My One and Only (MOO)

It has been a little over a week since MOO finish shooting in Baltimore, but I still can't stop thinking of my experience on this show.


(Bill Gray, Runaway Home Productions )

My One and Only (MOO) is an independent film that was shooting in Baltimore staring Renee Zellweger and Kevin Bacon. I had been trying to get on this show since I first heard of it way back in May, but for some reason I couldn't get any callback. Maybe it is because it was a low budget movie and they thought that they would have to pay me a lot since I have been P.A.ing for over a year, at least that's what I told myself.

My roommate, Fernando, is the guy I had heard about the movie from. He had heard it from one of his professor, who was friend with some of the personnel in the location department, and gotten on the show as a location intern. He also had been trying to get me on this show since he had heard of it but with no avail. That is, until mid-way through the show, when I had completely given up on working on it. Fernando called me mid-day and asked me if I was available to help on the show. I had no upcoming gig, so it really didn't take me too long to answer YES!

Finally I was going to be working on a big production, on a film that over a million will see, as oppose to the corporate videos that I had been working on where only a handful of people will get to see. Don't get me wrong, anytime you get on a shooting set is a great learning experience, but film is what I have always strive to do.

I have been on many sets and consider myself to be very competent around one, but I got to admit, it did take me a day or two to get adjusted. I'm was used to film crew being the size of 6 to 10 max. This show had 6 to 12 crew member in each department. Learning every bodies name and what their job was did take some time. Lucky for me, I already knew quite a few of the production assistant, production intern, and location intern. The movie should really give out a special thanks to Towson University since most of the assistant and intern went or is going to school there.

The work was hard but fulfilling. I loved every minute of it. I went from asking for maybe only two days of week to working everyday because I loved it so much, and I'm not talking regular 9 to 5 days either. I'm talking about 12 to 18 hour days starting at various times from 3:00am to 1:00pm and ending at 5:00pm to 3:00am, in the hot summer sun.

I learned a lot from my experience and I'm very sure that I've gotten a lot of respect for my work ethic and competence. I really busted my ass to make sure that the location department, the department I worked for, looked good. I've personally gotten some praise from my managers, which only helps to boost my confidence and reinforce my decision to stay in the DC/Baltimore area. I am hoping to parlay this into more work. I've been told that I'm wanted on the next upcoming show, in the fall, and I'm really exited for it. But until all the i are dotted and the t are cross, I'll be crossing my fingers and holding my breath.

All the people I've worked with were great. Like always, the set was very clicky. The producers ate lunch at the producers trailer, the grips ate lunch at the grip table, the cameraman ate lunch at the cameraman table etc... I ate with the assistant and intern, and in turn have gotten to know them a lot better. I even manage to befriend one of the main actor and upcoming star, Logan Lerman. Because of his age, he felt more comfortable eating with us assistant and intern since we were all closer to his age and he could relate to us more. Despite the clicks, I was very comfortable talking to everyone, no one made me feel like I wasn't suppose to be talking to them, well except for the producers, which I really didn't interact with much. But everyone was great, we got so comfortable with each other that on the very last day of the shoot, we even openly talked about oral sex with both male and female crew members.


(Bill Gray, Runaway Home Production)

I miss it already. I miss my new found friends. I miss working and keeping busy. I miss the excitement of making a movie. But most importantly, I miss...CATERING. The entire month I worked on this show, I only had to cook for my self twice. The rest of my meals were provided by the delicious catering truck. I felt like I was dinning at a four star restaurant every time breakfast, lunch, and dinner came around. hhhmmm!!! I'm getting hungry just writing about it.

There were a few things that I however didn't like.

• -I love being on set, but working for the location department, there are times when you'll be needed elsewhere, for instance, I hated doing traffic duty, making sure that the crew and extras parked in the right places and left safely.
• -On company moves, I didn't like staying behind and wrapping up an old location while filming was happening in another location. Like I said, I love being on set.
  
• -There were some down time.
• -As an intern, I didn't have as much responsibility as I'm used to having, which left me in the dark most of the time. I'm a curious individual and need to know what is going on, so that I can make the best possible decision, instead of blindly following instruction. I'll do it, but I'll question everything.
• -The producers wouldn't allow cameras. I love taking pictures and capturing memories. I've had a camera on every set I've ever been on, until this one. Had I been allow to bring my camera, I would have at least 4,000 pictures, and thats no joke.
  

Working on this show has reinvigorated my want to work in film production, I don't want to just be in the film industry, I want to be making film. I absolutely cannot wait until the next time, that is how much fun I had. And yes, this is work.

Oh!!! and the best thing... I am finally now on IMDb after 4 year of trying.