Leap Day

It's been a few days since the last post...I'm still fighting this cold (which is much better) and besides not much has happened over the last few days.  

I did manage to finish a book, start and finish two more books, write (a little) and do some tutoring.  Now I'm the fourth book since the weekend...I've been a reading fool!

Though none of that is incredibly interesting, this is.  There is a park behind my apartment, and yesterday I left the house and saw that it had basically been turned into a mini studio lot...complete with Starwaggons (where the actors stay between takes) large semi-trucks, portable offices, food/catering trucks, port-o-potties, and anything else you'd see on set.  

And since the set was so close to my place (I literally walk outside and there it is)...I decided to do what I've wanted to do for some time now...well at least since moving to LA...which is basically boguard my way into a job.  I saw the security officers placed at all the main entrances and anywhere that looked important, so I pretended to walk around the park to scope things out.  Finally I found an opening, and I walked onto the set.  I found a small group of people that looked like they were Production Assistants and so I hung out around them.  And sure enough, after a few minutes, someone that looked like an AD (or Assistant Director) came and told us to go 'lock up' the traffic on the opposite side of the park...basically just stop the walking traffic of the crew until that shot was done.  

Well one task led to another and another, until I the day was wrapped and I worked my first real live, studio funded TV show.  It was great, even though I didn't get paid.  Tomorrow's call time is 5:00am, and I fully plan on pulling my bones out of bed around 4:45am so that I'm there on time.  

The only problem with this day is that...unfortunately...it was all the imaginings of my mind. (Sorry.  If I couldn't actually make it happen today, I figured I'd write a semi-entertaining story to look back on.) NONE of that happened.  Well...some of it.  Yes, there was a big show shooting in my backyard, Yes, I've always wanted to 'crash' a set and just start working, and Yes it looked like a real set at the park.   But I didn't have enough courage to go through with it. 

"Happy Endings" Set at the park behind my house...
lots of Starwaggons, trucks, trailers and equipment.

Yesterday, I found a tiny bit of courage, pretended that I was going for a walk around the park and did get to talk to one of the drivers that was taking a smoking break.  She was a nice lady and gave me information about the shoot.  She told me it was "Happy Endings" (a TV show on ABC, which I've only watched once or twice and am not a huge fan of.)  She also told me that they would be shooting there until Thursday.  She asked me what I do, and I told her I am a writer/producer but I would work where ever to get a start...then I asked her if they were fully staffed for PA positions.  She didn't know, but told me to hang in there...and that I looked like I was going to make it as a writer, that I had lots of scripts in me.  That made me smile.  

Today, I looked up the show and found that a friend of one of my professors is a writer/Producer on the show.  I have emailed her in the past, but she never emailed me back.  Perhaps I will try to email her again.  I also spend a good bit of the day thinking about how I could get on the set and meet people.  There were security there, so it wasn't as easy as just walking on set.  And unfortunately I am a bit of a coward with things like this.  I know, I KNOW...I need to get over it and just do something crazy.  

Then, while I was trying to figure out a plan, a director friend of mine from NY called me.  I had sent him the last script I wrote to read and give me notes on and he was calling to do just that.  He gave me the best compliment.  He said "I've had to read a lot of bad scripts lately, but your was refreshingly good."  He then gave me some notes on things that needed work and ended with "The script is great in the direction it's going right now, but if you were to change it a little to go into this (referring to genre) direction, I would be all over this, and would love to direct it; it could really make some waves and draw attention to you as a writer...so please keep me posted with the revisions and what direction you ultimately want to take it."

We talked for over an hour, and he gave me much to think about (outside of how to sneak onto the Happy Endings shoot) and that was a great diversion.  Then I had to go to tutoring, but it was very nice to get his views...He's doing big things, and so I value his opinion.  

After returning home from tutoring, I passed the 'Lot' again...so it's hard not to think about doing something out of the ordinary for the possibility of helping my career.  I will sleep on it...Maybe I'll have some more courage tomorrow, or maybe not...we'll see.  Either way, I press on.