From Boardwalk-To-Boardwalk, Part VII

Continuing my account of my second day of filming on "Boardwalk Empire": 


I walked over the threshold and into another world. It was a bar, circa nineteen twenty. It was dark, with lighting rigs positioned outside the windows to control the light levels. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dimness. Once I got my bearings, I could see to my left against the wall was a smaller bar with three or four stools up against it, to my right was a longer bar nearly the length of the room. Behind it was an ornately carved area for the liquor bottle shelves with mirrors between each section. The wood went up to the ceiling. Along the back wall was a three-quarter height wooden partition, with a miniature bannister running along the top, that ran the length of the room sectioning it off from the back offices and bathroom area. In the middle of the space were tables and chairs, with taller round tables along the left side wall and and the far end of the room, where the principal actors would perform most of the beginning of the scene. Strewn about were the lighting rigs and other filming equipment with the crew adjusting things everywhere at once. I was given the larger bar to run and I found my way in and made myself comfortable. At least this time, I had a better handle on what I was doing, I have spent most of my adult life behind a bar. The director was busy doling out the mini-roles to the rest of the background cast and positioning them around the room and I made myself busy looking around and watching the action. I realized that behind the bar, amid the cables and boxes stored there from the film crew, were working sinks and beer refrigerators, drawers and cabinets full of items and modern-day bar equipment. This was an actual working bar the production rented out and redressed for the series.  Although everything above the bar that could be seen on camera was period era, below it was all modern. There were only four sorts of glasses stacked behind me along the wall, rocks glasses, high-ball glasses, small Martini glasses and brandy snifters. All were very plain. The liquor bottles were lining the bar against the wall and they all had vintage labels, almost all of them were whiskey of some sort with an occasional gin bottle here and there. There were two prop guys behind the bar with me, furiously running by me back and forth getting everything ready for filming. There were vintage lamps on the bar at each end with dainty lampshades adding to the atmosphere. 
I noticed in one of the sinks there was an alchemist's collection of jugs and funnels and droppers and vials. It was the one prop guy's tools for making our "drinks". He had pre-set a few of them, gallon water jugs containing spring water coloured with brown food dye. Precisely fourteen drops in each to make it look like scotch. He finally seemed to notice me and instructed me on which bottle to use, a few of them were considered the "hero" bottles, they had better labels and were in pristine condition, and he wanted me to make sure I give the "hero" glasses (slightly larger and in perfect condition) to the principal actors. The rest were for the background actors chosen to receive drinks during the scene. I waited for the director to finally come over and give me my instructions, I was to slide over three drinks to one of the principals then go down the line, giving out Martinis (clear spring water with an olive on a large wooden stir-stick) and Manhattans (the fake scotch with a little ginger ale) and the regular whiskey drinks to various "patrons" at the bars. Each action was to be done at a particular time during the scene so I had to keep aware of what was going on during the scene to hit my marks at the right times. 
There were stand-ins taking the principal actor's places during some quick rehearsals and then, before I knew it, they called for play-back (the recording of music from the era), the principal actors were on set and we began filming the scene! 


Michael Shannon plays Agent Nelson Van Alden on the show. He was in this scene and I was very surprised when he walked on set. He is extremely tall, much taller than I am and I'm six foot one inch tall. He's very imposing physically and emotionally. He seems to remain in character and I didn't see him chatting with the background actors like I saw Jack Huston (Richard Harrow, the masked sharpshooter) do when we filmed the carnival scene. I watched him from the safety of my bar and was impressed at the presence he made in the room. Very intense. Very focussed.  


Believe me, I was doubly glad I was behind the bar because they had packed the place with extras doing all sorts of things. People coming in the door (which had a little peek-a-boo door in the middle for the password to get in), coming up for drinks, dancing, sitting at the tables, milling about, it was just like the Studio Six used to be on a Saturday night (minus the drugs and drag queens and the drug using drag queens).  I got into a rhythm behind the bar and redid the scene over and over every time they called for a re-set. The fake smoke combined with the real cigarettes, non-filtered since they didn't become popular until the nineteen fifties, made me think of the days before they banned smoking and I was glad that I didn't have to work in that environment on a daily basis any longer. 
We did the scene over and over to make sure it was right and then took a short break while they re-set the camera angles. 


