Leonie
Last weekend I was an extra in a Japanese movie. A call was sent out by the prefectural office for volunteers and I replied to it as fast as anything. I love movies so much I just could not pass up the opportunity to be in one, even is only as background filler. The movie is called Leonie, and is a biopic about Leonie Gilmour, mother of famous sculptor Isamu Noguchi. The story was unfamiliar to me before I looked it up, but I do know Emily Mortimer, and could not believe the awesomeness of her being here.
The production company sent out a request for foreigners to be extras and I made the list.
We were put up on Friday night at the Washington Hotel in Takamatsu. We thought this odd until we saw the 6am departure time. I had a nice dinner on Friday at King's Yawd (mm, Jamaican food), with Megan and Matt W, some drinks at a wine bar with some of the girls, and then turned in. Too excited to sleep, despite very much needing to.
Saturday morning we were all ready to go on time. We were picked up in an Anpanman-themed bus and driven to Zentsuji. We had been told that we'd be given breakfast on the bus, but on the bus they told us we'd get breakfast when we arrived. I was too excited to be hungry though. We were dropped off at a community centre and after signing in were sent to the costume "department". Because the staff had asked for our clothing measurements beforehand we had an expectation of being handed an outfit. Instead when we came in the ladies simply sized us up and handed us a random dress. They were very busy and faced-paced, and clearly didn't expect us to speak Japanese (at least I hope not, cuz then it's even meaner that the one lady looked at me, said "Huge", and grabbed clothes from the XL rack ;_;). We stripped down behind a curtain and jumped into the period dress. The clothes were kinda shabby but it was fun to dress up. They had trouble with us, though, as the skirts were lacking zippers and our hips made us all "tent" out of them. I couldn't fit the blouse they wanted for me (kept Hulking out of it), so instead I was given a bib-like false front. Sexy.
Then we were sent up for shoes, accessories and hair. I was given some white heels that fit so-so, but I didn't want to complain. they sent us to jewelry, and we were told to pick out whatever we wanted. I actually took out my earrings for the first time in years and replaced them with flashy clip-ons. We went a little overboard picking out the biggest, gaudiest rings we could find. The hats we received were mostly fine, though mine and Barbara's looked kind of like plates. And then we had to wait for hair. For 2 hours. There were a lot of Japanese extras and all of the women were being put into wigs to give them old-style Japanese hair. The boys got some wicked outfits - all bowler hats and pin-striped trousers. Also they were finished once they'd changed clothes and were allowed to chill on the bus and eat their breakfast. The staff tried to get us done asap, but they could still only take us one at a time, and kind of randomly. Our numbers dwindled, and finally it was just Jenn and myself. I was picked next and got done up. We were all given buns, supplemented with some nice fake hair. Again, sexy. When I was done I was handed some food and sent to the bus, while poor Jenn was left behind. Literally, because almost as soon as I got on the bus they said she'd meet us there and we drove off.
The shooting location was the Zentsuji military base, and we pulled into the parking lot amid the jeeps. We were given a quick tour of the craft services area, and then Megan and I inquired after the bathrooms. There was some confusion then, about exactly where we should go, and finally we were directed to these porta-potty trucks. When we came out we discovered that they were gone. An assistant asked us to wait on the bus, and we found Richard there. He'd gotten separated from the group as well and we killed time on the bus, trying to delude ourselves that maybe the rest were on a tour. But soon staffers came to turn off our bus's engine and then we could see a boom mike hoisted up on a crane, and hear the calls for Action! While waiting in impatient agony we were met by Jenn, finally done up and relieved not to be the only one left out. We joked that we were going to be telling the story of The Time I Sat On A Bus At A Movie Shoot In Fancy Clothing. By the time the morning shooting was finished and the others returned (sweaty and uncomfortable) it was time for lunch.
