What to expect on set

Background

My first day on set was a bit of a trial by fire. It was a big indoor scene on Supergirl, with at least 150 x BGs, and for some reason, I was singled out to play with the actors! I mentioned to the other two BGs that this was my first day, and they gave me a couple of tips like, "don't look directly at the camera", and "repeat your action the same each time, unless someone tells you differently". They gave me the basics of the timing, (we go on 'Background!'), the place where we start (First Mark) and the end mark, and the other terms that the Assistant Director (AD) yells out (Action, Cut, Reset, etc.)

That stunned look of a BG newbie

Anyhow, as we were setting up the shot, we chatted with an attractive young woman, that I wasn't quite sure what her role was (later learning that she was the stand-in). We rehearsed the scene, where I come from another room and walk up to our group and shake the actors' hands. So when we go to shoot the first time, I come around the corner, and there is this beautiful woman who has of course replaced the stand-in now, and I am so surprised that I barely remembered what to do! Obviously, she was a professional, and gracefully introduced me into the scene. The 1st AD gave us a little tweaking here and there, but otherwise, the day came out without me making any colossal blunders.

Luckily for new BGs, that is not how everyone's first day goes; most BG are not involved with the actors' actions in the scene. Typically, you'll be walking onto set with some or the rest of the BGs, and asked to stand off to the side to wait for either a 3rd AD or sometimes the BG wrangler to assign you an action. There will be a lot of crew around, sometimes two or three camera setups, lighting rigs and cables everywhere (watch your step!). When someone does assign you to an action (try to get their name), don't be afraid to clarify what they want you to do. e.g. "So after this guy walks by, I count 3 beats, and cross behind the actors? Or do you need me to walk in front and wipe the camera?" (It is definitely not the norm, but sometimes they want a busy scene, and have the BG passing between the camera and the actors).

Crew adjusting the camera on a recent commercial shoot

After a rehearsal with "second team" (the stand-ins), the actors, or "first team" will be called to set for their rehearsal. When the director is a happy, they will call for "finals", or final makeup and hair touches for the actors. Then everyone takes their first positions, and the AD yells, "Pictures up!" - this is usually accompanied by something like "Give me a bell" (in studio) or "Lock it up" (on location). That's the cue for the locations team to calm the set down; crew working with tools have to stop, HVAC systems are turned off, and all off-camera crew have to clear the set. "Roll sound!" or less frequently "Turnover!" (British) is the last step before the AD yells "Background!", which is your cue to start your assigned movement. "Action!" starts the scene for the actors. Keep doing what you were instructed to do until you are off-camera or you hear "Cut!"; most of the time you can start heading back to your first mark then, or when you hear "Reset!"

After the first take, they might mix it up, and have you doing something different. Otherwise, you simply keep doing the exact same thing on each take until the scene is finished. If possible, pay attention to the dialog, or watch for other visual cues; sometimes they will shoot a "pick-up", and start the scene half way through, and you'll need to start from a 2nd mark. Also, if you are paired with another BG, introduce yourself, and get their name as well. Sometimes, after getting a break or a run to Crafty, they are looking for that person, and no one knows who it is. Anyhow, typically after an hour or so of shooting from alternate angles and with different lenses, that scene will finish, and you'll move onto a new scene.

Sometimes, it ends up being more Foreground than Background

As a BG, your job is to be on camera, but be immediately forgettable. Just the other day, a couple was supposed to be dancing, but they literally polka-ed right onto the dance floor; needless to say, the AD had to get them to tone down their entrance. For the most part, just act naturally. Conversations are all mimed; unless specifically asked, talking is a no-no. Even whispering causes problems for the sound department, and as a courtesy to the crew trying to work, resist the temptation to talk amongst the BG between takes. Bearing that in mind, Background is intended to be part of the scene and so make sure that you are aware of where the camera is pointing; a quote I heard one day on set was, "If the camera can't see you, then you're not doing your job". Try not to get "stacked" behind other BG; offset yourself so that you you are not hidden from the camera. "Open up" your face-to-face conversations, so that the camera gets a partial quarter-view of you rather than a profile shot.

