sudden it turned warm and clear. But at the end I don't really know who to thank for this turn of events but I was sure grateful that it did!
Moving on, since we were shooting on the main drag of the Red Light District, we were required to pay off the 'pimps' of the women that were in the window that may or may not be able to be seen in the peripheral of the cameras. I thought that was a fun little tidbit. And we also had to block off a whole street. And of course as chance would have it the more that you don't want people walking down a certain street the more that people are curious and want to do it. It's like when you tell your teenage daughter not to do something, the more she will in turn want to do it. So needless to say the chaos was growing in the streets as the day progressed and it was becoming increasingly harder to keep the passing pedestrians off the bridges and streets we were using.
Because of all of the aforementioned problems we were running behind schedule and the first thing to go was lunch. Everyone outside was not allowed lunch, not because the production staff is mean but because we only had a permit to shoot here for one day and if we didn't get it we were pretty much screwed. I was cold, wet and hungry but at the end of the day it is what had to be done to get the shots we needed.
And now I come to the part of the day that I am not really sure I enjoyed but it is something that has never been done in the Red Light District and I practically was forced to do....
We have come upon the scene when the lead actor gets pushed up against the Red Light windows, three of them to be exact, and since we were paying the pimps to use this space we didn't have any ladies to fill the windows when the actor gets pushed up against the windows. Amy and Carlijn already knew that they were going to be Red Light girls and they were having trouble finding someone to fill the last one. They weren't going to use me because I have a speaking role coming up in a week that it would be obvious if they used me in both places. But, in sheer desperation they asked/told me that I was going to be the third girl but that they were going to film it so you wouldn't see my face. Lovely. In the sense of the Red Light District, what I was wearing was very conservative, but the crowd that gather outside the windows while we were filming and the whole crew, some of which I have become fast friends with, were watching intently as the shooting of the scene progressed. The silver lining in this scenario is that not one film, not one, has been able to do what we were able to do that day. Tourists are not allowed to take pictures and no one that is not a 'paid lady' has ever been in those windows. So in that sense it was kinda cool to be on the other side of the glass but as a whole, I am quite content with my lifestyle choices and the fact that I will never call that my profession. So there is my confession. I was in a Red Light window to film a scene. Take with that what you will because I am not entirely sure how to spin it right now. But below are two pictures that were on my camera after this experience.
Carla helping me get ready.
Jason with Amy and Carlijn in the windows. I was in the one that was behind Jason.
After filming, Amy and I went out with the typical director/producer crew for Mexican food. I was disgustingly full by the end of the meal because the tacos were massive (they actually give you directions on how to roll a taco, strange) and we were drinking pitchers of the best margaritas that I have ever had! Amy and I decided to call it an early night and were both in bed by 12:30 even though we have the day off tomorrow. Wanted to spend the day sleeping in and seeing sights rather than being hungover. But I still have several meetings tomorrow so it's not like its an official day off.
Hope you had fun reading this particular post!
Love,
-M
I believe today was the most difficult/important shoot so far.
We were deep in the heart of the Red Light District to shoot gun and chase scenes along the canal. We had a permit to use guns and shoot blanks out of them for five hours but we had 9 hours of shooting ahead of us, so if we didn't stay on point the day could go sour very fast. And on top of this little predicament it had just started to rain and get windy when we arrived on set at ten to seven in the morning. And on top of the unfortunate weather that was already occurring, the driver that was meant to pick up the directors and producers and the camera equipment that we were meant to use had over slept and was an hour and a half late, so that really botched our timing and everyone was in a terrible mood from the mounting delays and screw-ups that had happened all before nine in the morning.
I on the other hand had a case of 'Schadenfraude.' Seeing as Avenue Q is one of my favorite musicals, this name came to me right away. It's direct German translation, according to the song, is 'happiness at the misfortune of others' which couldn't be more apt at explaining how I felt. I had gotten plenty of sleep, I was on time to set, I felt in control of all of my duties and seeing everyone else scrambling around made me happy that I wasn't stressed and that I wasn't having those problems. If that makes me a terrible person then fine but I wasn't going to let everyone else's mood ruin my genuinely happy mood!
Side note: The only kind of crappy thing to happen to me that morning was that when I got up at 6:30 to take a nice, warm, relaxing shower, I came to the stark realization that there was no hot water coming out the the shower head. Being a trooper I pressed on with the shower because I would rather be cold for a moment then feel gross on set all day. But as I was shivering under the cold water I look down to my feet and realize that brown water is pooling around my feet. Not immediately pulling out of the water because when I dye my hair, several days after the water when I wash my hair with be a murky brown from the dye. But then I remembered that I have NOT dyed my hair since...oh I don't know, since a month after I moved to NYC...so once I remembered that I quickly removed myself from the brown spray. Pissed because I was now cold, wet, covered in what must amount to canal water and with no way to wash off the canal water that was already on me I was in a bit of a pickle. But the shower Gods decided to smile on me because then all of a sudden it turned warm and clear. But at the end I don't really know who to thank for this turn of events but I was sure grateful that it did!
