Day Six

The alarm was brutal this morning, and I moved through the first half of the day on autopilot.
Well, that’s not entirely true. When I was on the set, my mind would wake up long enough for me to be present in the scene, from action to cut. Until after lunch, though, all the other times were spent in an exhausted haze.
I was so tired because I spent the evening yesterday with Anne and the boys, picking out punkins for Halloween.
I love Halloween more than any other holiday. I love the scary decorations, the spooky movies, and the costumes…oh, the costumes!
Anne is really skilled with the FX makeup, so we always end up as really horrible zombies, complete with gushing blood and spooky wounds…it’s hard to tell who loves it more: me or the kids.
I usually start decorating the house the last week of September, and by the 31st, the house is in full-on spook mode.
This year, though, between the Avon 3 Day and the movie, Anne and I haven’t had time to hang a single skeleton, or tape up a single mummy. Anne took the kids to pick out their makeup and costumes last week while I was on the set, so last night was my first chance to do anything “Halloweeny” with the kids. Even though I was exhausted from work, and I knew that I should have been learning lines and going to bed early, I wasn’t about to miss out on time with the family…and I felt really great about that choice. As recently as a year ago, I wouldn’t have stayed up to learn lines after they’d all gone to bed, and though I am positively wiped out, I don’t regret the decision at all.
Tomorrow I have 7 1/8 pages, and since we’re shooting out of order, I have to work hard to ensure that I track my character correctly across the story…I love that stuff because it’s a challenge, but it’s also one of those efforts that I won’t know the results of for months, until I see the movie. That’s a part of acting in places other than the stage which I’d forgotten about: we work really hard all day long, for days at a time, and we don’t really have anything to “show” for it, other than the occasional reassurance from the director, and the visceral feeling that we did something right.
Then it’s months of waiting, hoping that the composer, the editor, and the director bring to the screen what we thought we were making while we were on the set.
I only have to wait until the end of January to see this picture, and I don’t think I will be disappointed.
I had some challenging scenes today; some real emotional stuff, where my character has to contemplate some life-and-death choices…heavy stuff, and I was able to use my real physical exhaustion to inspire my character’s emotional exhaustion.
I also had some scenes with Isaac Hayes…and every time he spoke, I had to really focus, so I wouldn’t start singing, “suck on my chocolate salty balls” in my head.
Heh, see how it’s in your mind right now? That was me, all day long.

72 thoughts on “Day Six”

Sweet! First poster for once! I’m such a geek. Forgive me for my transgression into full-on geekdom.
Ok, here’s my Chocolate Salty Balls story. One time, my wife and her friend listened to the song closely and wrote down the ingredients and tried to make them. DISGUSTING. Though the copious amounts of rum in them tended to make them tolerable as it went on.. hm.
Now that was before Chef’s Cookbook with the REAL recipe that was much more sane than what was in the tune. Heh!

Anymore, Halloween is summed up in 3 words:
Simpsons Halloween Specials
There has yet to be one I don’t consider a ‘classic’ and they’re running them all the time now…

Woo Hoo! Halloween!
What’s everyone gonna be? I am going as Winona Ryder. Can’t wait!
Happy Halloween Wil!

