I Know What's Out of Frame

Last night, I had more good things to talk about, but for some reason, I couldn't think of them.  I went through my phone this morning to delete some of the pictures of me.  I take waaaay to many hoping that one of them turns out, and sometimes, I forget to delete the other ones right away.  I don't know why I bother though.  I hate all pictures of me except for the ones from when I was a kid.  Because I was a really cute kid. ;)  Looking through all the pictures reminded me of a couple more things I can blog about.  Which is often the hardest part of blogging.  Figuring out what to say.  That and coming up with a title that works. ;)
So any way, on Tuesday, February 21st, I got to do something I have been trying for years to do.  I put myself into the LDS casting log such a long time ago, and I often get emails from them asking me to submit myself to be an extra or for roles they have open.  I've never been chosen....UNTIL NOW!  Ha ha ha!  It felt like this:

I'm totally serious.

So I showed up at the time I was asked to be there, and I waited and I waited.  That's typical of extra work, and the reason I'm not super fond of it.  It's actually typical of all film work regardless of the part you have, but at least when you are the star, you have actual face time and lines to perform.  But once in awhile, it's nice to be an extra.  I love film making and when I am an extra, I get to watch it all happen.  I get to observe and learn, and be a part of something that excites me.

The Young Women's President of the LDS church asked the film department to make a short film for the upcoming General Young Women's Conference (it will air Saturday, March 30th).  It follows a young woman from the time she is born to the time she... I don't know, really.  The part I got to be a part of was the scenes in the young woman's sacrament meeting.  I am sitting in the sacrament meeting when she receives her young womanhood medallion from her bishop.  They were also asked to show the young lady partaking of the sacrament, and so I was there for that as well, but you won't see me.  I'm wasn't in the line of the camera for that shot.  But you might see my shoulder (I'm wearing green) when she receives her award and the cut away to show her mother.

Fun facts:  The girl being baptized had to be dunked about eight or nine times for the shot.  They would pull her out of the water and dry her off (apparently, the water was not very warm and her lips were turning blue at one point), and then dunk her in again.  The girl receiving her young womanhood award and the mother playing her mother are actual mother and daughter.  The young woman was also hand-picked by the Young Women's President herself.  She looked through casting pictures and chose the young lady herself.  Pretty cool.  The man playing her father, is not her father, though.  The young lady actually in real life received her Young Womanhood Award in September last year.  When it was time for the young lady to take the sacrament, she thought it was weird, and her mother agreed.  The bread was not blessed, though, so I thought it was weird that they thought it was weird. :)

I was nervous about taking pictures, but everybody else was and the director and camera man said it was okay, so I finally started taking some during the second half.  Here they are:

It was a fun day.  But then I had to run home and get dinner and run off to rehearsals again. :)

So yeah, if they include the part where they cut to her mother to show how proud she is of her daughter receiving her award, you might just see some green fabric, and you can say, "That's Melissa's shoulder!  Woo hoo!"  Hahahahah!  You never know, though.  I've been extras in a few things, and most of the time, they don't even use the footage.  :)