Moving on, since we were shooting on the main drag of the Red Light District, we were required to pay off the 'pimps' of the women that were in the window that may or may not be able to be seen in the peripheral of the cameras. I thought that was a fun little tidbit. And we also had to block off a whole street. And of course as chance would have it the more that you don't want people walking down a certain street the more that people are curious and want to do it. It's like when you tell your teenage daughter not to do something, the more she will in turn want to do it. So needless to say the chaos was growing in the streets as the day progressed and it was becoming increasingly harder to keep the passing pedestrians off the bridges and streets we were using.
Because of all of the aforementioned problems we were running behind schedule and the first thing to go was lunch. Everyone outside was not allowed lunch, not because the production staff is mean but because we only had a permit to shoot here for one day and if we didn't get it we were pretty much screwed. I was cold, wet and hungry but at the end of the day it is what had to be done to get the shots we needed.
And now I come to the part of the day that I am not really sure I enjoyed but it is something that has never been done in the Red Light District and I practically was forced to do....
We have come upon the scene when the lead actor gets pushed up against the Red Light windows, three of them to be exact, and since we were paying the pimps to use this space we didn't have any ladies to fill the windows when the actor gets pushed up against the windows. Amy and Carlijn already knew that they were going to be Red Light girls and they were having trouble finding someone to fill the last one. They weren't going to use me because I have a speaking role coming up in a week that it would be obvious if they used me in both places. But, in sheer desperation they asked/told me that I was going to be the third girl but that they were going to film it so you wouldn't see my face. Lovely. In the sense of the Red Light District, what I was wearing was very conservative, but the crowd that gather outside the windows while we were filming and the whole crew, some of which I have become fast friends with, were watching intently as the shooting of the scene progressed. The silver lining in this scenario is that not one film, not one, has been able to do what we were able to do that day. Tourists are not allowed to take pictures and no one that is not a 'paid lady' has ever been in those windows. So in that sense it was kinda cool to be on the other side of the glass but as a whole, I am quite content with my lifestyle choices and the fact that I will never call that my profession. So there is my confession. I was in a Red Light window to film a scene. Take with that what you will because I am not entirely sure how to spin it right now. But below are two pictures that were on my camera after this experience.
After filming, Amy and I went out with the typical director/producer crew for Mexican food. I was disgustingly full by the end of the meal because the tacos were massive (they actually give you directions on how to roll a taco, strange) and we were drinking pitchers of the best margaritas that I have ever had! Amy and I decided to call it an early night and were both in bed by 12:30 even though we have the day off tomorrow. Wanted to spend the day sleeping in and seeing sights rather than being hungover. But I still have several meetings tomorrow so it's not like its an official day off.
Hope you had fun reading this particular post!
Love,
-M
Monday, January 17, 2011
Day 9 - January 17, 2011
Even though I was fairly responsible the night before I still slept through my alarm and had only twenty minutes to shower before everyone was headed to set. I was able to fudge with that time some because we didn't need a car and were able to walk to set. So since everyone was walking and I already knew where we were filming so I left by myself when I was ready and I was still early. I am really getting the hang of rolling out of bed twenty minutes before call and still looking halfway put together. I have a feeling when I go back to the states that I will regress to my old habits. But for now it is really working out for me.
Today we were set to film in the Red Light District again but this time from the point of the view of a boat in a canal. And the thought of driving through the canal in a little motorized boat seems like a fun and exciting idea but as the weather in Amsterdam usually seems to be, it was cold and rainy today. I felt so terrible for the two lead actors that had to be in this little rickety boat all day in cold and wet costumes. I was just glad to be relatively dry.
I was finally in my element today. I fully understand and am excelling at my jobs so not once today did I feel lost or without purpose, so that was nice. But the walk between the holding room and the set was directly through the prostitute windows of the Red Light District. So I passed these women so many times throughout the day that they probably thought I was trying to make some money on their stomping ground. And when it was about noon here I new that in Wisconsin time that it would have been about 5 in the morning there and I knew it was pretty early but took the risk and tried ringing my mom, and of course she answered!!! It was the first time that I actually got to talk to her, which was really nice, but I was standing outside the holding room and I had a bunch of naked women staring at me while talking to my mom. I can definitely say that I have never been in a situation like that before, and it was weird talking to my mom about both my Grandmas and such while prostitutes are staring at me. And even though it was an awkward situation, I couldn't help but feel bad for them because, they honestly just look really sad sitting in a little room with a window that was also a door, sitting there in nothing or next to nothing, while trying to tempt perverts on the street. Sad. But with talking to other people on set, some of them really love what they do so I guess in this situation you just think yourself "To each their own." It may not be for you but some people clearly enjoy it.
We filmed for seven hours in the Red Light District before moving set to the producers house to shoot the last part of the canal scene. That was a fairly short take and dinner was ready for us inside, complete with apple pie! Not as good as the kinds that I have had in the states but it was wonderful to eat something that I recognized :) I came home to the hotel after dinner to find Amy practically pulling her hair out because she wasn't required on set and she was bored out of her mind. So we went grocery shopping, and then she went out to eat with several other people from the hotel while I finally got to sit on my bed and write the past blogs that I so desperately needed to catch up with. Very relaxing and a stress reliever because I wanted to catch up with the days before I got too far behind.
So now that I am caught up to the best of my ability I wanted to take this moment to say that I miss all of you that are reading this and I hope to talk/see you soon! Hugs and Kisses from Amsterdam!