Two tablespoon’s of cinnamon,
and two or three egg whites.
A half a stick of butter?. Melted?
stick it all in a bowl baby.
Stir it with a wooden spoon.
Mix in a cup of flour,
you’ll be in heaven soon.
Say everybody have you seen my balls
they’re big and salty and brown.
If you ever need a quick pick me up
just stick my balls in your mouth.
Oooo suck on my chocolate salted balls
stick em in your mouth, and suck em!
Suck on my chocolate salted balls,
they’re packed full of vitamins, and good for you.
So suck on my balls.
Quarter cup of unsweeten chocolate,
and a half a cup of brandy.
You throw in a bag or two of sugar
and just a pinch of vanilla.
Grease up the cookie sheet.
Cause I hate when my balls stick.
Then preheat the oven to three fifty
and give that spoon a lick?
Say everybody have you seen my balls
they’re big and salty and brown.
If you ever need a quick pick me up
just stick my balls in your mouth.
Suck on my chocolate salted balls.
Put em in your mouth, and suck em!
Suck on my chocolate salted balls,
there packed full of goodness, high on fiber.
Suck on my balls.
[sniff, sniff, sniff]
Hey, wait a minute.
What’s that smell.
Smell like something burning.
Well that don’t confront me none.
Long as I get my rent paid on Friday.
Baby you better get back in the kitchen.
Cause I got a sneak’n suspicion.
Oh man baby, baby!
You just burned my balls!
Help me, my balls on fire
????? baby
my balls are burning
give me some water!
Pour some water on me!
my balls are burning
oh my goodness,
I’m blow’n
I’m blow’n
do somethin
Oooo Suck on my chocolate salted balls.
Put em in your mouth, and suck em!
They’r on fire baby!
Suck on my chocolate salted balls,
put em out baby, blow
ohh
Suck on my balls baby
Suck on my balls baby
Suck on my, red hot, salted, chocolate balls
come on baby
woo, woo
suck on my balls.
[blow blow]

Wil,
Well you know the industry. It’s feast or famine. It’s great that you’ve got this gig!
🙂
Scott
P.S. Kat? That sounds like that Saturday Night Live skit.

i just never did understand hearing about how movies were shot out of sequence. i don’t get it… can someone enlighten as to the purpose?

they are typically shot out of order due to availability of the actors, sound stages, cranes, other equipment, locations, etc. at least i think that is why.

Hi Wil:
I can’t say that I recognize the song chocolate balls, but uhm…errr…well, I do think I’ve got a “feel” for it *wink*
Mum never let any of us dress up as zombies for Halloween, too gory and too realistic, I suppose, what with the state insane asylum located on the North edge of town. Good on ya, mate.
Keep on keepin’ on.
Peace, out.

Guess what? I got a new kitten!!! His name is Biggs. I just felt the urge to share.

Schwetty Balls? Aha-that’s one of my favorite skits. The NPR series are the greatest, in my personal opinion

Ooh, babe . . . you just burned my balls!
Pavegirl: Wil could give a far more complete answer, as I’m speaking purely from hearsay, but I think the purpose is to make best use of the sets and locations your have. For instance, in a typical episode of West Wing (to take a show I like that *isn’t* TNG), you’d film the Oval Office scenes at one time, then the press room scenes at another, the “bullpen” scenes at a third — and sometimes you’d be shooting location shots two weeks before or after the rest of the show, because that’s how the location shooting happened to work. (Particularly when you have the interiors shot in, IIRC, Los Angeles and many of the exteriors shot in Washington — makes more sense to do all the Washington scenes at once.)

Pavegirl-
Movies are shot out of sequence due to time constraints with actors, sets and locations. Especially locations.
But primarily it is cheaper to shoot every shot at a given location all at once. So if there is a location, like a diner, that shows up in a film four or five times throughout the script you would shoot all the scenes in a day or two there all at once. Rather than shooting a scene, leaving for several days and then coming back. It’s easier and cheaper to move all the technical gear ONCE.
At least, that’s one of the main reasons. Another might be because a given actor is only available to shoot for three days and their scenes may be broken up all over the script. So, you’d need to shoot all their scenes in those three days.
Hope that helps a little!
Wil, you are the man! I admire everything you are doing on this site and with you’re writing and acting careers. While I don’t always agree with you politically I’m always glad to see my fellow citizens voicing themselves wherever they can!
And, man, I know what you mean about losing focus around certain people.
Burma

I know we’re not supposed to comment on comments but….
1) The Simpsons suck. They have for a few seasons, now. I’m tired of Homer’s wacky adventures. And the Halloween episodes are no longer inspired. But I keep watching, because every once in a while, that spark comes back.
2) Sometimes, it’s easier to shoot certain scenes with related elements. For example, it would make sense to shoot the prison scenes all at once when you’re making Silence of the Lambs. It would just waste time to shoot one scene, then run off and shoot the river scene, only to come back to a different prison scene.

