Wednesday, April 10, 2013

A Bloody Internship.

I am really proud of myself for posting about once a month.  Although when you live in NYC it feels like five years happen in the span of one month, and this past month is no different.
New York and I have had quite an up and down relationship, but this past month has got me really feeling at home here.  Everyone said the first year is the hardest but I think the first year and a HALF is hardest.  My last post I was ready to count down to leaving, but I just got a year long gym membership so I know I'll be here at least until next March.  Thank goodness for amazing friends, roommates, and good jobs.  Also, I think the warm weather is really helping.  You don't realize how depressing winter is until it's warm and you just feel even happier.  I can hear birds chirping right now and it's the best sound ever.

After my last post I had a friend from Adrian come visit me and Ashley.  Our first night Kevin and I decided to investigate the karaoke that was happening at this tiny bar on my street.  We were the only white people in the place, but as soon as we sang "You're the One that I Want" from Grease we had made a bunch of new friends.  Right after the whole bar sang "Summer Nights" together.  Who would have thought I could have so much fun in QUEENS right?  (For the non-New Yorkers, people don't like Queens.  They want to be in Manhattan or maybe in Brooklyn.  But then they come to my large, cheap [for NYC] apartment and they are amazed.)
Karaoke Time
We spent a few days sightseeing, which is exhausting, had some sushi, and also went to see "Avenue Q."  It was hilarious!  There is a part where the puppets come down into the audience and I was laughing and the main guy hit me in the face.  What a cool show!


The next week I had an interview with a production company to work for them on set in the art department for a reenactment show on Investigation Discovery.  I've done a lot of backstage work but never anything behind the scenes in TV or film.  This was a flexible internship (yes, not paid) that I could get some experience and see if I liked it.  And since I live mostly off of clowning, I have some time during the week to be an intern.  Luckily, I got the job and was super excited when they asked me to help with the casting that week.  I helped set up the camera and got to meet the director and producer, who I would be working closely with during the rest of shooting.  Seeing the audition process from the other side is way awesome and a great learning experience.  But I think the best part was when the director wanted to work the camera so I sat at the casting table and all the actors thought I was someone important.  Haha.  Although I was part of the discussions about who was best and they asked me my opinion so I guess I was part of the process!

Clown Outfit
I spent my St. Patrick's day weekend as a clown, but one of our team members threw a party for all of us who could not participate in the festivities.  I love my job, especially the people I work with.  It has given me some awesome friends AND some friends who live in Queens which is great because I don't have to travel for hours to go see them.  And there is nothing worse than having to travel home late at night cause you want to sleep in your own bed after a party.

Princess Belle
The Little Mermaid!
The week after St. Patrick's Day my internship started.  The show is on Investigation Discovery, it's a reenactment show which means half the show is interviewing the victims and people involved in the crime and the other half is actors portraying what happened by reenacting it.  There is a lot of attacks, beatings, and blood on my show.  For some reason I can't escape it!  And I got real lucky because the haunted house let me take the whole month off to work on this project.  I got hired to assist in the art department which means I'm helping with set dressing, which means I'm part of the team that moves furniture, hangs pictures, and hides any product labels.  We also are in charge of props such as burgers, drinks at bars, and for this show... meat cleavers, guns and knives.

Because the show is small I got assigned to help with wardrobe as well.  My first two days were just prepping for the show by gathering wardrobe together.  Our actors bring their own clothes to work in but we buy three sets of the clothes that attacks happen in because they're going to get covered in blood.  Wardrobe shopping is horrific.  You may think it would be fun to pick out outfits for everyone but in reality it is a nightmare.  There are a lot of rules, no black or white because they're too harsh on camera.  No red because they blood has to show up.  No stripes, weird patterns or logos.  Nothing sheer.  Then you have to try and find something according to what the producer and director want, specific colors and styles.  I hunted all around Manhattan for a dark hooded sweatshirt that wasn't black but wasn't light grey.  And if we have night shoots we try to keep the actors comfortable by not placing them in shorts when it's 30 degrees out.  So after you've taken all this into account (while shopping in the busiest city in the world, full of tourists ugh) and you find something that works, you have to find three of the same shirt/pants/dress in the same size!  You'd be surprised how often this doesn't happen.  Especially since all the actresses are tiny... I'll find one small and the rest are mediums and larges and I have to ask an employee to check in the back or start over.  And this is just ONE outfit.  I can't imagine doing wardrobe on a large show.  Clearly this is not my forte.