Once back, we continued to shoot the scene over and over. The prop guys had to refill my bottles a few times and I went through a lot of glasses, the more I was there, the more I felt like I was working at Studio Six again (although I would have had half a bottle of Ketel One by now!). After another short break, they re-set the camera for an overhead shot. By now in the scene, we were getting raided by the prohibition agents, who come busting through the door and rough everyone up. They gave each of us our different reactions and we rehearsed the scene a few times. Then they brought in the prop department who made the door jamb breakaway so it had more impact when the agents bust in. Surprisingly, it only took a few minutes and we were back to filming. Stunt guys were brought in and we continued the scene, once again the word "reset" was used over and over, back to the first mark, do the actions and then all over again. We finally broke for dinner so we could film the next scene. 


The craft service was excellent as usual, they feed us so well I went back for seconds and dessert. It's amazing, they actually have a carving station, several different salads with all the fixings, various sides, everything was delicious. All of this in a YMCA in the middle of Brooklyn. There was a door to the rest of the building with a little window and the kids from the other side were constantly peeking in on us all in costume, it must have been as exciting for them to see us as it was for me to be doing this. 


The break was over and we had to return to the set for the next scene. This time, the agents had arrested half the people and one of them recognizes Agent Van Alden, the other bartender and I are being interrogated by a prohibition agent at one of the tables. They were packing up all the liquor bottles and carting everything away. Here, the other actor playing the bartender and I began to talk. It was funny, he's done all three seasons and played a bartender in the third episode of each season. His name was Jack (I think, it's been a while) and he was very funny. During the scene, we had to mime an intense conversation but he kept saying funny things trying to crack me up and he nearly succeeded a few times. I would have killed him if he made me ruin the shot by laughing! Then, later in the scene, the agent does a cross of the bar to us and begins the interrogation. He was a veteran background actor and was interesting to talk to, giving me some very good advice. He had a lot of fun stories and it was great to hear, taking our minds off the the fact that it had been such a long day. 


We did a few more camera angles, replaying the same movements and waiting outside in the cold while they moved things around and then, after letting nearly everyone else go, told us we were done and could go to wardrobe to change. 


I had to pee so badly, I ran the few blocks to the church where wardrobe was and made a beeline to the men's room, relieving myself with a heavy sigh. That's when I heard the outer door to the church slam open, heavy footsteps running by the bathroom and then an excited voice saying, "Where are the bartenders!!!" I immediately knew what it was. They needed us for another shot. I zipped up and found the PA and we grabbed Jack on the way back to the location set. Evidently the last camera angle faced a mirror the reflected the table where we were being interrogated and now we were missing. We needed to be sitting there for continuity. Ugh!!! We did a few more takes, blessedly, and then they finally struck the scene and we were free to go. 


I quickly changed, said my good-byes to everyone and made my way across Brooklyn and then Manhattan in order to get to Port Authority. My mobile was dead and I was so exhausted I thought I would die, too. I realized we just worked 14 hours on set. I get to the bus station and all the doors are locked but one, with a guard there checking for bus tickets. I found mine, showed it to him and then ran down to the gate where the Atlantic City buses are.  Nothing. 


Nothing. I look at the schedule and see that I missed the bus by twenty minutes. 


The LAST bus. 


The next one didn't leave until seven thirty in the morning, five bloody hours away! I had no mobile, no money and it was freezing. All of the seats in the waiting area were full so I sat on the concrete floor, dozing off now and again. About a half-hour before the bus arrived, I had found an outlet and got a little charge going on the phone. I boarded the bus, sat down in a heap and promptly passed out as the bus whisked me from the island of Manhattan to the island of love. 

From Boardwalk-To-Boardwalk, Part VI

I received another email from the casting agency informing me that I was needed once again for "Boardwalk Empire" and I was ecstatic! I didn't expect to get a call back so quickly and I readily accepted the offer and made my plans to travel back to Brooklyn. 

