On set filming OBX in Charleston
Who woulda thought!?
The CoronaVirus (COVID-19) has caused major changes around the world.
Today's mandate to stay-at-home and social distancing has become the norm over the last several months....everywhere.
Even things like the release of new movies have been postponed until theaters can re-open.
And when the movie-going public could resume eating popcorn in a theater, looking up at the big screen.
I was not sure if - and when - the Netflix new streaming television series
OBX would premiere.
I was glad to just see
its trailer and hear the first season's first episode would air tomorrow
April 15.
Being home-bound, there now is a GREAT audience for Netflix to bring entertainment into our homes when we really can use the diversion!
The trailer is interesting to me because the opening scene shows the Moris Island lighthouse at Folly Beach, SOUTH Carolina!
OBX is what they call the Outer Banks up in North Carolina...but Episode 4 was shot down here in our state!
I didn't realize any of this state-switching background was going on when I was picked to be an extra in the new show.
Wardrobe liked the outfit I wore to play the role of an older, shabby
Barge Worker.
Well, they DID give me a different pair of shoes..tossed out my worn-out sneakers for a pair of scruffy steel-toed boots, and different pants from the khakis I was wearing.
It's safe to say my denim shirt was accepted
They also added a salty, rakish ball cap with a visor and logo. To complete the proper image, "Hollywood Dirt" was brushed over my pants and the front of my shirt.
That is a cool effect and it washes right out.
Not that I really cared...mostly weren't MY clothes!
I was the grizzled geezer among the young cast and crew gathered on Shem Creek by a local marina.
We were there all day and into the evening when a drone was piloted overhead to give an aerial view of the overall marina and its stacks of boats.
It was the first time I had been by the locally well-known seafood restaurant The Wreck.
I did not know the plot of the new show but I was surrounded by young actors and crew as we three wardrobed-extras waited to see what our role would be.
The Director for this episode, Valerie Weiss, gestured to me to join her and I quickly did. She startled me by asking my name!
Been doing this for more than 5 years and never had been asked my name before doing a scene.
"Two of the cast members are going to sneak aboard your barge and you will walk past a moment too late to catch them. The timing will be important," the Director added.
We all got in position and I got my signal to enter a hatch on the barge, walk across to the other side - like in search for a tool - and exit out the hatch on the other side.
The first time I DID see the two scamper down the ladder to the lower deck, the second one was better and we nailed the timing on the third take!
The Director gestured, I approached and she said "You timed it perfectly, Chuck. You made the scene work. Good job."
I joined the other two extras and when a PA walked by, I asked him to tell the Director that Chuck appreciated her asking his name. That had not happened before.
He came back and she had said to tell me it will be in Episode 4 of the new series so I could watch for it.
That's never happened before either!
Labels: COVID-19, Hollywood dirt and fake blood, Outer Banks in the Carolinas, steel-toed crusty boots, The Wreck restaurant at Shem Creek, visored ball cap. salty barge worker, young cast and crew.
No "Home Sweet Home" for these two guys...
Hmm, being picked to be an Extra on a tv show does have its lighter moments.
My fellow retired Post and Courier newspaperman Prentiss Findlay and I were slated to portray two "homeless men" in an upcoming production and we lugged satchels - and hanging bags - of our clothing so Wardrobe could decide our "look."
The hair and makeup people had a blast as they kept bringing us back to the chair in front of the brightly-lit mirror.
They were really creative artists as they slowly painted and darkened our faces to reflect the tan look of guys who regularly were living outdoors and panhandling for an existence.
My hands were applied "Hollywood dirt" and my fingers and nails were painted to look grubby and unkempt.
Looked like I had NOT carefully washed my hands that morning with soap and water.
The wardrobe ladies heard me mention I was wearing a disposable shirt with a yellowed collar that I didn't care about and my worn pants already had a rip I had patched with some duct tape.
They whipped out sharp little scissors and went to town on our clothes, cutting and ripping. My shirt pocket was ripped half off and dangled.
I probably had encouraged them when they saw I had intentionally buttoned my shirt wrong. I left a creative opening there.
The banter between the craftspeople was good.
When wardrobe sprinkled some fake "blood" on my shirt - as if I had swiped a bleeding nose - they were reminded to NOT put any blood on my skin.
That was hair and makeup territory.
When the hair person started to add gel and muss my hair as they had done for Prentiss, I pulled out a Marine Corps black knit cap.
Wardrobe said that would work if I turned it inside out so the USMC logo was not shown. I am sure the Marines would appreciate that!
I pulled it on and she deftly tugged a white forelock down into view.
When I looked into the mirror, it reminded me of a 2004 Bill Murray movie called
The Aquatic Life.
If it had been red, the cap would have looked more like the Murray image but he doesn't have my distinctive bushy white eyebrows.
Finally, we were taken upstairs to be included in a scene in a large "bus station" with a ticket counter, seats in a waiting area and quite a few extras with suitcases, roller bags and purses.
Looked real to me.
I was positioned sitting on the floor, my back against the wall, in my tattered clothes while Prentiss ended up in a comfy waiting room chair.
He was handed a bedroll tied with a piece of rope as a prop and I also had a bedroll blanket next to me. I splayed my feet out in front of me and concentrated on being a disheveled and grungy guy down on his luck, hanging out in a crowded bus station.
A prop guy came over and placed two metal crutches on top of my bedroll and handed me a cup with two dollars sticking out of it.
On the front was penciled "Thank you!"
My tip jar then had a bright yellow banana plopped in it and I settled down to let the action begin.
Prentiss was seated opposite me and later told me he quietly snapped some photos of my unsmiling face. Hope they turn out well.
I was totally in-the-role, serious and my eyes darted to everyone passing back and forth in front of me. None had been told to stop and add to my tip jar so they passed me by.
Earlier cast and crew had enjoyed a great lunch/dinner by Crafts Services. There even was a BBQ grill set up outside for cooking steaks.
Because I am pleased to be losing weight and eating healthy, I stuck with good diet choices of a small steak, some fish and a leafy salad topped with walnuts and diced ham.
A tall cup of ice water was my drink and I did not go near the enticing and tempting dessert table which always has an array of tasty treats!
As I ate I was careful not to smudge the applied "dirt" on my face and hands.
It was a pleasant drive down that morning and the conversation was great.
On the evening drive back home, we stopped so I could snap a photo of Prentiss standing by two life-size elephants in front of a fireworks store.
One of the elephants was pink.
(Click on the links and photos for more details.) I am being careful NOT to name the production.
Labels: and prop masters, Bill Murray, Hair & makeup, Hollywood dirt and fake blood, The Aquatic Life (2004), two Post and Courier retirees find a great job, USMC knit cap., Wardrobe
And when the movie-going public could resume eating popcorn in a theater, looking up at the big screen.
Well, they DID give me a different pair of shoes..tossed out my worn-out sneakers for a pair of scruffy steel-toed boots, and different pants from the khakis I was wearing.
The first time I DID see the two scamper down the ladder to the lower deck, the second one was better and we nailed the timing on the third take!
