As I moved to New York and almost in 70 years began to act in films

In New York everything is possible. So, Nina Rumyantseva after moving to the United States in the seventh decade began to act in films. She told about her experience in the column for ForumDaily with elements of English-a and 'runglish'.

Photo from the personal archive of the author

In the circle of my loved ones, I call this type of my activity “Hollywood”:

- On Sunday? Yes, I can - Hollywood usually doesn’t happen on Sundays!

Или:

- Oh, a beige handbag, without any logos! I'll take it - I just need one for Hollywood!

Actually, I learned about the opportunity to act in films literally in the second month after arriving in New York - thanks to the all-knowing Internet. I quickly filled out a long form. I was surprised that they asked for details such as hat or bra size, and were interested in my attitude to “bed” scenes. Well, there are other things: what special skills do I have, what languages ​​and with what accent do I speak, etc. Answered. But the last question is: “Which of the suggested methods will you pay the $10 monthly fee?” — made me think. My long experience of living in the post-Soviet space has cemented my belief: if they ask for money on the Internet, it means it’s a scam. I closed this page without even saving it. How could I have known that I would soon regret it!

Less than six months later, the desire to test the thesis “New York is a City of Opportunities” and the experience of a familiar girl who reasoned sensibly: “$ 10 will not ruin me - so why not try it?” Brought me back to the registration page. However, this time everything turned out to be more difficult: the site was constantly hanging, the photos were not loaded, the payment did not go through. After numerous calls to the California office with long listening to music and, finally, apologies of admins for the crooked site, I still registered with Central Casting as a background ector (Background Actor, or BG; people like me, the site still persistently calls Talent.)

The next morning my mail was full of letters from the sender projectnotice - about two dozen! I couldn’t even believe it: is it really “Hollywood is inviting you”?

Booking (Registration). In general, the procedure is as follows. Registered Talent receives the name of the film (project) and a brief description of the vacant roles by mail or text. Like this:

“It takes a woman, 35-50 age, Asian or islander, to be the rally participant.”

This, unfortunately, does not suit me. I don’t fit either in ethnicity or age. But if, for example, Caucasian (“white”) or All Ethnicities (all ethnic groups are suitable), age 18-199 (!!!) - you can submit (“submit” - confirm the application for the role). Well, even when the age limit is 60, I’ll also submit adventurously, even though I’m nearly seventy! By the way, it is advisable to express your readiness to act in the chosen role as early as possible. The minutes count down. There are hundreds of people like me who fit the specified parameters in New York. The director does not look at the profiles of everyone who has applied (applied - applied for the role), but recruits the required number of “talents” from the first ones to register.

Nina Rumyantseva. Photo from the personal archive of the author

If I come into his field of vision and fit as a type, the Booking Director (responsible for inviting BGs to filming) sends me a text on my phone like this: “Hello, this is (Name) from NNN (name of the project). Do you confirm your readiness to star in the role of XX on such and such a date? Answer yes or no. You will be considered booked when you receive your registration number and details."

This is already a serious start! If I answer “yes” and the process has started, then a day or two before filming I receive a text with my check-in # (check-in is registration number) and an invitation to go to the Central Casting website. My last name is already indicated there; sometimes - just the place and time of filming and wishes for the wardrobe. If filming outside the city, they offer a bus or van, which usually departs from Manhattan. They often indicate the phone number where they made the answering machine chatter, and this is also a quest: to correctly understand the name or number of the street, the time of your personal 'call time'! It happens that sometimes you get through and the answering machine asks: “Call back after 9 pm”; I call at 9 - “Call back after 10:30”; I call at 10:30 - “Call back after midnight”... The creative process is difficult to plan down to the minute!

... Well, everything seems to be. I heard the details of the booking, dismantled the protrating address, got on the bus in time, and went with other Talents to the Holding.

Holding - a place where actors gather before and in between filming. His rent film projects for a day or longer. As a rule, it is a large hall with tables, stands with clothes, shoes and props, portable individual dressing rooms, armchairs and mirrors for hairdressers and makeup artists.

If I don’t use Project transport, but I’m getting there myself, it’s usually easy to find a holding. Multi-colored plates with arrows are striking, starting almost from the neighboring buildings. Well, and Google Map to help, of course!

I go to the registration table, call my check-in #, get a voucher and go to fill it in: ID-data, ssn, information for tax. Someone is already eating breakfast.

Wardrobe. With the voucher go to the tables of costumers. I open my “Hollywood” small suitcase on wheels - my old tourist “airplane” small suitcase - and show the clothes that I brought with me to the role. Most often, costume designers indicate: wear this, this and this. Sometimes they ask to try and appear again. And sometimes they immediately specify the size and offer clothes, shoes, accessories and jewelry from their stocks. In this case, the voucher is taken away - it will be given to me at the end of the working day, when I will return all the breech.

Sometimes the costumes are selected in advance. Then I get an invitation to a fitting.

