Hey Ya'll

Since Ms. Pua posted Caris' experience - I'd thought that, maybe I should do it too.

I mean, many of you probably caught my reference here and there on my 'job' on the side.

But yeah... I'm doing some acting on the side.

So, this past weekend, I worked as a Background / Feature Extra for an R&B Music video.

At 4:00PM, I arrived at the location as instructed. All dressed up for the 'club scene.'

Like a pro, I took out my book and start reading. (Doing extra work require a lot of 'waiting' on set)

Then I saw Sandy, whom I met at an audition in the past.

Sandy: "Hey Wayne!"

Wayne: "Oh, you are in this gig too!?"

Sandy: "Yeah!"

She sat down next to me.

Then someone tapped my shoulder. I turned and saw Chewy. (Whom I also met at an audition)

Wayne: "Chewy!"

Chewy: "Hey! Nice to see you again."

Wayne: "Yeah, this is great. Now I feel much better that there are people I know here."

Sandy: "Hi Chewy. Did you went to the 2nd filming last weekend?"

Chewy: "No. I didn't go. It was too far."

Sandy: "Did Mark call?"

Chewy: "He emailed me. But I didn't email him back."

Sandy: "You should."

Chewy: "The production was crappy. I want to work with big people. Major production."

Wayne: "Uh, doesn't matter if a production is big or small. It's a production."

Chewy: "I prefer project like this one. It will be aired on television. Not some kind of film fest."

Wayne: "But this is a music video. Not an Indie film. It's different."

Sandy: "You're lucky that Mark wanted to use you again. He didn't call me for the second scene."

Chewy: "I just don't want to waste my time and money."

Wayne: "How far did Mark want you to travel?"

Chewy: "Upstate. I live in Queens. And Mark didn't even want to pay for my transportation."

Wayne: "Oh. So it's a low-budget production."

Chewy: "CHEAP production."

Sandy: "You never know. A lot of big directors started out small."

Wayne: "True."

Chewy: "One out of a million got big."

Wayne: "True."

Sandy: "Oh well..."

Chewy, totally dressed up for the scene, looked very sultry and sexy.

Chewy: "Wayne, I really want to be on *the* stage."

Wayne: "But that's for the dancers. Were you at the dance audition?"

Chewy: "No. I'm not a dancer."

Wayne: "Well, then ask the Co-director if you can be placed near the stage, so you can get more screen time."

Chewy: "I asked. He said no."

Wayne: "Well... When the artist arrived.... just follow her every where. When the camera is on, be as close to her as possible."

Chewy: "I'll do that."

Then Chewy wondered off to network with other models.

By the time it was 5:40PM, all the extras and principles have arrived at the location.

I looked around.

Saw the crew and the dancers.

Some more extras.

And I noticed something different.

Something wasn't right.

I looked at Sandy.

I looked at Chewy's direction.

OH. MY. GAWD.

Sandy: "Wayne, I'm so glad you are here. I don't know anyone else here."

Wayne: "There's Chewy."

Sandy: "I don't like her attitude."

Wayne: "Oh, well, we all have different goals in this biz. Chewy really wants her exposure."

Sandy: "If you are not here, I'd be very uncomfortable. I feel that I'm the oldest person here."

Wayne: "Sandy... I'm the *ONLY* Asian here...."

Sandy looked around.

And the same OH-My-GAWD expression showed up on her face.

The extras were dominantly African Americans... There were couple Italians and Latinos guys too. (There were lots of hot guys)

I guess that explained why I wasn't surprised when the producer announced that the video will premiere on the BET channel first.

But I was the only Asian.

After two hours of waiting, the production finally started to shoot the video.
Chewy, like a warrior princess, started to follow the lead singer around... When the music started to play... She totally worked it. (Chewy is one of those 'bootie' type of girls that you see in every Hip-Pop music videos) She stayed close to the stage. When the camera started to zoom on the crowd, she moved her body like a snake...

Damn, I wished I look like Tyra Bank, so I could go and compete with the hoochies.

Sandy stayed near the stage as well. She didn't care if the camera got her. She just wanted to check out the dancers.

And damn, the dancers were HOT. VERY hot. There was this one Latina girl, who was placed in the front, next to the lead singer, totally worked her body like a dance machine. (And she looks like Adriana Lima! So Hot!!)

So the stage performance scene took 40 minutes to complete. They shot at all sorts of angle.

I, on the other hand, stayed all the way in the back. For some reason, I felt that I didn't really belong to the crowd. Especially when the rapper started to his stuff, I was like..."Oh damn... I'm not ghetto enough."

So, the camera probably caught my hands waving among the people.

When the feature extras were called to work on a scene where the lead singer and the rapper sat at the VIP couch... Our duty, was to sit on the couch with them, drinking champagne (apple juice), red wine (cranberry juice), beer (more apple juice) and water (tap water) enjoying the night. Chilling' and grove to the music.

I was placed all the way to the side, away from all the bling-bling action. (Is it because I'm Asian?!) Oh well, at least my lucky elbow got some camera time.

Chewy, on the other hand, enjoyed her spot right-next-to-the rapper.

How come this always happen to me? Like the other feature, I was the *ONLY* Asian Secret Service Agent, and my feet got in the shot... but not my face.

*sigh*

We need more Chinese hip-pop videos.