"It's still light right now, but later we'll be filming in the dark, so these lights will be on. Okay, so, you'll be over here."
She started walking to one side of the room. It was large and open, and everything inside of it was period-appropriate except for the filming equipment and behind-the-scenes stuff. On the far side of the open space, there was a band of musicians setting up. Their instruments and attire were also appropriate for the time period. The whole set was professional and intimidating.
"Okay, we've got a couple of hours before we start shooting, but that's going to fly by. So, I need you to try to get the assignment as quickly as possible and get back to wardrobe. Listen to James and do everything he tells you to do. Then, when you're done with that, when you feel comfortable with what he's given you here, which hopefully will only be fast, you should go back to the wardrobe tent where I just found you and work out your clothes."
She stared at me as if wondering if I understood, and I gave her a nod. "Got it," I said, feeling more insecure than I let on. I wanted to give up. Wanted to tell her that I had no experience, at least warn her in some way. But I told myself to trust Alex and go with it.
"This is James." She gestured to a young man who came to stand beside us with a smile. Therewere about ten different people in the room when we came in, and he had been one of them. He was handsome and clean-cut, broad-chested. "James, this is Josie."
"Yes, Josie," he said with a bright smile. "Starting off the dance scene."
"We'll need her to go to wardrobe as soon as she's got a handle on what she's doing."
"Yes ma'am, I'll get her over there," he said to Cameron, even though they were about the same age.
He gave Cameron a little bow, and she started to walk off before coming back to talk to me like she had forgotten something. She smiled and put her hand on my arm.
"I forgot your hair," she said.
"What about it?" I asked.
"He wants your hair up. Alex mentioned that. If you have time, he said to get Barb to put it up."
"Oh, is there a certain style?"
"Barb will help you. When you're in wardrobe, mention to Evelyn that you need your hair up. Or go see Barb first. He likes the neckline of that dress you're wearing—he wants to see it. He said it makes sense with the shot to have your hair up."
"Okay," I said, nodding, and trying to remember everything she had said.
"Thanks," she said, waving and turning to James.
I could hear various musical sounds in the distance—people getting their instruments tuned.
"I'm James Blanchett," he said. "I'm from Missoula. I'm actually staying in one of the big tents with some of the other cast. I've been doing musical theater since I was twelve. There's not much dancing in this series, so not a lot of these people are really trained to do it. But tonight's dance looks good. It's going to be really beautiful. And you have the opening sequence, aren't you excited?"
He paused and looked at me, and I had to stifle a laugh at the shock and fear I felt. I would grin and go with it until I felt like they gave me something I couldn’t handle.
"Yes, I'm excited," I said, trying my best to seem like I was telling the truth.
"Okay, so you're at the very beginning of the scene. The camera's going to be here, and when the scene opens, you're going to be over here against the wall. There are others around you, but you need to stand at this table here. There's a little speck."
He pointed downward, and I stepped onto the black mark on the wooden floor, trying to center my body over it.
"That's good if you can find that spot. If not, just remember where you are in relation to this table."
I turned and looked out at the room from where I was standing.
"Yes, like that. You'll be standing here, looking out. Cameron might come by and re-position you before we get set for the scene. But I know you'll be here, and I know you won't be facing the wall. You'llprobably be looking at the dance floor. The scene is going to open with the camera panning from outside and coming along this track, inside the door. The music will be playing, and the people on the floor will already be set in motion. A group of main actors are going to come through the door, and the camera will pan to follow them. Just as they're crossing this line, they are going to disperse, and then eventually, you'll be asked to dance. You're in the background of the shot as it pans… so just like this… take my hand, and come with me."
James bowed to me and then swept me up, and we began dancing. His movements were certain and solid, and he was a large man. He held my hand and my waist.
"Put your other hand on my shoulder," he said to me.
I positioned my hand on his shoulder as we danced. I moved along with him, following him with no resistance whatsoever. James was a confident dancer, and he made my job easy, pulling me along. He did a twirl, and then we moved for a few more strides, dancing fluidly together along the edge of the dancefloor before he stopped, letting his shoulders sag. "And that's basically it," he said, smiling at me. "We'll that same move over and over again. I'm not sure how long this song is. I know I'm with someone else on the following song."
"Busy man."
"Yeah, I'm pretty good at being in the background." He laughed. "No, we'll only be in the shot for a minute or two, until the Tommy character starts talking again and they focus on his table. There's a whole scene with him and his sister after that."