We ate quickly and were told to wait on the bus for when they called us. But this time I was taking no such chances, so instead we all hung around on the fringe of the set, snacking and chatting. A bunch of lighting tests were done (to try to shade the actors from the intermittent sun). Then we saw the two leads - Emily Mortimer and Shido Nakamura! As we stood there craning our necks to see, a PA came up and grabbed Dave and Matt to be in the scene! They were handed heavy luggage, and their task was to walk up behind the two leads and pass them. We watched them do that a few times, and then the PA came back...he eyeballed us for a moment, and then grabbed me and Jenn! And oh, were we ever nervous. We were handed parasols and made to stand just to the left of the actors, next to some crates. We were instructed to fake chat. We kind of mumbled stuff at each other for a bit, trying not to get the giggles. Then we were made to switch places, and turn and walk once the actors had arrived next to us and started their lines. After a few more tests we were simply told to walk past them and off screen. Heh, demoted. Anyway, it took 6 takes to get right. We had to walk between the crates and a green screen, which kept billowing into me as we walked through. It was nerve-wracking, but also awesome. Finally that finished and were were able to rest. Dave and Matt had to do a bit more (poor guys, those suitcases were heavy), and then after another hour or so we were all called to the set.
The scene was meant to be Yokohama Harbour in the Meiji Era. The green screen was to be the sea, and they had this awesome giant mock-up of a ship's hull. The morning shoot had been of Leonie's arrival. And now we were filming a scene of general chaos at the port as Shido Nakamura was meant to rush through the crowd. We were told that we were passengers from America, arrived in Japan for the first time, and to be a WOWED as possible! If this makes it into the movie, expect to see some hilarious over-acting from us. "Where is the McDonalds?!" After they the had us all talk so they could capture ambient noise and we talked about udon. What else?
When that was finished we were done - the director was up on the crane and thanked us all for coming and then we were bussed back to the community centre. We changed out of our clothes as fast as we could and were presented with commemorative gifts - a tote bag with Leonie written on the side in the font for the production. The bags are kind of big, but when we opened them we were pleased to discover that they are lined so as to double as coolers, and also are adjustable in size and shape. A lovely memento indeed.
When we got back to Takamatsu Megan and I raced around to get food and then catch the ferry for Shodoshima. There we joined Joe, Mike, Nick, Jessica and Angela for a Gundam party. But first we went to an onsen, and it was much needed.
Oh, we wern't allowed to have our camera on the set - the official reason was because it was a military base, and we'd had to send in faxes of our passport info just to be allowed in. So the only photos I got were of us getting into costume, and before they did our hair. Barbara got a group shot of us afterward. And luckily the shoot got mentioned in the Shikoku newspaper (and click here for a..."translation"). And imagine my joy to see the photo they used for the article:
That's the back of my head!!!
The production company sent out a request for foreigners to be extras and I made the list.
We were put up on Friday night at the Washington Hotel in Takamatsu. We thought this odd until we saw the 6am departure time. I had a nice dinner on Friday at King's Yawd (mm, Jamaican food), with Megan and Matt W, some drinks at a wine bar with some of the girls, and then turned in. Too excited to sleep, despite very much needing to.
Saturday morning we were all ready to go on time. We were picked up in an Anpanman-themed bus and driven to Zentsuji. We had been told that we'd be given breakfast on the bus, but on the bus they told us we'd get breakfast when we arrived. I was too excited to be hungry though. We were dropped off at a community centre and after signing in were sent to the costume "department". Because the staff had asked for our clothing measurements beforehand we had an expectation of being handed an outfit. Instead when we came in the ladies simply sized us up and handed us a random dress. They were very busy and faced-paced, and clearly didn't expect us to speak Japanese (at least I hope not, cuz then it's even meaner that the one lady looked at me, said "Huge", and grabbed clothes from the XL rack ;_;). We stripped down behind a curtain and jumped into the period dress. The clothes were kinda shabby but it was fun to dress up. They had trouble with us, though, as the skirts were lacking zippers and our hips made us all "tent" out of them. I couldn't fit the blouse they wanted for me (kept Hulking out of it), so instead I was given a bib-like false front. Sexy.
