Getting to work

I had thought to string together a beautifully written account of last week's filming but in the end have had to settle for bits and pieces picked out of my logbook. I hope this is of some interest to my intrepid reader but it is also intended as an aide-memoire to me.

Firstly, I am going to refer to future work opportunities as "working" as "filming" is too precious, too coy, even for me. It is also a realisation that being a background or support artiste is bloody hard work. I was warned by everyone I know, especially by Kate, but you don't realise the truth of it until you are into your third 14 hour day on the trot. Parts of me ached that had never ached before. Fourteen hour days I can hear people scoff already! But if you add on the couple of hours at least to get there and the couple of hours needed to get back home and the nature of the work itself, it begins to take its toll. Mind you, I wouldn't swap it for supply teaching.

I had thought it would be 0700 to 1900 with the main problem getting there for the 0700 call time. I solved the Sunday filming in central London by staying overnight in Ealing with NIL (Nephew in Law) and his family before catching a night bus into Trafalgar Square (the square is a real hub for bus transport into and out of the centre at all hours) and then walking to the hotel. Andrew and Helen have offered me a permanent house guest status for London based work for which I am very grateful. It means arriving at 1730 for tea with Carys and Morgan, and then dinner at 2000 with the adults - how civilised is that?

However I should have been warned when the Sunday filming ended at 2100, changing out of costume and getting my chit signed by the assistant directors (AD's) and I arrived home at midnight. The location on the Tuesday was in deepest Buckinghamshire and multimap said the journey would take two hours. Luckily I allowed three hours - although more experienced hands say allow for double the journey time as it is best to arrive before call time and wait than run the risk of being late. I was lucky because the call was for 1045 but there were hold ups at Hindhead, Guildford and the M25, all exaggerated by the rain and the rush hour. I thought the ADs were being kind but realised that the crew need a 12 hour turn around before shooting can begin again. I realised this when we finished the last wrap at 0100 on Wednesday morning and I got home just after 0300! That last bit of the A3(M) was when I began to feel tired on the drive home - up until I had been driving on adrenalin and very loud music.