Nina Rumyantseva. Photo from the personal archive of the author

Fitting (fitting - fitting) arranged a day or two or even a week before filming. In the huge room there are racks with clothes, racks with shoes of all sizes and for all occasions of the director’s fantasies. There are also accessories and decorations. The costume assistant measures me again and selects everything that is needed to create the image. I put on the clothes she brought, and the costume director looks at me appraisingly. If everything is in order, they take my photo. If not, fittings can last for two hours. These 2 hours will then be paid to me as working time. And my costume will be delivered to the holding company on the day of filming.

Already in a suit, I go to the hairdresser. The hairdresser either approves of my hairstyle, or sits me in a chair and builds on my head what, in his opinion, more accurately matches the image. Then - the make-up artist. Professional touches to my at-home makeup look. Or completely new - this also depends on the role. I once saw a lady with short hair carefully shaded out a tattoo on her neck. And on another project, it was the opposite: they lightly applied a fake tattoo!

When we are all “camera ready” - ready to shoot - we are photographed in groups of several people. After this, or even interspersed with these processes, comes Breakfast.

Breakfast before filming - it is "holy", regardless of the count-time (call time - the time for which we are called to the shooting). It may be early morning, it may be the beginning of the afternoon. But hungry on set (set - set) nobody leaves.

The Buffet can be located directly in the holding or in a tent outside: sometimes nearby, and sometimes a couple of blocks from the holding.

This part of the working day of BG could be devoted to a separate chapter, which is not recommended to be read on an empty stomach. Therefore, I confine myself to a schematic description. Buffet at the film project can be compared with those in a good hotel. A catering professional will fry an omelette with the additives I choose; helps to make fruit or vegetable fresh; tells you how to handle an espresso machine if its brand is unfamiliar to me. The rest I type in one-time plates myself. The range depends on the film project and catering company. But usually the choice is large, just enough. Buffet bounty can be enjoyed throughout the day; the number of my “approaches” will not be recorded. I even suspect that this fact attracts many BGs to the film project no less than the love of art or the opportunity to earn money!

Set, as I already wrote, is the place where movies are filmed. This could be a studio pavilion, an open area, or a rented real bar, a hospital - even a church! Depending on the location, filming is generally divided into outdoor (outside) and indoor (inside). This is specified in advance so that Talent chooses what suits him.

If the weather is good, I prefer outside shooting more (“full-scale“ shooting, if I already use Russian cinema terminology). Unfortunately, I can not describe in detail either the episodes in which I starred, nor show the photo. This is indicated in the special Agreement (agreement). Egriment spelled out in detail what BGs do not have the right to do: to conduct photo and video shooting, to approach the leading actors, to display information about the film project in social networks, etc. Therefore, I will tell you how it can be.

Usually scheduled a small episode. For example, I know that I will act as a visitor to the park. Someone from the director's team already in place will explain to me in more detail my role. Suppose I am waiting for a friend at the appointed place, looking at the clock; a friend comes up, we smile at each other, hug and sit on the bench.

At the same time, others, pretending to be a married couple, must go from point “A” to point “B”, talking. Another BG receives the task, say, while sitting on a nearby bench, to unfold a newspaper. Everything seems to be as it happens in reality. We take our starting positions. On command: “Background! Action!” we carry out our actions. Several cameras are aimed at the main characters; some cameras “capture” us too - after all, we create the background! "Background » Translated from English just means "background". After the exclamation of the director “Cut!” - we relax, we return to the starting positions. The team is reviewing an episode shot from different angles. Then instructions are given to fix something: either to us, or to decorators / lighting agents / operators. The next take is made. There may be a lot of duplicates - such a scene, as I described, can be shot up to several hours!

By the way, if I play a person talking, then "talk" can only be silently, just moving his lips. The sound - with the rustling of autumn leaves or the sound of spring drip - will then be imposed by film directors.

Technical amendments - moving spotlights, changing scenery, re-gluing multi-colored tape strips (indicating the place where each actor should stand), etc. - the process is slow. At this time, I can run out to the tent, grab a glass of coffee, and have a snack.

It also happens: the director plans to shoot scenes 3-4 in one day, is carried away by the first two - and will not get to the next ones. "Talents" can sit in suits and makeup all day long, without waiting for a call to the camera. The day they are, in any case, paid in full; breakfast, non-stop snack and lunch for them is not canceled.

Lunch. What could be holier than breakfast? You guessed. Just lunch! After countless snacks - official lunch time. Food is brought separately. Hot. All sorts of meat dishes, poultry, fish; a variety of side dishes, numerous fruit and vegetable salads; cakes, pastries ...

First of all, members of the crew go to lunch; then - BGs, and first Union, then we - Non Union. If the shooting process employs a lot of people - the latter may not get very hot food. But in order that food was not enough for someone - I did not see that!

And also, the most hungry people manage to grab something edible with them. No one reacts to this in any way - at least outwardly. And sometimes the employees of the catering company themselves offer small food containers: they say, take it - anyway, throw away what you haven’t eaten!

