BIGGEST JACK O' LANTERN....

...I've ever seen!

I didn't know Science World did this! Or maybe it's the first time they've done it... not sure. But it was a surprise to see it tonight as I drove back into the city after being gone all day to go shopping in the States.

I am about 80% of the way through my Christmas shopping! AND I found a gorgeous dress for the Palm Springs Christmas Buffet Dinner to be held at Eight-Oh-One; AND I found three more dresses for super cheap at Ross Dress for Less. I LOVE that place. Two are for work to wear over tights, and one is a cute little dressy shift that will be perfect for dinner out in PS or to take to the Caribbean. All four dresses for just over $100. Can't beat that!

Can't say what else I found, but I am pretty excited about some great gifts I bought!

FIRST THREE IN THE CAN

Let me say right off the top that I am sorry the formatting of this post is such a mess. It used to look great, when I first posted it, but something has happened to my formatting since and it has screwed up the layout of a lot of my postings. I started to work through them all to fix it but after hours of working and not getting half way through, I gave up. I don't know that many people are reading these older posts and certainly not enough to warrant such a huge amount of my time dedicated to repairing them so - sorry - but it is what it is and I am sure there will be more as you work your way through the blog entirely. They get back on track by fall of 2011 when I worked with the new formatting. (Dec 31,2011)

I am loving working on this new show. Not the least of why is because we are indoors, relatively warm and very dry. Last week, Stargate SG1 was filming outside on the backlot beside us well into the night and it was a cold night. I tried not to feel smug as I got into my car at the reasonable hour of 9:30pm knowing I'd be fast asleep long before those guys wrapped.

I said relatively warm because on Tuesday and Wednesday we are blocking all day and not shooting and the guys leave the big bay doors open so that they can move in and out of the studio freely with supplies. It makes it kind of cold on the stage. So on those days I wear a warm sweater or turtle-neck. On Thursday and Friday we are shooting so the doors are closed and it gets really hot under the lights, then I wear light clothing - basically my summer tops.

We have three shows 'in the can', as it were - although it's more like 'on the disk' as it's recorded to a chip similar to the one in a digital camera. All of the cast are great and so are the writers and producers and most all of the crew. It makes for a very pleasant and even fun environment. Our director for the first four episodes is Adam Weissman and he has been wonderful. He is very patient with all of us as we learn this new format and I haven't seen him lose his temper or yell once. Well, that's not entirely true. He surprised me and yelled for everyone to be quiet one day while he was trying to sort out the blocking of a scene. The set was full of background actors - all kids as it was in the high school cafeteria - and they were having a grand time yakking. But, other than that one time, he's never once yelled or lost it.

Shooting in front of a live audience is great. It brings an energy to the process that you just don't get making a movie. It's very satisfying when they laugh at all the right places without being prompted. Although, last week most of the jokes were falling flat. There was a bit of laughter but nothing like we had experienced from the other two audiences in the preceding weeks. I was a bit worried that maybe the jokes just weren't all that funny. Then we were informed that the whole center section of the audience was comprised of a group of students from an ESL school. That explained a lot. Even if their English was good enough to understand the language, humour often does not translate well from one culture to another. They did laugh at the sight gags, however. So all was not lost. But I don't think the audience coordinator will be making that mistake twice.









1)Dueling Booms.
2)The Audience.
3)Actors on Set.
4)Daria our very talented Editor
































Last week we had visitors to the set. A really gorgeous teen-age girl and a set of teen twin boys. I had no idea who they were, but the producer/head writer seemed to know them well. I had to ask someone who they were and it turns out the guys were Zach and Cody and the girl was Debby Ryan. I had no idea. I'd never even heard of the show until this show came my way... the 1st AD gave me the paperwork from a show so I could see how it was done and it was from Suite Life on Deck, and it meant nothing to me. My daughter who works for Disney was disgusted to hear it. Oh well!


A set of blackboards that I came up with and wrote for a series of scenes set in a detention room that was also an English classroom. And a tease for a GREAT scene.

This week we are on hiatus as the writers get caught up with scripts for our next three episodes. So I have been taking advantage of living close to downtown Vancouver (I am cat/apartment-sitting for a month for my friend who lives at the Athlete's Village) by taking the Aqua Bus from Science World, which is right next to where I am living, over to Granville Island and downtown. It has been miserable weather though and so not as much fun as it could be in the sunshine - until today! We had a gorgeous day today and I had plans to have lunch with my daughter who works at a daycare just across the way. I picked up sandwiches at Quiznos and we sat on a bench overlooking the water and had a lovely visit. I cherish those sorts of moments with my kids as they just don't happen very often anymore. We used to pack a lunch and head to the beach a lot when they lived at home. I really miss those days.