I had to check in at ten at night to get my call times for the next day's shoot and I patiently waited all day, finally making the call and getting a recorded message instructing me to call back in a half hour. This went on hour after hour, I reset my alarm waking up each time to call, finally getting the message around one thirty in the morning with my call times and other pertinent information I'd need for the day. Luckily it was a later call time then my last appearance but I still had to leave Atlantic City rather early to get to Brooklyn and find the set. 


It was a beautiful day and I had mapped out my route to the location set, not really sure what I was going to do, exactly. Supposedly the scene was taking place in a Chicago speakeasy which seemed exciting and full of promise. This part of Brooklyn was rather charming, full of little cafes and eclectic bars and my map was surprisingly accurate, taking me right to the YMCA that was rented to act as our holding area. I followed the signs upstairs and met with the PA, filled out my time sheet and then got directions to the church that was going to be our wardrobe area. On the way over, I met a nice young guy who was also on the show. It was his first time so I, being a veteran now, gave him a little advice and we talked a bit about the show. The church was a few blocks from the set and the YMCA and out front, craft services had set up a light breakfast right in the street, which garnered a few questions from the neighbours passing by. I walked through the little courtyard and through the doors. Through the small vestibule on the left were the bathrooms and to the right was another small room that led into the larger church basement area which now served as our hair/make-up and wardrobe. I went in the men's side and I looked at the walls and windows, over-painted and peeling, the linoleum faded and missing here and there and found a spot to get changed. I got into my costume, listening to the bustle of action around me. Once again it was controlled chaos, with the PA's herding us through the process and making sure things were running as smooth as possible. They were constantly talking into their radios coordinating the millions of minutiae that concerns the filming a television show. I stood in line and waited my turn for hair and make-up making small talk with everyone around me, smiling to myself, again, that this was happening to me!
One of the women there grabbed me, directing me to her chair to fashion my hair into something more era appropriate. As she started, she said, "So, you're a bartender." and I was shocked. How did she know what I do? So I asked her, "How did you know?" and she said, "No. It says it here on the call sheet.". 


Ahh!!! 


So I had a role (of sorts)!!! The rush of emotions nearly overwhelmed me, I wasn't expecting anything like this. I was happy, scared, nervous, terrified, excited, each feeling competing for attention but I didn't let any of that show. I just sat there as she finished her work and I got back in line for final wardrobe approval and then back to the holding area. When they asked my number for the day, ninety-four, I told them and that set off a frenzy of action. I was not in a bartender's costume, I was in my original wardrobe! Suddenly they removed my jacket and vest, found a different tie, suspenders and an apron so I would look the part. My trousers were also wrong, too long and creating a crease and that had to be adjusted by hiking them up very high, tightening the suspenders to their very limits. Evidently, men in the twenties did not have that little crease at the bottom of their pants. I found the attention to detail to be admirable, the camera wouldn't focus on our legs but they made sure we were still appropriate for the time period. I was also missing a button that needed replacement and they sewed it on while I was still in them. 


After a few more adjustments, there was another "bartender" as well, to make sure we were similar but not the exact same (yes, they argued over the tying of the aprons and how they should sit on our bodies), we were approved and released to have breakfast. By now, most of us were in costume and it was later in the morning, the neighbourhood was busy with people going about their business but it's not every day you wander down your street and see dozens of people dressed in clothing from another era. The camera phones came out and pictures were snapped by almost everyone walking by us. We milled about talking and passing the time before we were told to go to holding and wait for the set-up. 


This is when I noticed the set, or where the set was to be more precise. We had passed it before but I wasn't really aware of what was going on. Yes, they had equipment everywhere around the building, huge black-tarp tents covering the entrance of the building and generator trucks, trailers and other on-set items all over the street out front. You may wonder how I could have missed it but I did. I guess I was just focussed on finding out where I was supposed to be and getting ready than I was on where I was going to end up for the rest of the day.  It's amazing how the mind works. I made a few phone calls, updated my Facebook status and wasted time. They finally gathered us together to take us over to the set, explaining what we were about to do. It was indeed a Chicago speakeasy, where we would see the character of Agent Van Alden enjoying himself when we would get raided by Prohibition agents who later recognize him as one of their own. 