Love,
-M
Today we were set to film in the Red Light District again but this time from the point of the view of a boat in a canal. And the thought of driving through the canal in a little motorized boat seems like a fun and exciting idea but as the weather in Amsterdam usually seems to be, it was cold and rainy today. I felt so terrible for the two lead actors that had to be in this little rickety boat all day in cold and wet costumes. I was just glad to be relatively dry.
I was finally in my element today. I fully understand and am excelling at my jobs so not once today did I feel lost or without purpose, so that was nice. But the walk between the holding room and the set was directly through the prostitute windows of the Red Light District. So I passed these women so many times throughout the day that they probably thought I was trying to make some money on their stomping ground. And when it was about noon here I new that in Wisconsin time that it would have been about 5 in the morning there and I knew it was pretty early but took the risk and tried ringing my mom, and of course she answered!!! It was the first time that I actually got to talk to her, which was really nice, but I was standing outside the holding room and I had a bunch of naked women staring at me while talking to my mom. I can definitely say that I have never been in a situation like that before, and it was weird talking to my mom about both my Grandmas and such while prostitutes are staring at me. And even though it was an awkward situation, I couldn't help but feel bad for them because, they honestly just look really sad sitting in a little room with a window that was also a door, sitting there in nothing or next to nothing, while trying to tempt perverts on the street. Sad. But with talking to other people on set, some of them really love what they do so I guess in this situation you just think yourself "To each their own." It may not be for you but some people clearly enjoy it.
We filmed for seven hours in the Red Light District before moving set to the producers house to shoot the last part of the canal scene. That was a fairly short take and dinner was ready for us inside, complete with apple pie! Not as good as the kinds that I have had in the states but it was wonderful to eat something that I recognized :) I came home to the hotel after dinner to find Amy practically pulling her hair out because she wasn't required on set and she was bored out of her mind. So we went grocery shopping, and then she went out to eat with several other people from the hotel while I finally got to sit on my bed and write the past blogs that I so desperately needed to catch up with. Very relaxing and a stress reliever because I wanted to catch up with the days before I got too far behind.
So now that I am caught up to the best of my ability I wanted to take this moment to say that I miss all of you that are reading this and I hope to talk/see you soon! Hugs and Kisses from Amsterdam!
Love,
-M
Day 8 - January 16, 2011
Today was an absolutely glorious day!
I think the world was making up for my bad decisions from the night before.
I went to bed at 9:30 the night before and did not stir once until my alarm went off at 9 o'clock the next day. We had a 10 o'clock call and the holding room was actually in our hotel because we were planning on shooting right outside our hotel so I got to sleep in, not pile into a van with a dozen grumpy people in the morning and it was projected to be a short shooting day.
On 'the planning' which is what Dutch people call what we would refer to as 'a schedule' it said that we were going to shoot from 10 until 2 in the afternoon. And along with being a short day, everyone was in a shiny mood and the actor we had on set, who is apparently a very well known actor in Belgium was an absolute thrill to have. That's one of the things that I can't understand over here, these famous people come to set but I don't know who any of them are so I can't stand in awe of them because I have no idea who they are. They may find my lack of knowing who they are offensive but how am I supposed to know any better?
We wrapped filming by 2 and it was turning into a gorgeous day. Pretty much everyday that I have been here it has been cloudy or rainy or both but today was a much different picture. It was sunny, warm and absolutely beautiful. And I was by no means going to waste this opportunity to see daylight. Amy, Matt and I went to a cafe to just grab some human food that wasn't Kraft Services. I ordered a Cheeseburger because I was just craving something from the homeland but I was a little surprised when my burger arrived and it definitely didn't taste like the burgers I am used to eating back in the states. This tasted more like a veggie burger to my disappointment, and the more I thought about it that if it was in fact meat, what kind was it? I stopped that train of thought right there in its tracks because I didn't want my burger to take a second visit to the outside world. The burger was tasted fine but the texture was weird, well just leave it at that.
Then the three of us walked further south of the central Amsterdam that we had become so acclimated to. The further south you go from central city the wider the canals get and the more the scenery changes. Instead of cobblestone markets and castles in the center of squares there are parks and greenery to walk or run through. A few picture of southern Amsterdam below:
After we were finishing enjoying what was left of daylight, Matt headed back to Rotterdam while Amy and I headed back to the hotel to do a much needed organization hour. We were convinced that the mouse we spotted in our room a few days earlier was responsible for some of our missing stuff that it was high time that we organized the chaos that was our suitcases to see if the mouse really was to blame. And you would not believe how much difference having your suitcases organized relates to your mental health. After I had everything accounted for, sorry for jumping to conclusions mousey, my life just felt a little less stressful and I wasn't tired and I was ready to go back out around Amsterdam.