The 3rd AD will likely give you all the guidance that you need; e.g. "can you walk a little faster", "give it another 3 or 4 beats before you leave", or one one of my favourites, "how about if you banana out over to that spot". Sometimes, they leave it up to the BG to make the scene, and will simply state, "you're in a busy office - we need lots of movement back here". All you have to do, is look for gaps or breaks in the action, and pass through that area, naturally of course. A frequent tip you will hear in BG, is that you should do whatever the last person told you to do. e.g. the 3rd might have you walk down the hallway, but then the AD asks you to stand and pretend to talk to the woman at the reception desk; you do the latter. Finally, when the cameras are not rolling, try to stay out of the way of the crew as they move about, trying to set up for the next shot.

BG should never leave set unless the 3rd or a wrangler sends you back to holding. Once in a while, the camera or a lighting rig will be where you are supposed to be, and the camera operator sends you away; good practice would be tell to the wrangler that you received direction from them to "relax". Similarly, if there's a long period of shooting, and you need to empty your bladder, wait for a break in the action and ask the 3rd or a wrangler if there's enough time to "10-1" (ten-one), or if #2 is your calling, then "10-2". Crafty runs should typically wait until you have been officially "relaxed" back to BG holding.

It may seem like a lot of information, and the first few times you step onto set it may seem a little daunting, but it will become familiar quite quickly. Even though every day on set is different, there is a certain pattern to things and it will become second nature eventually; you can literally go from being a newbie to a veteran BG in a handful of days. If you listen carefully and pay attention to what is happening around you, it is the easiest non-job there is.

The novelty of standing next to Jessica Biel wears off... after a couple of hours!

Oh and one last thing. It probably won't happen very often that you are on the set with an A-list star, but if by chance that does happen, you should not try to speak to them. When they are waiting between takes, it is highly likely that they are trying to get into the moment, rehearsing their lines in their head. Now is not the time to try and get a selfie with them.

The second safest place is...

TV and Film during COVID-19 

Who would have thought that we'd be into the fall, and still struggling through a global pandemic? But here we are, and as we try to gain some sense of normalcy to our lives, most of us have gone back to work. In my case, that meant waiting for the TV and Film industry to start back up here in Vancouver. A little known fact, is that our government and health experts did not actually mandate the closure of film productions, so they technically could have started up whenever they wanted.

However, given the investment that goes into making a TV series or movie, the producers wanted to make sure that they had the right pandemic protocols in place. i.e. if a principal actor were to get sick, they would have to delay production until they are cleared to work again, costing thousands and thousands of dollars. So while they worked out the new normal for filming, we all sat idly by, and watched the slow-motion train wreck happening in the US. 

Fast-forward to late-summer, and BC TV & film is back in production; yes, our infection rates are climbing, but still nowhere near the numbers we are seeing South of the border. In fact, the relatively good control over COVID-19 has caused some productions to move from the US to Vancouver, and as of mid-October, there are 61 productions in progress! This actually exceeds pre-pandemic levels, and it has a lot to do with how well people, in general, are responding to the government and healthcare leaders' guidelines for safety.

So when my agent contacted me and asked if I'd like some continuity days on The Good Doctor, I didn't hesitate to say yes. But unlike Canadian productions, these US shows have stepped up their COVID-19 game, and everyone who is on camera, gets tested up to, and sometimes exceeding three times a week! And it's not the pre-frontal lobotomy that you've heard about on the news; no, it's called a "bi-lateral nasal collection". It is, as it sounds, a swab that they take from each nostril, where the nurse gently spins it in the first couple of cms for about 5 seconds each. That's it. A couple days later, you get an email with your negative result, or in the case of a positive one, a call from your friendly CDC representative, telling you that you have contracted coronavirus.

Plexiglass partitions in Background Holding

At the studio, there are tons of new safety measures. Everyone checks in at the "wellness station" where they ask you the typical questions about your contact with out-of-country travellers, general health, and then take your temperature. "Zones" are created, which are not physical spaces per se, but rather the virtual teams of people that are say, in front of the camera when rolling, on set but not while rolling, and those who do not enter the studio area, etc. Zone boundaries are established to try and minimize contact across zones - e.g. A Green zone worker can't even enter the studio. Information is collected if you ride in a shuttle, should contact tracing be required. Sanitizer stations and masks are available everywhere, and plexiglass partitions are place on tables and areas to separate potential airborne transmission. When you do go to set, you still wear your mask up until the point that they are ready to shoot, and put them back on as soon as the director yells, "cut!". 

