Blogs from our BDEs on the set of the BDM!!!

POSTED BY: Shiny
UPDATED: Thursday, July 15, 2004 17:36
VIEWED: 13204
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SHINY

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 5:53 AM

Yes this is long, but it's worth the read. Trust me. Thanks to our Big Damn Extras ("Background Players") for taking the time to share their experiences with all Browncoatdom in such detail!

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From Saxon, B.D.E.
http://forums.prospero.com/foxfirefly/messages?msg=16601.1

*sigh*
I don't know where to begin...I feel like Dorothy being swept up into the clouds, landing in OZ and then suddenly sent back to Kansas!
Got up at 4 am (at a motel right next to Universal). We (me, Gingi aka Coffeewench & Ewok aka Jessi & Jim) got up and around in time for Rosie to call and say she would be there in a few minutes. 5am, Rosie and Carol arrive at our room...hugs, goodmornings and last minute details, and the 'extras' (oh, sorry, Background) are off!

I send us to the wrong gate, and we have to cut back to the right one, just to see that a BUNCH of cars are backed up at the entrance. We give our IDs to the gal at the gate, she says Jim's and Gingi's are on the list , but mine is not! We have to pull off to the side of the road and use a special phone to get someone to vouch for me. The do, and I get my pass. We park, and are off to find Stage 12. We find it and are told to go to Stage 6 for check-in. I meet Audrey and Sasha. This is the 'holding area' that we will come back to off and on all day. They are serving breakfast and it smelled GREAT! There are other 'background people' there.(Gingi was told not to use the "E" word, as 'extra' is somewhat insulting...Background is more 'professional'!!). Most of the guys are eating already. I was told to go to Wardrobe first to get dressed. I do. Then, I'm told to go to Make up, but the line is very long. So I am then to told to go get my hair readied for my wig. I go into a trailer and the gal starts pin curling my hair to my scalp. Then she puts a tiny little nylon cap over all and pins that to my head/hair. VERY ATTRACTIVE!! *right* I sure don't wanna meet up with anyone I know...or anyone I'd like to know...right? So, of course I see DVD guy Jeremy walk by!! lol! I remind of of who I am, and get back into the make up line. Gingi is there, in her costume talking to other BG (background), one cute gal is a fan/extra, she's doing BG work but is also a fan of the show! It was funny how most of the folks had no idea what the show was, and most didn't care. A few who had heard of it were asking questions though, so that was cool.

The line is really long for Make up, so Gingi says she's going to go see where Jim is, and goes off into the holding area. Just then, who should walk up, all unshaven, bed headed, wiping the sleep from his eyes? ALAN!! He is walking right toward me, looks up after rubbing is face and makes eye contact with me! I say "Hi Alan", and babble something about being a fan, and how great is it to be there, he is very nice and shakes my hand. I mention another fan named Rosie that he might remember from a couple of weeks ago, that he also met her at the LA Comic Con...and he cuts me off and say, 'Oh yes, we took a picture together!', I say, that she says "hi" and that she wanted me to give him some copies of the pix. I say I'll try to find him later and she says 'great' and tells me how nice it is for us to come down and all...so nice...he shakes my hand and says "nice to meet you Saxon" (I guess I introduced myself...I keep forgetting I have a REAL name!!). He walked up to the wagon/trailer where they were making omelettes, while I was all giddy...even with the wig cap on my head!!

Gingi comes back and I tell her all about it...then, since the line is still long, I am sent to get my wig on. I go into the trailer and I am sent to Randy's chair. He was really nice and funny...he checks my wig cap, while I look around...the trailer is full of pix of images that are defining the 'look' they want the different characters to have. There are bits of hair in little baggies on the wall behind me. Braids, ponytails, odds and ends of all sorts. All of a sudden I see the wig Randy has for me!! OMIGOSH!! Now, I'm dressed in a karate type burnt orange gi, with

GRIMLAKIN

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 6:14 AM

Somewhere in the world the casba was just rocked.

