My experience as an extra in a film! 'Everest' OUT in 2015

Last  Monday I attended my costume fitting for my role as an extra. Being a costume designer this was really exciting for me as it gave me a chance to see how it's done by a professional. Well, in this case, the assistant of the professional. I was dressed by the assistant designer but I managed to catch a glimpse of  the real costumista as he strode into the room, looked at me, exclaimed "Urgh that's horrible - take it off" and went off out again.

I couldn't help but smile to myself a little as he left the room, I found his mannerisms slightly amusing, the offence he felt from my miss-matched outfit was almost too much for him to look at. 

It made me wonder if things change once you move up to higher ranks. It seems it becomes more deciding 'yes' and 'no' to other peoples decisions than making your own - depending on how many people you have working for you.

There were shelves of mountains boots, boxes of gloves, hats, scarves and earmuffs and finally rails of old school 90's ski and mountain wear. The colours were great, I love the magenta, teal and purple combo's that were so popular for that fashion. 

Wooley hats, scarves, gloves, ear muffs - the lot!

Mountain boots.. I was one of the last so the shelves were a little bare

Rails of 90's ski wear

Colourful body warmers

Ski wear is super super comfy

To the left is my first costume and, as comfy as the blue sweats were, they weren't working as part of costume. We needed to go less pyjama, more mountaineer-er. The solution was a pair of original high waisted Levi's, that if I may add, fitted ever so perfectly - it's a shame they couldn't come home with me!

I returned to Cine Citta on Thursday for my first day of shooting. The producer briefed us before we headed off to get changed. We had an assistant to help us and off with our clothes and on with the costume - I was not expecting such treatment as an extra! We then waited in turn for hair and make up - something else I wasn't expecting. I sat in front of a Hollywood vanity mirror and had my cheeks dirtied and reddened, then my hair fashioned into a very cute Norwegian style low plait. 

It seems as a red-head I was a target of serious face-reddening
in the make-up department

I was really really lucky to have this experience. Not only did I get an idea of how costume works for a film, I got to see how the action on set worked. Unfortunately I could not get any other photo's as phones were forbidden on set (as expected). We went through the process of retaking scenes, hearing the clacker and then the directors words: Rolling, Background action, and then finally Action. Background action was our cue, and with that I tried my best to immerse myself in the scene and act as naturally as possible. I would not have had the confidence to do this a year ago, however after a combination of being at University and most importantly, moving to Rome independently, I was comfortable enough to do it. 

Seeing filming in action and the way the costumes, hair, make-up and set is all designed really enthused me about film making. It gave me an idea for my final year project to integrate video into my branding. I want to create a promotional video and I now have lots of skills from my year in Rome to help me along with it. I will be able to use my lighting skills to set an effective ambience, I have learnt from the Everest filming how important it is to ensure that costumes of extra and actors do not clash with each other - nor can they clash or blend in with the set. This is a useful note that I will take from this experience - the image being shot on camera must work as a whole, every aspect an part of the shot needs to be considered and they must all be in visual harmony with one another. 

Information on the film Everest due for release in 2015 is on IMDB so check it out! I will most certainly be going to the cinema for this one!

Another cheeky photo - I hope I'm allowed to share these..

Upcycling and Re-cycling - How to furnish your whole home with 'garbage'

Among work, I have also been caring for an old lady which is a excellent way for me to earn some extra money and also to explore Rome and go further into the suburbs! They have the most incredibly huge fancy house so it's quite a luxury going over there. Plus another skill I could put on my CV should I ever need to.

Her gorgeous chocolate poodle bounding up the garden

I've also been helping Gaby out taking some photos of her beautiful country home. She would like to have an online portfolio as a lot of it she built herself - including the kitchen. It's really incredible the work she's done, I find great inspiration in Gaby! Here are some photos of the house. Next time I will take my new fancy pants camera my dad has loaned me for university and get some really good quality photos.

The hand crafted made-to-look-old kitchen. The cupboard doors are built from old window shutters

A close up of the marble kitchen sink

The are taps from an old water fountain in Rome, you can see the mythical create style spout mouths - these are one of my favourite features of the house - truly stunning! Gaby made the sink from a piece of marble she found, and the counters were made from window shutters, pieces of new wood made to look old etc. Upcycling and recycling home-style!

A beautiful view from the terrace, even on a rainy day

Upstairs kitchenette with ultramarine backwall

Downstairs bedroom, recycled bed frame and windowed cupboard turning into a mirror

I am expanding my knowledge of what I like to call Super-scrimping. Gaby knows all the old ways to save money, create things cheaply and how to be incredibly economical, this is a really good skill to be improving on and I often find myself fascinated by the things she has created from bizarre things she has found in the trash! ('Trash!' I have also found myself picking up American words over here… A lot of things are becoming really 'Awesome')

My favourite photo of them all, the old smudgy mirror reflecting the soft sunlight

I spent a lovely weekend back in England with my boyfriend living the life in the ever changing Shoreditch. I grow fonder and fonder of that place after each visit! We visited Greenwich which is where time is kept (GMT) and got a good view of London whilst up there. I have noticed a huge increase in my appreciate for the beauty of England since being away.

Greenwich, London. GMT

Bomarzo - A Beautiful 16th Century town in Italy - You Must Visit!

Once 'Under the Overcoat' was finished and we had completed post-production, I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Gaby's country home. I've learnt that almost everybody in Rome has a second home - a vice and escape from the city life - usually in the country or by the seaside.

The old fort at the top of the hill, Bormarzo

Gaby's escape is in a darling 16th century town called Bomarzo. Being from the UK I had never seen a place with such obvious age that was still in tact and with no obvious renovation.