Even Buddy got back to work recently!

A couple of weeks later, I got booked for 5 weeks on a new show called Kung Fu. Not only would I get tested regularly, they were going to pay me to stay home on days that I was not going to be on set! Specifically designated into a small group of around 20 Background performers, we were not to go out and work on other productions, nor would we go to fitness classes etc. Fast forward to today, after six weeks (they asked me to extend for another week), I've been tested 22 times! And while there has been a surge in the "second wave" of the pandemic here, I feel quite safe on set with all the new protocols, and knowing that everyone around me is getting tested regularly. Are there still risks? Sure, but I can't stay at home all day, every day. So that's why our TV & Film sets are the second safest places to be during a global pandemic.

Staycation road trip #2

 COVID-19

Well, it would seem that we really are in this for the long haul. I mean, I knew that things were not going to be working themselves out back in the late spring, when I cancelled our flights to France. But we still need to have a little recreation in our lives, so we decided on another tour of BC, this time a little closer to home.

There are amazing places to see throughout BC, but due to our mountainous geography, some spots do require quite a bit of driving to get to. As such, we opted for the short loop, heading up past Whistler, clockwise to Kamloops, and back via Highway 1 to Harrison Hot Springs, before returning home.

As with our last road trip, we made like out-of-country tourists, and tried to stop at virtually every major viewpoint, attraction, or rest stop. Unfortunately, the California and Washington State wildfires were sending smoke our direction, and for the first leg of our trip, views were partially obscured.

Shannon Falls

One thing that both of us have never done, is zip lining; so on our way through Whistler, we did the Ziptrek tour on Whistler Mountain. As we had just entered the off-season, the lifts were no longer running to take us up to Olympic Station, so a Jeep drove us up to the start of our "EcoTour". We followed a marked trail down into the forest, where eventually we met up with our first zip line. The technician clips us onto the cable, gives a brief safety talk, and then you simply step off the platform!

The zip lines are very fun and exciting, but are only 30-45 seconds long each, and our tour had us on three lines. You end up spending most of your time walking on the trail, and up over this very cool, elevated walkway and suspension bridges in the trees. It was a great way to spend a couple of hours, and break up the short drive to our first overnight stop. Along the way to Pemberton, I recommend you stop at Nairn Falls - it's a decent 20 minute walk from the parking area to the falls area, but worth it, in my opinion.

Nairn Falls

While looking for a place to stay in or near Pemberton, I came across an interesting AirBnB listing for a refurbished Airstream trailer! For those who don't know what they are, Airstreams are an iconic travel trailer that started in the post-war era, and were built with aluminum skins, looking like retro airliners. This one has been significantly upgraded with modern finishings, and attached to running water and a septic system.

With a separate bath house, an screened gazebo, and a fire-pit area (propane), it was a fantastic "glamping" stay for two nights while we explored a bit of what Pemberton had to offer. 

Smoke shrouds the views along Lillooet Lake

With September starting to bring cooler nights, the nearby campgrounds were almost completely empty, and Provincial Parks were all but devoid of visitors (mid-week).

Another activity for us in Pemberton was horseback riding - I hadn't been on a horse since the late 90s, where I was on a game farm in Zimbabwe. Our two steeds for the afternoon were Two-Socks and Blackjack, and we had a leisurely, 2-hour of the beautiful Pemberton Valley. A note to other city-slickers: 2 hours is plenty on your first ride - we could barely walk after getting down off our horses!

The highway East of Pemberton is referred to as The Duffey Lake Road - it's a windy, sometimes narrow, section of Highway 99 that takes you through mountain vistas and along beautiful lakes and rivers. Again, since the wildfire smoke obscured the distant views, we didn't get the amazing experience most travellers get along this amazing stretch of road.

Once you reach Lillooet, the landscape changes to wide open river valleys, where the lush forest gives way to semi-arid, almost desert-like conditions. A friend from London once commented that the landscape reminded her of the hills in Tuscany, but I don't see that resemblance. Anyhow, after two days visiting my parents in Kamloops, we set off for our return, taking the long route down Highway 1, through the Fraser Canyon. 

