words I learned this week:
gozee = husband
magnoon = crazy
ghabi, pronounced "rabi" (rolling the 'r' like the French do [back of throat]) = stupid
kalb = dog
'ota = cat
Thursday, April 23, 2009
World(s) [Apart] War Three
Holy Crap. It all came to a head today. I exploded. Okay, so not nuclear, but I did raise my voice.
A little back story: Apparently there were communication problems (go figure) last year between the special effects department and the AD department. So as a pre-emptive measure, a special position was created- a continuity AD, just for our department. Now, for those of you familiar with the industry, there really is no such position. Each Department Head is in charge of the continuity elements related to their work. We cannot rely on others because they may not know exactly what we're looking for. Moreover, they may not always be consistent in their coverage of continuity. There is a person in charge of continuity for the entirety of the production, and sometimes the script supervisor takes on these duties too. Buuuuut, it is not required to create a position JUST for the special effect make-up department. The inherent danger in doing so is that since this would be their one-and-only job, they will pour 120% of themselves into the job. While I understand and appreciate the importance of continuity, if something is a nano-millimeter off...and they're worried that someone will notice.... ehhhh... I'm worried about the future of the show.
Anywho, so now we've got this person who stands right next to me in our room with her laptop open with a bevy of photos she's taken and is pointing out (during application, in front of talent no less) how 'this is shorter than in the picture, and there was more red here and...' Grrr...
Now, up to today, I've smiled my 'acquired-from-years-of-service-industry' smile and said 'no problem, i've got it, sure, it's okay, i'm on it...', then asked her to tell me these things after if they're necessary. Every day for two weeks. It's been a constant, interminable struggle. I go to war everyday. They don't seem to understand that Chris and I know what we're doing and we're on it. If we can't manage a simple thing like continuity, then we have no business in this industry! Yet, she's still standing there, with her laptop at my shoulder, stepbystep.
Well, today Chris stepped in and said something. Enough was enough. She responded, things escalated and arguing ensued. IN FRONT OF THE TALENT. I don't care who's in my chair- You never EVER argue in front of an actor. After the actor left the room, I told Chris and our 'helper' that next time, you take it outside. She got defensive. I was trying to make my point (across a chasm of a language/cultural barrier) and she kept cutting me off, saying she didn't understand. Um, let me finish and hopefully you'll see what I'm getting to. She kept cutting me off, talking over me. That was that. I lost it and started raising my voice. Now, up until this point I've used my dad's technique of keeping my voice level, yet trying to express my 'displeasure' and getting my point across, and in every other case I've enjoyed measurable success. Today that went into the toilet. This was not going to be resolved without proper mediation.
I had to leave the room to regain my composure. I knew that if I didn't step away things would keep escalating and that would get us nowhere fast. When I returned I found two of our producers, Chris, the AD and her in deep discussion. Again. Now, understand that this situation is starting to feel alot like a scene from "Groundhog Day". We've had this conversation before, three or four times with different approaches, but always with the same disappointing results. There was alot of 'this is how we do it here', 'this is how we do it back home', I appologized for raising my voice (which apparently just isn't done here), lots of Arabic between one of the producers and the ADs, AAARRRRGG! We are getting nowhere!!!! Finally, we think we've come to a resolution. I think. Eeecchh. We'll have to see on Saturday. Which, by the way, is when our stuff is supposed to be here. "T.A.I.T." (Thank Allah It's Thursday)- I need a drink.
A little back story: Apparently there were communication problems (go figure) last year between the special effects department and the AD department. So as a pre-emptive measure, a special position was created- a continuity AD, just for our department. Now, for those of you familiar with the industry, there really is no such position. Each Department Head is in charge of the continuity elements related to their work. We cannot rely on others because they may not know exactly what we're looking for. Moreover, they may not always be consistent in their coverage of continuity. There is a person in charge of continuity for the entirety of the production, and sometimes the script supervisor takes on these duties too. Buuuuut, it is not required to create a position JUST for the special effect make-up department. The inherent danger in doing so is that since this would be their one-and-only job, they will pour 120% of themselves into the job. While I understand and appreciate the importance of continuity, if something is a nano-millimeter off...and they're worried that someone will notice.... ehhhh... I'm worried about the future of the show.
