My “call time” was 8:00 in the morning and since it is a two hour trip south I had to leave around 5:00. That road between the state line and OKC is in continuous repair and it really sucks to drive. Especially, when driving while dark. Anyway, I arrived on schedule, but trying to find the correct area to check in was interesting. I drove around back and after asking several employees, finally found the correct door through which we “stars” were to enter.
I was in a very select group for this commercial – only nine of us. I had worked with two other actors before. Tony Williams was in my first commercial for the Riverwind Casino. He had just finished a film where he had played the antagonist. If you know Tony, you know he is definitely not that kind of person. What a great thing acting is because you can be any character. Emily Ward has been in all three casino commercials I have worked and she had just finished a successful run in “Side by Side by Sondheim” at the Sooner Theatre in Norman. (I have a soft spot in my heart for this musical because I was one of the original investors when it first hit Broadway in 1977.) It was good seeing my actor friends again. Ashlee Webster, a new friend, lives just around the corner from me in Oklahoma City and has a son who is in the same class and school as my grandson. Small world. Ginger Lynette, Jodie Moore, Emily Tabb, Jed and Shellie Fox rounded out the extras. Jed, Shellie, and I have been in several classes at the Actor Factory together. Jed is a retired Lawton policeman and he and Shellie have a fun time acting in movies around this part of the US. Cassie Self, from Rogers, AR, was the main spokesperson for the casino. She has had this role for several years, is very pretty, and very professional.
The idea of this filming was to show the various areas of the casino where activities take place. This series of commercials were not to be shown as a television commercial for the public to see. Instead, they were to be shown on in-house hotel room televisions or on tour busses. Our first shot was in an inside restaurant and while Cassie spoke to the camera the rest of us walked around as though we were either entering the restaurant or leaving. Emily Ward and I were in this first spot and we decided she would be my daughter and I was treating her to lunch. In reality, she could easily be my granddaughter. Lance McDaniel was our assistant director and as always he was very professional. I can still hear him calling “Action”.
That was the way it went for the rest of the day. We filmed scenes in around the slot machines and blackjack tables and other areas. During the time we are filming, the casino has our area roped off so casino patrons will not walk into the scenes. One man was insistent that the ropes be put down because they were restricting him from getting to his favorite machine. He crossed the rope in front of Ashlee who promptly grabbed him by the shirt to restrain him. A security guard came over to the man and rescued him from Ashlee. Though she is pretty, she’s tough. The guard asked her if she would like to have a job. I find people are very possessive about their particular slot machines. Some even do strange rituals before pushing the button that will take their money.
The last filming of the day was an outside shot. We were to be seen getting off a tour bus as we arrived at the hotel entrance. It had been quite cold in the casino and poor Emily Ward was freezing so I loaned her my sport coat between scenes. As we went outside, she decided it seemed warm enough so I took my coat back. Actually, it was cold, but I needed my coat for the continuity of the scene. We were to get off the bus and head to the hotel while Cassie spoke to the camera in front of the bus steps. That did not work out the way the director had planned. So all of us went to the other side of the bus, away from the camera while Cassie did her spiel on the steps. The idea was to have us walk toward the hotel when the bus started to pull away and that way those viewing the scene would then see us heading toward the door. While we were waiting, Emily started performing dance steps while trying to keep warm. I told her I took dance lessons years ago as a child and I remember something about shuffle ball step. She said it was shuffle ball change.
She proceeded to teach me how to do that. Unbeknownst to us, the bus pulled away and the other actors started moving toward the hotel. We did not notice and Lance and the other crew members were a little non-plussed to see everyone else walking to the door while Emily and I were practicing dance steps. Blew that take. Next take we did not dance, but forgot about not moving until the bus moved. When we heard “Action”, she and I started moving and were at the door when we looked around to see that the bus had just begun to move, but no one else had. You just can’t take us anywhere. The next take worked and we were allowed to leave for the evening. I went to Ardmore where I had found a room while others went elsewhere.
That night in the hotel room, I studied my lines for an audition I had to film the next week. I was going to audition for the role of a priest. I had been sent sides (sides are the lines of the script they give you to learn for an audition) for a kindly priest who was welcoming a young man back to his office after dropping out of seminary. So, I needed to put on my friendly face. The next set of sides had to do with the priest being tied up by the same young man and being rather upset. So, I had to put on my “po’d” priest face. More about that later. Especially, if I get the part.
Next morning our call was 6:30am. Some had gone to Dallas and others back to Oklahoma City and they really had to get up early to be at the Winstar on time. But, all were there in plenty of time. However, some of the perky actors were not quite as perky at that time of the morning.
More scenes were shot in and around the blackjack tables and slots. I can fake talk and fake laugh quietly with the best of them. We had to always act as though we were winning at slots or blackjack and be very excited about it. Jumping up and down, waving arms, clapping hands (quietly). Now that I am a TRAINED CASINO COMMERCIAL ACTOR, I can do this quite easily. At one time or another, I worked with most of the others. Ashlee and I worked together on several slot shots. One would have me walk up to her as a old friend and she would show she me is winning and then asked me join her at the next slot machine. Another time, she and I were walking arm in arm through the row of slots when we see our old friend Shellie. Unfortunately, we made to much noise greeting each other and were called out. Forgot my training. Emily Tabb and I walked into a scene and went immediately to the box office to purchase tickets to an up coming show. Cute Emily was the one the director used as a stand in for Cassie when a scene was being set up. Cassie was not normally with us extras because she was always with the make-up-artist who made sure each hair was in place and no shiny spots on her face. Ginger and I sat at a blackjack table and were being fake dealt with fake cards. Seems like I always was getting a fake blackjack. Ginger is delightful to be with and is in the real estate business in Norman. The last shot of the day was to be in the lobby of the hotel. Now that was quite interesting, in that we had to shoot the scene while people were checking into the hotel. So there was always someone coming or going, but Lance being a true professional got us all corralled, including some hotel guests, and the shot was finally finished and we could go home. It was a long two days, but it was fun.
Left to right: Ashlee Webster, Lance McDaniel, Emily Ward, Emily Tabb, Tony Williams, Jodie Moore, Shellie Fox, Jed Fox, Ginger Lynette, me
No comments:
Post a Comment