First day on the film shoot

Last Thursday was my first day on the set of the film "God's Country," in which I'm playing Cole. Even though there were some tense moments as I struggled (and failed) to catch the train, I made it to the set just a little bit late for my call. But it ultimately didn't really matter all that much. I'm used to shooting times where people are starting as soon as everyone is there, but I had enough time to get dressed, put on makeup, have some coffee, and read over my script several times before the crew was ready for me on the set. I showed up, got a brief blocking rehearsal, and then did the first shot a few times. They moved to the second, then the third, and then we were done a scene. Another hour-long wait, and I had another 10 second shot to film. This continued most of the day until we had finished all the scenes that were on the schedule. Then I was released, given my call sheet for the next day of filming, and I went off for dinner.

It was a nice day. It took a lot of focus and work to focus on the scenework the way I needed to, since there weren't really opportunities for either rehearsals or warmups into the work. I had to act at a second's notice, and then be expected to do it again over and over. Making specific choices but letting them read in very small ways. It was a lot of fun to be just an actor on the film set, too, not worrying about the schedule, the next shot, or how long it was taking. I was there just to do my job and that was it. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this process.