I’m the newest kid on the block, corner building, coming to you from one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Vancouver. Vancouver, Canada that is. GASP! I’m really looking forward to getting aquatinted with the ThinkHero audience, a hearty Hello to you all.

I’ve been blogging away since 2005, my website is of a very personal nature, with bad words; making it such that whenever given the opportunity to write off the website, mainly on books, music and sports I JUMP at the opportunity. I’m not a professional writer by any means, just a passionate one. I’m also not your stereotypical nerd, when it comes down to it I’m basically technology illiterate and it is only my sweet gaming skillz, and my innate ability to predict the outcomes of almost anything physiologically stimulating from TV shows to movies that keeps my nerd status secure. It gets to the point where I sometimes feel I missed my calling and should be a forensic scientist or at least get to play one on TV. Only problem; I’m not particularly good at math or science. It’s a cruel cruel world we live in, especially a world where J.J. Abrams ends one of the best shows ever in a church.

But I digress. One of those things I had always thought about, such as, I wonder what it would be like to work in TV, actually happened; in 2006. A girlfriend was working as a locations scout on Battlestar Galactica and I used to ride along with her sometimes, keep her company on the long drives. This eventually led to my receiving a tour of the set. It was season three and the new Cylon battleship was still TOP SECRET, I could say that I’d seen it and been in it, but that was all. I didn’t even know I had any friends who watched were obsessed with the show until I mentioned to one I’d had the tour and suddenly everyone wanted the scoop, but there wasn’t one, I wasn’t doing anything yet, it was just a tour.

I’ve always been very interested in the process, I love picking movies and TV episodes apart, finding errors in continuity to having an opinion on everything from sound, dialogue, costumes, casting, editing, you name it. One example I’ll never forget was the first time I saw Fight Club, it was in the theatre, I looked at my friend and seemingly out of the blue said this movie will be nominated for a sound effects editing Oscar. Given the overall content and year it came out you’d not have thought that movie would have been nominated for any Oscars except maybe for adapted screen play, but lo and behold when the nominations came out, there it was. I also ruined the Sixth Sense for my mother although technically it was her fault because she asked. As it turned out I could see dead people too that night and knew way too soon that good old Bruce had kicked the bucket. All I said to her was I think I figured it out and she said don’t tell me but then right away she said okay tell me. See, not my fault.

Through my girlfriend I ended up getting work as a production assistant on Eureka season 1. Since then I’ve worked, also as a PA, on Battlestar Galactica season 3, the Bionic Woman pilot, and Fringe season 2. I’ve got stories from all those sets, ones I’m allowed to tell, but my favourite right now was meeting Peter Weller during his guest star appearance on Fringe. When I showed up for my first work day on location, I didn’t notice his name on the call sheet because I was distracted by the fact that for the first time in my life I was about to be star struck, I knew it, I quickly scanned the sheet and there it was, under Lance Reddick’s name. When everyone was talking about what it had been like working with RoboCop on previous days of the episode I missed it. I heard it, but it didn’t register.

Way late into the day it’s dark and pouring rain and I’m watching the circus, the trailers where hair and make-up are done; the actors each have one. If you’ve ever walked by any sort of film production you’ve likely seen them. My toque was soaked from the rain and drooping down into my eyes, when one of the trailer doors opened and out popped a head on a man who looked familiar but who I couldn’t place nor could I get a good look at, the light was glaring into my eyes, my glasses were covered in rain spots and pushing my toque up only seemed to make it drop further down my forehead.

“Can you find out how long it is till they need me on set please”?

Okay umm right, I’m struggling with my umbrella, trying to get my mitts off to grab my walkie, I look up;

“May I have your name please, sir?”

“Weller, Peter Weller, how long till they need me on set?”

“Excuse me, your name again sir”?

Right, I suddenly became like a kid in high school, I couldn’t operate. This wasn’t my first rodeo but the combo of the cold, the rain, and my first day back to what can only be described as insane hours no matter what job you are working on any type of production threw me off my game.

I told Mr. Weller I would be right back and let him know. Awesome timing for no one to be available on the walkie.
I ran to find someone, and while I was explaining the situation and trying to repeat the name it hits me, Peter Weller, RoboCop, and I’d asked him his name not once but twice. At least I was concentrated on doing my job but, still, feel like a fool much? I figure, or tell myself, it must be somewhat humbling for actors when you don’t know who they are and ask their names twice when they’ve played one of the coolest and biggest Robots ever, no biggy just some rain in my eyes.

Mr. Weller was needed on set in twenty minutes. Which in TV land, is about an hour.

- Corinna Carlson

http://twitter.com/gusgreeper