Anywho, so now we've got this person who stands right next to me in our room with her laptop open with a bevy of photos she's taken and is pointing out (during application, in front of talent no less) how 'this is shorter than in the picture, and there was more red here and...' Grrr...
Now, up to today, I've smiled my 'acquired-from-years-of-service-industry' smile and said 'no problem, i've got it, sure, it's okay, i'm on it...', then asked her to tell me these things after if they're necessary. Every day for two weeks. It's been a constant, interminable struggle. I go to war everyday. They don't seem to understand that Chris and I know what we're doing and we're on it. If we can't manage a simple thing like continuity, then we have no business in this industry! Yet, she's still standing there, with her laptop at my shoulder, stepbystep.
Well, today Chris stepped in and said something. Enough was enough. She responded, things escalated and arguing ensued. IN FRONT OF THE TALENT. I don't care who's in my chair- You never EVER argue in front of an actor. After the actor left the room, I told Chris and our 'helper' that next time, you take it outside. She got defensive. I was trying to make my point (across a chasm of a language/cultural barrier) and she kept cutting me off, saying she didn't understand. Um, let me finish and hopefully you'll see what I'm getting to. She kept cutting me off, talking over me. That was that. I lost it and started raising my voice. Now, up until this point I've used my dad's technique of keeping my voice level, yet trying to express my 'displeasure' and getting my point across, and in every other case I've enjoyed measurable success. Today that went into the toilet. This was not going to be resolved without proper mediation.
I had to leave the room to regain my composure. I knew that if I didn't step away things would keep escalating and that would get us nowhere fast. When I returned I found two of our producers, Chris, the AD and her in deep discussion. Again. Now, understand that this situation is starting to feel alot like a scene from "Groundhog Day". We've had this conversation before, three or four times with different approaches, but always with the same disappointing results. There was alot of 'this is how we do it here', 'this is how we do it back home', I appologized for raising my voice (which apparently just isn't done here), lots of Arabic between one of the producers and the ADs, AAARRRRGG! We are getting nowhere!!!! Finally, we think we've come to a resolution. I think. Eeecchh. We'll have to see on Saturday. Which, by the way, is when our stuff is supposed to be here. "T.A.I.T." (Thank Allah It's Thursday)- I need a drink.
Monday, April 20, 2009
"Itchy" Gitchy Ya Ya Yah
Blood seems to be a theme this week. Right now though I'm talking about my own; I seem to be the sole source of sustenance for some colony of mosquitoes, or fleas or something around here. My legs are all chewed up from the knees down. And the itching!!! Oh. My. God. It's terrible. Thankfuly we have a doctor on set- Dr. Khaled got me some antihistamine cream and some claratin, but still, the itch!! Arrrgh!! I can't stop!
Let's think about something else, shall we, or I'll start considering amputating my legs...
Speaking of the focus of unwanted attention, Chris and I feel lately like we're walking in a constant spotlight. As we walk down the street, taxis are constantly stopping (in fact, impeding traffic around them) to see if we need a ride. My feelings regarding this are very much the same as those regarding telemarketers: if I need something, I'll go out and find it- don't hound me. This goes for taxis. While I appreciate the willingness to help us, go away please! See these? These are legs- they work fantastic! We enjoy walking!!! We like exploring!! We'll flag you down if we need you.
In regards to driving in Cairo, I beleive that everyone here is a stunt driver in training. It's nuts how close the cars pass to each other! Inches. And not even a graze. Sometimes there's head-on traffic facing off in a one-way street (most of the sidestreets are like that) and it's like a game of Tetris as cars pull off into a few feet of space to let the other go by, all while pedestrians thread their way through. There seems to be an unspoken understanding between drivers too. Nobody yells, or gets really upset. There's a lot of courtesy, with driver's signaling to each other with a series of flashing blinkers and 'peeps' of their horns. I'm assuming that if no one gets upset, or tries to force their right-of-way, then there's less accidents. Just a theory.
Let's think about something else, shall we, or I'll start considering amputating my legs...
