Artichoke Statuary

Last night I received a phone call from Michael. He had called to give me directions to the location for todays shoot. He also dropped the bomb that we needed to discuss on-set etiquette. I have a tendency to come off too strong, and need to learn my place when dealing with professionals. Apparently my place is not offering any sort of opinion about sets, lighting, or product styling to professionals working, and any contact with the art director is highly discouraged.

Usually this kind of criticism would irritate me and invoke brisk response. Lucky for me, I held my tongue and decided to do what I was asked, back off. When I arrived on set at 7:30 this morning, I decided to be optimistic about the situation and act in accordance to what was expected from me.

The location was a Mansion lake house in Wayzata. The shoots planned for today were all featuring a similar product, baby gates. The view and atmosphere was breathtaking, and reviving to the senses. In my tour of the house I noticed how it felt sanitary and vacant, it was hard to believe that it was actually lived in. The rooms would more accurately reflect room plans and props of a Pierre One gallery without any personal belongings evident. The dust free shelves and wide spaces appeared stripped of any personality or family, with the exception of a few formal portraits. One thing I repeatedly noticed was the absurdity of the statuary and figurines. So impersonal was this house that the centerpiece of their table was a potted pineapple plant. I noticed several depictions of this fruit around the house, it was only out-shined by the artichoke. Several statues were located on counters, shelves, and even on the patio and terrace, where they loomed like vegetable gargoyles. In addition there were plastic artichokes added to floral arrangements in peculiar vases.

Today I focused on being seen and not heard, On being available when needed, and keeping my thoughts to myself. Apparently it worked, I received no harsh criticism of my "set etiquette" only on my determination to not wear shoes (I was told to protect my feet and keep the flip-flops for a less treacherous venue). I still felt very idle and not entirely accepted, but my awkwardness is lessening. Being on location gave me a great lake view, sunshine, and fresh air to occupy me when I was not needed on set; quite preferable to a hot, crowded, studio.