Sue Knott's Blog: Knott The Screaming Type, page 2
May 30, 2013
What to expect when you agree to be an "extra" in a movie, etc.
I filled in as an extra (or backgroound person) in Best Man Holiday last night. I've never worked as an extra before, but I knew what to expect because I've hired and directed extras before. They needed a lot of extras last night (500), so there were a lot of newbies there (Buffalo's actiing talent pool just isn't that big, especially when you consider the time commitment this movie needed).
Since it was obvious that a lot of people had no idea what to expect, I thought I'd fill you in so you can make an educated decision should you ever have the opportunity. First, being an extra is WORK. Depending on the director, you will likely be treated with respect, but you may be required to stand, walk or even scream for long periods of time. There may be a lot of boring downtime standing in hot (or cold) crowded spaces, long lines, or in uncomfortable seats. This is not for wusses. There is a reason you don't often see elderly folks in crowd shots!
Depending on the situation, you MAY get to see the principal actors from a distance. You will not be permitted to photograph them, talk to them, ask for an autograph, etc. Some actors may wave or otherwise acknowledge the presence of the crowd of extras, others may not. You will likely get to see scenes being filmed, but you're not likely to be able to hear what the actors are saying or see their faces. You will have to be extremely quiet while those shots are taken. In general, expect to act like a professional, because that is what you are. You are a pro on a job, not a consumer being pampered or a tourist out on a lark. There will be lines to check in and check out. Don't grumble. You are being paid for your time and it's part of the job.
Be sure to find out in advance what kind of time commitment is expected of you and don't be surprised if it goes into overtime. For last night's gig, I was told to arrive at 6:30 pm. I had to ask when it was expected to end and was told "it could go as late as 6 am, but it will likely end earlier." I'm pretty sure the woman recruiting me was trying to lessen my resistance by making the commitment sound like it might not be so bad. In fact, it was worse. I got out at 7 am, with the last hour spent standing in line (well, I wasn't standing...there were chairs nearby so I snagged one and dragged it along in line...I'm not proud.)
We did a lot of standing and screaming while "acting." It was a long, hard night. (Why did I let myself do this? Because I knew they were desparate for people and I figured I'd help out as sort of a civic responsibility...the call was put out by a friend of mine in the Convention & Visitors Bureau.) Depending on the situation, you may be working for an hourly or day rate. I was working on a day rate. Since I really wasn't in it for the money, I didn't bother asking how long they assumed a "day" to be. I'm guessing it's 12 hours, but there's a chance it is 14 or more -- I'll post a comment when I get my paycheck letting you know if I got overtime for the last half hour. (FYI: The day rate for this job was $120)
Obviously, working that long, you will be fed. Don't expect to leave to eat. A union production will have a craft table...a "lunch" set up for the extras. We ate at midnight, but it could have been later...they will schedule lunch when it is convienent for the production -- usually a break between scenes (it's a good idea to bring protein bars and a water bottle if you have a difficult time going for a long spell without eating). You will not be eating with the "real" actors, but the food should be good. We had a spread consisting of vegetable lasagna, meat lasagna, a nice baby mixed greens tossed salad, rattoullie (I likely slaugntered the spelling on that , but I'm too tired to look it up), cookies and a couple different beverage options. Later in the evening (or morning in this case), there were bags of chips, p,b&j sandwiches and such.
When it comes down to it, it's not bad work for someone who is used to minimum wage. It's not as hard as, say, washing dishes, you make more money and get fed well. However, for established professionals, you're likely going to be working physically harder than you're used to for a lot less money than you're used to. If you can't roll with that, don't go!
If you do decide to go, ask in advance as much about what you are expected to wear as you can. You may not get the right answers (the recruiters aren't always well informed). For instance, the casting person told me the scene was a football game on Christmas day, so I was to wear winter clothes (jacket, hat, etc.), if possible, in team colors of red and blue or to wear Christmas attire. She then said, I could wear any Buffalo Bills attire I might have. "Really? What about the logos?" I asked. "Oh," she said, "not with logos, of course." (Like there is football team attire without logos. Not!) Don't ever wear anything with a visible logo, writing on it, a picture of a character (Disney, etc.). This woman was ill informed about the team colors, too. She said blue and red as if it should be mixed...while in actuality, there was a blue team and a red team...and we were all supposed to be rooting for the blue team. (It doesn't hurt to bring a little bag with a variety of clothing options. That way, chances are you'll get to wear your own stuff rather than something some other sweaty extra wore the night before.