Amy and I then ventured down to the Leizeplein where Alison, lead actress, told us there were several wonderful shopping opportunities and if you know me at all you know that I never turn down a shopping opportunity. It was a rather far walk but the view as so wonderful that I hardly even noticed. And by happy coincidence we ran into Alison shopping while we were walking down there, out of the 2 million people that live in Amsterdam we run into Alison, so she took us on a stroll to the hotel where she was staying. And she is not staying in the same hotel as us because she is important and she was in the Best Western on the other side of the city so we accompanied her back to her hotel but we refused to go inside because if we saw how nice of a place she was staying in we may never want to leave her place to come back to ours. So we dropped her off, said goodbye and continued our shopping. I bought a sweater, some postcards (if you are special enough you may get one in the mail) and a lighter. Pretty boring stuff I bought but I figured I'd buy more souvenirs closer to when I am leaving, so if you have any special, legal, requests for gifts, let me know!
After shopping we stopped at a little Italian place which wasn't great by any means but it was cheap and that seems to be my driving force as of late so I didn't really care. While we were eating the wait staff was clearly talking about us and laughing because multiple times we heard 'American' which obvious finger points at us. But whatever, Amy and I just took it in stride, ate our dinner and left.
On the way home we got a call from the producers and directors saying that they were coming over to our place to party. We had no knowledge of this but when we got back to the hotel they were already drinking at the bar in lobby. The hospitality that I spoke of in a previous post about the people who run this place was really in full swing this night. Everything was on the house and after they ran out of beer they started breaking out the more potent stuff (whiskey, vodka and rum). Learning from my previous mistakes I stayed down and socialized with the 15 crew members that had congregated in the bar but I didn't get so silly so that I wouldn't be able to function on set the next day. But half of the people who were partying didn't have to go to set so when I went to bed at midnight they stayed up and continued to get crazy. Below are many, many pictures of the crew socializing that night.
From Left to Right: Arie (D.O.P), Amy (Art Director), Steve (Assistant), Hinji (Stills), Ticho (Continuity), Michael (Editor), Doug (Producer)
Super Steve and Myself
Amy and Super Steve
Rob, Michael Wright and Amy
Four drinks for two people, that is hospitality
Serious discussion between director and producer, while beers were being poured
Amy, Eric (Friend of Producers, from Midwest!) and Doug
And that was the end of the crazy night. Til we meet again.
Love,
-M
I think the world was making up for my bad decisions from the night before.
I went to bed at 9:30 the night before and did not stir once until my alarm went off at 9 o'clock the next day. We had a 10 o'clock call and the holding room was actually in our hotel because we were planning on shooting right outside our hotel so I got to sleep in, not pile into a van with a dozen grumpy people in the morning and it was projected to be a short shooting day.
On 'the planning' which is what Dutch people call what we would refer to as 'a schedule' it said that we were going to shoot from 10 until 2 in the afternoon. And along with being a short day, everyone was in a shiny mood and the actor we had on set, who is apparently a very well known actor in Belgium was an absolute thrill to have. That's one of the things that I can't understand over here, these famous people come to set but I don't know who any of them are so I can't stand in awe of them because I have no idea who they are. They may find my lack of knowing who they are offensive but how am I supposed to know any better?
We wrapped filming by 2 and it was turning into a gorgeous day. Pretty much everyday that I have been here it has been cloudy or rainy or both but today was a much different picture. It was sunny, warm and absolutely beautiful. And I was by no means going to waste this opportunity to see daylight. Amy, Matt and I went to a cafe to just grab some human food that wasn't Kraft Services. I ordered a Cheeseburger because I was just craving something from the homeland but I was a little surprised when my burger arrived and it definitely didn't taste like the burgers I am used to eating back in the states. This tasted more like a veggie burger to my disappointment, and the more I thought about it that if it was in fact meat, what kind was it? I stopped that train of thought right there in its tracks because I didn't want my burger to take a second visit to the outside world. The burger was tasted fine but the texture was weird, well just leave it at that.
Then the three of us walked further south of the central Amsterdam that we had become so acclimated to. The further south you go from central city the wider the canals get and the more the scenery changes. Instead of cobblestone markets and castles in the center of squares there are parks and greenery to walk or run through. A few picture of southern Amsterdam below:
Amy and I then ventured down to the Leizeplein where Alison, lead actress, told us there were several wonderful shopping opportunities and if you know me at all you know that I never turn down a shopping opportunity. It was a rather far walk but the view as so wonderful that I hardly even noticed. And by happy coincidence we ran into Alison shopping while we were walking down there, out of the 2 million people that live in Amsterdam we run into Alison, so she took us on a stroll to the hotel where she was staying. And she is not staying in the same hotel as us because she is important and she was in the Best Western on the other side of the city so we accompanied her back to her hotel but we refused to go inside because if we saw how nice of a place she was staying in we may never want to leave her place to come back to ours. So we dropped her off, said goodbye and continued our shopping. I bought a sweater, some postcards (if you are special enough you may get one in the mail) and a lighter. Pretty boring stuff I bought but I figured I'd buy more souvenirs closer to when I am leaving, so if you have any special, legal, requests for gifts, let me know!
After shopping we stopped at a little Italian place which wasn't great by any means but it was cheap and that seems to be my driving force as of late so I didn't really care. While we were eating the wait staff was clearly talking about us and laughing because multiple times we heard 'American' which obvious finger points at us. But whatever, Amy and I just took it in stride, ate our dinner and left.