SHINY

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 6:16 AM

And in case anyone hadn't already read about Bob's Excellent Adventure as an Extra, you can find his story here:
http://fireflydvd.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=1566#1566
and the photos (very mildly spoiler-ish) here:
http://fireflydvd.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=177

"I left my heart in Serenity Valley"

HAKEN

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 6:46 AM

I would like permission to repost this entire thing into the FEATURES section so that it's more visible. Please let me know if it's okay. I already have Wiley's permission. Just need the rest.

SAXON

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 8:41 AM

Hi, I'm Saxon, you have my permission to post my stuff where ever you want! :P

I have the second half of my story if you want it.

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Saxon's story, part 2:

Okay, let's see what happened next?
After saying thanx to Summer I think we all went back into Stage 12. I know I had given Audrey the info about getting someone to vouch for Rosie, Ewok, Carol and Wiley to come onto the set. She said she'd see what she could do. I also told her about the cakes being delievered at 2. She didn't know about them. We went back to work, and I was sorry that I didn't take the chance to get Jewel to autograph my drawing and t-shirt...*sigh*...oh well.

When we were on the set, they were doing alot of different stuff, moved the camera angles, had two of the new characters doing some stuff right next to where me, my new 'husband, and Conrad were...and they did it over and over and over...it was fun...except for the smoke!

During one of the 'waiting times' Audrey came over and told me the cakes were there, and asked if I had my camera...I said no, it was back in the holding area...she said, 'oh, well, maybe someone will get a picture of it'...ack! I'd thought about putting the camera in the purse, but it was stuffed with a big towel...so I hadn't! She also asked me for the names of the ones who wanted in, so I gave her everyone's names. We had no idea they'd been there...or had their 'close encounter' till later!

Finally, they let a bunch of us go back to the holding area...and I was so tired that I can't even remember much about that time...After a long while I called Rosie and they told me about meeting the gang and touring the set! It was great. Then my 'husband' Marv told me the wanted us back on the set....but when we got there they told us we were 'wrapped' and could go. I had just emptied the purse out and put my t-shirt, phone, camera and pen in it (the towel was SOOOO heavy), so I pulled my stuff out and returned the purse...I told the guy I'd bring the towel right back over. I went and put my stuff away, and got the towel...most everyone who had been on the same side of the set as me was 'wrapped', so we all made our way back down the process of getting back to 'normal'. I had my wig removed (so my hair looks really terrible in the pix we took afterward!), changed out of my costume and went back to the holding area. Audrey had told us she would give us Browncoats a tour of Serenity! We had to wait till everyone was done though, which was good, since Gingi, Jim, Brian and Jeremy were still busy. I told Audrey how great the day had been and took her pic, I said the only thing I regretted was not getting to talke to Adam and get the autographs of the BDHs I'd missed at the LA Con. She said (and this kills me), "oh, you should have mentioned something, I'd have set something up". By then all the 'stars' had left for the day! We'd seen them on the set before we left, and they were all posing for pix and then were obviously saying bye, hugs, kissed and handshakes! ack!!

After all the Browncoats were back in regular clothes, we heard Audrey getting an intern to show us around. We thanked her for everything, and she left us with Michael to take us back into Stage 12. The lights were down, and the 'ship' inside was pretty dark. When we toured the Angel set, it was really dim, but this, in some places was pitch black!

I'll say this...I now understand what everyone is saying about Serenity being the same, yet different. The changes are so very subtle, but they are there, and for the better! I was surprised how areas looked very small, yet, when we got the pictures back , it looke like they were taken in an open space! I'm always amazed how someone can envision these things and make them appear the way they do on camera! The most well lit area was of course the cargo bay...and it was huge! It looks even bigger in the pictures!

I cracked up when I saw the pix of me...my hair is really whacked...but I have this half crazed look on my face! I was totally excited by this

SHINY

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 3:20 PM

Jeremy (DVD guy and web-master-type-person of fireflymovie.com/serenitymovie.net) posted the first half of his BDE experience here:

http://fireflydvd.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=2427#2427

[edited to remove text of post at Jeremy's request, please click above link to view]

BROWNCOAT1

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 5:47 PM

Thanks for the updates BDEs (Saxon & Jeremy). Thanks for posting the info here Shiny!

