The next scene in which I stand-in for Richard is a complicated shot with a lot of camera moves. It takes a very long time to light, and I am required to stand at multiple marks and follow Richard’s moves from rehearsal so they can make sure he is evenly lit as he moves from mark to mark. At the end of this process, there’s a final mark where Richard kneels in front of a young boy who sits in a chair. After kneeling for 15 minutes, my shin was starting to feel the burn. Shifting around, I got a little grief because I was making it hard to judge the lighting. It’s like being a model, I guess, finding a pose and holding it perfectly… Oh, don’t forget to wear really comfortable shoes if you’re going to be a stand-in.
We get most of the way through shooting the scene before we are required to break for lunch. This meal is also quite good, and I enjoy sitting at the table with my actor friend, the other leads and the director. Nice to have some connections on the set. The director briefly chats me up before he is pulled away to deal with production issues, so I end up chatting with my buddy and Dwight along with a few actors with some really amazing credits: the hilarious James Avery (Dr. Doolittle 2, “Fresh Prince of Bel Air”), the cool Elya Baskin (13 Days, Air Force One, 2010, Moscow on the Hudson), and Michael Fairman (13 Days, Forces of Nature, and a bunch of TV). It was good catching up with an old friend, and re-exchanging contact information. Things have been picking up for him, and now I’m looking out for a recent KFC commercial he did with Jason Alexander. But then it’s back to work.
The scene with Michael and Elya is pushed to another day, as we’re running behind. We still have to finish off the current scene, and then we have a complicated scene involving a larger group of actors and a stunt that still has to be shot. I figure this means I’ll be able to get home by 7ish.
It’s now 3pm. I think I’ve been used once since lunch. I’m starting to lose track of time. It’s always the same time of day on a film set, because the lighting is so steady. I’d like to be leaving for an audition right now, but it looks like I’m about to stand-in. I jump on and off as they get their different angles, and time flies rapidly by. After a while, it gets so crowded on the set that I wait outside near the craft services table, where I hear a food order called in for dinner. Looks like I’ll be here well after 7…