On the way home we got a call from the producers and directors saying that they were coming over to our place to party. We had no knowledge of this but when we got back to the hotel they were already drinking at the bar in lobby. The hospitality that I spoke of in a previous post about the people who run this place was really in full swing this night. Everything was on the house and after they ran out of beer they started breaking out the more potent stuff (whiskey, vodka and rum). Learning from my previous mistakes I stayed down and socialized with the 15 crew members that had congregated in the bar but I didn't get so silly so that I wouldn't be able to function on set the next day. But half of the people who were partying didn't have to go to set so when I went to bed at midnight they stayed up and continued to get crazy. Below are many, many pictures of the crew socializing that night.
And that was the end of the crazy night. Til we meet again.
Love,
-M
Day 7 - January 15, 2011
The day of being completely useless.
Because I decided to stay up so late the night because I felt like a walking zombie all day. I was terribly, terribly tired and somewhat hungover. Now I tried to not let it be that obvious that I wasn't in perfect form but I think when I fell asleep while guarding the set door was a pretty clear indicator that I had had too much fun the night before. I was made at myself that I felt so lousy because where we were shooting today was one of the nicest places that we had been to in awhile. It wasn't cold, it wasn't outside, no one had partook in a live sex show and their were even clean toilets and a couch! Simple I know but you take advantage of these luxuries until they are no longer an option.
Regardless of how I felt today I actually got a lot done and a lot of things taken care of. I was trying to wrangle up 150 extras for a club scene that is going to happen soon. And you would think that it wouldn't be hard to find 150 people who would want to be in a feature film but the directors and producers more specifically had a very clear idea of what type of person they wanted and there aren't just model types walking around Amsterdam, so the hunt continues.
Lunch time is usually my favorite time of day. But today it was so for very different reasons. Lunch time now became nap time and it was much needed. After my hour respite I was in a much better place to finish out the day.
We didn't finish out our day until 7:30 and when Amy and I finally got back to the hotel we both were in desperate need of food because I hadn't eaten lunch all day since I had forgone lunch and Amy is just always hungry so we made the trek to Albert Heijn supermarket to pick up a quick dinner, came home and ate while watching Harry Potter YouTube videos and then we were both in bed by 9:30 that night.
The longest day of my most recent memory of life had finally come to an end. Thank goodness.
Love,
-M
Because I decided to stay up so late the night because I felt like a walking zombie all day. I was terribly, terribly tired and somewhat hungover. Now I tried to not let it be that obvious that I wasn't in perfect form but I think when I fell asleep while guarding the set door was a pretty clear indicator that I had had too much fun the night before. I was made at myself that I felt so lousy because where we were shooting today was one of the nicest places that we had been to in awhile. It wasn't cold, it wasn't outside, no one had partook in a live sex show and their were even clean toilets and a couch! Simple I know but you take advantage of these luxuries until they are no longer an option.
Regardless of how I felt today I actually got a lot done and a lot of things taken care of. I was trying to wrangle up 150 extras for a club scene that is going to happen soon. And you would think that it wouldn't be hard to find 150 people who would want to be in a feature film but the directors and producers more specifically had a very clear idea of what type of person they wanted and there aren't just model types walking around Amsterdam, so the hunt continues.
Lunch time is usually my favorite time of day. But today it was so for very different reasons. Lunch time now became nap time and it was much needed. After my hour respite I was in a much better place to finish out the day.
We didn't finish out our day until 7:30 and when Amy and I finally got back to the hotel we both were in desperate need of food because I hadn't eaten lunch all day since I had forgone lunch and Amy is just always hungry so we made the trek to Albert Heijn supermarket to pick up a quick dinner, came home and ate while watching Harry Potter YouTube videos and then we were both in bed by 9:30 that night.
The longest day of my most recent memory of life had finally come to an end. Thank goodness.
Love,
-M
Day 6 - January 14, 2011
Well, I must preface this post with a warning about the location that we were filming at today. We were filming at a live graphic show. That is all I really need to say about it and everyone can use their imagination about what went on there at night.
With that said I should also mention that nothing was going on their when we were filming. The whole place was closed strictly for our filming purpose.
We were filming at Casa Rosso today. It was a nine o'clock call so it wasn't that much of an early call and it was in walking distance of the hotel so we also didn't have to get up even earlier to catch the van to set. Casa Rosso is in the center of the Red Light District and it is apparently so popular that their are 3 other Casa Rosso's within the Red Light District. They get your attention in front of the establishment by having a giant pink flourescent neon elephant emblazoned on the whole facade of the building. If that doesn't grab your attention then the nude pictures on the walls where you buy your tickets certainly will. And with all of that and our film crew walking all about it we had quite the audience trying to get into Casa Rosso to see what was going on. Good thing we had Erwin, jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none, on the scene to keep the nosey people at bay.
We only had three scenes to shoot at this location but they were ones that had to be shot at several different angles so it did not go as fast as I had anticipated. It was also quite a different atmosphere than the shoot that we had been at the day before. Rotterdam was freezing, wet and full of supposed spirits while Casa Rosso was hot, rather sweaty and the lingering thought of things that had happened in this place before we arrived. Even now I am not sure which place made me more uncomfortable.