Speaking of the focus of unwanted attention, Chris and I feel lately like we're walking in a constant spotlight. As we walk down the street, taxis are constantly stopping (in fact, impeding traffic around them) to see if we need a ride. My feelings regarding this are very much the same as those regarding telemarketers: if I need something, I'll go out and find it- don't hound me. This goes for taxis. While I appreciate the willingness to help us, go away please! See these? These are legs- they work fantastic! We enjoy walking!!! We like exploring!! We'll flag you down if we need you.
In regards to driving in Cairo, I beleive that everyone here is a stunt driver in training. It's nuts how close the cars pass to each other! Inches. And not even a graze. Sometimes there's head-on traffic facing off in a one-way street (most of the sidestreets are like that) and it's like a game of Tetris as cars pull off into a few feet of space to let the other go by, all while pedestrians thread their way through. There seems to be an unspoken understanding between drivers too. Nobody yells, or gets really upset. There's a lot of courtesy, with driver's signaling to each other with a series of flashing blinkers and 'peeps' of their horns. I'm assuming that if no one gets upset, or tries to force their right-of-way, then there's less accidents. Just a theory.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Blades, Blood and a Monster Under the Bed
Tuesday was an interesting day. I had fair warning of it from Joe Z. at least, on Monday. Production was going to sacrifice a bull in order to bless the taping of the third season of 'CM'. Yup. Sacrifice a bull. We got to work and there it was, ignorantly standing there, tied to a tree. Everyone was waiting for Joe to arrive to start the, er, 'festivities'. I suddenly remembered that I had some very important work that needed attending to right away. Chris stayed to watch and took pictures. I guess that's one more life experience that Chris is richer by. I don't feel a great loss. I know myself and from what Chris said, I would have had a rough time of it (it took the bull 10 minutes to die). Well, I hope all the hoopla worked, and we get our stuff soon. Yessiree. Would be nice to do make-up with, oh, I dunno, a makeup kit.
I spent the better part of yesterday under a hospital bed; it's a scene where a man who's committed suicide is placed in a bed and his wounds continue to bleed profusely. The actor was hooked up to tubing and I was 'attached' to the tubing with syringes, pumping the blood. Because the shot was pretty wide, there really wasn't any place for me to hide save under the bed, so I hung out there for a couple of hours. It wasn't so uncomfortable except for the fact that I really really really had to use the restroom and I was laying flat on my bladder..! Actually, most of the crew forgot that I was under the bed and I scared the crap out of a few of them when I crawled out, covered in blood splatter. :)
Despite the awkward language barrier, I'm really enjoying the crew here. Egyptian people, and Cairenes in particular, have a terrific sense of humour and love picking on each other. They're pretty sarcastic- just my type of folks! I feel right at home!
I think (one of) the hardest things about living in Egypt is the taboo of publicly displayed affection. Chris and I are very affectionate and it's difficult to remember that anything more than linked arms or hand-holding is staunchly looked-down upon. Even a shared kiss between a married couple is a no-no.
I spent the better part of yesterday under a hospital bed; it's a scene where a man who's committed suicide is placed in a bed and his wounds continue to bleed profusely. The actor was hooked up to tubing and I was 'attached' to the tubing with syringes, pumping the blood. Because the shot was pretty wide, there really wasn't any place for me to hide save under the bed, so I hung out there for a couple of hours. It wasn't so uncomfortable except for the fact that I really really really had to use the restroom and I was laying flat on my bladder..! Actually, most of the crew forgot that I was under the bed and I scared the crap out of a few of them when I crawled out, covered in blood splatter. :)
Despite the awkward language barrier, I'm really enjoying the crew here. Egyptian people, and Cairenes in particular, have a terrific sense of humour and love picking on each other. They're pretty sarcastic- just my type of folks! I feel right at home!
I think (one of) the hardest things about living in Egypt is the taboo of publicly displayed affection. Chris and I are very affectionate and it's difficult to remember that anything more than linked arms or hand-holding is staunchly looked-down upon. Even a shared kiss between a married couple is a no-no.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Lights, Camera...Action??
Soooo. We're on our second day of shooting. NO MATERIALS. NONE. NOTHING. NADA. ZIP. ZILCH. Everything is still tied up in customs somewhere. They've probably decided that Chris and I are threats to national security and they're tracking our every move right now.