Since it was obvious that a lot of people had no idea what to expect, I thought I'd fill you in so you can make an educated decision should you ever have the opportunity. First, being an extra is WORK. Depending on the director, you will likely be treated with respect, but you may be required to stand, walk or even scream for long periods of time. There may be a lot of boring downtime standing in hot (or cold) crowded spaces, long lines, or in uncomfortable seats. This is not for wusses. There is a reason you don't often see elderly folks in crowd shots!
Depending on the situation, you MAY get to see the principal actors from a distance. You will not be permitted to photograph them, talk to them, ask for an autograph, etc. Some actors may wave or otherwise acknowledge the presence of the crowd of extras, others may not. You will likely get to see scenes being filmed, but you're not likely to be able to hear what the actors are saying or see their faces. You will have to be extremely quiet while those shots are taken. In general, expect to act like a professional, because that is what you are. You are a pro on a job, not a consumer being pampered or a tourist out on a lark. There will be lines to check in and check out. Don't grumble. You are being paid for your time and it's part of the job.
Be sure to find out in advance what kind of time commitment is expected of you and don't be surprised if it goes into overtime. For last night's gig, I was told to arrive at 6:30 pm. I had to ask when it was expected to end and was told "it could go as late as 6 am, but it will likely end earlier." I'm pretty sure the woman recruiting me was trying to lessen my resistance by making the commitment sound like it might not be so bad. In fact, it was worse. I got out at 7 am, with the last hour spent standing in line (well, I wasn't standing...there were chairs nearby so I snagged one and dragged it along in line...I'm not proud.)
We did a lot of standing and screaming while "acting." It was a long, hard night. (Why did I let myself do this? Because I knew they were desparate for people and I figured I'd help out as sort of a civic responsibility...the call was put out by a friend of mine in the Convention & Visitors Bureau.) Depending on the situation, you may be working for an hourly or day rate. I was working on a day rate. Since I really wasn't in it for the money, I didn't bother asking how long they assumed a "day" to be. I'm guessing it's 12 hours, but there's a chance it is 14 or more -- I'll post a comment when I get my paycheck letting you know if I got overtime for the last half hour. (FYI: The day rate for this job was $120)
Obviously, working that long, you will be fed. Don't expect to leave to eat. A union production will have a craft table...a "lunch" set up for the extras. We ate at midnight, but it could have been later...they will schedule lunch when it is convienent for the production -- usually a break between scenes (it's a good idea to bring protein bars and a water bottle if you have a difficult time going for a long spell without eating). You will not be eating with the "real" actors, but the food should be good. We had a spread consisting of vegetable lasagna, meat lasagna, a nice baby mixed greens tossed salad, rattoullie (I likely slaugntered the spelling on that , but I'm too tired to look it up), cookies and a couple different beverage options. Later in the evening (or morning in this case), there were bags of chips, p,b&j sandwiches and such.
When it comes down to it, it's not bad work for someone who is used to minimum wage. It's not as hard as, say, washing dishes, you make more money and get fed well. However, for established professionals, you're likely going to be working physically harder than you're used to for a lot less money than you're used to. If you can't roll with that, don't go!
If you do decide to go, ask in advance as much about what you are expected to wear as you can. You may not get the right answers (the recruiters aren't always well informed). For instance, the casting person told me the scene was a football game on Christmas day, so I was to wear winter clothes (jacket, hat, etc.), if possible, in team colors of red and blue or to wear Christmas attire. She then said, I could wear any Buffalo Bills attire I might have. "Really? What about the logos?" I asked. "Oh," she said, "not with logos, of course." (Like there is football team attire without logos. Not!) Don't ever wear anything with a visible logo, writing on it, a picture of a character (Disney, etc.). This woman was ill informed about the team colors, too. She said blue and red as if it should be mixed...while in actuality, there was a blue team and a red team...and we were all supposed to be rooting for the blue team. (It doesn't hurt to bring a little bag with a variety of clothing options. That way, chances are you'll get to wear your own stuff rather than something some other sweaty extra wore the night before.