Then we were sent up for shoes, accessories and hair. I was given some white heels that fit so-so, but I didn't want to complain. they sent us to jewelry, and we were told to pick out whatever we wanted. I actually took out my earrings for the first time in years and replaced them with flashy clip-ons. We went a little overboard picking out the biggest, gaudiest rings we could find. The hats we received were mostly fine, though mine and Barbara's looked kind of like plates. And then we had to wait for hair. For 2 hours. There were a lot of Japanese extras and all of the women were being put into wigs to give them old-style Japanese hair. The boys got some wicked outfits - all bowler hats and pin-striped trousers. Also they were finished once they'd changed clothes and were allowed to chill on the bus and eat their breakfast. The staff tried to get us done asap, but they could still only take us one at a time, and kind of randomly. Our numbers dwindled, and finally it was just Jenn and myself. I was picked next and got done up. We were all given buns, supplemented with some nice fake hair. Again, sexy. When I was done I was handed some food and sent to the bus, while poor Jenn was left behind. Literally, because almost as soon as I got on the bus they said she'd meet us there and we drove off.
The shooting location was the Zentsuji military base, and we pulled into the parking lot amid the jeeps. We were given a quick tour of the craft services area, and then Megan and I inquired after the bathrooms. There was some confusion then, about exactly where we should go, and finally we were directed to these porta-potty trucks. When we came out we discovered that they were gone. An assistant asked us to wait on the bus, and we found Richard there. He'd gotten separated from the group as well and we killed time on the bus, trying to delude ourselves that maybe the rest were on a tour. But soon staffers came to turn off our bus's engine and then we could see a boom mike hoisted up on a crane, and hear the calls for Action! While waiting in impatient agony we were met by Jenn, finally done up and relieved not to be the only one left out. We joked that we were going to be telling the story of The Time I Sat On A Bus At A Movie Shoot In Fancy Clothing. By the time the morning shooting was finished and the others returned (sweaty and uncomfortable) it was time for lunch.
We ate quickly and were told to wait on the bus for when they called us. But this time I was taking no such chances, so instead we all hung around on the fringe of the set, snacking and chatting. A bunch of lighting tests were done (to try to shade the actors from the intermittent sun). Then we saw the two leads - Emily Mortimer and Shido Nakamura! As we stood there craning our necks to see, a PA came up and grabbed Dave and Matt to be in the scene! They were handed heavy luggage, and their task was to walk up behind the two leads and pass them. We watched them do that a few times, and then the PA came back...he eyeballed us for a moment, and then grabbed me and Jenn! And oh, were we ever nervous. We were handed parasols and made to stand just to the left of the actors, next to some crates. We were instructed to fake chat. We kind of mumbled stuff at each other for a bit, trying not to get the giggles. Then we were made to switch places, and turn and walk once the actors had arrived next to us and started their lines. After a few more tests we were simply told to walk past them and off screen. Heh, demoted. Anyway, it took 6 takes to get right. We had to walk between the crates and a green screen, which kept billowing into me as we walked through. It was nerve-wracking, but also awesome. Finally that finished and were were able to rest. Dave and Matt had to do a bit more (poor guys, those suitcases were heavy), and then after another hour or so we were all called to the set.
The scene was meant to be Yokohama Harbour in the Meiji Era. The green screen was to be the sea, and they had this awesome giant mock-up of a ship's hull. The morning shoot had been of Leonie's arrival. And now we were filming a scene of general chaos at the port as Shido Nakamura was meant to rush through the crowd. We were told that we were passengers from America, arrived in Japan for the first time, and to be a WOWED as possible! If this makes it into the movie, expect to see some hilarious over-acting from us. "Where is the McDonalds?!" After they the had us all talk so they could capture ambient noise and we talked about udon. What else?
When that was finished we were done - the director was up on the crane and thanked us all for coming and then we were bussed back to the community centre. We changed out of our clothes as fast as we could and were presented with commemorative gifts - a tote bag with Leonie written on the side in the font for the production. The bags are kind of big, but when we opened them we were pleased to discover that they are lined so as to double as coolers, and also are adjustable in size and shape. A lovely memento indeed.
When we got back to Takamatsu Megan and I raced around to get food and then catch the ferry for Shodoshima. There we joined Joe, Mike, Nick, Jessica and Angela for a Gundam party. But first we went to an onsen, and it was much needed.
Oh, we wern't allowed to have our camera on the set - the official reason was because it was a military base, and we'd had to send in faxes of our passport info just to be allowed in. So the only photos I got were of us getting into costume, and before they did our hair. Barbara got a group shot of us afterward. And luckily the shoot got mentioned in the Shikoku newspaper (and click here for a..."translation"). And imagine my joy to see the photo they used for the article:
That's the back of my head!!!