This was going to be fun! 


We filed out of the YMCA and across the street to the location set, now the streets in the neighbourhood were teeming with people and traffic, all gawking to get a look at all of us in costume. The director and crew grabbed us according to our characters to be placed on the set. I walked through all the equipment carts, full of every sort of item you could think of, props, lenses, extension rods, clamps, simply everything you'd need to make a film and I made my way through the tarp, over the snaking cables and wires, into a little area set up with the playback equipment, monitors and electrical boards of every sort. To my right was a door and we went through it and back in time! 

From Boardwalk-To-Boardwalk, Part V

Continuing my account of my first day of filming on "Empire": 


The PA's escorted us out of the holding area trailers and led us over to the set, passing along the bank of the Hudson River where the early dawn sun lit up the Manhattan sky-line perfectly. I walked near the front of the group and as we passed the shipping containers and I could see the "beach" and a quick glimpse of the boardwalk set, flanked by huge blue-screen panels where they add the ocean and extend the view with computer generated effects. My heart leapt a bit and I followed along through the back of the set to this little alleyway that ran the length of the boardwalk set but behind it. Suddenly, I was at a carnival, circa 1923, walking over planks and passing carny booths and games of chance. At the far end they had set up the cameras and the lighting, silver screens were positioned to direct the lights and parts of the set were removed to make room for the camera. The director was there with a contingent of assistants and the two stand-ins were on the marks, with masking tape on their jacket fronts denoting who they are standing in for. One was a little person perched on a box. He was the stand-in for the actor who plays Tommy Darmody, the son of Jimmy and Angela, both of whom died in the previous season. The other one was standing in for Jack Huston, who plays Richard Harrow, the guy with the mask. The crew were furiously running around, setting things up and talking into their walkie-talkies about everything at once. Construction was still going on here and there, painting and rigging. It was controlled chaos. There was a chilly and steady breeze whipping through the set but, with my excitement and nerves, I didn't feel a thing.

There was another discussion between the director and the PA's and suddenly they were parsing out our roles at the carnival, the director was grabbing us and positioning us around the set and giving us mini directions as to who we were in the scene and what we should be doing. There was a call for the "floozies", the "fat lady and tall man" and some of the other speciality roles and they set them up in their predetermined areas. Before I knew it, the director looked right at me and told me to stand right behind the stand-ins and then positioned one of the women to be my on-set wife and then called for two girls to be my on-set children. The one little girl was absolutely adorable dressed in her 1920's wardrobe, she looked like a little doll. I was instructed to hold her in my arms, so she could be seen in the shot. All of this happened so fast, I barely had time to register the fact that I was going to be DIRECTLY in the camera shot! Since we are shooting outside, there is a need for speed and the director quickly finished setting up the background actors that would be seen in the shot (several more were positioned around me) and we were told what the scene was and how to react.

I had no clue what I was doing. Honestly, I hadn't a clue what I was doing and a brief moment of panic set in.

We did a small rehearsal and they refined the placement of the actors and props, moving me over a bit so I was directly in the camera shot (yikes!) and they decided to switch my family, giving me a new wife and a young son. They reasoned that little girls wouldn't be interested in a shooting range as much as young boys would. We did a few more quick run-throughs and before I knew it, the principal actors took their marks, they handed him a loaded cap-gun rifle and I hear "Gun Hot", "Set", "Background" and then "Action" and we were shooting my very first scene for "Boardwalk Empire"!!!

I STILL had no clue what I was doing!

My nerves received an additional shock when the gun went off, over and over. Although he was shooting blanks, the report was extremely loud, especially since we were so close, and after the director yelled cut we were told to try and stifle our reactions. We were all jumping a little with every bang.

The refined the scene some more, there were discussions between "Richard" and the director as to where he should point the gun, how frequently he timed his shots, and a lot of other details and we continued to do our reactions over and over with each take. I did what everyone else was doing, trying not to over-sell my expressions and the director was pleased, asking my name at one point and telling me to make sure I stay on my mark so I could be seen behind the actors. I was loving every minute of this and in minor shock, I couldn't believe that I was actually going to be right on camera my very first day of filming!

