Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Christina Stürmer music video

Yesterday, I worked as an extra on a Christina Stürmer music video in Venice, California.  The shoot was from 4pm until 12am.  Vaughan dropped me off and came to pick me up when it was closer to wrap time.

At first, I had a nice time talking with the other extras while we were waiting for things to get started.

People usually ask where you are from, which then goes to when you moved to L.A., and who you moved with.  Then it comes up that I'm married, then they ask what my husband does for work.  Then I tell them he's retired military.

Then come the comments about our age difference.

A lot of the time, they are crude, rude, and inappropriate.
And it also leads to people wanting to know just how old I am.
I decided this year to stop telling people my age, because it's not their business, and I am tired of the reactions I get.

Well, two men (though I hesitate to call them men, and not boys) decided not getting an answer was not good enough.  I refused, several times, and then they started calling me "rude", and a "lesbian".  What being a lesbian has to do with not wanting to tell my age...I have no idea.

I button had fallen off my new jacket, and I started to look for it.  Once these two guys found out what I was doing, they started making fun of me, and the taller of the two said he was going to find it and put in on his sweaty...let us just say..."genitalia".

Seriously.

This is what these guys were acting like, one of which had said he was 24 years old.
They kept following me around and "picking" on me.   The tall one kept saying how he was going to put my button on his "genitalia".  Is wasn't just a one-time comment, even!
I finally told them they were acting like a**holes, and that that's why I hate drugs and alcohol, because people can act that way when they use them.  I also said I was glad I missed out on being about people acting they way they were, because I was home schooled.

In retrospect, I wish I would have to them to have some self respect.
People like that must not really have respect for themselves, even.  How are they going to respect anyone else?  I think that really is the root of the problem.  Yes, they don't respect me, they probably don't have much respect for women in general, but I really doubt they have self respect, either.

While we were on break, I went outside to call Vaughan and ask if he was on his way, because by then I was anxious to leave as soon as I could.  By the time I came back the rest of the extras had left the holding area and returned inside to film.

I didn't even end up working the last hour.
I went inside the building to get out of the cold and another man approached me and asked how I was doing.
I was honest, and told him I was not doing so well, and I was ready to leave.  I told him about the two guys harassing me.  He asked why didn't I tell a director or someone in charge about the situation.
I responded that "this is Hollywood", and the rules about sexual harassment and whatever else don't seem to apply.   I am pretty jaded, and didn't think anyone would care, even though what they one guy was saying was certainly sexual harassment.
Well, I was standing in front of a guard when I was having this conversation.
He must have overheard, because once the filming stopped, he went straight over the one of them men I had pointed out, and escorted him out of the building.
I was not sure I was the one that caused that, but it's most likely the case.
Not long after, we wrapped, and when it came time to be paid, a man with the cash asked who had the surname "Green", and when I raised my hand, I was paid FIRST and was able to leave!
I think it was wrong of the production to give alcohol to the extras, but I do give them credit for handling the situation once they found out what was going on.
They  got me out first, and I think that was considerate, since they could probably see I was no longer comfortable, and not too happy.

I was very glad to leave that place, and be back with Vaughan and on our way home.
When I got back to our apartment, it was after 1am, and our neighbor, who we've called the police about at least four times now, was back at it.
Other tenants were out in the hall, and someone else was saying they were going to call the police this time.
He's never personally done anything to us, but we called the police the first time because we could hear fighting and someone was yelling for the police to be called.  Little did we know this was going to become an almost nightly event.

The police ended up coming last night, but it certainly sounds like no one was arrested.  As I write this morning, the fighting continues!
On one occasion when my husband called the police, when they got here, they called him on his cell phone and got him to step outside our apartment to let them know where the people lived that we'd called about.
By then, the offending neighbor was in the hallway, and saw my husband!  No wonder some people don't want to "snitch" to the police if they are going to point you out in front of the people you called them for!

On a more recent occasion, we were able to hear conversation outside our door between the police, and the people that were packed into our neighbors apartment.
I could hear an officer saying they could do all the meth they wanted, and there was really nothing the police could do as long as they stayed in their apartment and kept quiet.
He told them that was over once they had fighting, and people leaving the room with bruises.
They had at least eight people in a studio.  They were people on parole, people of all ages, together doing meth, I guess.

One officer actually said this place depressed him, he said they were babies crying, etc.and he didn't want to have to come back.  I remember thinking this must really be a disgusting place if even the police officer, who must see it "all" everyday doesn't even want to be here for a few minutes.

We've asked the apartment landlord if this troublesome tenant is going to be removed, and they said it's in litigation now.  The laws should not be so in favor of the tenant that even someone that makes a daily disturbance is allowed to continue to live in an apartment.

We've already decided we're moving out once our lease is up.

Like my mother always told me, there really is no peace on earth.






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