Crew (Team). When I was young, I visited the Mosfilm pavilions. A childhood friend worked there as a make-up artist, her mother worked as a props maker, and they gave me a pass to the studio at their request. I don’t remember as many staff at Mosfilm as there are here!!! One gets the impression that behind each spotlight, behind each poster on the wall, there is a certain person assigned. I don’t know at what pace the filming with the main characters takes place, but when filming with BG Talents, no one fusses. Everyone does their job measuredly and accurately. No one urges anyone on, no one shushes anyone - on the contrary, they calmly help a friend: for example, remove a heavy movie camera from their shoulder. And further. I just can’t get used to the constant “Thank you!” for every bit of work! And sometimes, the whole team: both actors and technicians. group - will work harmoniously and exceptionally successfully. Then, in addition to the usual polite gratitude at the end of the working day, the director does not skimp on words of sincere praise and the main reward for the artists - applause!

Nina Rumyantseva. Photo from the personal archive of the author

In the instructions that we receive by email and click the “I agree” button at the end, it is not recommended, as I already wrote, to film the set or approach the main characters. The second is practically impossible, because the main characters are not eager to film “with the crowd.” In these cases, they are replaced on the set by “stand-in” doubles. When the film is edited, the main characters will be filmed in close-up separately and inserted into frames with BGs. Editing skills are also an art!

When another scene is once again filmed, people who are particularly close to the process, carefully look into the cameras, evaluate the result, give instructions to employees. BG Talents - strictly aside. However, there was a case when I got into the number of "approximate".

In the mail, I stumbled upon an announcement of filming a student film - short, with a small number of participants, and also without payment. I, as a former university teacher, simply could not respond! Filming was on Sunday, in the middle of the day. Filmed at the metro station. At this time, and the flow of passengers is small, and the interval between trains 12 minutes and longer. Convenient to work.

The scene was like this: the main character is a young guy, holding a piece of paper in his hands, reading a to-do list as he walks; a woman meets him: she is in a hurry and accidentally touches him with her shoulder; the piece of paper falls out of the guy’s hands; the woman, embarrassed, tries to quickly pick it up, and the guy screams at her in panic: “Don’t touch it!!!!”

When the first version was shot, the entire small team rushed to the camera to see what happened. I, already trained to be a modest BG, politely stepped aside. The girl director—it was her course work—looked at me in surprise and invited me to come and watch along with everyone else. Well, since I was recognized as a full-fledged member of the team, I let out my instinct as a student mentor and did not restrain my instinct as a director - albeit a theatrical one, albeit with an amateur qualification. During the discussion, she not only nodded to the take that seemed to me more successful, but also confidently made her suggestions for improving the next versions. It must be said that students have the instinct “don’t argue with the teacher - it’ll be better for you!” — also worked without a glitch, and my suggestions were taken into account, accepted and implemented.

Here it is. So far I have tried to describe the work of BG-Talent more or less objectively. And now I will express my subjective opinion about this type of activity.

So, working as a BG-Talent is not the worst way to make money in New York. Again, a lot of food.. For me, who signed up for the show "Worst Chef in America" ​​- this is essential!

Acting in films is really interesting. Every time you find yourself in a new image: in a new suit, with a new hairstyle, in a new place and with a new environment; you perform other actions. That is, you live, as it were, “another life.” Filming a movie is like a daily journey into a parallel world!

Another advantage is the lack of responsibility. Complete. I have more than 40 years of work experience behind me, and I have never worked in such a way that I was not responsible for either the process or the result of my work. And here there is zero responsibility! I don't plan anything other than my participation in filming on a certain day. The costumers didn't approve of the clothes I brought for the role - they'll give me something else. My hairstyle doesn't suit me - the hairdresser will make it right. Wrong make-up - the make-up artist will correct it. If the director’s wishes were not fulfilled, the scene will be re-shot. Or they will cut it out in the end. All!!! There will be no complaints, no punishments - neither verbal nor material!

At first, I was even ashamed to admit to a wide circle of acquaintances that I had “rolled down” to this. For my nature, boiling creative energy, when I usually plan, set a goal and choose methods to achieve results, responding both for myself and for others, this is not even a step backwards - this is a fall into the abyss.

Yeah, so I moved on to admitting the disadvantages of work. It turns out that the main disadvantage is that I am, in principle, a faceless BG, who is identified only by check-in # and who, if something happens, can be easily and painlessly replaced for a film project by another BG.

Then, at least for me and, perhaps, people of about my age - this is the lack of prospects. Well, except to change the category of “Non-Union” to “Union”. To do this, in addition to the fulfillment of other conditions, make $ 3K. Then my billing per hour will increase exactly twice. Roles will remain at the same level, only the proposals will be less.

And yet, with this type of work there is no confidence in the future. Having finished my working day, I most often do not know when I will be invited to filming next time: in a day or in two weeks. It is impossible to plan your employment in advance.

Although, on the other hand, this is a plus: if I need a day, a week or a month for other things - I do not beg leave from some boss, but I just don’t apply for certain days. Freedom of choice! And what could be more valuable than freedom? This is everyone decides for himself.

And Central Casting, perhaps, owes me for advertising! )

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