Today wrapped filming for me on Expand Your World a promo for Loyola Marymount's new study abroad program. I forgot my camera, but this picture I found of the campus is one of the locations we shot. However, except for the last shot, everything was shot on green-screen. So, although we shot here, there was a huge green screen up. Basically we shot outside for the sunlight, and nothing else. The shoot was broken up into two days, the first day I will appear to have been in a Shaolin Temple playing finger kung-fu fight in front of a actual kung-fu fight. The guy who choreographed and was part of the kung-fu fight, Jack, was a really cool Taiwanese man. He had studied martial arts his whole life, taught around town, and had the comedic sensibility of my grandmother. He truly believes that I should learn Kung-Fu, and now I think I should as well.
The second day of shooting, today, was outside. We actually were sitting at a table outside talking about our study abroad experiences, in character of course. There was some miscommunication between the director and the producer, so my part became completely improv. I really enjoy improv, but I'm always worried that the one time everyone loves the shot, will also be the time my made-up line will flop. Today, the direction for the line went the entire spectrum from zanny to serious, and I learned how to say good in Chinese.
Some examples of lines I used were:
Loved China, but I'm not sure I can return because I killed General Tao with my stomach
Soy Sauce is way better than ketchup
I'm about to expand your world. General Tao, not a general, just a guy who like chicken
The Great wall defended against the Mongol's, I had no idea.
Anyway, I felt good about this shoot. This marks one of the first times that I felt completely comfortable. When the line would need to be changed or the direction shifted, I never assumed that I was a bad actor, the entire day I felt like I was a good actor. That is a great feeling that I hope to feel more and more often.
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