'The Other Boleyn Girl' ....

Tuesday 26th September...

This all started about a month ago when the agent phoned
, and she mentioned a minimum of three days work, probably
more, between 2 - 7 October. In a period drama.

I'd had several calls from her in the previous few months,
checking my availability for films, documentaries. So this
time I asked.., "Is this an availability check, or is it
real..?" It was real. And could I grow a beard, and let
my hair grow long.

I didn't hear much after that, but did a couple of other
jobs, where I mentioned to other people about the 2-7 Oct
and it seems that this 'period drama' is the film
of Jane Austen's 'Persuasion'.

Anyway, the third week in September dawned, and the 'offer'
had transformed from 3 days definite, probably more.... into..

a costume fitting, and asked to be available for the last week
in September and the first week in October, at upwards of 13%
less rate of pay than was originally mentioned. And with no
offers about number of days work. This all became clear so late
in the day, that I felt that I had been taken for a ride.
Particularly in making myself unavailable for other work. Oh,
and I forgot to mention , no overtime. And it was a completely
different film.


So anyway... Tuesday the 26th came. The production company
people had told me before I left on Monday night that I wouldn't
be needed the next day. So on the Tuesday morning I mulled a few
things over.

About 2pm I received a text message from the agent, to say that they
needed me for the Wednesday, and could I text them back to confirm.
I didn't reply. About 3 oclock, they tried phoning me on my mobile.
I didn't answer it, and they left a voicemail. I returned home about
5, and found that they had also phoned my landline. I phoned them
then.

An assistant answered. I said.. "I got your message, and yes I'll
do your job for you tomorrow. And I'd like a few words with Kate
(the agent). The agent was on the other phone, so she would call
me back.

She did.. I didn't mess around too much. I said that I didn't much
like the way that something definite had transformed into something
else completely, and completely one-sided. And "I don't quite know
how this fits with your view of things, but when I work on something
big budget, and I'm working about 5 yards away from people being paid
about 10 Million, I like to feel that in some way I'm sharing in the
largesse, even as an extra. If I was working on something with no
budget, but was creative and interesting, then I'd be willing to work
for nothing. This is a big film, and they've just had 15 hours of my
time for less than the minimum wage."

And she apologized. A huge, huge, apology. Some of the others had
been on to her that day. No petrol money. No recompense for taxi
fares for people without cars getting out to somewhere in the back of
beyond in the early hours of the morning. People feeling that they
were being treated as second-class life-forms on set. Long day,
stiffed on the rate.

She said that she wished she hadn't taken on this film, that it was a
100 Million film being made for 30 Million. That the agency was
earning virtually nothing from it. That she had to some extent been
pressurised into it. And that she had lain awake at night 'worrying
about you guys'. Etc..

Quite a performance. If it was a performance, then it was an
Oscar-winning one. It seemed genuine to me. So I accepted it. For now.