Sunday, November 16, 2008

"Blowing Up the Eastern Market”

With the recent release of the Ridley Scott film: Body of Lies, here's my journal from the day on set.

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Wednesday, September 5th, 2007
Here we are. September. And coming to town is a movie directed by Ridley Scott and starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Russell Crowe. "Body of Lies" about a former Iraqi reporter creating a fake CIA agent that's infiltrated al qeada to cast sucspicion and have al qeada turn against itself. And it's a Ridley Scott film starring Leo D'Prio and phone man Russell Crowe. Did I mention that?
The casting office booked me about five days ago to work in Washington. Took a night bus to D.C. and walked a few blocks to Union Station, to wait the rest of the night until my 5:30 am calltime. Restless about sitting in the very quiet Union Station, I wandered out and about the Capitol Hill area at about 1:00 in the morning, for an hour or two.
Took some time to chill, lay on cement walls and enjoy the view. The white stone of the Capitol Bldg & the Washington Monument lit up brilliantly, shine so bright and beautiful at night. I visited what I call the Lion Fountain near where North Capitol St comes to an end. A perfect view of the Capitol rotunda. Meandered over to the Capitol Bldg, past the Chinese Grotto, and sat ojn the steps on the West Side, looking at the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument lit up just as dazzling!
I didn't want to stay there too long, in case Park or Capitol Police had a problem with that, so I moved down to the Capitol Reflecting Pool for a while. The Hill is very quiet at night with the hiss of sprinklers going off in many places. Reflecting, it brought back memories of things I've done here before:
-On a field trip in '96, the whole class was dared to run around the length of the Capitol Reflecting Pool. Most of us, including me, chose to walk around instead.
-Looking at the Mall and Monuments from the top off the Capitol Bldg steps, back when you were allowed to go up that far, and the right angle triangle of Constitution and Pennsylvania was noticeable from that height.
-Sitting in a studio at the CNN Bldg between Union Station and the Greyhound bus station for a now defunct show called "Burden of Proof."
-A Capitol Fourth of July. Walking back from the Capitol to Union Station with family. Literally sick from the heat. The sprinklers were going off and we all walked into them fully dressed, cooling us off fast. We were one degree from dancing in them!
-Running from the Capitol Bldg area on the day of Ronald Reagan's funeral procession down the street. While lined on the sidewalk, a terror scare occurred, and suddenly, Capitol Police was barking at everyone to just run! Not giving thought to reason, just to react, I did, along with most everyone else. False alarm. Turns out a Governer's plane's transponder was malfunctioning.
A lot of memories here. Yes. Yes. But what about the filming? Right you are! Got to extras parking at RFK Stadium by 4:30 am. Always early is always good. At 5:15, hopped on the bus over to extras holding inside Eastern Market's building. The part of it that didn't get burned in a recent fire. The set is right outside the Building, lining it's wall. A Dutch flower market. There are European vehicles and Vespa scooters parked out front. I know I just travelled a mile from the Capiutol Bldg, and that technically, I'm still in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, but I'm no longer in America. I'm in Amsterdam!
There's about a hundred extras here. Euro charcater types. I guess that includes me. Sitting at a table, and behind me, are a bunch of fake plastic bodies on the floor. Bomb victims. That's right. Fake burned corpses. Did I say bomb? Yup. The scene we're filming at this Dutch Market is a car blowing up. I've read that it's going to be a simulated explosion, not an actual explosion. That's a relief, because they didn't offer me hazard pay! The first extra I met at parking said to me within thirty seconds of meeting her "I get blown up in car." I've never had a conversation begin with that sentance before. Unique. Should be a fun day ahed. I'm looking forward to it. My charcter - a shopper.
Wardrobe had approved my choice of black leather coat & Irish cap. The leather coat, I knew would be very hot to wear today, but I've been hoping to wear it in a scene, and today I got my chance!
Placed on set soon after, as a man delivering a stack of newspapers onto the pavement. The scene is: The terrorist backs his car into a parking space. Gets out, bumping past a Japanese tourist and then her husband who's trying to take her picture. The husband gives him a look, then goes ahead with the picture, and the director yells freeze, and everyone does. This would be the moment of boom!
Originally, I was close in frame for the steadicam, one of four cameras filming the scene amidst the simulate hustle and bustle of a marketplace. But the steadicam was repositioned beyond me, so I was out of the shot. I could only stand and watch. Take after take, the director yells freeze, and crew would run in taking digital snapshots of the central extras from various angles. Probably for cgi trickery.