But I did have a new job detail today. Ticho, the man who is usually in charge of continuity and script supervision, was unable to be on set today so that job now fell into my hands. It was nice because I was allowed to be in front of the monitor all day watching what we were shooting and I was constantly having to be focused so it made me feel busy, useful and it made the day go by quite fast. Below are several pictures from our time at Casa Rosso.
Director Michael Wright giving an interview to an invited reporter.
The stage where the 'acts' occur every night.
Gaffer Marie taking stills of the scenes.
A picture of the Red Light District at night. If I would have gotten caught taking this picture a pimp would have come out and made me pay, apparently.
At four we switched locations to an internet cafe for a small scene. The whole set up, filming and take down only took one hour so at 5:30 we went next door to a restaurant called Toom for some appetizers. This place looked like it was taken either right out of Wisconsin so some Southwestern themed restaurant from the states. It had spotted cow hide booths and several Native American paintings on the wall and other rustic furniture. Needless to say I felt rather at home at this place.
Amy outside Toom.
Jason and Marie going over the stills that they had taken that day. And the lovely cow hide seats.
One of the stars of the movie: Rik Sinkeldam
Rob (Boomer), Niek (Best Boy, Ynze (Edit Staff) and Daan (Camera Assistant)
Amy and I, and yes I am as exhausted as I look :)
As the night progressed the producers and directors started buying us rounds and rounds of beer and a buffet of ribs. Everyone was very happy with this turn of events at the restaurant. As soon as we ran out of masticated cow we headed back to the hotel to continue to guzzle spirits with the hotel owner, which he gives us for free. So regardless of how ill-kept the hotel I am staying in is, they certainly make up for it in their generous hospitality. I sat at the bar with a bunch of guys from set chatting for a long time and then the man who records sound, Matt, and I went out for a couple of drinks by ourselves. Matt is originally from London but now lives in Rotterdam and is excellent company because I think he understands the concept of sarcasm unlike every other European. We strolled through central Amsterdam until three in the morning stopping at several pubs that we passed and I just had a fun time. Perhaps a little too much fun because getting home at three in the morning can't be good when the van leaves at 7:30 in the morning. Totally worth it but a bad idea nonetheless.
Love,
-M
With that said I should also mention that nothing was going on their when we were filming. The whole place was closed strictly for our filming purpose.
We were filming at Casa Rosso today. It was a nine o'clock call so it wasn't that much of an early call and it was in walking distance of the hotel so we also didn't have to get up even earlier to catch the van to set. Casa Rosso is in the center of the Red Light District and it is apparently so popular that their are 3 other Casa Rosso's within the Red Light District. They get your attention in front of the establishment by having a giant pink flourescent neon elephant emblazoned on the whole facade of the building. If that doesn't grab your attention then the nude pictures on the walls where you buy your tickets certainly will. And with all of that and our film crew walking all about it we had quite the audience trying to get into Casa Rosso to see what was going on. Good thing we had Erwin, jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none, on the scene to keep the nosey people at bay.
We only had three scenes to shoot at this location but they were ones that had to be shot at several different angles so it did not go as fast as I had anticipated. It was also quite a different atmosphere than the shoot that we had been at the day before. Rotterdam was freezing, wet and full of supposed spirits while Casa Rosso was hot, rather sweaty and the lingering thought of things that had happened in this place before we arrived. Even now I am not sure which place made me more uncomfortable.
But I did have a new job detail today. Ticho, the man who is usually in charge of continuity and script supervision, was unable to be on set today so that job now fell into my hands. It was nice because I was allowed to be in front of the monitor all day watching what we were shooting and I was constantly having to be focused so it made me feel busy, useful and it made the day go by quite fast. Below are several pictures from our time at Casa Rosso.
At four we switched locations to an internet cafe for a small scene. The whole set up, filming and take down only took one hour so at 5:30 we went next door to a restaurant called Toom for some appetizers. This place looked like it was taken either right out of Wisconsin so some Southwestern themed restaurant from the states. It had spotted cow hide booths and several Native American paintings on the wall and other rustic furniture. Needless to say I felt rather at home at this place.
As the night progressed the producers and directors started buying us rounds and rounds of beer and a buffet of ribs. Everyone was very happy with this turn of events at the restaurant. As soon as we ran out of masticated cow we headed back to the hotel to continue to guzzle spirits with the hotel owner, which he gives us for free. So regardless of how ill-kept the hotel I am staying in is, they certainly make up for it in their generous hospitality. I sat at the bar with a bunch of guys from set chatting for a long time and then the man who records sound, Matt, and I went out for a couple of drinks by ourselves. Matt is originally from London but now lives in Rotterdam and is excellent company because I think he understands the concept of sarcasm unlike every other European. We strolled through central Amsterdam until three in the morning stopping at several pubs that we passed and I just had a fun time. Perhaps a little too much fun because getting home at three in the morning can't be good when the van leaves at 7:30 in the morning. Totally worth it but a bad idea nonetheless.
Love,
-M
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Day 5 - January 13, 2011
Big day today!
We were off to film in Rotterdam today. It was a fairly long car ride away. Probably like the equivalent of driving from Madison to Milwaukee. Which in retrospect isn't that long of a ride but when you are crammed in a van at 5 in the morning, it's not necessarily the most pleasant thing in the whole world.