The original, now abandoned Alexandra Bridge

The new Alexandra Bridge further down the Fraser River

Again, stopping a few times down the road on our way back South, we ended up arriving at our next, 2-night stop, Harrison Hot Springs. It's a tiny little town on the tip of huge Harrison Lake; being the off-season, things were pretty quiet in town.

There's a short hike to a neat spot called Sandy Cove, which is accessible right from the town promenade. We only encountered a 1/2 dozen or so other hikers, but it's a little bit treacherous in some places, so others may have turned back. We also went on a nice walk through the forest just outside of town, but besides that, we didn't get up to much before heading back to Vancouver. 

All in all, not a bad little jaunt around our corner of BC; probably our last till early 2021, when we head up to Sun Peaks for a brief ski getaway.

RC Board Works - use and care

I hope you are enjoying the use of your RC Board Works custom woodcraft item! With proper care and maintenance, it should provide you a lifetime of service.

When you first received your board, it was coated with a wax/oil treatment at the factory. This gives the board somewhat water-repellent properties, but this coating diminishes with use. When cleaning, simply wipe the board with a damp cloth, and let it air dry; do not use dish soaps, as this will strip away the oils that are impregnated in your board. Never place in a dishwasher! As such, it is best to avoid cutting or preparing things like raw chicken or poultry on your board, and reserve use for fruits and vegetables, cooked items and cured meats, etc. For longboards, I typically cut my meats and cheeses on a separate cutting board, before arranging the charcuterie. Alternately, you can use the back of the longboard for cutting, and the top surface for presentation; same goes for those of you who have a cutting board.

After occasional use, wipe a food-grade mineral oil on the air dried surface(s) of your board, and then use a dry paper towel to remove any excess. You can get this kind of oil at London Drugs or other similar stores; I use SKYDD oil from Ikea.

When your board starts to look really dry and pale, it's time for a wax! Get yourself some paraffin wax, available from any grocery store. Melt about 2 parts wax to 1 part mineral oil in an appropriate container. I use a jam jar, and have fashioned a handle for it out of a coat hanger. Then, using a small pot to boil water, place the container in the water and heat till just melted into a liquid. You can do this in a microwave too (without the coat hanger, of course), but don't let the wax/oil mixture boil! 

If your cutting board is worn from knife use, you can give it a light sand with some 220-grit sandpaper. Then place your board on a surface that you can clean easily (or another cutting board - I use a massive one that I prep pizzas and bread doughs on), and carefully pour a small amount of the wax/oil mixture around the surface. Using an old loyalty card or similar plastic-edged tool, smooth the liquid around the surface of the board. The liquid will cool quickly into a consistency similar to butter; if it hardens up too much, simply scrape it off, and add a little more oil to your mixture. 

Use your card to scrape the larger excess back into your container or onto other surfaces you want to treat. Flip the board over and repeat. Now, using the warmth from your hands, work the wax into your board, making sure you cover/coat the edges too. After a couple of minutes, you should have a nice lustre on the board; work any excess around or scrape off. I like to let my boards sit and absorb the wax/oil for a few hours, then wipe off any excess with a lint-free cloth.

That's it... while you are at it, you might as well do your other wooden kitchen boards and utensils! 

Travel in the pandemic age

COVID-19 Pandemic

We did it. We finally left our home zone. Sure, we had been going to the grocery stores, and shopping for other essential items that we needed over the last several months, while wearing masks of course. And sure, back in May, we slowly started to host/participate in cocktail hour(s) with our close friends, but only when we could be outdoors. However, we had not been dining inside any restaurants, and had not been inside other's houses, except to briefly use the washroom.

So it was not without some trepidation, that we decided to venture outside our bubble. She was getting cabin fever pretty bad, and even with the recent surge of cases in Kelowna, we desperately needed a break from what I call Groundhog Day. We had planned an out-and-back route that would take us through areas we'd travelled past before, but never stopped to check out anything along the way.

The first stop was an easy one - my parent's place in Kamloops. Since we had been following COVID-19 safety protocols pretty well, we did not feel too concerned visiting my elderly parents. Even still, there was no hugging, and we avoided close proximity contact. With the warm summer weather upon us, we ended up spending most of the time outside anyways; there was some significant pool cleaning required!

