The Washingtonienne

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/television/washingtonienne_gets_a_lifeline_89000.asp?c=rss
"The Washingtonienne" is a tv pilot produced by the witty actress Sarah Jessica Parker, which was filmed partially in Baltimore Md.
Ande and I were extras taking part of a ball which was filmed at the luxurious Hotel Belvedere in Baltimore Md. The sets in this production made it readily apparent that much preparation (and undoubtedly funding), went into the development of this pilot. The light boxes and cameras were more extensive in movement and size than any we had ever seen...The production crew were even permitted to lower the glass chandaliers in the hotel so that they could be viewed directly in the shot.
Ande and I were a bit astounded to note that Sarah Jessica Parker was actually much shorter in person and even more unbelievable to us, was that we beat her by close to an inch in height...which we almost never see! Just a sidebar here but-- apparently one of our top favorite actors, Al Pacino is another actor who is shorter in stature. We were of course pleased when we found out this year that,in fact, being short has it's advantages in the film industry because that way those in charge of the film production can make the actor appear any height they desire to make the character appear.
But back to the set,one scene that we participated in was at a dinner table. While sitting at this feast quite some time after noon, we began to get a tad hungry with the sumptuous smells wafting from the food in front of us. So, one person, than another, the two of us included in this mix of course, also began sampling some of the tempting foods before us. :)
The background actors also amused each other with our pantomiming and by making rather amusing expressions during the scene while simultaneously stifling our laughter so as not to interrupt the scene! ;)
The other couple of scenes we took part in were ones which involved the elegant ballroom of the five star Belvedere hotel. During these scenes, we mostly pantomimed with friendly strangers while admiring the decadence that surrounded us. One table in the scene reminded me of the scene in "Pan's Labyrinth" when the character Ofelia is tempted to try the delicious food on the table before her, despite warnings not to. Seriously, there were grapes and foods of all kinds in this scene as well that were,alas, only for the looking.
It was another fascinating day that reminded us just how much we would love to act full time, preferably with speaking roles though. Hence we are currently acting in a script written by our good friend Jeff Straight and filmed by another good friend Ted McNeil, the Creatio Material bloggers: You can see their farcical blogs at: Blog - http://creatio-ex-materia.blogspot.com
Anyway, our script "Rumors" is a lot of work and zany fun.
To learn more about "The Washingtonienne" cast and crew, progress, and premise you should take a look at.....
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-al.extra04jan04,0,3387316.story