Joining the Circus

I spent the day with a long time friend (see: Mountain of Fear) who has been in the film business for over 20 years. We went to the set of a series she is working on that has not aired yet. I had never been to a set like it so it was very interesting and fun for me. I was like a wide eyed kid asking her lots of questions. The rooms had moveable plywood walls. The views outside the fictitious downtown office windows were tall skins of photographs of buildings just a few inches think. They were either for day or night up to 30' tall. It was a completely fabricated reality and a really good one. It was like we were standing in an office on the 35th floor somewhere. There were desks with personal pictures of kids and vacations. I saw hand written notes on notepads, along with plastic non functioning keyboards and computer screens. There was a brushed steel elevator door and I almost forgot there was only one floor. The sets were pretty perfect down to the last details. To us, watching at home we wouldn't give it a second thought. It all looked very real, a pretend world they bring alive. On the other side of the "rooms", there were cable cords for electricity and tall scaffolding stashed behind the pseudo walls. There were big fans and many huge lights on 20' stands. I could imagine some director Shout "ACTION!" in my head.

It was a Sunday, and since they were not shooting, only a couple of people were there. My friend was meeting a man dropping off some newly upholstered office chairs. As we were rolling them  in, the lead man said to me "Oh so she brought you here to work?" I laughed and told him, "If I ever want to see her again, I have to come to work with her!"  My friend has been working 6 days a week 14 hour days for several months. I was fascinated by the sets as I walked around in amazement. She smiled and told me, "Being in the film business is just like joining the circus." Sometimes she travels and leaves town for months to work on a film out of state. Each job is a microcosm of another world, an alternate reality. I know it's sometimes grueling hard work and requires intense teamwork. She always has a deadline and is working against the clock to stay ahead of the next scene. Some of the things she has to come up with in a day baffle my mind. She may need 5 antique pinball machines or 30 airplane seats or 6 turnstyles or 100 oil barrels. She's good at what she does that's why she's in such demand. It's the entertainment business. It's full of mystery and intrigue, with a tight knit select group working behind the scenes to make it all happen. It's like using smoke and mirrors. They pull it all together and make magic as they weave each story line together. 

Just like a circus, it's on with the show! I look forward to seeing this one on my screen at home.