in the city of angels...

so, i've been in LA for the past two weeks.

i got offered a PA position on some short films, and free airfare out here, so i couldn't turn it down. i thought it would be a pretty sweet trip and i opted to stay for two weeks instead of just one, so i'd have more time to chill here in the city of angels... little did i know i would have SO MUCH "chill" time.

i know alot of people in the LA area so i figured i could find a few different places to crash at over the two weeks, but "staying with friends" and "finding rides" turned out to be alot trickier than i anticipated! it was very stressful at times, and i will never do it again. i HATE the feeling of having no control over my life and that is exactly how i've felt this whole time. its been terrible. luckily, several of my friends really came through for me and gave me lots of rides and a place on their couch, etc...

so, on to more interesting things.

the short films i PAed on were filmed at the Culver Studios, which are owned by Sony, in Culver City which is fairly close to Santa Monica.

When i first got on set, i was completely clueless. i felt like i looked COMPLETELY out of place. it was so weird. but once i got comfortable, it was really cool to get to see how everything works. to be honest, i dont feel like i did alot on set during the shoot. mostly i would get people water, or deliver messages, go on starbucks runs, make copies and faxes, and.... then of course, there were the hours of watching them shoot as i stood there feeling lazy and useless...

but even though i felt totally dispensable on set, i'm glad i got the chance to PA. it was a really great experience, i learned alot, and got to meet a lot of cool people.

there were some interesting things being shot at Culver Studios right next to us. Fast and Furious, yes, the 4th one haha, was being shot in the stage right next to us. apparently most of the original cast is back for this one, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, but i didn't see any of them. i did, however, see Tom Cruise standing outside of one of the stages while he was on the lot shooting his new WWII movie, Valkyrie. he plays a jewish man pretending to be a nazi to assassinate Hitler. basically, people are not too sure how good its going to be. but ya, Tom had these funny curls. they didn't look quite right...

well, apart from PAing on set, i didn't end of doing a whole here in LA. i worked at the LA film festival for a day. i helped at this filmmakers reception which i thought would be kind of exciting, but it turns out it.... wasnt. at all. but oh well.

i spent several days sitting around my friends places doing nothing all day long cause i didnt have a way to get anywhere. that was cool..... it kind of sucks to be in a city with so many things to do and have no way to do them! it got to a point where i was like, "i just wanna go home! this isnt worth it anymore!"

luckily, things got a little more exciting there at the end. today was my last day here in LA and it was really fun! a bunch of us went over to my friend Sarah's and we cooked some stuff on the grill and just hung out and talked and then watched fireworks. the fireworks were kind of lame and really short, but i didnt really care.

after that, me and my pal, Bart, drove to west hollywood to see one of favorite bands, Enation, play a show. we were a little late and missed part of their set, but it was still cool. what was even cooler was that Bethany Joy Galeotti, one of my favorite actresses and singers, was there because her husband is the keyboard player for Enation. it wasn't a real big club, so i walked right in and went up to the front and ended up standing right next to her for like 20 minutes. i felt sort of like a creeper, but despite the fact that i was occassionally watching her out of the corner of my eye haha, i really was just up close enjoying one of my favorite bands play.

after the band finished, i introduced myself to her and told her i was a fan, and then asked for a picture. i was quite as smooth as i'm making myself sound though. haha. i felt like an idiot. for one, i hate saying i'm a fan and asking for pictures with celebrities. i feel like i'm way too old for this. and i feel like i'm annoying them, but at the same time, i would like to think that my approach is alot less obnoxious than most fans.

after living in LA last semester and seeing quite a few celebrities, i gradually began to realize that you dont just walk up to every one you see and ask for a picture or an autograph. they would probably go crazy if everyone treated them like that. they're just people trying to live a [fairly] normal life and they deserve to be left alone. its almost like celebrity etiquette. although having crazy fans is just something that comes with being famous, i feel like there is a time and a place for that and with all the celebrities living in LA, most of the time you see one, its not the time for that.

anyways, thats my personal view on the matter, so i try not to bother people whenever i see them out and about, but every once in awhile, i see somebody i'm a really big fan of, and i cant help myself. but in those situations, i try as hard as i can to be brief and to the point and respectful of their privacy.

i hope thats how i was with Bethany Joy tonight. i could have easily been very obnoxious because i stood right next to her for awhile, but i didn't want to be like that, because she seemed to be really enjoying the show and seeing her husband play and i felt like it would have been rude to interrupt that.

anyways, i was a little star struck. it really is weird to see people on your tv or hear them on the radio or whatever and then see them in person. its kind of surreal. its exciting but at the same time, its like, "hello. they're just people like everyone else." and you shrug it off because seeing a ton of famous people doesnt really make you feel any different in the long run.

well, overall, i had a good time in LA. there were some bumps along the road, but i'm thankful for the opportunity to get away and to relax and to learn more about filmmaking and to catch up with good friends!