Set Diary [Taking Advantage - Day 1]

Taking Advantage is a short film in which I play the murderous mistress of a boss with vengeful plans of his own. (It's a thriller, in case you couldn't have guessed.) The film should be completed March 2010. This is my third starring role with Blue Light Pictures, which means that most of the cast and crew are friends at this point.

6:30pm - After working a nine hour day (and having been up since 6am), I arrived on set at a beautiful residence in Frisco, TX. It was a homecoming of sorts, being back on set with the faces I've grown to adore over the past year or so of working with these folks on several other films. I downed my half-caf soy pumpkin latte (which I would later wish was infinitely more caffeinated and laced with NoDoz), and we got started on my hair and makeup. The majority of the cast and crew had a 5pm call time, so I was a bit surprised to find them still setting up the first shot when I arrived. However, it is a well known fact that the first scene on the first day of a shoot is usually the most arduous. No big deal.

8:00pm - The first few scenes are done (all of which I've simply observed), I'm still in my scrubs (from the damn day job), crew breaks for our home-cooked dinner, and a very risque photo shoot takes place (for the sake of the film, you dirty bird) that provides fodder for the next few hours. (Side note: while I got a kick out of this as much as any, it did make me even more nervous about the "sex scene" I would be shooting on Sunday. I am a bit uncomfortable with PDAs as it is, and homegirl definitely upped the bar with her boundless sexuality and rockin' bod. And damn those irresistible Flaming Hot Cheetos on set; I've got to be on camera in my bra in T-minus twelve hours!)

10:30pm - It starts to get a little hazy at this point. We all realize we're in for a long nite and foolishly unprepared: there's no Starbucks in sight, we don't do coke, none of us brought sleeping bags or PJs, and most of us were pretty worn out upon arrival (from day jobs, prior shoots, life, etc).

1:00am - I'm not sure I have filmed a scene at this point, but total delirium was alive and well at this point, so here were the highlights from the rest of this overnight shoot:
- The decor in the house started to turn on us. Picasso-like decorative plates, Jesus pictures, countless angels, and random trinkets showed up in the unlikeliest of places (tucked under a lamp shade....WTF?).
- I nearly knocked myself unconscious from falling so convincingly (sarcasm? yes.) after being hit in the head with the butt of a handgun. Time to add stunts to my resume.
- Renee and I literally jumped for joy when a fresh supply of the "good" chips were discovered somewhere around 1:30am. Funnyiuns make the world go 'round, people.
- A failed attempt at making a pot of coffee in a house free of cream and sugar goes awry as I nearly sustain third degree burns to my hands while trying to drink hot, black coffee from a Solo cup. (Nothing but bad decisions are to be made after midnight. I'm sticking by that.)
- We almost froze to death thanks to the perpetually open door (right next to where we were stationed) that welcomed nice lighting for the shot, and therefore had to be open for every subsequent scene for continuity purposes. There might have also been zombies or cows of some sort outside, the sounds of which convinced our key grip Michael that we were are likely about to die. (It was the wee hours of the morning people. This was not outside the realm of possibility.)

4:00am - I selfishly leave set long before anyone else as my scenes are wrapped for the evening...er, morning. I half-ass my goodbyes as I drag my exhausted, fully made-up self home to sleep. At this point, I am thanking the good Lord for making the potential shoot on Saturday fall through, as I would have basically had to drive the hour home, shower, drive to Oklahoma, and arrive on set for an eight hour day on zero sleep...and 24 hours of hot mess.