May 6, 2013
The benefits of being a peacock
When I selected the peacock for my profile pic on facebook a year or two ago, I did it to make a small statement. Profile pics seemed to be about catching yourself at your glamorous best, preening like a peacock. It didn't hurt that I don't take a good picture and I'm bordering on paranoid.
While some have criticized the peacock for being decidedly male, when I am not, the peacock otherwise seemed to make a good icon for me and stuck with it. It has paid off. Of late, I've been getting lots of peacock gifts.
While I didn't really have a strong affinity for the bird, I am loving my growing collection of peacock items. My peacock phone case is so very unique I ditched the Otterbox and just hope I don't drop my phone.
There seem to be a lot of peacock images in fashion these days, so I've embraced the full peacock. I have peacock t-shirts, peacock earrings, etc. Someday, I may make a peacock room, but that is a bit beyond my current skill set. Still, a girl can dream.
My thanks to those who've pushed me into my peacock collection. I'm loving it.
While some have criticized the peacock for being decidedly male, when I am not, the peacock otherwise seemed to make a good icon for me and stuck with it. It has paid off. Of late, I've been getting lots of peacock gifts.
While I didn't really have a strong affinity for the bird, I am loving my growing collection of peacock items. My peacock phone case is so very unique I ditched the Otterbox and just hope I don't drop my phone.
There seem to be a lot of peacock images in fashion these days, so I've embraced the full peacock. I have peacock t-shirts, peacock earrings, etc. Someday, I may make a peacock room, but that is a bit beyond my current skill set. Still, a girl can dream.
My thanks to those who've pushed me into my peacock collection. I'm loving it.
April 20, 2013
Hey, Amazon/Goodreads, how about allowing us to edit blog posts.
It never fails. Even if I proofread my goodreads post before hitting that "publish" button, there always seems to be a typo I missed. (Perhaps I shouldn't post at ridiculous hours of the night when I'm bleary eyed -- but that seems the only time I can steal for posting.)
Assuming that the new Amazon ownership might add some financial backing or better management, why not throw those resources into a functionality that lets us edit our posts post posting? (Don't you love that that sentence makes sense? Or that I have two "thats" in a row in the next one?)
Just throwing it out there.
Assuming that the new Amazon ownership might add some financial backing or better management, why not throw those resources into a functionality that lets us edit our posts post posting? (Don't you love that that sentence makes sense? Or that I have two "thats" in a row in the next one?)
Just throwing it out there.
April 19, 2013
Many of the sisters aren't sympathetic to the overly voluptuous
My "heroine" in "Catching On Fire" (by Sue Knott) has, ahem, large breasts. I am afflicted by the same overabundance. (They say "write what you know.") I have experienced a life of self-conscious discomfort, physical discomfort and unwanted attention of the worst kind. (Trust me, ogglers of large breasts are never gentelmen.)
While I don't want to minimize the trauma of people with deformities, to me, having oversized breasts has seemed as close to being deformed as you can get without having an actual deformity. People with big noses may feel the same way. And while I don't see a problem with their big noses, I can appreciate that they may feel traumatized by it and their feelings are real to them even if they seem unneccessary to me.
Anyway, the point I wanted to make before I wandered off (as I so often do) is that I am rather surprised by the readers who hate the element of the breast issue in my novel. While they are a minority (perhaps 20% or less), they are definitely of the same mind.
I didn't think I even made that much of a deal of the issue in the novel. I established it as a way to understand the character's wariness of men and to help the reader get into her skin and feel her self-consciousness, then I pretty much let it slide. Yet, there is this vocal minority that feels no sympathy for the character's cleavage problem and can't stand the fact that it's part of the book.
As a woman, I'm rather shocked that there are women who are so insensitive to this most female of issues. I know you can't please everyone, but I'm surprised how easy it is to rile this group.
While I don't want to minimize the trauma of people with deformities, to me, having oversized breasts has seemed as close to being deformed as you can get without having an actual deformity. People with big noses may feel the same way. And while I don't see a problem with their big noses, I can appreciate that they may feel traumatized by it and their feelings are real to them even if they seem unneccessary to me.