After a couple of nights there, we started the real portion of our road trip. We slowly headed to Revelstoke, stopping at a few touristy things along the way. We paused in Salmon Arm for a brief walk along the lakeside pier, and to grab lunch - our first time sitting inside a restaurant in almost 6 months! With only a handful of patrons, and very noticeable safety protocols being observed, we did not feel at risk. The sign-in sheet for contact tracing seemed voluntary, as no one appeared to care if we fill it in or not. COVID score: 4/5.

A surprising highlight just before Revelstoke, was the 3 Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town. We really only stopped here to stretch our legs, and delay our arrival a bit into our hotel before the 3 pm check-in time. But for a paltry $14, the historic site was really quite interesting. Sure, it needs a little bit of maintenance, but it was pretty cool, the way they had transported the buildings to this site, and filled them with historically correct furniture and artifacts. The Roundhouse was probably the most impressive building, being the largest indoor rail turntable in North America. It had actual rolling stock in there that you could walk through and imagine what train travel was like when travelling across Canada. With all of the attractions being outdoors or limited access to only one family group at a time, I give it a COVID score of 5/5.

Only a 1/2 hour's drive from there, we rolled into Revelstoke. I had picked a small hotel on the edge of town based on Tripadvisor reviews, and it was clean and comfortable. With what seemed like less than 30% of the rooms occupied, we did not feel that there was much risk of encountering COVID from other guests. The included buffet breakfast was now being served by a pleasant, older woman, but she was not wearing a mask, and did not hesitate to encroach on our 2m space. For that reason, I'd only give this hotel experience a 3.5/5 for COVID safety.

That evening, we went to a very popular restaurant/pub in town that had what we figured was a good, socially distanced, outdoor patio. As such, there was a considerable line-up to get in, but each group spaced out nicely on the sidewalk. There wasn't any contact tracing sign-in at the hostess desk and the hostess herself was not wearing a mask, but each table was diligently sanitized after each set of patrons vacated it. Servers were wearing masks, and individual water containers were delivered to each table. No menus were handed out; instead, we were asked to use our mobile phones to see what we wanted to eat. COVID score: 3.5/5.

The highlight of our road trip, was the Meadows in the Sky Parkway, in Mount Revelstoke National Park, where you get to drive almost all the way to the top. A short hike later, you are at the summit, and can take a few loop paths that present you with panoramic views of the surrounding snow-capped mountains. Obviously, being an outdoor activity, and with very few hikers on the trails, COVID score maxed out at 5/5.

On our second evening in town, our second restaurant choice had an option to book a reservation, so we simply walked up, and were immediately presented with an outdoor picnic table, spaced appropriately from the other diners. All staff were wearing masks, and we were politely asked for a name and contact information for tracing purposes. COVID score: 5/5.

Making our way back, we stopped a few times on the way to Kelowna, our overnight stop. We were amazed and disconcerted by the number of Alberta license plates we saw everywhere! While there are no rules against Albertans coming into BC for non-essential travel, it is generally frowned upon. Given the difference in COVID containment in AB versus BC, most of us feel that they should really be staying in their own province until they can control it more effectively. As such, I'm giving the region in general a COVID score of 2.5/5.

In Kelowna, we arrived at our motel and checked in for our brief stay. To our surprise, we were asked if we wanted to use the pool, and what timeslot we would like. They were limiting the number of guests who were allowed in the pool area; it didn't really matter however, as the water was so warm that it was akin to taking a bath, so crowds were not an issue. Instead of a buffet breakfast, we were told that a continental breakfast would be delivered to our door, and they asked us what time we would like it to arrive. We were asked to check out by dialling a code on the phone, and to simply leave our keys on the desk inside. COVID score: 5/5.

With the rash of cases that have come out of Kelowna, we knew in advance that we would not be strolling around the downtown or waterfront areas, so our last stop on our trip was a brief visit with friends who had recently moved to Kelowna. After enjoying some socially distanced cocktails and charcuterie, we drove to the nearby golf club for dinner on the outdoor patio. With a reservation in hand, we were escorted by our table, which was nicely spaced from the adjacent tables. All staff were wearing masks, and protocols were being followed. COVID score: 5/5.

