Hectic week!

I've ended up being so busy this week, and as I write this I'm on a

train to Newcastle again.

Monday
A very early train to Newcastle to film for the animation I'm doing,
all in front of green screen. I've been working in this project for
about two weeks now, and my legs are burning from all the powerwalking
through newcastle centre to avoid missing trains.

Tuesday
I spent the morning sculpting scars/stitches for zombie nurses, to be
cast in gelatin. These characters weren't originally in the scene
being filmed on tues afternoon, hence being unprepared!
First we started in a real kitchen, with me taking a very burnt
chicken out the oven for a fake advert, then we all (the film crew)
headed over to Ccad to the special studio kitchen, kidnapping my
friend Megan on the way for make up help.
We quickly turned the actors into zombie nurses, and the quickly done
stitches looked terrible! I was meant to be decapitated in this scene,
but we ran out of time, so it spilled over to...

Wednesday
This was meant to be my sleeping and catching up day, having not
really slept since the beginning of last week, but instead I headed
back to Ccad to be killed by a hedge strimmer.
When it was time to die, I had made a couple bottles and a bowl of
blood which we smashed peaches into for bits of flesh, so I sat behind
the table ready to create the blood splatter. Stuart, the actor, said
he knew he was in trouble when the last thing he saw was me grinning
and ready to fling all the blood at him as he pretended to hack me to
pieces. The first blood splat hit him directly across the face, and in
his mouth, but being very professional he just carried on hacking
until I was all dead (and all out of blood to throw).
Next he got his revenge on me. I had to play my own severed head, for
which I'd built a false-neck piece, and once my head was through a
hole in the table, I was covered in blood and goo to look realistic.
My hair felt disgusting, and blood kept dripping down my top!

Thursday
...Was then meant to be my rest day, and I felt horribly ill on the
morning, but I had to get up very bright and early to get back to
Newcastle and more Fracture filming. But this time I had a fun new
co-star.
He was the most irritating actor/person I have ever met, and everyone
felt the same way. By the end of the day he had taken it upon himself
to stand behind the director and help frame shots, which didn't go
down well.
Clatters, as the crew called him, found fault in everything we did,
for example how I walk, apparently it isn't natural at all (so how
I've been getting everywhere for the last 19 years is a mystery!)
I was told that the night previously, he had kicked off in a
restaurant and screamed and insulted the staff because they had just
stopped serving food. There are too many stories about how much we
hated him, too many to blog, but we spent most of today (now he's gone
home), marvelling at how much we hated and were offended by him.

Friday
I was unfortunately back acting with "Clatters" in Newcastle, so I
tried to not let him get to me, mostly by ignoring, or contesting,
anything he said, which probably isn't the best route to take!
I managed to get away early, I think the director was just trying to
rescue me from him.
Apparently, that night once they all got home, Clatters went a bit
crazy again and demanded money, he ended up driving one of them to a
cash point. (Even though he continuously claimed to be a millionaire.)
I hope to never work with or see him again, and the crew feel
similarly.

Saturday
I had promised to find the zombie film a 60s/70s car, so I asked my
dad's friends who have a Triumph Herald convertible, which looked very
good for the part.
But unfortunately, when I got to their house in the morning, it
refused to start.
Major plan-altering was required as I was due to drive the car to Ccad
where it could be surrounded with green boards, to act as a green
screen.
Instead they eventually managed to get the crew and both actors over
to my house, where I had a couple meters of green fabric, and then a
minute down the road to the car. We would be filming in a drive way.
The day ended up being a success, and my dad's friends loved that
there was a film crew at the house. The even agreed to let their
children, and their children's friends, come and play zombies next
weekend for the film.
(And the car started in the end, but no-one cared because they got to
have a go on a zip wire.)

Sunday
I got picked up at half six in the evening to go to Sedgefield for a
30 second horror film. Laura had been in touch earlier in the week
looking for actors for a small film project, and the film could be
chosen to be screened before a Cohen Brothers film at the Arc in
Stockton.
The basic idea was to have a couple on the sofa, when they hear an
emergency news broadcast on the tv saying there is a serial killer in
Sedgefield, and that everyone should lock the doors and windows. I get
up to do so, and when the camera pans round, you can see the
silhouette of someone with an axe hidden behind the curtain. I'm sure
it will look much better than me explaining it!
He showed us a few example films, one was the inspiration for
Quarantine, a very creepy spanish film that I can't remember the name
of.

Monday
Back filming Fracture, it should be my last day, but you never know!
I was meant to leave at half two, but we didn't start filming until
then! All done now though.

The End. (of this week...)