I'm just thinking of any more walk-on or supporting work I might have done. I had to drive a car in the opening sequence of 'Joint Account' which was a sitcom shown on BBC1 in the early 1990s, starring Hannah Gordon and Peter Egan. The sequence was filmed in a village somewhere near Stratford-Upon-Avon. Myself and another walk-on were supposed to be bailiffs repossessing two cars and had to go to the front door and take the keys from Hannah Gordon and then go to the cars which were parked in the road outside and then drive off. Unfortunately the car I had to drive was an car with automatic gearbox, and I'v never driven an automatic car so they had to swap the cars round. When the show was eventually aired I was seen clearly on screen. This must have been in the early 1990's.
I used to do a lot of work on the ITV show 'The Bill.' It was at the time I was with an agency based at Shepperton Studios, called Screenlite. I think one of the ladies who ran the agency had a daughter who was a production assistant on the show or something, so Screenlite seemed to get most, if not all, the Walk-On and Supporting work. I was a SOCO on one episode (Scene of Crime Officer) and a solicitor in another (in a court scene). Most of this show was filmed in and around Merton in south London. You would be assigned to one of the two units working on the show, Red or Blue, so it was vital that you knew which one you were on. I imagine it was because it was filmed more or less like a factory production line and was being filmed on a sort of rota basis. They moved the production base across London, because I remember doing some work on 'The Bill' somewhere near Wormwood Scrubs, on a sort of out-door lot, with streets and houses which were used for various locations. Also, somewhere in Battersea, and the unit was set up alongside the Battersea Arts Centre. I don't remember exactly what we were filming. It might have been in a pub nearby, but I simply can't remember.
I worked on something which was filmed in London ( I did a good deal of television walk-on work in and around London.) But this one in particular, I'm not sure where exactly. It was supposed to be a lecture hall or something. We were the audience. We were given ear protectors. Someone on the stage or platform was delivering a speech or perhaps it was a political meeting. I think it was set in the 1940s or 1950's so we would have been dressed accordingly. I believe it was an extremely hot day but, being dressed in very thick suits, woollen and uncomfortable, which didn't help with the extreme heat. Someone burst into the hall and aimed a pistol at the man on stage. As soon as the shot was fired we (the audience) had to fall on the floor and hide under the chairs. I'm not entirely sure what was going on or what television programme it was for and don't even know whether it was ever broadcast. I think it was in the centre of London somewhere, but to this day I can't recall. The whole sequence was repeated a couple of times and then we were all released to go home. But, because we had ear protectors, it was extremely difficult to hear directions, or even the 'bang' of the shot which was fired. I suppose I could discover more about what this was if I do a search on Google or even look on I.M.D.B. which is a very good source of information on television and film production.
The Jaclyn Agency sent me to do a job in Colchester. I think it was some housing estate. A group of us were put in overalls. It was for a television commercial for H.E.A.T Electric or something. The camera was on a sort of cherry picker or access platform. On cue we were supposed to jump in the air and wave our hands above our heads (strange, I know.) The director didn't know how to shout 'action' or 'cut.' We did the sequence several times. It took no more than an hour. It paid quite nicely for the time it took, and at the end I just drove home.
The two ladies who ran Jaclyn were so nice, Julie and Marilyn. Whenever they rang to find out my availability for work, they would always chat. They even came to some of the locations, which must have been quite an effort, when you think of the distance they would have to drive from the village they were based in near Norwich, often turning up at 6-7 a.m. on some shoots. When I joined Jaclyn I just sent my details and a couple of photographs for their books and never met these two ladies until they turned up on the set of something or other and it was odd when they just said 'Hi John!' and the fact I had only spoken to them on the phone and they only knew me from a couple of photographs. I think they came to the location when we were filming 'Lovejoy' in Lavenham or a village somewhere in deepest, darkest Suffolk. It's that sort of personal detail that's missing from walk-on and Supporting work.