FORTUNATELY, Kevin, the makeup artist before us left a few things with his local assistant, Ibrahim; a partial Kryolan greasepaint palette, some spirit gum, an Illustrator palette and a bit of liquid latex. Definitely better than nothing!
Our first day on set was like every other first day on set- lots of kinks to work out and an attempt to coordinated every one's 'rhythms'. We're almost there on day two. The feeling on set is pretty laid back. It's nice not having to oversee both the beauty and the effects departments. While our work is an integral part of the show, there is an element of subtlety that the show's director and producers wanted to maintain. Also, showing a great deal of graphic images on television is a relatively new concept here in Egypt and the Middle East. For example, one of the characters is supposed to have overdosed on her medication and she has been repeatedly vomiting on herself. We dressed her nightgown with 'prop yak' (tinted latex and chunks of bread) accordingly. Waaayyy to much they told us. For some reason, the audience here will have an easier time with blood than they will vomit. Huh. Well there you go.
Speaking of what they can and cannot show on tv, it's interesting to see how they censor televised movies from the U.S.. I was watching 'Van Wylder 2' (there. was. absolutely. nothing. on.) and they cut all and any kissing scene, even the most innocent peck on the cheek. Left in all the swearing though. When this show ("Critical Moments") will air in Saudia Arabia, they censor it so that you never see a woman exposing any more flesh than her hands and face.
When we first got to Cairo, I was really self-concious about not having my head covered. One of the crew members (a Cairene- born and raised- as is 90% of the crew) assured me that it didn't matter because I was from the west and they don't expect that level of modesty from us. I didn't know whether to be reassured or somewhat offended... Actually, you see alot of women without headcoverings. Egypt is very liberal- relatively speaking. Relative that is to the rest of the Islamic-dominated countries. I actually like the way things are here. There's something to be said for modesty. Walking around Burbank and bearing in mind what I expected the 'dress code' to be in Egypt, I was, sorry to say, a bit ashamed to see what some, ahem, "young ladies" were wearing. I saw one girl who was wearing shorts smaller that some boyshort undies I have.
Anywho, who am I to judge? Opinions are a different matter- and you know what they say opinions are like...
FORTUNATELY, Kevin, the makeup artist before us left a few things with his local assistant, Ibrahim; a partial Kryolan greasepaint palette, some spirit gum, an Illustrator palette and a bit of liquid latex. Definitely better than nothing!
Our first day on set was like every other first day on set- lots of kinks to work out and an attempt to coordinated every one's 'rhythms'. We're almost there on day two. The feeling on set is pretty laid back. It's nice not having to oversee both the beauty and the effects departments. While our work is an integral part of the show, there is an element of subtlety that the show's director and producers wanted to maintain. Also, showing a great deal of graphic images on television is a relatively new concept here in Egypt and the Middle East. For example, one of the characters is supposed to have overdosed on her medication and she has been repeatedly vomiting on herself. We dressed her nightgown with 'prop yak' (tinted latex and chunks of bread) accordingly. Waaayyy to much they told us. For some reason, the audience here will have an easier time with blood than they will vomit. Huh. Well there you go.
Speaking of what they can and cannot show on tv, it's interesting to see how they censor televised movies from the U.S.. I was watching 'Van Wylder 2' (there. was. absolutely. nothing. on.) and they cut all and any kissing scene, even the most innocent peck on the cheek. Left in all the swearing though. When this show ("Critical Moments") will air in Saudia Arabia, they censor it so that you never see a woman exposing any more flesh than her hands and face.
When we first got to Cairo, I was really self-concious about not having my head covered. One of the crew members (a Cairene- born and raised- as is 90% of the crew) assured me that it didn't matter because I was from the west and they don't expect that level of modesty from us. I didn't know whether to be reassured or somewhat offended... Actually, you see alot of women without headcoverings. Egypt is very liberal- relatively speaking. Relative that is to the rest of the Islamic-dominated countries. I actually like the way things are here. There's something to be said for modesty. Walking around Burbank and bearing in mind what I expected the 'dress code' to be in Egypt, I was, sorry to say, a bit ashamed to see what some, ahem, "young ladies" were wearing. I saw one girl who was wearing shorts smaller that some boyshort undies I have.
