The glitz! The glamour! The clothes and all that pretty! That is all we think about when it comes to the modeling world. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always admired a friend of my mother’s who runs a production house. She always went to the fanciest locations, interacted with the coolest of people and I thought, “Man! I wanna do that and be her!” She was one of my strongest role models while growing up! So classy and poised! She still is, that hasn’t changed, but I now have had a glimpse into the actual life that she leads, not just the one behind my stylish rose coloured glasses. It is… interesting.
The production industry is a mix of comedy, stress and chaos. There is not one day where I haven’t widened my eyes at the amount of work rapidly being shot at us and then wiping the tears that roll down my face from all that laughter. Sometimes, I laugh because it is so ridiculous!
There is definitely glitz and glamour and the clothes and the pretty people are a treat, but then, we also have the fantastic calls that go, “Hi! I am XYZ. I want to be a model.” And then the person hangs up. Before we can say anything. You also have emails coming in with pictures that are a good approximation of King Kong, only with a human face, or even Tarzan. Then there are the people who send us pictures with the mail reading something like this:
Name: XYZ
Mother's Name: PQR
Father's Name: ABC
Status: Model
Till this day, I didn’t know that “model” was a status. I somehow always thought it was the whole “single”, “married”, etc.
Today, my boss shouted herself hoarse shouting for her assistant (who is male), who was in the bathroom. He came out and immediately answered her phone to give a person directions. Now, man comes out of bathroom and directly answers phone. I leave you to draw your own conclusions. Let’s just say I had a good time laughing at her stricken face!
Another funny thing is watching my boss (who is the same person as my mum’s friend btw) juggling two phones. One phone at one ear, the other at the other ear and somehow talking into both. I feel as a thank-you-for-my-internship present, I should get her two bluetooth devices for either phone and maybe a remote control that will link then to her phones. Or just a thirst aid beer helmet, because I just feel it would be put to good use. By her or the casting manager.
It’s honestly funny how we get pictures of really pretty people and people with enough grotesque make-up to scare small children. I think I will befriend them and make them travel in the bus with me. It will keep the kids at bay. From whatever I’ve learned, while sending in your pictures, minimal make-up is optimal.
I got some pictures taken for me and those were in heels. It took me about ten minutes to figure out how to stand straight without tipping over. Then when the casting director said cross your legs, it took me another ten minutes to gain balance in that hallway and then when she was all like "twist a little to the left", "stretch!", "put your hands on your hips, but push them forward"... yeah. All that yoga and contortion classes came into full use! But they did not help me balance and there were many near falls. Thankfully, the corridor where we shot that picture is narrow.
The actual production happens best at the last minute. There are SO many changes, so much running around. Sometimes, I wonder why the need for alcohol or other stuff because this industry itself is such a high! You’re constantly on the go and it’s exhilarating! You're in and out and on the phone and running around. Multi-tasking has taken on a whole new meaning. no more is it being able to write an essay while playing Monopoly or watching TV. It is survival!
Everyday is a different adventure, the people are as varied as they come. All I can say is that I’m loving this experience, but there is no way on Earth I will do this again. I don’t think my nice, organized brain can handle it for too long. An internship like this is perfect!
I also now know what the word “busy” means. I clearly didn’t know it before.
Also, in my next post, I will introduce the agency's casting manager to you. Boy! Do I have stories!
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