Wednesday, June 15, 2005
*~WHY DO I FEAR-Part (3)~*-Behind The Scene-For friends who thought that you might see me on TV or movie, I'am afraid you got to be disappointed. But I've learnt alot today. It's so fun meeting all kinds of people and i had a surprise today.8:00am- I saw a msg asking me to reach XX hospital by 8:30pm. Damn. How could they informed me only this morning. I rushed out and managed to reach on time.9:00am- Then only i saw the shooting crew reaching. I saw other extras waiting to collect their costumes. Me too. Wore a M size nurse uniform but it was really too big for me. Got a small sized instead.XX am- All the extras acting nurses and doctors went to take photos to make staff cards to pin on our uniform. We really do look like real doctors and nurses.XX am- Were waiting at a room for our cards to be ready. Chatted with the extras, Stella and kee fong. Both of them are freelance artists. They looked around for dramas to act. Stella is already in her 40s but still look like 30+. She gives tuition to alot of kids and she charged about $30-$40 per hour! She said she had alot of experiences and got recommended by some teachers, hence she an afford to charge high price. I told her if there are still more children coming to her for chinese tuition and she isn't free, do call me. She agreed. Hee.:P Hope she really will la. :)She was informed last minute that she gotta act as a doctor. Hence, she called her mother up to help bring some smart looking clothings to the hospital for her. She said she understands that it might be just few seconds that she is being screened but she gotta be professional. Not only her, talked to other extras and they are actually all very diligent and passionate. Anyway, she did complained to me about the mediacorp crew. She said that once her costumes was too big for her. She asked the wardrobe cast for a change of costumes and the person in charge said in a sarcastic tone: Do you need us to tailor made it for you? Sigh. Practical world. If you are no big shot, you will definitely face such treatments. Nonetheless, she didn't give up on acting. She just love acting and even her kid gets to act in a few mediacorp shows. Kee Fong- He has acted as police, lawyer, doctor.....etc in quite a few
mediacorp shows. He brought quite a few clothes and suits to change. He said
in case the clothings wasn't appropriate for the show, he gets to change into
other clothings. He too complained about the way make up artists and
wardrobe cast treat the extras. Nonetheless, these never kill his passion.
Besides acting for channel 8, he acted for channel 5 and other shows by other
production companies. He said he looked around for all these "lobangs".
Anyway, he showed me the script. And i realise the nurse role on Monday
and today is different. Monday, the nurse gotta hold a baby and said a few
lines. And for today, there is no dialogue for nurse and there seems to b no
appropriate scene for the appearance of nurses. Hmm. So why asked Audrey
and me down? Weird.
Many had this impression that the extras are normally low educated people and they acted as calafei for money. This is not true. Kee fong used to work in an office on IT, but he quited the job saying that he wanted to live and work for passion. Met another extras, patricia few months ago and she studied marketing in USA. However, she will try to make time for all these extras role. When i told kee fong it's better for guys to have a stable pay, he replied: it depends on how different people looked at it. To me, interest is more important.
Audrey- SURPRISE SURPRISE!!!! She was actually Baoxin's sister!!!! hahahhahahaa. Really a BIG surprise. Darn. Singapore is SOOOO small! Anyway, when i saw her early in the morning, she looked dao and fierce. Hence, i dared not talk to her and chatted with Stella and Kee Fong instead. Then while waiting for our turns, Audrey started talking to me. We told each other our respective schools, ccas, jobs. haha. It's like the more she told me about herself, the more i find her familiar. She said she was sellingperfume at centrepoint, and so i asked her if she knows Suqi and Sooyun(Both my sec sch and JC friends.) Then she goes: Do you know baoxin? I am like......Oh yA!!!She was Baoxin's sister!!! hahahhaa. Baoxin mentioned quite few times about her sister to me. No wonder i find what she said familiar. Haha. Realli SMALL world. Or should i say, SMALL Singapore.1:00pm- Finally, they need a nurse. So i went. Sitting at the bench waiting and Jack neo actually asked me what happened to my toe. I told him infection and also got hit by something hard and he goes EwWww. Haha. Like feeling my pain. Then the director realised he actually don't need a nurse already. So I just gotta to a nurse walking past them. Haha. Damn calefei. But I didn't reallymind becase there won't be stuffs for me to do in office today anyway. So i take it as a special experience for me.I observe how the director direct the shows. A 2 minute scene can take 30 minutes to finish! I talked to those crew managing the lights. And he told me he earned about $100 a day but he gotta worked from early morning to late night. Others are just doing "sai gang", helped to move things here and there from morning till night.2:00pm- We'r allowed to leave.All in all, they only "used" Kee fong as the doctor,one aunty as patient, and me as a passer-by nurse.Haha. So guys, all the nurses at reception counter and those nurses passing by the actors you seen in TV shows are actually all extras!!!!! I always thought they are real nurses. But no. During shooting, the crew "booked" the place and the nurses and patients are all extras.They used them to make the scene looked real. Anyway, Audrey was very unhappy that the crew actuallycalled her up and wasted her time. Well. Everyone will be paid but Audrey was unhappy that the crew keep saying that need X number of people, and in the end not all gotta act.All in all, i wasn't really pissed. Probably, i wasn't like them. I was very free anyway. Today, i realised that extras are all very hardworking and are actually very "professional". Like stella, she even got her mum to bring her a smart clothing when she knows she gotta act as doctor. In the end, she was not needed but she nevercomplain. Quite sad actually. They worked so hard but they just lacked the luck andlooks ba. Regret i never take a picture of myself in nurse uniform. I think i look quite like one. heh.:)Anyway, talking about living for passion, Dennis came into my mind.He is one of my teachers in Emage Artiste International. His family members areall passionate about music and performing. For music, he gave up time spentwith family, and he even gave up his marriage!!!!!! His wife-to-be cannot put up withhim and his family being so passionate about music and neglecting her. Once when Stephanie was on stage, he identified the perfume brand that Stephanie was using and said his Ex used to love this particular brand alot. I could still sense his love for his ex. But i guess he love his music more. He graduated from university, majoringin psychology. He is not those dropouts , having diffculties in finding a job. But he chose to devote his whole life for music. He CHOOSE to do so. *Salute*. How manyof us dare take the risk and live for passion?I admire all the extras i met, and i admired Dennis. Dennis took the risk and i would say he is a very successful artiste. For the unknown extras, i salute them as well for their undiscovered professionalism and passion. I don't remember any documentary on extras. Actually, some lead interesting life. I need we ought to thank them for making many shows/scenes possible. Not forgetting those backstage crew.The uncle who complained to me that he gotta help do the lightings from morning till night. And others who got to do "sai gang". Even a NTU mass com graduate is only helping to call up artiste, inform them the time, location, and helped to get food and uniforms for the crew. I heard the pay will be $20+. Although that will means $5 per hour, i never grumble. I thought i would but i never. Guessed i just enjoy talking to all these people and hearing their life stories. But asked me to go shooting again? hm. I gotta consider. It's really a waste of time. And acting isn't really my biggest passion. I love performing on stage cause i will get immediate reaction from the audiences and not infront of the "cold" cameras. I will not give up studies or jobs for these extras role like Kee fong and Stella. Audrey studied theatre studies in NUS knowing thatthe career prospect and pay aint really good but what attracts her is the job willbe something she likes. These people believe in living for joy and not for burden. Hope I live a life liek them. But i guess in Singapore, it's hard. Cost of living is too high. I am still unwilling to give up so much for my passion. You?
it rained at
3:05 PM