Everything is now done on the internet, you upload your details and a couple of photographs. If you get selected for work you don't get a phone call (except in a very few cases.) and probably get a text message or email to say 'you've been put forward.' The chances of actually being used is so remote. I was used to being called for 'availability' when you say 'yes' or 'no' and then just being given details of where the location is and then the time you have to be there and just go on the specific day.
I used to do a lot of work on the ITV show 'The Bill.' It was at the time I was with an agency based at Shepperton Studios, called Screenlite. I think one of the ladies who ran the agency had a daughter who was a production assistant on the show or something, so Screenlite seemed to get most, if not all, the Walk-On and Supporting work. I was a SOCO on one episode (Scene of Crime Officer) and a solicitor in another (in a court scene). Most of this show was filmed in and around Merton in south London. You would be assigned to one of the two units working on the show, Red or Blue, so it was vital that you knew which one you were on. I imagine it was because it was filmed more or less like a factory production line and was being filmed on a sort of rota basis. They moved the production base across London, because I remember doing some work on 'The Bill' somewhere near Wormwood Scrubs, on a sort of out-door lot, with streets and houses which were used for various locations. Also, somewhere in Battersea, and the unit was set up alongside the Battersea Arts Centre. I don't remember exactly what we were filming. It might have been in a pub nearby, but I simply can't remember.
I worked on something which was filmed in London ( I did a good deal of television walk-on work in and around London.) But this one in particular, I'm not sure where exactly. It was supposed to be a lecture hall or something. We were the audience. We were given ear protectors. Someone on the stage or platform was delivering a speech or perhaps it was a political meeting. I think it was set in the 1940s or 1950's so we would have been dressed accordingly. I believe it was an extremely hot day but, being dressed in very thick suits, woollen and uncomfortable, which didn't help with the extreme heat. Someone burst into the hall and aimed a pistol at the man on stage. As soon as the shot was fired we (the audience) had to fall on the floor and hide under the chairs. I'm not entirely sure what was going on or what television programme it was for and don't even know whether it was ever broadcast. I think it was in the centre of London somewhere, but to this day I can't recall. The whole sequence was repeated a couple of times and then we were all released to go home. But, because we had ear protectors, it was extremely difficult to hear directions, or even the 'bang' of the shot which was fired. I suppose I could discover more about what this was if I do a search on Google or even look on I.M.D.B. which is a very good source of information on television and film production.
The Jaclyn Agency sent me to do a job in Colchester. I think it was some housing estate. A group of us were put in overalls. It was for a television commercial for H.E.A.T Electric or something. The camera was on a sort of cherry picker or access platform. On cue we were supposed to jump in the air and wave our hands above our heads (strange, I know.) The director didn't know how to shout 'action' or 'cut.' We did the sequence several times. It took no more than an hour. It paid quite nicely for the time it took, and at the end I just drove home.
The two ladies who ran Jaclyn were so nice, Julie and Marilyn. Whenever they rang to find out my availability for work, they would always chat. They even came to some of the locations, which must have been quite an effort, when you think of the distance they would have to drive from the village they were based in near Norwich, often turning up at 6-7 a.m. on some shoots. When I joined Jaclyn I just sent my details and a couple of photographs for their books and never met these two ladies until they turned up on the set of something or other and it was odd when they just said 'Hi John!' and the fact I had only spoken to them on the phone and they only knew me from a couple of photographs. I think they came to the location when we were filming 'Lovejoy' in Lavenham or a village somewhere in deepest, darkest Suffolk. It's that sort of personal detail that's missing from walk-on and Supporting work.
Everything is now done on the internet, you upload your details and a couple of photographs. If you get selected for work you don't get a phone call (except in a very few cases.) and probably get a text message or email to say 'you've been put forward.' The chances of actually being used is so remote. I was used to being called for 'availability' when you say 'yes' or 'no' and then just being given details of where the location is and then the time you have to be there and just go on the specific day.