This is all great reading. Makes me feel like I am almost there w/ the BDEs.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

WREN

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 8:20 PM

DamnitGirlie has now left her report at the OB:

From:(DamnitGirlie) 3:26 pm
To: ALL
Hi All
Ok,
To say my time is limited, both on and off line is a tremendous understatement. We are wrapping up hell week on our theater production and shows start tomorrow, plus of course I have no access online. So my account doesn't have its usual finesse. I hope no one minds. I just wanted to try and get some info out as soon as I could before it got too late to even matter, or too jumbled in my mind. Sorry in advance about spelling, punctuation etc. Here goes.
Lets start with Saturday. Saturday morning I called into the line we were told to call for directions, updates etc. I learn my call time was at 5:30 am (ack AM!)Monday and there is a message about hair and make-up. I am supposed to arrive fully made up. I don?t usually wear make up, and with the exception of my wedding (which someone else did) I haven?t worn foundation since high school when we applied it with a spatula! As far as I know I don?t even own any, and chances for getting out to buy some are more than just limited because Saturday is costume-fitting day for our musical theater group and I am costume mistress. I spent the day fitting three hundred people with about seven hundred costumes for ?Annie? So I don?t get home until around 11:00pm. Sunday is our first full dress rehearsal so I spend the day there again and don?t get home until 11ish. (Remember my call time is 5:30!) I now stay up to try some make up I have hunted down, shower and basically be nervous. I finally went to bed at about 1am planning to get up around 3:30 so I have time. This was silly because I spent my time alternating between checking my alarm to make sure it was set, dreaming about missing my alarm, and waking up in a panic to check the time. It was the longest two hours I never spent sleeping! Plus it is still around 95 degrees so it is impossibly ugly to sleep in. I finally get up on time and do my hair and make up. (I think I did ok but it was so hot I am sure most of it melted off before I got there) My husbands (lets call him Snoozeman) time is 6am so we just go together...he does not need hair or make up. We grab breakfast on the way, but I am too nervous to eat more than a few nibbles. Finally we arrive at Universal and check in at the parking gate. We are issued security passes and given vague and inaccurate directions about where we belong. ?Park and follow this road (wrong road) to building #_ . We follow those directions and pretty much take a walking tour of the Universal lot. Big place! But as we walk several others who look like they know where they are going join us. Apparently they thought the same about us. Now if you think we allowed ourselves to diverge from the directions and just go according to the numbers on the buildings you?re a fool! Finally we encounter some signs which say ?Serenity?. They don?t give any directions but at least we know were close. We pass a stage where we can see the but end of Serenity. YEA! We wander passed a line of trailers and see the woman who fitted us for our costumes. We say hi and she wishes Snoozeman luck in the heat with his all black padded suit. And we continue on. We have arrived at the end of the line. Not our destination just where the lot ends! HOLY COW I can see the front of Serenity now! There were some guys working and very bright lights. We continue to wander right up to the door, passing our loveable crews trailers along the way (I just realized I should have taken a picture!) Our little group [of followers just stands there looking at each other as we all realize the people we were following are just as lost as we are. Finally some guy calls down the road and points us in a new direction...pretty much back the other way. We are told to check in at ?holding? where we are apparently to be wrangled with 75 other folks for the day. I check in and I am sent to the costume trailer and from there I go to hair. In the hair trailer I am given a Rita Hayworth long red wig which is then tampered with and enhanced with

THEDUKE333

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 8:21 PM

Hello Haken,
You can use any of my stuff if you want. I think it is a great idea to post all of our stories in one easy to find place. Also, is there a way to attach a picture of each extra in there costume so everyone can spot them in the BDM?

I think you do a great job here...

TheDuke333

LEXIBLOCK

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 8:38 PM

I wanna see the green wig :)

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