I've just had a funny couple of weeks ... and I've no idea yet whether the rather devious self-promotional activities I've been involved in will eventually pay off! But to cut a long story even longer, a while back a casting company near where I live were looking for 'extras' for a comedy film, some of the scenes to be shot 3KM down the road. So I went to the 'audition'. "Oooh!", they said, "we've been looking for people with beards" (mine was a cross between Buster Merryfield's and that of someone from ZZ Top at the time!). Anyway, within a couple of days I'd been roped in and duly turned up for a beach shoot last Tuesday along with all the other extras. I thought I was in for a day just lolling around on the beach ... but no ... as soon as I showed my ugly mug on set I was grabbed by the director and given the job of pretending to be a barman on the set beach bar all day. So, as luck would have it I spent several hours within 6" of the action being played out the other side of the bar while I polished glasses, served the odd drinks and generally tried to look convincingly busy. I found myself in a rather fortunate position. All of Director, Producer, Leading Actor, Leading Actress and a couple of others in the cast are very very well known. Director and Leading Actor at one point had an in-depth script mod discussion literally six inches in front of me. In the evening there were night beach shoots but, since I didn't have any idea what I was supposed to do as I'd been separated out from the other extras who had mostly gone home by then, I was still manning the bar with it's prop booze and whatnot. Who should join me but Leading Actor's charming (real-life) wife! We chatted for three hours or so on just about every subject imaginable, with the L.A. appearing every now and again between shoots. The final (for the time being) outcome of all this is that today I dropped a bulky package off at their hotel containing press cuttings I'd gathered of the filming, a selection of my own scripts and other work, three pages of stills from my son's film he hopes to take to Cannes next year, and a photo of Leading Actor I took on Tuesday that I thought they might like to have. I may hear nothing more of course ... extras aren't supposed to be much more than wallpaper ... but who knows. LA and his wife will certainly be getting a Xmas card from me this year (USA address volunteered ... I didn't ask for it!).
Anyway, the reason for this post, where I deliberately haven't mentioned any names because I don't think it would be fair to do so ... is to put across that I believe all us writer types can do all sorts of different things to get our work under the noses of people who really matter. I've spent a fair amount of time researching LA's background and social leanings as I clearly wouldn't want to send him anything that might annoy him, and hopefully thus haven't.
To close this I should say I have no interest at all in becoming an actor, but I passionately like writing. I'm happy to do more stuff as an 'extra' if it provides access to those who have influence over what appears on film, TV or the Stage etc. If anything comes of the above activities I'll post the details ... but, to be fair, I'll do the same if nothing at all happens!
Hope this doesn't all sound like a braggy post, not supposed to be that at all ... all of us need some help to get our stuff out there.