1.A Grey Day to Start
2.A Pretty Courtyard Downtown Vancouver
3.The View While I Wait Outside the Daycare for Ashleigh


I walked for HOURS between yesterday and today. All thanks to a tailor who has no concept of time. I bought a dress that I wanted shortening and he was highly recommended to me. It takes 20 minutes to walk from Yale Town, where I get off of the Aqua Bus, to where he is. Yesterday I had an appointment in Yale Town to get my hair cut so I left early enough to walk up to the tailors and drop off the dress. Only, when I got there at 11:00, there was a note on the door saying that he would return at 1:00. I couldn't wait so I walked back down to Yale Town and had my hair done. I walked back up when I was all cut and colored, and dropped off the dress. He said I could pick it up the next day at 1:00. So today, I left early so I could pick it up before my daughter got her lunch break at 2:00. I climbed the two flights of stairs to his little workshop, and the door was closed with the same note on it. Only this time it was 1:05. I waited until 1:20 and he still hadn't showed up so I walked all the way back to Yale Town to the daycare center, stopping to buy lunch on the way. When lunch was over and Ashleigh had to be back at work, I walked the 20 minutes back to the tailor and picked up the dress. By my calculations, that is 2 hours and 40 minutes of walking just to get the dress hemmed. He did a great job, but I won't ever go back there. I need to know that people will be punctual and be where they say they will be.








The ride back on the AquaBus was at twilight and was lovely. It's great to be on the water, even if that's the only way I can do it. At the Yale Town dock, there's a huge boat called After Eight that is almost always at the dock. It has a full-time crew of eight and all they do all day is clean and polish. It looks gorgeous. And it's a crying shame that it never gets to go any further than B.C. If it was mine, we'd be on our way to the Caribbean by now.


1)After Eight-The Boat I Wish I Boarded. 2)The Boat I Boarded. 3)Science World and The Athletes Village on the Right. 4)Science World and The City

LETS START AT THE VERY BEGINNING...

...A very good place to start. Or so sang Maria Von Trapp.

I have noticed that new people have come to this blog from other sites (mostly Zero to Cruising) expecting, I assume, to read a sailing blog. Instead they land on the latest blog and it's about working on a movie or some triviality that is currently occupying my time, and they don't venture any farther before signing out. (I know this because I have a tracker on the site that lets me know where my readers are from, which pages they went to, and how long they stayed on the site).

So let me tell you this... the best reading in this blog is to be had at the beginning; I started out on what was supposed to be a grand sailing adventure and it all went terribly wrong. I have been told by some readers that it's an incredible story and hugely entertaining, and other readers have told me it needs to be a book or a movie script. I am not sure about any of those claims but I DO know that the best reading to be had is in the first 60 or so posts. Like the one about hearing something growling outside my bedroom window in Tarpon Springs, Florida; driving Alligator Alley with a crotchety old man; working at a dog boarding and grooming place in the Florida Keys; taking a 80 foot houseboat around Key Largo with an alcoholic at the helm; house-sitting at a place that was on evacuation alert near a forest fire in the Okanagan; getting a job at the 2010 Olympic Games, to name just a few.

If you just landed here, I am pleading with you to start at the beginning. You don't have to read it all in one day, it isn't going anywhere. So go grab a coffee, a cup of tea or a glass of wine, find the page titled Ticket Purchased, and sit back and enjoy my misadventures. I promise, you will laugh at my foibles and shake your head at my chutzpah. And... if you stay with me... I do plan to try sailing again in the future. (Meanwhile, I plan to blog soon about working on a new show in town called Mr.Young). Let me know what you think of what you read... I always love getting comments. And maybe those of you who have been with me from the beginning can comment here and let the newbies know what you think of this blog.

Thanks for reading!!

FIRST MAKEUP CREDIT?

Here is a trailer for my first show as a make-up assistant.

I was responsible for three of the male jurors and the judge. As well as touching up most everyone else except for the top three cast.

Can't wait to see it. Hope my name made it in the credit roll! Let me know if you see it there.

HELP ME REMEMBER AND SAVE MY SANITY

I am appealing to anyone who reads my blog to help me from going insane.

No... I don't need you to pay for a vacation for me... although that would be lovely, especially if it was to the Caribbean.

What I need is someone who is good at movie trivia. Because, for some stupid reason, a clip of a movie is stuck in my head and I can't recall it clear enough to see who the actor is or remember what movie it's from. So if I describe it to you, maybe you will know and can put me out of my misery.

It's a guy who is in a big rush. He's a business man in a suit and he is in the line to buy a newspaper at the airport shop. There's a woman in front of him who is digging around in a huge handbag trying to find the money for her purchase. The guy finally tosses enough cash on the counter to pay for her stuff and she thanks him. As he pays for his paper and stalks off he says, "I didn't do it for you." What movie is that from.. and who is the actor? Help? Anyone?? I seem to think that he is someone who goes from big company to big company and sorts out their problems and is pretty brash and thoughtless about it - but I could be wrong about that.

***UPDATE*** (Jan 2011) It's Bruce Willis in THE KID. SO glad to know that.

And while you're at it... our family has a habit of saying certain lines, when they come up in our normal conversations, in the manner of how that exact line has been spoken in a movie we watched at some point in the past. Examples of this are, From BIG, 'I don't get it, I don't get it" (Tom Hanks coworker); fron Disney's Robin Hood (Prince John's line) 'You took the words right out of my mouth' which we then follow with 'PJ. PJ? I like that, you know, I do. Hiss, put it on my luggage. P.J.'; from ALL OF ME (the Swami, complete with his accent) 'Back in bowl' ; - that sort of thing. So here's one we say and none of us can recall what movie it's from - 'Not much, just a liddle bit' - said with a heavy accent (maybe East Indian?). Any ideas where it came from? Today I thought maybe The God's Must Be Crazy but I am not sure about that at all.