The location we were shooting in was an old abandoned warehouse. The crew that had been in Amsterdam a week prior to our arrival were warning us that Rotterdam, inside, was colder than the outside of the building. We were warned and Amy and I both put on almost every article of warm clothing we brought. The good thing was I never felt cold all day but that bad thing was I was wearing so many clothes that I looked like a big 'ol marshmallow.
We were also told that this place was seriously haunted and that one of the extras on the set who also was a driver and an errand runner for the crew said he spent one night in their with his friends and they taped it and the doors were banging and they could swear that they heard people talking. One, I don't understand why someone would knowingly want to stay in a vacant warehouse for the pure fun of getting the shit scared out of them. If I did that the only thing that would happen would be that I would become highly embarrassed because I would have defecated in my pants. So neither Amy nor I were looking forward to our long day outside of Amsterdam.
The one beautiful thing was that I brought another package of handwarmers with me so they really saved in my life in the warehouse. I still have 10 fingers and ten toes, awesome!
A lot of what we had to accomplish was fight scenes. The protagonist and the antagonist did a lot of sparring and getting hit with giant sticks and bricks and hand to hand combat. These types of scenes seem to take the longest to film because you have to do it from so many angles and there is a higher risk of something going terribly wrong. The lead, Rik Sinkleman, got hit so hard in the arm that we had to take a half-an-hour break to get him bandaged up. But he was certainly a trooper because as soon as we got him iced up he was ready to go again full force. Quite the trooper indeed.
Being a huge fan of food, I always look forward to lunch. But we got to set at 6 and we didn't get lunch until 2 in the afternoon. I. Was. Very. Hungry. But the nice thing about Rotterdam was that it had a huge table that we could actually sit all together and eat and chat and learn more about one another. That sounds rather lame but it was really nice to get to know more about everyone and we end up talking a lot about the differences and similarities between our two cultures, Dutch and American, and I found/find that conversation absolutely fascinating because it is very superior of anyone to think that everyone around the world assumably has the same traditions and day to day life as yourself.
We didn't end up finishing filming until 9 and we still had to drive back to Amsterdam so needless to say I went straight to bed at soon as we got to our hotel. And we had an early call in the morning so that was really the only realistic option.
I know I am very behind on keeping everyone updated on my day to day life but I have so much I want to write but so little time to do it! So be patient and you shall receive in good time!
Love,
-M
We were off to film in Rotterdam today. It was a fairly long car ride away. Probably like the equivalent of driving from Madison to Milwaukee. Which in retrospect isn't that long of a ride but when you are crammed in a van at 5 in the morning, it's not necessarily the most pleasant thing in the whole world.
The location we were shooting in was an old abandoned warehouse. The crew that had been in Amsterdam a week prior to our arrival were warning us that Rotterdam, inside, was colder than the outside of the building. We were warned and Amy and I both put on almost every article of warm clothing we brought. The good thing was I never felt cold all day but that bad thing was I was wearing so many clothes that I looked like a big 'ol marshmallow.
We were also told that this place was seriously haunted and that one of the extras on the set who also was a driver and an errand runner for the crew said he spent one night in their with his friends and they taped it and the doors were banging and they could swear that they heard people talking. One, I don't understand why someone would knowingly want to stay in a vacant warehouse for the pure fun of getting the shit scared out of them. If I did that the only thing that would happen would be that I would become highly embarrassed because I would have defecated in my pants. So neither Amy nor I were looking forward to our long day outside of Amsterdam.
The one beautiful thing was that I brought another package of handwarmers with me so they really saved in my life in the warehouse. I still have 10 fingers and ten toes, awesome!
A lot of what we had to accomplish was fight scenes. The protagonist and the antagonist did a lot of sparring and getting hit with giant sticks and bricks and hand to hand combat. These types of scenes seem to take the longest to film because you have to do it from so many angles and there is a higher risk of something going terribly wrong. The lead, Rik Sinkleman, got hit so hard in the arm that we had to take a half-an-hour break to get him bandaged up. But he was certainly a trooper because as soon as we got him iced up he was ready to go again full force. Quite the trooper indeed.
Being a huge fan of food, I always look forward to lunch. But we got to set at 6 and we didn't get lunch until 2 in the afternoon. I. Was. Very. Hungry. But the nice thing about Rotterdam was that it had a huge table that we could actually sit all together and eat and chat and learn more about one another. That sounds rather lame but it was really nice to get to know more about everyone and we end up talking a lot about the differences and similarities between our two cultures, Dutch and American, and I found/find that conversation absolutely fascinating because it is very superior of anyone to think that everyone around the world assumably has the same traditions and day to day life as yourself.
We didn't end up finishing filming until 9 and we still had to drive back to Amsterdam so needless to say I went straight to bed at soon as we got to our hotel. And we had an early call in the morning so that was really the only realistic option.
I know I am very behind on keeping everyone updated on my day to day life but I have so much I want to write but so little time to do it! So be patient and you shall receive in good time!
Love,
-M
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Day 3 and 4 - The Day Of My Birth and January 12, 2011
Happy Birthday to me!!
Along with tooting my own horn I had a host of friends wish me a very Happy Birthday on Facebook. This is traditionally what people do and it takes less that five seconds to post on someone's Facebook for their birthday but it sure does make a gal feel special.
