Casting Director (CD): "Zach auditioned for me about a month ago and I thought he was really good even though he wasn't right for the part. Can he work this Wednesday?"
Me: "Yes, he can work on Wednesday."
CD: "I'll send all of the details later! Talk to you soon!!!"
Zach was now booked for a gig in two days. I had no idea what he was doing, where he was going or how much he was getting paid...But he had a job in 2 days!
About an hour later I received a call from the wardrobe department. I learned it was a baseball shoot and he needed to bring baseball socks, a glove and some baseball skills. I still had no idea how much he was being paid, the shoot location or the call time.
Dana and I did some research on various casting sites and determined the shoot was for "Killer Kids". It's a Lifetime program that shows the backstory of kids who commit the act of murder.
I finally got the rest of the details on Tuesday. The shoot was at a city baseball field near Dodgers Stadium with a 7am call time. I also got the bonus "not enough adults" phone call. The production crew was looking for parents already on set to be extras in the show. In other words, Zach was going to be paid and I was going to be paid!
We arrived on set Wednesday morning as the sun began to rise over Los Angeles. We also arrived to the sound of fireworks. We couldn't figure out why fireworks were going off at 7am. It turns out the field was located next to a police firing range!
Zach in costume after arriving on set. FYI...The team name is not "Homeboy".
The super deluxe on-set wardrobe tent. There was also a Cookie Monster tent.
Our craft services tent included fruit, crackers, candy, chips, bagels and gum.
The cast included one of Zach's best friends, a kid from his improv show and a 28-year-old playing a teenager. The adults in the cast included two professional actors playing the parents of the victim and various parents and brothers of the kid actors. I knew the mother of Zach's pal and had seen the brother of the improv kid at Saturday shows. The other parents all seemd to want the money without having to be in front of the camera. It was cutting into their reading, knitting and napping time.
Zach was in a few scenes at the start of the day setting up the events leading to the crime. His morning scenes took us all the way to lunch.
His big on-screen moment happened after our lunch break. The director asked Zach if he could throw out a base runner by firing the ball from shortstop to home plate. Zach said "no problem". I looked at the parents in the stands and told them there was no way this would end well.
The Artist telling the cast and crew "No Problem!".
Zach has played football for years at an all star level. He played baseball but it was always more of a social activity for him. His friends played so he played/talked/laughed for 3 or 4 seasons.
He walked out to the shortstop position and got ready for the throw. The director asked him if he needed to do a few practice throws. Zach said he was ready and I (once again) told the extras this was going to be ugly. The director yelled "Action!" and the runner took off for home plate while Zach charged the ground ball. Zach picked up the ball and fired it towards home plate. The ball and the runner were in a race towards home plate.
The ball flew past the runner into the hands of the catcher. The catcher tagged out the runner while the actor playing the umpire yelled "OUT!". The director called "CUT!" and told Zach the take was perfect. The crew congratulated him on getting the runner out on the first try. Every extra in the stands turned and looked at me. I was proud of Zach, shocked he nailed the throw and very quiet as I left the stands.
Zach's last shot of the day consisted of him standing in the outfield watching a ball fly over the head of the center fielder.
His character is upset the other team hit a home run.
It was around 4:30pm when the kids wrapped for the day. Zach came up to me and let me know he was ready to go home. I was very happy to inform him that I still had one more scene to shoot and he was going to have to wait for me.
It was the first time EVER on a film set that he had to wait on me! It was my favorite moment of the day.
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