The 16th century homes of a small community

 It was actually quite amazing the good it can do for personal well-being. After spending a few days their I was relaxed, had cleared my mind and would be returning to Rome refreshed, rejuvenated and revitalised.

Not a bad view to eat your breakfast, eh?

Just before I headed home though.. there was one place I had to check out. It's called 'Parco Dei Mostri' which literally translates to The Monster Park. It is also 16th Century, built by a man called Vicino; a patron of the arts and so devoted to his wife that he built the gardens in her memory when she died. 

These statues in the gardens were not your average white stone statues of Gods and Goddess and such that you find in Rome. I have pictured some of my favourite parts of the park. I received a map which was excellent as it gives you information on each piece.

Il Drago

"For Ligurio, the dragon was not a symbol of destruction but rather of time and wisdom. Here, it is fighting a dog, lion and wolf - symbols of spring, summer and winter - the present, future and past. Some say they are 3 lions? The dragon is curiously adorned with butterfly-like wings, indicating its solar spirit."

Casa Pendente

 "The strange, leaning house serves as a passage to the upper garden level. The head-spinning unease of standing inside is meant to spur you on to the rest of the garden. The Orsini coat of arms and motto are in-scribed on the facade of the house."

L'Elefante

"Elephants carrying castles were popular symbols in medieval and Renaissance art, standing for both strength and restraint, often with reference to Hannibal's famous use of elephants to invade the Italian peninsular. This elephant holds a wounded or dead Roman soldier in its trunk who, in turn, holds a now unidentifiable object loosely in his right hand. Scholars argue over whether he is being caught or thrown by the elephant - protecting or discarding. Regardless, the elephant represents both the triumphs and defeats of Rome. It is also an african elephant, therefore, likely to be recalling Scipio, an African who according to legend, never left the side of his war elephants."

If ever you are in the area and have a chance to visit this place - I could not recommend it more. It's fascinating, beautiful and a little out of the ordinary. 

That feeling when you arrive in Italy, your new home

Saturday morning I arrived in bright sunny Rome.

I wasn't nervous beforehand. In fact, I wasn't even really scared - which is surprising when, at this point, I didn't even have a place to live. I was going to a foreign country where I didn't speak the language, I didn't know my way around, or a single person for that matter, and I had no idea how the public transport worked.

The truth is, none of that hits you until you step out of the train station onto the warm concrete, sun beaming down, your 34 kilo grams of stuff in your hand (and on your back, and on your arms) and then you have the thought:

'OK. So what now?'

My actual first step was get a coffee. My first Italian coffee. I could sit at a cafe and plan my day to see what the hell I was going to do. I had three houses to view, and as I did not have the foggiest on how to get around Rome, this was my first challenge.

My view from that little corner cafe

With only a name, address and an Italian mobile number for each house I asked in the cafe I was drinking at for some help. That instantly made me realise how much you take for granted knowing your way around somewhere - or at least how the transport works. I was lucky, the man spoke some English and actually lived about 5 minutes away from one of my addresses. He gave me directions that required me to use the metro and the bus and off I went.

Leaving my life in the train station luggage hold, my day continued with a clueless exploration of Rome and some of the grotty apartments it had to offer. 

That evening I met my boss, Gaby, at the theatre - I hadn't spoken to her until I arrived in Rome due to the fact the Erasmus placements are applied for through the university rather than student to employer. I actually think this is a little strange, I think it would be more beneficial for students to have a chance to chat with their future boss first and present themselves.

The was a show on the night I arrived at the theatre - this really was the best possible to instantly throw me into the theatre and give me an idea of how it all worked. I was introduced to lots of people that night - which, at the time, was quite a nerve-racking experience for me. Previously, as silly as this may sound, I hadn't had much interaction around adults on a same-level kind of way. They had always been parents, or teachers.

My first day was packed with challenges. Sussing out a new city, practising a new language and meeting lots of new people. I learnt that the best way to tackle things is without the worry and too much planning. The most important thing for me on my first day was communication. Asking for directions, asking for help and asking how to read the metro maps. The challenging aspect of this was the language barrier.

I was sleeping at Gaby's bohemian flat until I found my own place - needless to say I slept well that night.

My first week of work started on the Wednesday, 2nd October. As I expected I began with email work and database. It was my duty to send out mass emails to the theatre contacts regarding a show change. This was a really long process however it taught me the fundamentals of the companies mailing system and the importance to the company of promoting through the mailing list. It was their primary advertising method.

The next Saturday, a week after arriving, we had another showing at the theatre. My responsibility was to meet and greet the guests and ask them certain questions to gain market research. We wanted to know how they had heard about the theatre most importantly as this is key to knowing your target places to advertise. It was also important to take down the emails of any new customers so that they could be added to the mailing list. 

My first night I was a little shy, approaching a group of people to ask them questions was not something I had done before. I did my job, yet I can't imagine I was exactly exuberating confidence.

During the show I conducted a head count of the audience. The number would be used later when looking at the financial aspects such as profit and turnout.

I ended with seeing the guests out, thanking them for coming and also slipping in a little advertisement for the upcoming show. This role really helped to improve my people skills and the next night (Sunday we had another showing) I was already beginning to feel more relaxed. I learnt the importance of knowing your clientèle and how they know about you. This is vital for targeting promotion as accurately as possible.

I would just like to note that these are being re-written from progress logs I kept from my arrival here. This was written the week commencing May 12th 2014. 

(Well done self for dramatically improved writing skills)