Observations on Filming

I was on the set of "True Blood," the wonderful HBO show made from my Sookie Stackhouse novels, last week. I am learning to accept my new reality, in which such a visit is not anything extraordinary, yet I think something inside me will always squeal, "It's me, here! Look at the cool thing I'm doing!"

I noted some things that surprised me. And here we go -- here's banal and obvious observation Number One. PEOPLE ARE THERE TO WORK. When the actors are not being filmed, they slump in their chairs, texting or making phone calls or staring into space . . . passing time while they wait for their next scene. The wardrobe people and makeup people wait to spring into action between takes, when they circulate around the set, tweaking and powdering. No one is excited. No one is overwhelmed by the glamor of the end product. But everyone is glad to have a job.

Number Two. The working conditions are not great. The air conditioning has to be turned off because it makes noise. The smoke machine has to be going because of the way the cameras film an interior, and though I don't really understand that, it must be so. The alcohol served in Merlotte's is not real alcohol, and the food served in Merlotte's was on a prop table covered with wrap to save its appearance for the scene.

What struck me most about the little scene I'm going to appear in is this: the extreme attention to detail. The action in the scene is simple, and it's no major emotional scene. Sam(Sam Trammell) is talking to me when the scene starts, and then he moves to his right down the bar to pour me a drink and talk to Tara (Rutina Wesley). The troublesome moment came when they met and talked. The scene was filmed with Sam starting more to his right, Rutina crossing him; then Sam starting from another position, and Rutina standing in a slightly different spot. Then Sam giving his line a different inflection. And so on. Until this little big of film was right. On the screen, this may last a minute.

I was also impressed with the power of the director. This episode was directed by Michael Cuesta, and when he said, "Quiet!" people were quiet. (For a few minutes, anyway.) He was thoughtful, intense, and in control. He was not thinking about looking good, or where he was going to eat lunch. He was there to work.

I came away with a new respect for an industry that, in its work-week clothes, is not glamorous or easy. These people are working, and mostly it's work that's fun, but exhausting. This is hardly an original thought, but it was my first experience with watching a filming, and I think I came away with a different perspective on what's involved.

Comments

[Chris Adams]

I don't know if you know about it, but if you don't check out the 48 hour film project.....

http://www.48hourfilm.com/

It's great event, teams have 48 hours to write, act, film, and edit.

[Dana Cameron]

Thanks for this cool insight, Charlaine. I think it's fascinating the way that some jobs just don't come across as...
workaday. Astronauts, actors, artists: those jobs *do* sound glamorous, and maybe some parts of them are, occasionally. But there's are a lot of hard, tedious, and grubby moments in the meantime. I bet Elaine and Hank could tell stories of the glittering and exotic life of television personalities.

[Shannon Esposito]

Oh, but what an amazing experience for you! I can't even imagine.

[krisneri]

What an exciting experience for you, Charlaine! Now you can put this in a book and write it with great authenticity.

[Becky Hutchison]

Oh...our very own True Blood star. How awesome you got to be in a scene. I have participated as part of a "crowd" in two productions (the George Washington miniseries with Barry Bostwick and Patty Duke in Alexandria VA and MAJOR LEAGUE II filmed at the Orioles' stadium in Baltimore), and I was surprised at how much preparation went into a one minute scene. I enjoyed it more at Camden Yards because we could get something to eat in-between scenes...it's a lot of wait, wait, wait for a little bit of filming.