Backyard Hollywood
On any given day there is some film or commercial being filmed in my town. Hollywood loves my city because it actually looks like everyday Ohio instead of trashy LA. So they stream here with their fancy VIP trailers, vans of camera gear, and expensive cars. Good thing my city exists, because I think most of these fancy-schmancy movie stars have it written into their contract that they don't ever have to touch the soil of middle America.
Sometimes it does throw me for a loop though. Yesterday I was out walking with Pixie and saw a Hazardous Materials emergency vehicle parked behind my local bakery. I was just about to swear off my beloved cream puffs forever when I noticed crewmen pasting the name of a fictitious town on the side of the vehicle -Riverglen or something like that. Thank goodness! Just another film shoot. When I finally got to the post office, there was a whole host of fake Riverglen police cars, men in fake uniform and people dressed in derby hats across the street. A concerned woman walking by asked me what the problem was - she must have been from out of town.
The whole process looks so silly from the street. Just a bunch of people sitting around the snack cart and messing with their hair. I don't think I've ever actually caught them while they were filming. It's funny to me that a bunch of people getting paid to play dress up are so idolized by the American media. Somehow the editing process turns these over-rouged Barbies into much more than they would otherwise be, making me feel like we're being conned.
Since I know you guys are going to ask, no, I've never seen anyone famous. I hardly even turn my head anymore when I see a movie being filmed. I guess I should probably stop and watch sometime but it just seems like a waste of time. They don't seem to care what I'm doing and I'm happy to return the favor. For now, our city has a polite understanding with Hollywood that we'll ignore them if they ignore us. The crews are usually pretty good about keeping streets open and keeping their divas locked up in their trailers until their lines come up. We all get along fine that way. I do have to admit though, every time I walk by a production, I go a little slower hoping that they will see Pixie and realize that they need a really cute 1 year old for the scene they are filming and pay me a few thousand bucks on the spot to throw her into the shot. It hasn't happened yet, but I make sure to dress her up really cute every time we go out.
Sometimes it does throw me for a loop though. Yesterday I was out walking with Pixie and saw a Hazardous Materials emergency vehicle parked behind my local bakery. I was just about to swear off my beloved cream puffs forever when I noticed crewmen pasting the name of a fictitious town on the side of the vehicle -Riverglen or something like that. Thank goodness! Just another film shoot. When I finally got to the post office, there was a whole host of fake Riverglen police cars, men in fake uniform and people dressed in derby hats across the street. A concerned woman walking by asked me what the problem was - she must have been from out of town.
The whole process looks so silly from the street. Just a bunch of people sitting around the snack cart and messing with their hair. I don't think I've ever actually caught them while they were filming. It's funny to me that a bunch of people getting paid to play dress up are so idolized by the American media. Somehow the editing process turns these over-rouged Barbies into much more than they would otherwise be, making me feel like we're being conned.
Since I know you guys are going to ask, no, I've never seen anyone famous. I hardly even turn my head anymore when I see a movie being filmed. I guess I should probably stop and watch sometime but it just seems like a waste of time. They don't seem to care what I'm doing and I'm happy to return the favor. For now, our city has a polite understanding with Hollywood that we'll ignore them if they ignore us. The crews are usually pretty good about keeping streets open and keeping their divas locked up in their trailers until their lines come up. We all get along fine that way. I do have to admit though, every time I walk by a production, I go a little slower hoping that they will see Pixie and realize that they need a really cute 1 year old for the scene they are filming and pay me a few thousand bucks on the spot to throw her into the shot. It hasn't happened yet, but I make sure to dress her up really cute every time we go out.
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