On Set

So, I consented to appear with Sophie in a short film being made by a friend. I know what the guy does, and it's beautiful, exciting stuff, but I had no idea that what I was going to do was actually be a part of a real shoot, with lanes blocked off, a large city bus, some extras, a famous assistant director -- the whole shebang. It was cray cray, as The Big O likes to say and terribly interesting.  At one point an older gentleman walked into the set, clearly one of Los Angeles' many homeless persons, and one of the workers politely asked him to walk behind that bench you see in the photo where I'm sitting. The homeless man was super polite and did so, but what struck me as inimitably LAish about the whole thing was when he said quite placidly, OH! I'm sorry. Ya'll are shooting a movie aren't you? as he walked on by. I was basically directed to be myself, a mother with her child sitting at a bus-stop and engaging wordlessly with a young man also waiting on the bus.So, that's what I did, even as I died a tiny death inside when the very large camera, held by the famous assistant director who is also an actor practically hit the tip of my nose. I think it all came out the way it was supposed to, however it was supposed to. The Director was pleased and said I'd done my thing which I believe is be Elizabeth, Sophie's mother who loves her very much. I wheeled Sophie past the set when they were finished with me, loaded her into the car and drove off. It's a big world, Reader, and a strange one.