So what were my special plans for the day you ask?
I had every ambition to go to the producers house to work on some casting, for extras we will need in crowd scenes, and I even woke up at 8, showered myself and was ready to go by nine, but when I called his phone no one answered so I took that as a sign that I should go back to sleep...so I did.
When I woke again to the human world it was already one in the afternoon, whoops, but it was actually perfect because Amy had just gotten home from her meeting and Jason was actually at our hotel and as Amy scuttled off to another meeting, Jason took me on what I will call a "walking tour" of Central Amsterdam.
This tour however wasn't just for fun and sightseeing, we were taking a look at the locations which we will be shooting at in the next couple of weeks and he wanted me to get acclimated to what our sets would look like. But while on the tour he also was a very knowing of all things history of Amsterdam which we were walking through. It turned out to be a business and pleasure meeting. But a tour through central Amsterdam would not be complete without a walk through the Red Light District. So we did that as well. Just what I wanted for my birthday, a chance to look at prostitutes in little glass rooms/windows with my boss on my birthday. Lovely.
We at lunch, which I guess was more supper because it was getting late, at a Thai restaurant. Not being a huge spicy Thai fan but not one to pass up food i obliged and had spicy shrimp soup that was actually very good. From the Thai restaurant we walked to Centraal Station, yes with two a's, and bought myself a tram card and a much needed Americanized Starbucks Coffee. From there it was time to head back to Jason's house with computer in tow to work on casting extras. I spent the rest of the afternoon/night combing through the script trying to figure out what characters weren't accounted for yet.
Then I went out for pizza with the editor, one of the producers and the assistant director. The pizza was actually quite terrible, because there was entirely not enough cheese on it, but the company was rather nice and it was nice to get an insight from the crew running the process on how they actually thought it was going. I felt like I was in the trust tree. But I won't be ruining that trust by talking about things that happened over dinner, because I actually signed a confidentiality waiver saying I wouldn't. Got to keep to the code!
We thought about going out clubbing tonight for my birthday but everyone seemed a bit tired from the long day so I made them promise me a rain check.
Tomorrow don't film until the afternoon so who knows what I will do before crew call.
Love,
-M
P.S. Below are the only two pictures I took from the walking tour, stupid of me not to take more but it happens.
I just now realized that I messed up my days and I forgot January 12 and I realized why...we didn't start til night time so I slept in all morning and then went to call at 4:00 and we shot a car scene all night in a pretty sweet looking Audi. But nothing much to report on that day.
Love again,
-M
Along with tooting my own horn I had a host of friends wish me a very Happy Birthday on Facebook. This is traditionally what people do and it takes less that five seconds to post on someone's Facebook for their birthday but it sure does make a gal feel special.
So what were my special plans for the day you ask?
I had every ambition to go to the producers house to work on some casting, for extras we will need in crowd scenes, and I even woke up at 8, showered myself and was ready to go by nine, but when I called his phone no one answered so I took that as a sign that I should go back to sleep...so I did.
When I woke again to the human world it was already one in the afternoon, whoops, but it was actually perfect because Amy had just gotten home from her meeting and Jason was actually at our hotel and as Amy scuttled off to another meeting, Jason took me on what I will call a "walking tour" of Central Amsterdam.
This tour however wasn't just for fun and sightseeing, we were taking a look at the locations which we will be shooting at in the next couple of weeks and he wanted me to get acclimated to what our sets would look like. But while on the tour he also was a very knowing of all things history of Amsterdam which we were walking through. It turned out to be a business and pleasure meeting. But a tour through central Amsterdam would not be complete without a walk through the Red Light District. So we did that as well. Just what I wanted for my birthday, a chance to look at prostitutes in little glass rooms/windows with my boss on my birthday. Lovely.
We at lunch, which I guess was more supper because it was getting late, at a Thai restaurant. Not being a huge spicy Thai fan but not one to pass up food i obliged and had spicy shrimp soup that was actually very good. From the Thai restaurant we walked to Centraal Station, yes with two a's, and bought myself a tram card and a much needed Americanized Starbucks Coffee. From there it was time to head back to Jason's house with computer in tow to work on casting extras. I spent the rest of the afternoon/night combing through the script trying to figure out what characters weren't accounted for yet.
Then I went out for pizza with the editor, one of the producers and the assistant director. The pizza was actually quite terrible, because there was entirely not enough cheese on it, but the company was rather nice and it was nice to get an insight from the crew running the process on how they actually thought it was going. I felt like I was in the trust tree. But I won't be ruining that trust by talking about things that happened over dinner, because I actually signed a confidentiality waiver saying I wouldn't. Got to keep to the code!
We thought about going out clubbing tonight for my birthday but everyone seemed a bit tired from the long day so I made them promise me a rain check.
Tomorrow don't film until the afternoon so who knows what I will do before crew call.
Love,
-M
P.S. Below are the only two pictures I took from the walking tour, stupid of me not to take more but it happens.
I just now realized that I messed up my days and I forgot January 12 and I realized why...we didn't start til night time so I slept in all morning and then went to call at 4:00 and we shot a car scene all night in a pretty sweet looking Audi. But nothing much to report on that day.
Love again,
-M
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