Before I knew it, we were done and told to take a short break up on the boardwalk set while they reset the cameras and lighting rigs.

I walked over to the steps (which I would later rue but I'll get to that) and ascended them, looking around me at the detail of this entire operation. This was no plywood-front, Hollywood back-lot set, this was an actual boardwalk and shops, even from behind there were back doors to the little shops and alleyways built in off the boards. I went through the tarps they had stretched over the area and walked out into the direct sunlight and the actual set and it was a marvel to behold!

Where the beach and ocean would be, there was a two-story high blue wall (for the CGI effects). The railing and light poles were authentic and I turned around once I got to the railing to get the full affect of the set all at once. It was magnificent!

We all milled about and although we weren't filming here, it was cool to see everyone in costume wandering along the boards. I walked over to some of the shops and was once again blown away at how authentic it was. The shops were real, the restaurants had tables set with plates and glasses, the Fralinger's had a counter and displays of salt-water taffy, it was all so surreal, being from Atlantic City and seeing all the comforts of home up here in Brooklyn. The entrance to The Ritz was blocked off, though, so I couldn't go in there but the French dress shop next door, where Mary worked, was visible and it was a real working shop. It was amazing.

They called us to attention once again and we had to line up in the middle of the boardwalk and the wardrobe department went down the line giving us the once over, making sure the hats sat on our heads correctly, the make-up was touched up, all the little attention to details that makes the production even more special. We were admonished a few times to refrain from taking photos and I was only able to sneak one before we were called back to set.


Once back, they had changed the camera angle to a long shot, moving it behind the targets that "Richard" was shooting at and we went though the motions over and over, repeating our reactions and trying not to jump with each shot. There were more discussions as to when he should shoot and they seemed to get the timing wrong so it was a tedious process of repetition until the director was satisfied with the shot and we finally broke for lunch. 


Evidently there's a pecking order and, since I was there to learn, observe and keep quiet, I quickly realized this and sat down waiting for the crew and the principles to get their food first. I didn't think it was rude, not by any means, it was simply prudent to get them fed and out of there to get the next shot set up. But a hundred and fifty background actors were waiting and the food smelled delicious. I took the opportunity to take a quick bathroom break and the small trailer set up as our facilities was overwhelmed by all of us and I had to wait a bit in the cold before I could get in there. 


By the time I got back, we were being served and I went up to get something to eat, my eyes popping out of my head with all the choices and the quality of the food set out on the buffet tables. I stayed away from the messier fare, since I was in my wardrobe I didn't want to be the one to get food all over it and have to have it cleaned. I don't remember what I had, exactly, but I do know that it was really good and I went back for seconds and thirds, getting dessert (the cakes, pies, cookies, and treats were awesome) not worrying about my waistline since we were filming out in the cold, I figured I would shiver off the extra calories. 
After eating, we were all lined up again and the wardrobe mistress came along with her team and a film crew and they went down the line, again, making minor adjustments and reapplying make-ups and fixing an errant curl or two. I later found out that this was for the mayor of New York's employment initiative documentary and I had to sign a release for my image to be used. I happily obliged. 


We milled about when we were done and then the announcement came that the elephant would be on-set and the famous line, "Do not walk behind the elephant" was made, good advice whether you are filming with an elephant or just advice for life in general. We were all a little excited to see the beast, cracking jokes and we filed back to the set to resume filming. They were setting the elephant up about halfway down the set, a good distance from where my mark was but I could still see her doing her thing. 


I swear the weather changed, it seemed a bit colder even though it was now afternoon and the sun was directly overhead, although the elephant was not allowed to film if the temperatures were too cold so I guess it was just me. I noticed they had changed a lot of the area where I was previously filming, the shooting gallery set was complete (the movable walls were all back in order) and the camera was now going to be behind me and to the left, they were going to do a tracking shot from where we were through the entire faux carnival, passing all the other booths, the barkers and the elephant as well as all the other background extras milling about.  Now, when the principals walk away, I was to encourage my "son" to step up to the booth and then we were to decide not to play and cross over and up the steps. Only this time, they had wet down the set and we were now standing in mud. In the cold. With a chilly wind. 
We got through the shot after only a dozen or so re-sets (a term I learned to loathe later in the afternoon). We were given another quick break up on the boardwalk and, once again, the wardrobe department came along to work their magic. It was a testament to the quality of the show that they continually made sure we all looked our best. 


