Advertisement
Published: September 8th 2009
Lights...
Photo by Guo LiangTruly this is the end of an era... it's that time in Beijing where the summer has drawn to a close and the laowai's are winging their way back home. All the "farewell parties" are quite bittersweet and there are some folk who, though I didn't know them for long, will be missed.
We just wrapped shooting yesterday a film in which I was the star of. Glamorous no? No... truly no. Last week as I halfheartedly scanned through the employment ads I noticed one where they were looking for female voice actors (having experience in this field) I dashed off a quick reply and continued searching for work. No less than an hour later I received a phone call and was offered a film role (not what the ad was about) on the spot. No interview was scheduled; simply a meeting time to pick up the script. Basically the film was just a step above the voice recorded lessons. Filmed English training material based on a "real life" story/situations. It's a dismal affair, but I admit I had a riot taking part in it.
On my first day we focused on some of the pronunciation exercises and, when
Camera...
Photo by Guo Liang one girl couldn't catch on quickly enough, I was required to step in and sing and dance.... the Hokey-Pokey. Mhmm. That was my introduction to film. My character's name was "Sara", so I now perk my ears and nearly respond when I hear it being called now. The other actors and I joked that we were really getting into our parts by being called by only "their" names - but the reality was that the Chinese couldn't remember two English names for us so this was the easiest solution.
I surprised myself with being quite nervous to begin with. I didn't expect that, as I don't usually get performance jitters, but something about the blank stare of the camera (which you aren't allowed to look at, but are hyper aware of) shook me a little and I struggled to maintain control over my facial muscles. Luckily, this nervous behavior didn't last more than 15 minutes and I soon became comfortable and attempted to do my best. I later found out this this bizarre facial paralysis is quite a common complaint by all the actors. Having this experience really sparked that little girl fantasy of playacting. We had our big
Action!
Photo by Guo Liang board-room table which we all sat around and read our scripts, catered (fast food) lunches, make-up artists who caked us up, last minute memorizations, and the real challenge of making/creating something. It was low budget at best and really nothing spectacular, but it was an adventure and experience. Lots of "cast bonding" that reminded me of camp... well really any group of people pushing onward towards a common goal. We worked really hard and even finished shooting ahead of schedule! This is a truly amazing fact as we were working outdoors most of the time and had constant run-ins with the general populace to worry about. Shooting street scenes would turn into a hilarious horror show as we would have scores of people ring their bicycle bells loudly as they ploughed through the scene. One would assume that a clearly marked set would be an obvious block but even with some staff set up to try and prevent these determined cyclists, they continued to interrupt the shooting by barreling through. A bit of a "China" experience. We all were laughing... but I could tell (by the director's chain smoking) that she was about to lose it soon! Feels a bit
strange for it all to be over - though it was only two days worth of work! I hope to be able to obtain a copy of our finished work, post-production. I wonder if we will have a red carpet screening? Hahahahahaha!
Tomorrow is my last day with Emily. Neither of us really knows what to feel regarding that reality. We have greatly enjoyed our time together, and it won't be the same without our constant foolish shenanigans. She is traveling back home on Thursday to take part in a friend's wedding, and when she gets back she will be moving into a new apartment with Fabien. They have really struggled with finding a suitable abode thus far, so he will continue to hunt while she is away. The Swede is still in Japan, but I assume he is moving in with me on Friday. The end of this week truly is a page turning, and the beginning of a new leaf! Old friends gone, new ones arriving... new employment on the horizon? Who knows? It's a fresh start.
Highlight of the week thus far: watching the Empire Strikes Back on a projection tv. I have spent five
Take Two!
Photo by Guo Liang months only viewing films on my laptop... this was heaven! Sitting on a couch, chowing down on pizza, and watching Star Wars - does life get better than that?
... Also found Season 1 & 2 of Jeeves and Wooster at my favorite dvd haunt. Marvelous!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.058s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 7; qc: 23; dbt: 0.039s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Linda Beller
non-member comment
Love it!!!
Hi Lindsie; Just love reading about your adventures in Wonderland and that you take each moment in stride. I am enjoying living in China through you! I spent 3 wks in G.B. and can assure you that adventures don't end by age 25, as long as one is open in mind and spirit life will be ever changing. Live on. A. Linda