The Wandering Monkey

So here's the latest news.  I have been taken on officially on the movie production in the capacity of a dance instructor and evaluator of dancers and music for the film.  This means I help train people a bit and help organize those people who are extras dancing in the movie.  Also, perhaps more excitingly, I am having some private dance lessons with the stars and I am scheduled to appear in the movie dancing with the female lead.

The appearances in the movie is always tentative.  It depends on what the director feels like the day he sees me and what he had in mind for the scene. But it looks likely that in some way I'll be dancing with the staring actress, even if just for a few seconds on screen.

 

We begin filming tomorrow at 5pm and go on through the night until 4am the next day.  So, ironically, I am staying up late tonight (playing computer games!) as a responsible way to prepare for my work day tomorrow!  Irony.

 

I dont want to say too much about the movie production because I think that might somehow be a bad idea or possibly hurt my chances of getting involved in further things if I blab my mouth.  I'll just say it looks really cool!  The work is hard, the environment chaotic, but for the moment I am having a good amount of fun.

 

My dance partner Andrea is also involved.  She's doing some of the same things I am doing, and we may or may not be dancing together on screen.  If I'm seen as a featured extra the director may not want to use me prominently again.  We'll see.

 

You may remember that I did a TV show last week with an actress from Beijing.  She's going to be dancing in this movie as well, or so she plans.  Since I was doing the evaluations for how good people are as dancers, I gave her good marks (as she deserves) and she's in the movie, too. 

 

I'm learning a lot about how movies are organized and how people end of getting roles.  There's a lot of "I'll help you and you help me" going on.  Information is very imporant, such as contact names and numbers.  If you share a valuable contact with one person, then they are obliged to help you the next time they have a potential opportunity.

 

I also learned a new term: "Squeeze".  This actually technically means blackmail, but it's not so drastic as that.  If you have something another person needs to complete their job, you have "Squeeze" on them.  For instance, I made a list of all the dancers and their relative skill levels for the different styles of dance.  I was asking the production guy to be brought on officially with a contract.  So if I make that list but I haven't given it to him yet, I have "squeeze" on him.  I thought that was pretty funny.  I didn't keep my 'squeeze' when I left yesterday.  I gave him the list and just counted on my future 'squeeze' of dancing in the show and doing more helpful things for getting my contract.

 

Anyhow, I guess that's all the interesting stuff for now.

 

Peace Out-

-J