They had moved the camera down even further we did a few walk-throughs mostly for the benefit of those actors that were now going to be in camera, we'd now be in the far background but had to continually make the same pass across the set and then up the steps. 
I had noticed, at one point, that we were just standing around for a lot longer than normal. The crew is very good at their job so when I noticed that they were just standing around I knew it wasn't a problem with the shot. Then, from my vantage point, I could hear some muffled arguing and then the voices became clearer and the problem was revealed. We had been standing there for the last 30 minutes because the child actor that plays "Tommy" didn't want to put on Chapstick and they were trying to convince him to do so. He stood his ground and no amount of reasoning was going to make him put it on and here, and entire film crew and a hundred and fifty actors were standing around in the mud (with very uncomfortable period shoes that had no lining nor protection) and cold all because of a minor temper-tantrum. I giggled to myself about the situation and mumbled to my "wife" that if I was that kid, my parents would have grabbed my face and covered me in Chapstick and told me to get back to work! In the child's defence, it was turning out to be a long day and he was tired and cold and cranky and had a lot of pressure riding on his little shoulders. He finally put it on and we started filming again only this time, it took so many takes I lost count. I can't tell you how many times we had to re-set and then climb back up the steps, over and over again. It also didn't help that Riley, the boy who was my on-set son, was a rambunctious little rascal and I had to continually corral him for the shot. He was enamoured with the elephant and I had to run through the set and grab him to drag him back to our mark. This is where the filming process can get extremely tedious and it was becoming an effort to continuously mime the same motions over and over with a smile on our faces. 
I felt most sorry for the girl who was playing the "fat lady", she was standing directly in the cross-breeze and was wearing a very skimpy dress. The poor thing had to be wrapped in a blanket between each "Cut" and "Re-set". 


The fading light meant we needed to get this shot and get it as soon as possible, they didn't want to waste yet another day of filming this scene and we mercifully were given the words "you're done" after a few more takes. We made a beeline back to wardrobe to take everything off. 


Although, when crossing over the boardwalk set, I stopped a moment and looked around, it was now dusk and they had turned on all the lights. It was magical to be there at that moment and I stifled yet another smile. 


Dismantling was quick and I changed into my street clothes, getting one of the assistants to sign-off on my sheet and I then went over to holding to have my pay sheet officially signed. I remembered to tell them I had been shaved and they added the extra pay and I went out to wait for the shuttle bus that would take us back to Manhattan. This took a little while, the women took far longer to get changed and we made chit-chat as each person boarded. 
Before I knew it, we were off, making our way through mid-town traffic and the bus actually dropped me off a few blocks closer to Port Authority. I barrelled through the crowds, marvelling at the mass of humanity that does this every day of the week, and finally got to Port Authority and my bus, which was waiting there and leaving shortly.


I settled in and promptly fell asleep. 


With a huge smile on my face. 

From Boardwalk To Boardwalk, Part IV

Anxiety was the word of the day, all day, until exactly eight o'clock at night when the email from "Boardwalk Empire" finally arrived (I still can't believe I get emails from "Boardwalk Empire"!). I nervously opened it, reading it quickly and slowly at the same time, trying to grasp the entire thing all at once. Elephant? I just saw something about an elephant. Boardwalk set, YES! I'm going to be on the boardwalk set! I focussed my mind and read it through, calming myself so I could digest the information and make the necessary plans. I had to be in Manhattan by five o'clock in the morning to meet the shuttle bus to the Brooklyn set, bloody hell! I find the Greyhound Bus site, navigating through the maddening pop-ups and cursing them the entire time until I finally got to the schedule I needed. In order to be in Manhattan, on time, I see that I'll have to leave Atlantic City on the one-thirty in the morning bus. What? It's now eight-thirty at night. I haven't slept all damn day in anticipation of this moment and now I have to be on the road in five short hours. Yes, I knew there would be an early morning call all along but when the reality finally hits you, it's still a surprise once you work out the devilish details.

