I've been bad at keeping this going this past month. I would like to say it's because I've been super busy but that would be a lie. I just haven't kept up.
Easter came and went and although I was pretty abysmal at doing my 40 days of creativity for Lent I did pull my finger out and just do a few more creative things.
I'm still waiting on my disclosure check to come through for my supply teaching job, I know it can take a while but the academic year will be finished by the time I get any hours and this is after me initially sending in an application form in October.
And so it was that somebody from the Swing Dance group I'm part of was in contact with an agency who were looking for some 20s Charleston dancers for a days work on a shoot. Being a person with almost exclusively free time I signed up because it seemed like it would be a laugh and I would get paid. We found out the day before that it was actually for BBC One drama The Village starring Maxine Peake and John Simm. I actually responded to an urgent casting call a few weeks ago, they were looking for extras for Testament of Youth, and after being told the casting directors liked the look of me was then told last minute that I wasn't selected. They wanted the women to have hair shoulder length or longer. Which is what they said in the first place but I chanced it and sent a picture in and I was told that the casting directors "liked the look" of me but I suppose that is the nature of film and TV. So anyway, yes, we had a really early call time of 6.45am somewhere in the Peak District - which is a really beautiful part of Britain, by the way - except we were given the wrong location by the agency. Eventually we found the base for that days shooting and after parking up we were bussed to a church hall to get our hair, makeup and costumes.
Now I actually have a TV credit to my name already. I know, I know, requests for autographs can be made via my agent. I had a small part in an ITV drama starring Paul McGann, Caroline Quentin and Sheridan Smith playing Paul McGann's daughter. This was many many years ago and they actually wanted a tap dancer for the part (funny how my dancing is getting me on'telly) and I haven't done anything like it since. I didn't want to be that tit annoying everybody by going "well when I was in this...." so I only mentioned it if anyone else asked during the small talk amongst the extras "have you ever done anything like this before?" and truthfully it was so long ago and as it was a named part the experience of being an extra was quite new to me anyway.
I'm used to being the star.
Anyway, we got bussed from the church hall to the set and the scene was in this new to the village Charleston club and we had to dance away. I won't give away too many plot elements but I got to Charleston right next to Maxine Peake which was really quite cool. She went to my sixth form. I obviously didn't say this to her (or anything at all!) because it's really unprofessional but it was fun to just be there. It was very stoppy starty, which I expected, and we had to dance over and over again but it was absolutely fascinating to see how it was all working. The different shots taken, the way they up the music then mute it, the different blocking by the actors. This is the stuff I want to be a part of. I applied for the BBC production scheme and got through the first stage, I haven't heard anything yet and on my careers hub page it says "application in review" but really it's my dream job and I hope I get on the scheme. When I'm applying for other productiony type jobs could I put The Village as a production credit do you think even though I was in front of the camera? We'll say yes. Really what I want to do is work on the scripts but just even being the person who holds the cables for the cameraperson would be great or being the one who rallies the extras on set would be awesome.
The day itself was very long, we were told it would be until 5pm but we didn't get away until about 6.30pm, such is film and TV. And they had loads of fake cigarettes in the scene and the smoke was really catching my throat by the end of the day. My costume was quite fun and I actually really loved my shoes, I will definitely try and find a pair like them, and I met quite a few other dancers that had been rounded up by my friend for the shoot. It's always great to meet other dancers.
Then a few days after I saw a tweet by another agency looking for extras. Perfect! I thought, so I have a meeting coming up with them soon. Extras work would be great for me just now as I have full flexibility and the pay isn't bad and I get to see productions as they are...producing!
In other news, I submitted a few things to newsjack a few weeks ago. None made it on air but it's all good practice nonetheless. Gems such as this TV listing; "Hannibal Lecter makes a surprise appearance in the season finale of How I ate your Mother." The BBC writersroom has just opened it's comedy script submissions so I was thinking about sending something in (if I can actually get it down and done properly) but we'll see if I chicken out. I got really inspired by the BBC Salford Comedy Festival but as that was over a month now I can feel that I'm all "but it's going to be crap" again. I know I just need to get over it and do it.