As an observation, it seemed that when we went to places that have had very few or no cases of COVID-19, the locals were much more complacent than people we know in Vancouver. But we did not feel that were at risk during any point during our trip - I guess because we chose activities that would not put us in situations where we would be in close proximity to others that were not in our social bubble. That said, given the high number of Albertans travelling to to South Central BC right now, and the somewhat lax attitudes around COVID in the Okanagan Valley, I think we'll be giving that entire area a pass for the time being.

Safe travels everyone!

Back to work!

COVID-19 Pandemic

Yesterday was a milestone day for me - I went back to "work". Yep, Hollywood North is back open, and a handful of productions that have Canadian cast and crew have started back up. It's not the same as it was when it shut down in early March, but it was good to be back on location.

Stock photo

The first thing that was different, was a check-in station that everyone goes through upon their arrival at circus. Each person has their temperature checked, questionnaires are filled out by the crew members and PPE was handed out. A COVID-19 safety talk laid out the procedures for the day - essentially social distancing to be maintained wherever possible, and masks must be worn everywhere until final picture.

When it came time for the wardrobe check, each person waited, spaced 2m apart, and then presented their options to the costumer, who sat behind a table, 2m away. Emphasis was placed on using the performer's own clothing, except for specifics, like waiters and doormen, in this case. After approval, each person wiped the table with a disinfecting wipe. There was no hair and makeup for the Background performers (BG); we were instructed to arrive camera-ready. Shuttles were loaded only to about 50% capacity, so no one was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder for the ride to the set location.

The next big difference, was getting breakfast at the food truck. Instead of a table full of chafing dishes laid out with all the options, you ordered it off the truck; even the "Fast Track" was served by the catering team. Another table with a glass partition was set up for the extras, like fruit, yoghurt, beverages, condiments and utensils, all of which was handed out by the catering crew. Craft services was set up so that all of the food items were individually packaged, so there were no tongs to pass potentially pass on the virus. Lunch service was pretty much the same procedure as breakfast - beer-battered fish and chips... yummy!

Luckily, our holding area was in a big, spacious hotel conference room, and so it was very easy to spread out, even though everyone was still wearing their masks. It was a somewhat small BG group of 23, which I imagine will be the shape of things to come. When it was time to go to set, all of the BG kept their masks on, right through rehearsals. The crew wore their masks 100% of the time, and the only ones not wearing masks, were the actual cast, who I noticed never wore them for the duration of the shoot day. Often, you'd have to remind the BG, "hey, you're still wearing your mask", as we were about to shoot.

I had read in the news that they were trying to limit the number of crew members on set, but I did not notice much difference. There was still lots of action in and around Video Village, and crew members moved about normally. There were stands with hand sanitizer close by, as well disinfectant spray or wipes, and masks for those that misplaced theirs. With BC continuing to hold the line on COVID-19 transmissions, it looks like good news for the industry, and I hope that we continue to manage well during the pandemic, so we can all keep British Columbia's TV & Film business going.

Staycation - Tour de BC Sud-Ouest

Travel and Leisure

Ok, so it's not as glamorous or as culturally enriching as going to France, but since we need to get away somewhere this summer, we've decided to book a staycation road trip around the Southwest area of our province. Today, our top medical expert, Dr. Bonnie Henry, announced that it is ok to travel within the boundaries of our province. Ironically, most of BC has had very few cases of COVID-19 since mid-May, ranging from zero to one case per day. Could the folks from the Lower Mainland bring the virus to these areas? Potentially. But with the number of cases getting so low, even in Metropolitan Vancouver, the economic value of tourism is outweighing the risk of bringing infections to these outlying areas.

Planned road trip route this summer

Being from Kamloops originally, it makes sense to include a stop there to visit the parents for a couple of days, and break up the drive time to the Interior. The drive from Vancouver to Kamloops is fast and easy up Highway 5, but not very exciting. From Kamloops, the highway gets more interesting as you head East; although I've driven this route dozens of times, we have never really stopped for anything other than gas and food along the way. This time, we'll make a point of pulling over for local attractions and other things to see. We're going to use Revelstoke as a home base to explore the two parks nearby - Mount Revelstoke National Park and Glacier National Park. Despite the fact that it's a month away, we're already looking forward to something different than weekends in the backyard!