I made my plans, preparing my clothing and my shoulder bag for the trip, packing it with the magazines and eReader and earphones and other items deemed necessary for my jaunt north and then quickly shutting down for a short nap. Mighty Joe curled up next to me, thinking we're settled in early for a long sleep through the night.

He wasn't happy when I got up at midnight and began getting ready. Showered and shaved, carefully trimming around my moustache, grooming my eyebrows, and making sure I had everything, I hurriedly got dressed and ran to the Jitney bus, where I happily didn't have to wait long before one whisked me across town to the bus terminal.

The desk clerk was happy to help me utilize the automated ticket machine, evidently they are pushing the new (well, new for them) technology for the late night travellers and she was there to guide you through. Right before I left, I told her where I was going, I was bursting with the news and couldn't hold it in any longer, having to spill it out to this total stranger. She was duly impressed and I was the cock-of-the-walk as I ran out to the loading area and got my seat on the mercifully empty bus.

I barely remember the ride up, I may have dozed off for an hour, I might not have, I seriously don't recall. My next recollection came when I was near the tunnel into the city, because I was using my map app to check once more where I had to meet the shuttle. I was surprised by Port Authority at this early hour. I'm used to being there during the day, the hustle-bustle of people running everywhere at once. Now it was quiet, people sleeping on the floors, in the chairs, propped against the walls and posts, security gates were down where I didn't know security gates existed. It was a different world, silent except for the incessant warning voice instructing us in the proper way to enter and exit the escalator. I made my way through, noticing the time as I wandered up and out. I was an hour early and the pick-up spot wasn't that far from the station. Once on the streets of mid-town, I was once again taken aback by the difference from my last few visits. The streets were empty. No traffic. No pedestrians. Nothing. Just a few stragglers here and there, newspaper delivery trucks slowly rumbling by but nearly devoid of the usual cacophony of humanity I've only ever seen in that part of town. It was also cold, much colder than I had dressed for and I pulled up my hood and began making my way to Thirty-Third and Third.

The cold got the better of me half-way there and I ducked into a McDonald's, hoping for a hot cup of coffee. I saw people sitting around the restaurant with food and cups but once I got to the counter, I was informed that they were shut for another half hour. I stood there for a few moments, warming up, before once again making my way through the empty streets to my goal. I was so busy window shopping, since I had never been in that part of town before, that I didn't mind the cold any longer and began wondering where the Empire State Building was. I knew I had seen it from Eighth Avenue, I thought I should be close to it by now when I looked up and there she was, towering high above me. I smiled to myself, only I could lose such a tall building in the middle of Manhattan. I made my way across the island, lonely and cold, past Fifth, Madison and Park Avenues, until I finally got to the corner I was looking for, where there were a line of buses and shuttles waiting. I went down the line asking which one took me to Boardwalk Empire and, mercifully, it was the second one there. I hopped on, looking at the the few others already on board and sat down and waited.

Stifling the huge smile that continually wanted to break out across my face.

People drifted on, the assistants checking each of us off the list as we boarded (my check-in number was forty-four) and when the last one came running across the street and go on, just in time, we left for Brooklyn. The trip over was interesting, taking yet another route into the borough that I had never used, and I tried to eavesdrop in on the chatter around me but nothing registered. I was too excited to think. I was now running on adrenalin and instinct, if instinct is the right word since I had never done anything like this before. We pulled up to a fenced-in yard along the Hudson River, with the requisite little building at the gate for the guards and peppered with four or five temporary trailers to the left, where I later learned was wardrobe, holding, craft services, make-up and the production trailers. To the right, as I walked through the gates, there were massive shipping crates stacked two high and in a circular configuration. I caught a brief look through a separation between them, in the early morning light, and saw that it was the boardwalk set itself and my heart leapt! I was here. This was happening. Un-fucking-believeable!!!

A guy with a clip-board guided us into the holding area, blessedly warm. It was also where craft services was located and I was hungry. There were people already there, those that came directly to the set on their own and some of the production crew. I wandered over to the food area and was in food nirvana, at least where craft services is concerned.