Well I hope ya’ll have fun on Halloween- it’s my fave season too–
Don’t know whatI am gonna be i have been so focused on the whole just taking care of the kids stuff, I forgot about my stuff this year—Maybe I will be something dead. As for Chef–well do what you can to not sing and screw up the shot however too bad this thing won’t be on DVD- it could make for an intresting extra footage if they did.

I’m really glad everything is going well on the set.
I probibly would have had the same problem you did. I just love that song.

As we all know, Halloween is Satan’s holiday, corrupting our children and bringing the evil minions into the forefront. Just Say No to witchcraft! I demand that we all stop trick-or-treating, and pray to Jay-sus instead.

Mmmmmmmmmmm….
chocolate salty balls….
… in my best Homer voice while trick-or-treating.

You will post pictures of Zombie Will right?
Also, very cool that your kids are the priority.
And… it is amazing to me what our brains can do. In the space of two or three seconds my brain can go from directing a show (TV news) to some unrelated thing that happened two weeks ago that some shot or piece of verbage reminded me of. Then I find myself telling myself, “Stop that, pay attention to the show.” Sounds like you had that kind of day at work today! Great to hear that life is treating you well.

Wil,
how bout some Hiney wine to go with them
salty chocolate balls
just grab a little Hiney
or; some “Rank cheese”…
when america cuts the cheese, it’s Rank…
I guess your going as a Zombie, right?
later Wil

Halloween is one of the things I miss since moving back to Australia from America. We just don’t seem to celebrate it here. It’s a real shame, I remember how great is was to go out trick or treating with all the other kids from the neighbourhood. Some kids try it here, but the almost always get turned away empty-handed. So Wil, tell the kids to get some candy for me!
http://www.startledfrog.com/beretwearingelitist/

Suck on my chocolate salty balls?! Ummmm……. okaaaaay….. not EVEN gonna ask…….

I can’t believe that somebody posted the lyrics to that song here. Now I’ll NEVER get it out of my head!

Aaaaaw…hahahahahaha!!! 😀

Happy Halloween Everyone
http://www3.quantumlynx.com/barontech/list/sayit.swf
please make sure your speakers are ON. It’s pretty cool. 🙂

In my neighbourhood Halloween is pretty much the biggest day of the year. We pick the nearest Tuesday and all dress up and run around trick or treating. The older kids sit on the side of the road and throw shaving cream at the littler kids and then, when they’ve all run home crying, have huge big shaving cream fights between ourselves. Last year we used up about 8 cans writing “YOU SUCK” along the road. Anyway yesterday was the designated Tuesday and my best friend and I got all dressed up and went walking. We noticed that there weren’t too many othr people around but it was still early and we went back to her house for makeup and got all set for a great evening. We were halfway back to my house when we were stopped and told that, due to possible rain, it had been postponed until a day later. There we were, all dressed up, in broad daylight with all the runners and cyclists gawking at us because nobody had thought to call us and mention that it had been changed. It was really embarassing!! Anyway it got better after that. We went home and ate all the food we’d left out for trick or treaters and watched Poltergeist movies all night. Anyway that’s my little story. Hope you guys enjoyed it!

I can’t think of Isaac Hayes without imagining Chef either… If I see him at the studio, Wil, I’ll him I said hi! 🙂

It’s salsbury steak day, children!
(Couldn’t resist! Besides, I haven’t posted to the blog in a while!)
And everyone who doesn’t know the Chocolate Salty Balls song-go out and watch some South Park episodes now!!! Or better yet, get the South Park Chef Aid album. You owe it to yourselves!

