Saturday, January 29, 2011

Mobs at Grand Central


Today was a pretty interesting day. For the first time in my life as a New Yorker, I saw something being filmed today. After a morning of shopping with my mother in SoHo, I took the six train to Grand Central Station to return some items at a nearby library, when I suddenly saw a whole bunch of television screens, cameras and on-set crew people who were trying to isolate travelers from the scene, at none other place but the Main Concourse. On the side were some of the background actors, all dressed in long beige-colored trenchcoats and black fedora hats. Apparently, they're filming an AT&T commercial. After a good five minutes, all the background actors were rounding up and a guy, solely dressed in a black t-shirt, stood out before them, preparing for action. Suddenly, the moment I've been waiting for, each time I thought about film sets, has finally come: director instructs actors over a speaker horn and finally said the words I've been dying to hear: "...and ACTION!". The guy in the black t-shirt starts dancing like crazy, as if he's at a freakshow. It was quite interesting, yet awkward because there was no music playing. As soon as I heard "Cut!", I left, and there it was: trailers, tents and equipment lined up on the sidewalks. A woman even had the nerve to walk by and take some food from one of the tents (in case you're wondering, she is not part of the crew, probably just a tourist with a group of friends who's not used to seeing these things), but ended up getting caught by one of the guys who hid inside a car in front of the tent. Interesting.

So, I've finally witnessed a scene being filmed for once in my life.
Am I going to try and apply as a background actor? No, although my friend, Frank, ALWAYS asks me when I'm going to apply since he knows I'm jobless.
Am I going to watch this commercial? Why wouldn't I if I watch television? Come on!

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