They had steak, bacon, ham, pancakes, eggs cooked to order, every kind of bread and bagels, yoghurt and fresh fruit to use in the juicers. It was fabulous buffet and I ate what I could since, by the time I made my plate and sat down, they called my number and I had to go to wardrobe to begin the process of getting ready for filming.

I walked over to the next trailer and it was bustling with people. To the left were the make-up and hairdressers, already working on the women since they were going to take longer getting their hair set and faces painted. To the right were two partitions separating the men and women dressing areas and I waited in line until they brought me in and I found my bag containing my clothing with a picture of me from my last visit, already wearing the costume, attached to it. Once again, I suppressed a smile and began changing, carefully taking off my clothes and switching them with the costume, which was extensive. As I was getting ready, I looked around to see what everyone else was wearing and we ranged in class, based on the costumes, from well-to-do gents to the labour classes like myself. There was only one mirror and we took turns checking ourselves to make sure everything was on correctly. I did notice, when I put on the vest to the suit, that it was extremely snug and I was praying that I didn't have any action scenes because I would definitely rip out of it! Yes, I didn't listen to them and continued working out and now I may live to regret my decision.

The staff gave me the once over and determined I needed a tie-bar and they quickly found one and I was released from them and waited in line to get my hair done. I realized that up until now, I haven't really chatted with anyone and everyone who knows me knows that I'm a rather friendly person. I decided to strike up a conversation with the guy in front of me. To be honest, I barely remember a lot of the details of his life. I know he's married, he's done this kind of work before, had a couple of kids but I needed to make small-talk in order to keep the nervous edge at a tolerable level and he was a more-than-capable companion. I watched the action around me, marvelling at the controlled chaos with people being shuffled back and forth, they occasionally walked down the line and determined who was next or if they had special concerns. Suddenly, they did a moustache count and I was told that I may have to be shaved, did I have a problem with that? Uhh, no. As far as I was concerned, they could do whatever they wanted. I was told that after they finished my hair, I was going to have to get shaved, I was too young for a 'stache. Lovely! One of the women told me to see her when I was done. I finally was escorted to a seat in front of one of the mirrors and the stylist worked his magic on my hair.

Although I saw what they were doing to the guys before, I was a little taken aback by the time he was through with me. My hair was severely parted and then they plastered it to my head with gels, sprays and gods know what else. I couldn't help noticing that with the moustache, I resembled Adolph Hitler and I couldn't wait to have it shaved off! I thanked the guy and made my way to the next area to be shaved. As she was shaving my moustache off, she suggested I get my eyelashes tinted for future work and then informed me that I need to mention that I was shaved at the end of the day, I get extra pay. Fancy that, they are paying me extra to shave my face! She finished up with me, applying a little make-up here and there for the cameras and then I had to wait in line for the wardrobe mistress to give me the final okay before I went back to holding to wait for the call to film. The adjusted a few things, my overcoat was sitting too low and my tie needed to pop out a little more and they sent me over to wait.

I sat there, surreptitiously taking a few photographs and checking in on my Facebook, and watched everyone file in, wearing their costumes. To say that I was enjoying this experience would be an understatement! As each aspect of this day was unfolding, I couldn't believe I was actually here and doing this. I didn't care one whit what happened next, I was already having the time of my life and I not one frame of film had been shot.

Some people were called back to wardrobe, there were some changes made and not before long, the production staff came in and called for attention. They wanted to set the scene we were filming and give us last minute instructions. We were filming at the boardwalk set but not on the actual boardwalk, we would be in a alleyway set behind it which was redressed. It was New Year's Day, 1923, nearly a year after the incidents ending the previous season on the show. We were at a carnival and the principal characters were to be Richard Harrow (the guy with the mask) and Tommy Darmody, Jimmy's son. There would be an elephant on set and we were not to approach the elephant, go near the elephant and were to be mindful of the elephant. They were very adamant about these instructions and these elephant warnings continues throughout the day's filming. They had no need to remind me, I had no problem giving the elephant it's space.

The assistant left and we waited a bit longer and suddenly, they came in to escort us to the set.