Halloween isn’t my favorite holiday, but I do like it. Someone asked what we’re all going as this year- well, I don’t go trick or treating, being 30 years old, but my band does have a gig that night. I have a full day’s work before the gig, and I’m going to wear my costume to work. What am I going to be? A Star Trek captain, of course! If you’d like to see what my costume looks like, go to http://www.thewagband.com/alicia_2.htm
and have a look. Also, the same pictures are on Aron Eisenberg’s (Nog) site, trekfriends.com. Just navigate your way to the Actor’s Gallery. Aron has a picture of himself with Wil on his site, too! It’s on http://trekfriends.com/events/
Everyone, have a great Halloween! 🙂
Love, Alicia
http://www.thewagband.com

I can’t stop singing “PUT EM IN YOUR MOUTH”
Christ now I’m going to singing that in court. If I get held in contempt it’s your fault…

Gee Wil, thanks for that phrase… Now I will have it on my mind ALL FRIGGIN DAY!
*runs off in a fit of mad cackles*

It’s so cool to get this blow by blow movie stuff. I feel like such a dweeb saying that but there you have it.

OOoOOoo Baby,
Suck on my choc…….DAMN YOU WHEATON!!!!!
Now I got that song stuck in my head.
I’m glad that you’re the type of actor who doesn’t put his job before his family. That’s all you see in the headlines is “actor and wife/husband separated”. I’d much rather be happy with a family and a 9-5 job making “normal” pay, than work 7am-midnight making more money but having less time with my loved ones.
Loyal Monkey #24601

Halloween is a favorite around here as well, though it seems like I haven’t done much for it this year. But I am the only apartment in my complex with paper pumpkins in the windows… 🙂
As for a costume, I’m still deciding what I’ll wear tomorrow… but I watched “Nightmare before Christmas” last night, and I’m very tempted to see if I can throw a Rag-Doll Sally costume together, and have my boyfriend dress as Jack the Pumpkin King!

Bring on Halloween! Chocolate, sweeties, other stuff to make you fat and puke. Money and….throwing toilet paper at people’s houses! Thanks Wil-memo to self, buy pumpkin(s).
How everyone’s Halloween rocks!
Annie.

It’s fantastic that you make time for your kids. I know how you feel – I’m a single mom and PhD student, and most days I’m completely exhausted at the end of the day. But you can’t miss out on your children’s life because you’re too focused on work – no job is that important. Keep up the good parenting, and enjoy Halloween!

Great! ‘Chocolate Salty Balls’ is now impeached permanantly in my mind and I have a University exam in oooh…20 minutes. Gonna keep singing it on the bus and hopefully I will get bored of it. That’ll work right?

ohmigawd Wil whenever i read this stuff about you and issac hayes i laugh so loud i annoy my co-workers. and now i have that salty balls song in my head!

Wil,
Well you know the industry. It’s feast or famine. It’s great that you’ve got this gig!
🙂
Scott
P.S. Kat? That sounds like that Saturday Night Live skit.

Sleep deprivation really sucks but it’s cool that you got ready for Halloween with your family. I find myself making the do I sleep or get fun stuff ready for my 16 month old. Hands down it’s the fun stuff. They’re only young for so long. 🙂 Halloween is the best! Not doing much this year but as my son gets older, I plan to do more.
Hee hee chocolate salty balls. Rather have that in my head than the stupid Elmo’s song that’s been there lately.
Ness

Dammit Wil….
*has the “put ’em in your mouth and suck ’em” part running constantly through my head……
You are evil.

Halloween Rocks! I’m playing the roll of make-up artist this year at a local Haunt in Austin. Well, that and “Insane Person in Parking Lot,” but that’s not really a stretch. Hey, come to think of it, I’m also playing, “Screaming Girl in Woods.”
Playing make-up artist is really the fun part though. Gashes and wounds, this one girl who I paint freckles on and then splatter her face, hair and neck with blood. She’s soooo cute, and gruesome. hhehehhehheh.
Zombies are great too. Especially skin falling off the bone and pus. My specialty is making pus. Bleeding pustuals are just too much fun.
Yeah, Halloween Rocks.

Kudo’s to kat for posting the words to the
song!
You go Wheaton!!
Keep getting these gig’s..need more material for
“The Book”.
When can you tell us the REAL name of the movie?

LOL.. took me a good 3 or 4 minutes to pick myself up off the floor and stop laughing at the Isaac Hayes bit… *wipes tears* Dear Gods that was funny. It must have been torture 🙂