The camera angles changed to cover the same action from other angles. I wasn't a part of this either. Next, I saw the car was rigged mechanically to blow, and the cars on either side of it to rock or be overturned. I thought the pyrotechnics or simulated pyrotechnics were about to happen, so I watched from the opposite side of the street when they began filming again, since I wasn't in the shot. But then I decided to return to my marker in case the crew decided to film a shot in my direction. The actual explosion wasn't up yet, just another freeze shot.
On the next two takes, those within frame were told to recoil backwards at the call of "Boom!" And this was really neat to watch. "Action!" is called, the trrorist brushes past them, the husband takes apicture of his wife, and as the A.D. yells "Boom!" a crowd fifty deep go backwards, flailing with a pretend shockwave. Flowers they were holding go flying. Even with no explosion it looked pretty real. With a cgi enhanced explosion, perfect. I should also mention the dummies are now fully dressed and have makeup applied, lying in a heap across the street.
We broke for lunch. A little grotesque lunch because makeup dept had applied soot, blood, ripped clothing, and wounds to about a dozen "bomb victim" extras. Bloody faces casually eating lunch. Bizzare. This is Hollywood. After lunch, sat in a small holding hall, with the dutch flower shop right out the side door. Must be close to explosion time, because the fire marshall in a hard hat, is now on the set giving safety instructions, as opposed to sitting in the firetruck that's been on the corner all morning. I will also take the opportunity to mention that although Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe weren't on the set today, Ridley Scott was very much alive and directing all day.
Got sent back outside, where after waiting to be placed and was left standing by a tape line of onlookers, I was blocked for wealking on the set's edge past a car. The p.a. gives a 3-2-1 countdown then "Boom!" I along with everyone recoil and stumble to the ground in shock, staggering up, and stumbling away disoriented. Finally! I get to do some cool action and acting today. Even as I was aware that I was out of the four or five camera's range. Good thing too, as my first take ended very badly. I recoiled to the ground, and as I scrambled to my feet, I tripped over a firehose and went down again, unplanned this time. My shoe came off, and I landed on my back unhurt. I remember that I laughed at the sheer moronic-ness of it, and that it was something only I can do to myself.
Now we were gearing up for the big moment. The boom. They set up the extras on the street differently, and I wasn't in this, so i spent the time on the street corner a half block from the rigged car. Before going to the real thing, more than a dozen final rehearsals were done. I saw a stuntmen by the exploding car with a wire strapped to his back. On detonation, he will be yanked backward fast to approximate a shockwave. Following rehearsals, a final safety meeting was called. Than a half dozen firefighters stood nearby with water hoses pressurized, as "picture up" was called on the real thing. I had earplugs in my ears for the sound, and 3...2...1... The car emitted a fireball, and an explosive sound not as loud as I expected. Compressed air cannons blew out the doors and windows. Hydraulic contraptions on two cars on either side of the bomb car, caused them to flip over.
In addition to the four or five cameras filming the action, a helicopter with a mounted camera flew close to film an aerial view. As soon as the helicopter had arrived and was hovering overhead, picture was up, and the explosion commenced. Even as far way as I and a few other extras were, on detonation, we got rained on by a shower of little glass bits pelting down like hail. To protect myself, I spun around, dropping to one knee, leting the leather jacket and hat be my protection, as I put my back to the glass, like you might turn your back to sandy wind or a blizzard flurry, to protect face and eyes. It was over in a second or two,. Bits of glass were now scattered all over the area. So that was my first on-set explosion.
Was sent to holding where I spent the rest of the next hour while they filmed a post-bomb scene outside involving news reporters, bomb victims, and European firefightes. Was in there until we were wrapped for the day. Went through sign out, and saw many of the extras carrying flowers from the now destroyed market. Returning there from holding, I picked some flowers left over. Many spectators had swarmed in behind the the wreckage of five burnt cars and scavenged for any pretty bouquets not damaged or destroyed. I observed that now there were five vehicles burnt and destroyed, not three. They really destroyed these cars! Hollywood.
Sat down on a bench across the street from Eastern Market and watched a forklift move all the vehicles down to the end of the block, where it had rained glass on me. Two of the cars had to be pushed rightside up with the sound of metal groaning, and breaking as they flipped rightside up. Watched the forklift operator work for half an hour before heading to Union Station to meet my sister for some deep dish pizza at Pizzeria Uno. After that, back to good ol' Philly!

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