Visit to Everett High School

Not too long ago, I had the honor of being a guest at Everett HIgh School where my father had graduated. I had been there once before because the taekwondo school I came from (Shinn's TKD) had started a program there, but this had been my first time ever stepping through the halls as an adult. Much like the last time I went to my own high school (where my nephew is currently studying) it was almost shocking to see how young everyone looked. WOW.

I was invited in to speak to their Japanese classes, not only to show them that non-Japanese people can learn to speak the language well too, but also to give them a taste as to what exactly they can expect if they choose to go there. Before going there, I was a bit nervous as I hadn't done anything quite like it, but overall, they really really seemed to enjoy it, as did the teachers. I was pleasantly surprised at just how many questions the kids had, and how engaged they were.

From what I saw, they were all really really good kids. Basically, my class time consisted of my showing them a few videos of things I had done, and projects I had worked on, telling them about my own experiences, giving them some time to ask questions and then ending with my demonstrating an Irish Whip. Everybody really seemed to be in to it. It was also cool because one of my other nephews was in the class, so I had the chance to actually see him and speak to him and a few of his friends as well. Of everything that I have done with this whole wild and crazy lifetime of mine, doing stuff like this is my absolutely favorite. Working with younger kids has always been one of the great joys in life for me, and with high schoolers in particular, it's cool because you can still relate to them as adults, but they still have the open-mindedness and wonder that most people have squandered once they reach college. If a single one of them decides to get into martial arts and/or studies abroad in their college days, then I can say that this trip was totally worth it.

Another day another shoot... with car crashes, and exploding windows

This past weekend, I had another shoot for the film I was doing. I was pretty excited because I was one of six people who asked to bring cars to the shoot so that they could actually use them in the film (which meant more $$$ for me ;). I was supposed to drive it through a major intersection just before 6 cars smashed into each other. Cooooool stuff.

After I arrived on set, they told me to park behind a blue Tahoe, and then wait for further instructions... Which was fine... except that I really really had to go to the bathroom. Finally, 2 1/2 hours later, I broke down and decided to make a quick run, and then sure enough found out that the AD had come around to give directions while I was in the bathroom, and that I had lost my spot to one of the other drivers. This is one of the things I've come to learn- if you are involved in huge projects with a lot of people, (and ultimately millions of dollars at stake) the production schedule comes before all. Unless you are one of the major players in the film, If you miss a beat, you're out. As such, I ended up spending the vast majority of the afternoon simply sitting in the car parked right behind where the accident took place. It did however, still add to the scene, still earn me a paycheck, and keep me warm and out of the wind while everyone else was outside freezing (the weather was snowy and unbelievably cold) so I didn't particularly have any complaints about it.

Even so, it was a pretty cool shoot to see up close and personal. There were 6 car crashes, gunfire, windows exploding, etc. Typical Hollywood fare. Didn't know semi-automatic weaponry was that loud. Nor had I ever witnessed real car accidents that close either. Interestingly enough, I also figured out how they blow out the windows to real restaurants and things on set... Very interesting stuff. Definately a trick I'd love to use in a film sometime myself. For this scene 50 cent was also present. I was talking to a few people on set during one of the downtimes, and noticed that he sitting about 10 feet away from me. No chances to talk to him at all (and I didn't except to), but I was surprised to find that he looks exactly like he does on TV. Don't know what I expected to be different... but when I was doing security for celebs a few years back, I was suprised at just how different a few of them looked than they do on TV. Sometimes, it's really a wonder what make-up can do ;)

First Filming in Michigan

Had my first experience working on a shoot in Michigan this past weekend for a new Bruce Willis film. While I'm here, I'm training more than anything else, but I registered with Real Styles in Detroit (who casts extras for Hollywood projects in Michigan) just for the chance to get onset and make a bit of extra cash on the side before I start filming on Figment next month, and they cast me in this immediately.

It was a first in terms of a lot of things (i.e. working on a film of that budget size, working here in my home state in Michigan, etc) but the single most impressive thing about it was the food. With a lot of the jobs I did in Japan, the craft services (i.e. food) consisted of a few bottles of tea, some Okashi (snacks) and a bento (lunch box).

Here just the snack table was INCREDIBLE. 6 different kinds of fresh veggies, all kinds of fruit (dehydrated and fresh), 5 or 6 different kinds of nutri-grain bars, 5 or 6 different kinds of candy bars, multiple kinds of potato, corn and veggie chips, and a multitude of different nuts... and all that was BEFORE LUNCH.

Lunch actually consisted of king crab, fresh steak, grilled chicken, 2 kinds of pie, 3 kinds of salad (with 7 different kinds of dressing) and the list goes on and on. The most incredible thing was the fact that I was eating like this as an extra. I can't even imagine what they must have been feeding Bruce and 50 cent.

Beyond that, the mechanics of the shoot itself were pretty much the same. The equipment they used was obviously of a bigger budget, but how they did things was nothing new. I did learn a few cool new tricks for dealing with fake blood, and adding realism to a murder, so that was cool though.

Beyond that, the other big difference was the pay rate... As an extra, for shorter shoots, Japanese films actually pay better... but out here, you actually get overtime pay and all kinds of bonus for things (wearing your own clothes, bringing your own props, etc) so for a longer or more involved shoot, you can actually make a really decent amount. It's no wonder there are people who work as extras full time in LA.