News From The Set:Dough Nuts and Hammers

Todays news is a mixed bag of dough nuts and hammers.

First the dough nuts. Yesterday I had the opportunity to work in Hamilton again, on the set of the tv serial Regenesis (Ep202). I played in two scenes of many during the long thirteen hour shoot. The first as an RCMP officer assisting a CSIS(Canadian Secret Service) agent apprehend a suspect outside an airport(Hamilton's old bus station, doubled for Pearson Internationsal).

The second at City Hall as a Toronto Metro Officer doing crowd control. The scene was a series of small pick-up shots requiring us extras to act as a crowd of civilians and media looking on at a man who has just just been killed with a syring of unknown matter, injected into his neck.

Anyway, the script wasn't the interesting part of the day, the fact that I got too work with Canadian Director and Kingston, ON native Bruce McDonald again( cult hit Hardcore Logo, TV Serials Kevin Hill, This is Wonderland, Playmakers and guest directorials on Queer as Folk). I've worked with him on all of these series, and I find his directing style refreshing. He's not one for doing ten takes of five different angles, having extras stand around waiting for the magic to happen. Instead he keeps the extras comfortable in holding, while his crew set up each shot and once he's clear on his shot list it's usually a master, the closeups and then coverage as needed. Three, four set ups, no more than five takes is all he requires.
This night, he had good group of extras (about 50 of us), all of us had been around for a while and know interpret the directions from the AD's.

Bruce McDonald Bio,
Bruce McDonald

A funny moment was provided when at one point in the scene with the onlookers watching the culprit jab his victim, Bruce McDonald yelled out a request for an extra to scream out in shock. His request was met with dead silence, disbelief and mild amusement. See here in Canada, the ACTRA agreement(our version of SAG), states.

union performers,
"When a Background Performer, by virtue of an individual characterization or the addition of dialogue, is upgraded to Principal Actor or Actor, the Performer shall be contracted and receive payment in accordance with the fees and rates for the higher category, which shall be retroactive for all days during which the Performer was engaged to portray such Role or individual characterization.

for non-union performers,
"If any Background Performer is upgraded to Special Skill Background Performer in the course of a workday, then the higher rates shall prevail for that entire work day."

ACTRA Agreements

We all knew this wasn't going to happen on this set, so we kept are mouths shut. Bruce got his scream via one of the actresses who where not in this shot(don't know who she was).

Now the hammers, courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator. Producers of a superhero movie called Zoom have zoomed away from a plan to film in downtown Hamilton next month, although the city was willing to close three blocks of Main Street for two weeks. The producers said in a letter they've decided to rewrite the ending to take place in a remote setting with fewer elements and costs.

Full story, search by key word "zoom" article date August 11, 2005
"Zoom" Article

I hope "remote" doesn't mean I will have to travel to "Scarberia" (Scarborough) home of Mike Myers and not much else.

Any who, other than waiting to hear back from my agent about a commercial audition I did on Tuesday, which, realistically, I'm not optimistic. That's all for now.

Kenaz.

Tarot Reading For The Week

The Question:"Will this week be a successful one?"

Review of the ten card Celtic Spread.

The the deck is first spread out face down in the middle of the table and mixed up thoroughly. The cards are then gathered and played out one card at a time, face up as follows.

The Celtic Cross spread is one of the most common tarot spreads. There is a cross in the center, with a row of 4 cards along the side. This spread will provide a fairly in-depth look at a situation including past, present and external influences. Beginners may want to start with a spread with fewer cards.

Here is the reading.

Cover - General atmosphere
Knight of Swords
SOMEONE UPSETS YOU BY CAUSING MISCHIEF WITH BAD INTENT.

Crossing - Opposing forces
Three of Wands
YOU WILL ENTER A PARTNERSHIP, AND SPEND TIME PLANNING
FOR IT TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

Foundation - Past basis
Two of Swords
YOU WILL BE TRYING TO MAKE A DECISION THAT YOU FIND HARD
TO MAKE, BECAUSE YOUR HEART WILL TELL YOU ONE THING
AND YOUR MIND ANOTHER, YOUR INDECISION WILL BOUND
YOU TO A BAD SITUATION.

Behind you - Passing influences
Three of Swords
YOU MAY FEEL BETRAYED, AND MAY DECIDE TO LEAVE A
SITUATION OR RELATIONSHIP THAT NO LONGER IS IN YOUR
BEST INTEREST.

Crowning - Possible future
Seven of Swords
SOMEONE MAY BE TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU OR
TRYING TO DECEIVE YOU.

Before you - Soon to come
Nine of Pentacles
YOU ARE CONTENT BEING ALONE AND BEING WITH NATURE.

Hopes - Goals, aspirations
Strength
YOU ARE FACED WITH A DIFFICULT SITUATION THAT COMES FROM
YOUR PAST, YOU WANT POSITIVE RESULTS AND TO OVERCOME
YOUR OBSTACLES, BUT WILL NEED TO CONTROL YOUR OWN
FEELINGS AND ACTIONS. YOU MAY ALSO BE FORCED TO
COMPROMISE OR APPEASE OTHERS AT THIS TIME.

Opinions - What others think
The Fool
YOU WILL ACT OUT OF CHARACTER AS YOU TAKE A RISK ON A FRESH
START OR NEW BEGINNING IN YOUR LIFE.

Feelings - Fears
Two of Wands
YOU MAY FEEL MANIPULATED OR CONTROLLED BY OTHERS
NEAR YOU, THIS COULD BE A RELATIVE, LOVER OR CO-WORKER.

Outcome - Resolution
Knight of Cups
YOU WILL BE OFFERED A PROPOSAL OR INVITATION, THIS
COULD BE A ROMANTIC GET-AWAY.

Quintessence
FOCUS ON YOUR TASKS AND GO AFTER THEM.