Anyway, the point I wanted to make before I wandered off (as I so often do) is that I am rather surprised by the readers who hate the element of the breast issue in my novel. While they are a minority (perhaps 20% or less), they are definitely of the same mind.
I didn't think I even made that much of a deal of the issue in the novel. I established it as a way to understand the character's wariness of men and to help the reader get into her skin and feel her self-consciousness, then I pretty much let it slide. Yet, there is this vocal minority that feels no sympathy for the character's cleavage problem and can't stand the fact that it's part of the book.
As a woman, I'm rather shocked that there are women who are so insensitive to this most female of issues. I know you can't please everyone, but I'm surprised how easy it is to rile this group.
April 12, 2013
Ebook pricing and dinosaurs.
“What’s up with ebook pricing?” That’s a question I hear often from friends who simply cannot believe that the ebook version of a novel is MORE EXPENSIVE than the print version.
To the educated consumer this makes no sense at all. We know that paper and printing cost more than bits and bytes – not to mention the difference in delivery costs! But, major publishers can’t see that. Major publishers see all the time and energy they’ve put into editing the book. Major publishers have to put extra time into formatting an ebook. (Trust me, not all that much extra time.) Major publishers are dinosaurs that have ruled the earth for the past century and have no idea how to deal with the asteroid known as the Internet.
Anyone who has ever tried to get a book published knows what I’m talking about. Major publishers governed from their thrones, not even deigning to look at a manuscript if the margins were off by a hair. They alone decided what the world would read. If you ever went to a writers’ conference, you’d know the quality of the thousands of marvelous manuscripts that were denied publication each year. (To be fair, the cost of physically printing and marketing all those wonderful stories didn’t add up economically.)
Now, with the advent of Nooks, Kindles, ipads and more, the economic barrier to offering more books is gone. Small, indie publishers are proliferating. These small publishers are nimble. They don’t waste thousands of expensive employee hours on just deciding which books to publish. They can put out a quality ebook (or print-on-demand book) for a fraction of the cost of the huge, slow dinosaurs known as major publishers.
Indie publishers are delivering excellent ebooks for half the cost of the ebooks from major publishers. Major publishers could easily lower their ebook prices and still make a profit. But, they don’t want to. They don’t want you to buy ebooks instead of print books. If you did, they would lose their power. They have ruled this realm for so long, they still don’t feel obliged to be swayed by anything so puny as the marketplace.
I doubt the major publishers will be able to hold out for much longer. Already, indie ebooks regularly account for up to 20% of any given Top 100 Kindle Fiction List. How long before they lumber over to lower their prices is anyone’s guess. But, if they wait until the idies make up 50% of the market, they may just go the way of the dinosaur.
To the educated consumer this makes no sense at all. We know that paper and printing cost more than bits and bytes – not to mention the difference in delivery costs! But, major publishers can’t see that. Major publishers see all the time and energy they’ve put into editing the book. Major publishers have to put extra time into formatting an ebook. (Trust me, not all that much extra time.) Major publishers are dinosaurs that have ruled the earth for the past century and have no idea how to deal with the asteroid known as the Internet.
Anyone who has ever tried to get a book published knows what I’m talking about. Major publishers governed from their thrones, not even deigning to look at a manuscript if the margins were off by a hair. They alone decided what the world would read. If you ever went to a writers’ conference, you’d know the quality of the thousands of marvelous manuscripts that were denied publication each year. (To be fair, the cost of physically printing and marketing all those wonderful stories didn’t add up economically.)
Now, with the advent of Nooks, Kindles, ipads and more, the economic barrier to offering more books is gone. Small, indie publishers are proliferating. These small publishers are nimble. They don’t waste thousands of expensive employee hours on just deciding which books to publish. They can put out a quality ebook (or print-on-demand book) for a fraction of the cost of the huge, slow dinosaurs known as major publishers.
Indie publishers are delivering excellent ebooks for half the cost of the ebooks from major publishers. Major publishers could easily lower their ebook prices and still make a profit. But, they don’t want to. They don’t want you to buy ebooks instead of print books. If you did, they would lose their power. They have ruled this realm for so long, they still don’t feel obliged to be swayed by anything so puny as the marketplace.