So we started shooting and I got to do what I signed up to do, which was work in art.  Although I was doing a million other things as well because I was extra hands on set.  I was also making coffee, pulling wardrobe, loading the G&E truck (grip and electric) and evening holding the boom once, which was terrifying.  (Boom is essentially a stick with a mic on it that you have to point at the actors to pick up their sound).  So far we've turned a gutted fast food place into a "working" restaurant.  We've also taken everything out of an apartment and stuck our stuff back in, then proceeded to get blood all over the walls, floor, and couch.  I really love being on set and it's so fun to work in a place that uses all my skills from acting, theater, and interior design.  I'm also meeting a ton of people including directors and producers so it's a way to get into the business from the other side.  I make sure they all know I'm an actress as well as an art girl.  The people on the crew are great as well and I feel very lucky to have such a great team to work with for my first time behind the scenes.  It's not often that you meet a main production assistant or director that hugs you every time you wrap!  Sometimes there is a lot more ego going around.

Most of this month has been taken over by the internship.  Days of prep are about 10 hours and days of filming are usually 12-14 hours long.  I'm gaining so much great experience and get free food so it's not too bad, although I am looking forward to my vacation to Washington DC when this is all over.
At home, Ashley and I have been doing some spring cleaning and trying to get into a routine.  We joined a gym that is a few blocks down from our apartment and are loving it so far.  It's only $20 a month and is surprisingly clean.  We even have a workout calendar on our wall outside the front door as motivation.  We went to Costco to get groceries thanks to Ashley's new membership and it was amazing.  Why doesn't everyone shop there?!?!  Maybe it's only a huge difference in New York City but the amount you get for how cheap it is is mind blowing.  When we go to our local grocery store it's about $5 for a 12 oz thing of peanut butter.  At Costco it's $9 for two 24 oz jars.  I mean, it's a no brainer.  We just hop on the train a few stops and are in the land of cheap and bulk.  That Costco tripped changed my life hahaha.

I also got to go see the Game of Thrones exhibit.  New York City was one of five locations around the world they brought it!  Sometimes I forget I live in such a major city.  It was super cool, had a spotlight on each of the major families including costumes and props from the show.  There was also a simulated archery game where you got to shoot arrows in the Battle of the Blackwater and a place where you could sit on the iron throne and get your picture taken complete with a crown!
Dany's dragon
Bow down!
Afterward, I participated in a play reading from someone I had met last year when I worked in the New Media Repertory Theatre.  He had met me and gave me the part, which is my favorite kind.  Not having to audition cuts so much hassle from acting.  I had a really great time with the reading and ended up reuniting with a fellow actor so we decided to go have drinks and sing karaoke.  Somehow we stumbled into the same karaoke place that Sarah and I went to sooooo long ago, over a year ago when I first moved here.  New York is really... so freaking small.
So that's it!  The weather has been gorgeous here.  Ashley and I did some chores in sundresses yesterday.  We went to Michael's which is always a bad idea because there's so much amazing craft stuff there.  Then we went to Chelsea for margaritas and tacos because it's WARM YAY!  And now I'm spending the day relaxing and getting ready for another weekend of filming and clowning.  So far nothing is planned for the month ahead, although I am working on my acting reel and hoping that will get me some more auditions and maybe an agent.  Also, I'm going to Washington DC because tickets are cheap and I only work on the weekends and two of my favorite people live there!
Thanks for reading!  Have a great day!  :D