ANNOYED. REALLY ANNOYED

Yesterday I went shopping for some work clothes. Now that I am to work on a sound stage, in winter, I needed some extra things to accommodate that environment. Usually in winter I am bundled up to the eyeballs in layers and never get below the polar fleece jacket so it doesn't really matter what I am wearing underneath. Now it will be somewhat warmer on stage under all of the lights and I just didn't have any work appropriate shirts, and I needed some more of the pants I bought at Wal-Mart for $13 and LOVE. They are black knit legging sort of pants that are meant for exercising in but I think they look great with a long loose top. I have thin legs so it works for me. And they're uber comfortable.

I bought several of the exact same black t-shirt at Wal-Mart as well, as they have the low scoop neck and 3/4 sleeves that I like and were only $10 each. Then I went over to Winners to see if they had any nice vests to pair with the pants and t-shirts. I found one I liked but I also found a lovely grey top that looked great on me and is of a high quality jersey knit fabric. Long and a bit flowy it will look great with the legging pants. When I tried it on, the tag got caught somehow and came off. So when I took it to the cashier, I handed her the tag with an explanation. She took the tag and proceeded to reattach it with a tag gun. Not sure why as it was coming right back off as soon as I got home. She went to stick the needle part of the gun through the fabric. "OH! Please don't do that," I said, "it will make a hole and it will run." "I'm putting it through the seam. It'll be fine." She replied. She was young and obviously didn't know what she was talking about. "My experience has been that it will run. Please put it through the label." She totally ignored me and put it through the seam at the neckline. When I got it home and clipped the tag off, there was a hole. And when I tugged on it gently, it ran. I was so annoyed. Really annoyed. Before I gave my sewing machine and serger, and all the supplies to my daughter, I had a small bottle of 'Fray Check', which needs no explanation. I no longer have it so I took a bottle of clear nail polish and dotted it on the hole to keep it from running more. I'd take it back but this was the only one they had and I really like it.

I called them this morning and talked to the manager about it. She wants me to bring it down and they will give me a discount. I will go but I am still really annoyed at that sales girl.

WORKING ON MR.YOUNG

I spent Wednesday and Thursday at the studio in Burnaby for the production of Mr.Young. Everyone seems really great and I think this is going to be a fun show to work on.

I am breaking new ground for Vancouver Script Supervisors. The AD (assistant director) on the show has worked on sit-coms in LA and handed me two scripts and paperwork from one of the shows she recently did. What a huge help it is to me. I went through it and it answered a lot of my questions, and those it didn't - she did. Also, a script supervisor from LA answered my plea for help on a discussion board I belong to with her phone number and two words - 'call me'. So I did and she was immensely helpful. Thank-you Jane Slater! But what both of them said, which has helped me more than they know is, "This is your deal. You're the first script supervisor up here to work on a sit-com. You set it up however you want and just make sure that the editor can work with it. You're the boss - this is your world - just go for it." So that's exactly what I have done and I am thrilled with the results so far.

This won't mean anything to anyone except another script supervisor but I have to say it anyway because I am so excited... I have halved the paperwork involved. HALVED. There's no facing pages; just the lined script and the shooting log - which I have completely revamped for a multi-camera format; there's no detailed descriptions of what each camera is seeing - the editor doesn't need it as they get a line cut feed (basically that's a feed of what the cut should roughly look like generated by the technician in the control room who is switching the feed between the four cameras as we shoot per the directors instructions at the previous days technical rehearsals); there is only one line on the script page for four cameras and it goes straight through all dialogue and action with no squiggles needed because all four cameras see everything - there's one line for each take, and the line starts over at pick-up spots; there's still a DPR at the end of the day, but only two days out of four (as we only shoot two days). There's lots of notes to take on the other two days for changes in the script as we block and rehearse. I will go over the notes with the writer's assistant and the script will then be rewritten to reflect the changes. Rewrites happen a LOT and so I don't do a one line synopsis - I go off of the AD's. I don't do a pre-timing, I time at the table read-through on Tuesdays and when we reherse; I've created a form that has all timings for each scene so that the writers and director can see how it all compares and make changes accordingly. Basically it all means that the workload is drastically - DRASTICALLY - reduced for me. I heard the director say that sit-coms are the best kept secret in Hollywood and I am starting to believe it!!

Here's a look at our sound stage, still under construction. We did a test taping of one scene last night. It went great. We film before a live studio audience on Friday afternoons at 5. The audience arrives at 4. If you want to be part of our audience you can get the information here. We welcome large groups such as school drama classes, etc. Bus pick-up will be arranged.

1)My rolling podium where I will do all of my work from.
2)School Courtyard
3) Down the Soundstage