I doubt the major publishers will be able to hold out for much longer. Already, indie ebooks regularly account for up to 20% of any given Top 100 Kindle Fiction List. How long before they lumber over to lower their prices is anyone’s guess. But, if they wait until the idies make up 50% of the market, they may just go the way of the dinosaur.
April 10, 2013
Ulterior motives, tips of icebergs and more.
Am I the only person who is always thinking there’s a bigger story behind every story or some bizarre motive behind the simplest thing?
I can’t even read the newspaper without getting frustrated that the better story is so NOT THERE. Some silly little for instances: a man confronts someone robbing his home and shoots the intruder in the butt. Why isn’t anyone telling us exactly how the shot managed to be in the guy’s butt? Sounds like he must have been running away to me.
Or, my favorite: a delegation of (I believe Russian, but it could be some other Communist block country ‘cuz it has been awhile and my memory ain’t what I’d like) diplomats arrives in some European country (I think it was France) and is met by the local diplomat who calmly converses with the new guys, then walks over to the edge of the parking ramp and unexpectedly jumps to his death (5th floor). Really?! You can put that in the newspaper with a straight face and leave it at that?
To bring this back around to publishing, I finally looked at the profile of “xyz” who gave my novel, “Catching On Fire” a single star rating. I think it’s important to know why people don’t like your book. For the most part, the few low ratings come from readers who adore literary fiction. All is well and good with that. My novel is popular fiction. It is designed to entertain and enlighten the masses, not the elite.
Sooo, I look at this xyz from Karachi, Pakistan, and he/she has rated 15 books and given them all one star. And it appears that some of those books are part of the same series. Why would anyone read another book in a series when they rated the first book with one star? Is this person really from Pakistan? Are they trying to make a comment on American popular fiction? Do they not understand the star rating system? It just seems like there must be a story there and I would love to know it. (Not as much as I’d like to know what was going on with that diplomat who “jumped,” but I’d still like to know.)
And why do so many Goodreads members have “xyz” as their screen name? I feel like there’s a private joke or insider club that I am hopelessly clueless about.
That is all for tonight.
I can’t even read the newspaper without getting frustrated that the better story is so NOT THERE. Some silly little for instances: a man confronts someone robbing his home and shoots the intruder in the butt. Why isn’t anyone telling us exactly how the shot managed to be in the guy’s butt? Sounds like he must have been running away to me.
Or, my favorite: a delegation of (I believe Russian, but it could be some other Communist block country ‘cuz it has been awhile and my memory ain’t what I’d like) diplomats arrives in some European country (I think it was France) and is met by the local diplomat who calmly converses with the new guys, then walks over to the edge of the parking ramp and unexpectedly jumps to his death (5th floor). Really?! You can put that in the newspaper with a straight face and leave it at that?
To bring this back around to publishing, I finally looked at the profile of “xyz” who gave my novel, “Catching On Fire” a single star rating. I think it’s important to know why people don’t like your book. For the most part, the few low ratings come from readers who adore literary fiction. All is well and good with that. My novel is popular fiction. It is designed to entertain and enlighten the masses, not the elite.
Sooo, I look at this xyz from Karachi, Pakistan, and he/she has rated 15 books and given them all one star. And it appears that some of those books are part of the same series. Why would anyone read another book in a series when they rated the first book with one star? Is this person really from Pakistan? Are they trying to make a comment on American popular fiction? Do they not understand the star rating system? It just seems like there must be a story there and I would love to know it. (Not as much as I’d like to know what was going on with that diplomat who “jumped,” but I’d still like to know.)
And why do so many Goodreads members have “xyz” as their screen name? I feel like there’s a private joke or insider club that I am hopelessly clueless about.
That is all for tonight.
March 23, 2013
jA great loss: Things Fall Apart author, Chinua Achebe, passed away
In some ways it is difficult to believe that Chinua Achebe was only 82. His acclaimed novel about modern civilzation forcing its way into his traditional African world feels like a story that couldn't possibly have happened so recently. But, likely that scenario is still being reenacted throughout the world today.
If you have not had the opportunity to read "Things Fall Apart," now would be a great time to pick it up. A dramatic story in itself, it is all the more riveting because it is true. Do yourself a favor and read this book!
