Studio Work

 Studio Work

     Studio work can be more tedious than working on location, but you can judge the size of the production company budget, by the studio, where the production was shot. This does not mean the movie is going to suck. It might mean that you don’t need 200 million dollars, to make a good film. 

     My favorite studio, to work at, was always “Universal.” In the Los Angeles area, there are many studios. Warner Bros., Fox, Paramount, Santa Clarita, Raleigh, Culver, Dos Carlos, and Sony. Just a few of the studios, I have worked at. When I started, Sony was MGM. I worked at other studios too, but I cannot remember the names. If you offered me 10 thousand dollars, to name the studio, where we shot, “Love and Bullets,” you would get to keep your money. I just know it was in North Hollywood. 

     I was at Universal studios, for “Blown Away,” and “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.” I was also at Universal, for “Buddy,” with Rene Russo. She played a woman, who raised a gorilla, in her house. I played a panicked pedestrian, running from an invisible ape, but damn, I looked good! I still have a photo, from this film. It is my favorite photo, from my days, as an extra. Since then, whenever I take the Universal studios tour, it takes me right through the area, where this picture was taken, making me long to be on set again. 

     I have heard stories about how extras, who were working at Universal studios, got broke for lunch, and somehow managed to sneak into the theme park, supposedly taking the tour, for free. I believe this is possible, but not very likely. I have been to the back lot, at Universal, many times. Both as an extra, and as a tourist. The staff there, are pretty good at keeping the tourists separated, from the people working on films, and TV. There are cameras, and people carrying cameras, everywhere. Even before the age of cell phones. Trying to evade a camera, in Hollywood, is not easy. 

     I liked working at “Warner Bros” too. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the Road-Runner, have been my favorites, since I was a small child. I usually parked in the Warner lot, when I worked on “E R.” I was also at Warner Bros., when I worked on “Reunion in Hazzard County.” I got to meet, and work, with some really good people, on that shoot, and I had an experience there, that I will never forget. I got to work for Bugs Bunny. In my humble opinion, far better than working for Mickey Mouse. 

     Some extras like to tell, “Tall Tales.” I snuck into the theme park, at Universal. Oh yeah? I had lunch with Mel Brooks, at Warner Bros. I saw Clint Eastwood, at Warner Bros. He was in an SUV, but he wasn’t driving. Oh yeah? I got laid at Warner Bros. Right in the parking lot. During a rain storm. I almost got kicked off the set, by Faye Dunaway. I stole Hal Holbrook’s pants. I’m suing Led Zeppelin. They stole “Stairway to Heaven,” from me. Oh yeah? I partied with Aerosmith. I built sets for Mickey Rourke. I was a roadie, for Ozzy Osbourne. Oh yeah? I was a roadie, for, The Kinks. Sometimes Tony k., and I would create a bullshit rumor, just to see who would try to do us, “one better.” I saw William Shatner, at a “Star Trek” convention. Oh yeah? I saw Leonard Nimoy, and he is way better than Shatner. I have heard, and witnessed all kinds of different bullshit, while working as an extra. Is any of it true, or not? I’ll let you decide. Just remember that in Hollywood, anything can happen, and in Hollywood, everything after “Hello,” is bullshit. I never bragged to much, on set. I did not want to share my business, with anyone. I am doing all of my bragging now. 

    I went to “Raleigh Studios,” a couple of times, to do audience work, for a talk show. As I’ve said before, it is messed up, when you have to pay people, to watch your show. I know a few extras, who have gone to a studio,  auditioned, and been chosen, to be on a game show. Doing whatever it takes, to make a buck, in Hollywood. I do not remember hearing about, whether, or not, they won any cash, or prizes.

     

          

              

     I can only remember working at “Paramount Studios,” once, maybe twice. The job that I remember most was, “The Dorothy Day Story,” which later changed it’s name to, “Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story.” The film dealt with woman’s suffrage, and the creation of the “Catholic Worker” newspaper. I worked for 3 days. We were all dressed in 1932 wardrobe. I was wearing overalls, a long sleeved T-shirt, and a trainman’s cap.  The only celebrity, I remember seeing, was Moira Kelly. She impressed the hell, out of us when one of the many crew people hovering around her, offered to get her some hot chocolate, and she said, “If I want hot chocolate, I will get it myself. “ That incident, made us love her. We worked day, and night. The nights were cold too. At one point I was given a large torch, to carry, along with maybe a dozen other extras. It reminded me of the scene in “Frankenstein,” where all the townspeople, armed with torches, storm the castle, containing the monster. I have not seen this film, so I don’t know if I am visible or not. We started this job, by going to the wrong set. It was not our fault, so we were not penalized. My friend Tony k., was there, so it was a lot of fun, for me. 

     There are studios that do not provide parking, for extras. One such, required that you park, on the street, and pay a parking meter. Over time, extras discover which studios, are the best, and which are the cheapest. If I knew that a production was being shot, at one of the “cheapskate” studios, I would not submit, for the work, unless I was absolutely desperate. Even then, I would find a legal place to park, and either walk, or take the bus, to the studio. It was an additional pain in the a*s, but I refused to add worry, about a parking meter, to my workday. I worked a real job, in Santa Monica, before I became an extra, and the situation, as well as my solution, was the same. I am not paying a f*****g parking meter, while I am at work. Period. If you are so cheap, you cannot provide parking, for your employees, I will not be working for you, for very long, anyway, because you suck. 

     The majority of courtroom scenes, I worked on, were studio shot. The same, can be said, for my work on “E R, Picket Fences, Sister Sister, The West Wing, etc. I would guess that I worked about 50/50, relative to being at a studio, or on location. I should point out that working on the back lot, at “Universal Studios,” was like being on location, because you couldn’t just walk to the studio cafeteria. Whenever we were there, they treated us like we were on location. There were exceptions. I have worked on sound stages, at Universal too. When we broke for lunch, we were expected to fend for ourselves, just like any other studio.

     Some people think that working on a studio lot, increases your chances, of bumping into somebody famous. This is probably true, but it did not happen, very often, for me. Usually, the only famous people, I saw, were people I was working with, that day. If I was booked at a certain sound stage, I stayed there. My only opportunity to “bump” into someone famous, was during lunch, and I was not one to wander around the studio, on my off time, looking for celebrities. I saw enough, without even trying. 

     Sometimes, it would be fun, to mess, with the tourists. If we were in costume, and the “Studio Tour,” passed by, the tourists would raise their cameras, to take pictures. When they did, we would raise our cameras too. I’m sure, that out there somewhere, an extra has a picture of a tourist, taking a picture, of us.