This is excellent news. I can feel your excitement from here.
Will never forget when I managed to get a place of my own. The sense of achievement. And belonging. My space and my rules and I could close the door and lock out the world.
Definitely want to come and see it soon. Though it won't be that soon the way things are shaping up here.
Not if Popstar Pete has anything to do with it.
This guy was part of some boy band or other. Maybe still is. Not my kinda music. Anyway he's now bagged himself a part in this film. He's playing some street kid who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pretty much has to fight and scheme his way out of it.
The way these things usually go is these guys have got trainers that sort out their fitness level and shape (if necessary) and generally get them kinda ready for when I come along. I run through the fight scenes. I let them know where they need to be and which bits they'll be doing and which bits the stunt team are doing.
I'll then teach them the moves and how to react and where to stand and where to fall and you get the picture. Often there'll be someone on hand where we can demonstrate it and then they've got to come in and learn their bit. We'll have already sent on a video run through of the fight and a story board (the Dashing Major's speciality) which they'll often have shared with the actors taking part. Just depends how prepared the actor wants to be. Popstar Pete scored zilch on the prep work.
You sometimes get someone who wants to do it all. And that's fine in the most part. Most actors know their limitations. But this one. Jeez.
Thankfully he did not want to do it all himself. That was not the problem.
Sometimes there will be specialist training - like martial arts - I'm not clean enough in my technique to get involved in some of that but if it is street/martial arts then I'm okay. Anyway this was just your plain brawling. Nothing showy - nothing technical.
I hope to god he can act 'cos he sure as hell can't fight.
I start by asking him to show me how he throws a punch. We have a punch bag he can aim at.
**** me! Plastic Patty had more in her than this one does. And he reckoned he'd sprained his wrist punching the bag. So off he goes for treatment - ice or whatever. He was gone long enough to have had it treated at the local hospital. Didn't think he was coming back at one point. Anyway eventually he deigns to return.
One of the stunt guys I've worked with a few times is there and so we spend what was left of the day running through a particular scene and showing him where to stand. Obviously he isn't hitting anything or anyone because he is now bandaged and pulling faces if he has to move it. Jeez!!
They call us choreographers. We do choreograph it. But this chump then turns around and says he just can't do it. He can't remember it. My head doesn't work that way. Can we not do this to music? He's good at learning dance routines. Couldn't we make this a dance routine?
I tried to explain that no ****ing street kid I've ever known has danced his way into or out of a fight. I mean this is your basic brawling. There is no finesse. There is no rhythm to it. There is no ****ing Rudolph Nureyev or Michael Jackson high kicking and leaping about the alley (the bit we were working on at that point was set in an alley). So then Popstar Pete starts getting snarky. Had I never heard of West Side Story?
How he left there with his head still on his stupid shoulders is beyond me.
So I brought up a clip from West Side Story. Showed him some fighting from that and then what we're looking for. What the studio are looking for. What the damn producer and director are looking for. Did he see any similarities because I sure as hell couldn't!
Anyway we've called it a day and I've sent him away with the video clips of the scenes he needs to learn and I'll have to see if he bothers to watch them. Oh and he doesn't do early mornings. Can we not start the session around 1pm. 2pm would be better but he knows he has a lot to do.
In no uncertain terms I told him to get his skinny ass in at 8am on the dot and if he whines about it I'll make it 7am. 1pm my .... I mean this is his first film as far as I can tell. How the hell does a person go from zero to Diva at that rate.
I also pointed out that if he can't do the fight scenes, and they form a major part of his time on film, then he'll be lucky to keep the part so to sort himself out if he really wants this.
Will have to see how much of that has got through his thick skull.
I was updating Gretel Lederhosen during the sprained wrist break about how it was going so she has booked us all in at some German gastropub tonight. Something to take my mind off my day she reckons. Just looking at their menu online and I've never seen so many varieties of sausage. Could be interesting.
Oh the Dashing Major thing. He's not a technophobe or anything like that. And I'm guessing you'd have to go down and meet the guys and look at their work wouldn't you? At some stage? So he's probably thinking it is easier to do it in person now. Plus they tend to make decisions by committee so again it's probably better if they all see the presentation and meet you. Not sure when you are planning to go down but if it is before I get back you'll have to fill me in on how it goes.
There's a place I usually try to hire when I'm down there for any length of time. I'll text you the details. Just in case you need more than an overnight. If you're just doing an overnight then I can recommend a couple of decent hotels. I'll send those too just in case.
Right - time to get ready for this sausage-fest. Wish me luck!!
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