If you have not had the opportunity to read "Things Fall Apart," now would be a great time to pick it up. A dramatic story in itself, it is all the more riveting because it is true. Do yourself a favor and read this book!
March 14, 2013
Ever wonder what those Kindle sales rankings add up to?
Hi, fellow...whatever the heck you are -- authors...readers...undecideds? I found some interesting and potentially very useful book sales/marketing information today. I will share that, along with this nifty graphic of my first book's cover...I still think this is my funniest book (because Twilight was so asking for a parody).
Visit http://www.theresaragan.com/p/sale-ra... and you will see what Theresa Ragan believes kindle sales rankings translate into in actual sales numbers. Yay, Theresa! I'm guessing she is getting these numbers from studying her sales and rankings (amazon reports your sales daily, which makes it easy to compare them to your rankings...better still, the daily reports make it easy to see what promotional measures are working or not in real time. It's an invaluable sales tool and you should promote away and follow your sales numbers closely).
March 11, 2013
How many books must a bookseller sell if a book sells best-seller well?
Found an interesting little tidbit while I was reading PW (Publishers' Weekly magazine). Seems someone made some close observations of a best selling book or two on Amazon and calculated that together with some known national sales figures and ended up with a good guesstimate of Amazon's super-secret book rating system.
The result: They figure a print book ranked in the Amazon top 5 sells around 300 copies on an average day. I'm guessing said book would sell about over three times that amount at bookstores...but that's just a gut feeling, NOT an educated guess.
The result: They figure a print book ranked in the Amazon top 5 sells around 300 copies on an average day. I'm guessing said book would sell about over three times that amount at bookstores...but that's just a gut feeling, NOT an educated guess.
March 8, 2013
I'm going to have sale just for goodreads-ers.
Nearly 1,000 of you have my pre-dystopian romance/suspense novel, Cathcing on Fire, on your "to read" list. I want to help you get it onto your "reading" list in time for Spring Break. So, I'm going to put the kindle version on sale March 15-25.
Starting March 15, you can get the kindle version for just .99 at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Catching-On-Fir...
I can't figure out a way to make this sale price (a savings of $3.00) available only to goodreads members, but I am not advertising it anywhere else, so few (except for you) will know of the sale.
If you enjoyed Twilight or The Hunger Games, you will probably love Catching On Fire. However, if you are expecting a highly sophisticated literary read, you will be disappointed--it's not War and Peace. Likewise, the "grammar police" will be beside themselves! I prefer to write for the ear rather the text book. (My poor mother was complaining about how she can't find a book with good grammar these days. She brought up an example of a book saying, "If he was going to do it" rather than "If he were going to do it." I could not convince her that the subjunctive case ("were" vs. "was" when using "if") was considered near-extinct.
For everyone else, I think you'll like it! Of course, you have it on your "to read" list so you already suspect that. The book is getting fabulous reviews. And it's the first in a trilogy. The second book should be out late this year.
I hope you get to take advantage of the savings!
Starting March 15, you can get the kindle version for just .99 at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Catching-On-Fir...
I can't figure out a way to make this sale price (a savings of $3.00) available only to goodreads members, but I am not advertising it anywhere else, so few (except for you) will know of the sale.
If you enjoyed Twilight or The Hunger Games, you will probably love Catching On Fire. However, if you are expecting a highly sophisticated literary read, you will be disappointed--it's not War and Peace. Likewise, the "grammar police" will be beside themselves! I prefer to write for the ear rather the text book. (My poor mother was complaining about how she can't find a book with good grammar these days. She brought up an example of a book saying, "If he was going to do it" rather than "If he were going to do it." I could not convince her that the subjunctive case ("were" vs. "was" when using "if") was considered near-extinct.
For everyone else, I think you'll like it! Of course, you have it on your "to read" list so you already suspect that. The book is getting fabulous reviews. And it's the first in a trilogy. The second book should be out late this year.
I hope you get to take advantage of the savings!
Knott The Screaming Type
I suppose this will be musings about writing, books and writing books...maybe even about booking writers. I suppose, since it is my blog, I'll also throw in whatever else I think you, dear reader, mig
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