Anywho, who am I to judge? Opinions are a different matter- and you know what they say opinions are like...
Friday, April 10, 2009
"Saturday Night Fever"
I know you're not supposed to 'drunk dial', but can you 'tipsy blog'? We just got in from a typical 'thursday' night [Egypt's version of Saturday night- they have Fridays off] with one of our producers, Rob. I've had two 'Stellas' (no, not Stella Artois, just 'Stella', one of Egypt's national beers) and I'm well into the beginings of 'the spins', watching a boxing moving with Barbara Streisand- the name escapes me right now. I smell like an ashstray. I wonder what the life-expectancy is here? I've never gotten all my minerals all in one breath.
A small word on the traffic here; there are no lanes, no traffic signals, no use of the indicator (turn signal), etc. The most used part of the car is the horn- unlike L.A., it's not used in anger; it's more of a warning. Like, "hey, I see you there. Can you see me coming?". Here, you assume that no one is going to know what they're doing so everyone is extra curteous and cautious. No one gets angry(much), no road rage. I have seen very few accidents, and our driver says they are few and far in between. The traffic is tough, and the worst tie-ups are caused by stopped traffic because a Minister is passing through with their entourage. I don't know if their system would work everywhere, but it seems to work here.
A small word on the traffic here; there are no lanes, no traffic signals, no use of the indicator (turn signal), etc. The most used part of the car is the horn- unlike L.A., it's not used in anger; it's more of a warning. Like, "hey, I see you there. Can you see me coming?". Here, you assume that no one is going to know what they're doing so everyone is extra curteous and cautious. No one gets angry(much), no road rage. I have seen very few accidents, and our driver says they are few and far in between. The traffic is tough, and the worst tie-ups are caused by stopped traffic because a Minister is passing through with their entourage. I don't know if their system would work everywhere, but it seems to work here.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
One week
One week in and we still don't have our stuff. Eeeesh. Production assures us that our kits and supplies are in London. Great. How about our stuff being in Cairo? I know they can't do anything about it, but shooting starts on Saturday and things look grim. We have gelatine and fake blood. I've worked with less. :)
Chris is just getting over a little stomach bug. I think it was lunch from the other day: smoked herring or 'ringa'. I had some too- definitely an acquired taste. Chris hasn't been acquiring a taste for anything these past two days. One of the medical consultants, Dr. Khaled, took a look at him this afternoon and gave him a little something for the nausea and to clear out his system. He seems to be fine. "Pharoah's Curse" they call it [aka "Montezuma's Revenge" in Mexico]. I haven't had any problems yet. Yet. Must be all my mom's cooking growing up; I'm impervious to pretty much anything by now. Hah hah. (love you, Maman!)
Walked around Zamalek last night. Got lost, got found. Not really all that lost if you're exploring. We just had a little trouble finding our way back to the apartment. Wouldn't have been too big of a deal otherwise, but as Chris put it, the herring was 'trying to swim free'... Our neighbourhood is really nice. Beautiful architecture, lots of tree-lined streets. It was fun exploring a new place. Notwithstanding, we are definitely going to buy a map today.
Chris is just getting over a little stomach bug. I think it was lunch from the other day: smoked herring or 'ringa'. I had some too- definitely an acquired taste. Chris hasn't been acquiring a taste for anything these past two days. One of the medical consultants, Dr. Khaled, took a look at him this afternoon and gave him a little something for the nausea and to clear out his system. He seems to be fine. "Pharoah's Curse" they call it [aka "Montezuma's Revenge" in Mexico]. I haven't had any problems yet. Yet. Must be all my mom's cooking growing up; I'm impervious to pretty much anything by now. Hah hah. (love you, Maman!)
Walked around Zamalek last night. Got lost, got found. Not really all that lost if you're exploring. We just had a little trouble finding our way back to the apartment. Wouldn't have been too big of a deal otherwise, but as Chris put it, the herring was 'trying to swim free'... Our neighbourhood is really nice. Beautiful architecture, lots of tree-lined streets. It was fun exploring a new place. Notwithstanding, we are definitely going to buy a map today.
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