not as glamorous as you thought

I spent all day yesterday on the production sets for three different British television dramas. I was extremely surprised by the lack of glamour that was present. Huge warehouses that looked run-down and shady from the outside housed huge sets surrounded by every type of lighting device you can imagine. My boss and I sat and watched as the director had the characters shoot the opening credits against a blue screen- then watched as the digital graphic coordinator created a title behind them within a matter of minutes. Ten people with clipboards stood around a small TVs which showed play-back from each camera. After each shoot, all ten of them would give their opinion on which angle was best (which was usually none of them...) and then they would scribble notes down on their boards and the process would continue. Members of the production crew entertained my numerous questions and acted unbothered by my avid picture taking.
The actors changed clothes in a corner of the warehouse that was allocated as "wardrobe space." This wardrobe space consisted of a few hanging clothing rods and mismatched suitcases filled with shoes and accessories. A large table occupied the other corner of the warehouse which was filled with personal size bags of chips, cookies, a few apples and a kettle to make tea (because we are in England, after all). Not quite the catered feast I anticipated film sets would have. This just goes to show that Hollywood is not quite as glamorous as we all would have hoped.


Last night my program hosted a dinner boat cruise down the Thames River. I got to see all of the famous London landmarks (Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abby, Tate Modern...) lit up at night and it was sort of like my trip had come full circle. I spent my first morning in London visiting all of these hot-spots. Tomorrow starts my last weekend in the United Kingdom. All day I've been having small panic attacks as I write the first of August on loan agreements and script requests at work. How could I possibly be approaching the end of my summer in London? Didn't I just get here?

keeping myself occupied

It has been a week since I last posted, but that is certainly not from lack of note-worthy material. One of the perks of my internship is that I get to attend events sponsored by my company's clients. Last Wednesday night Lotus cars threw a huge event in correlation with the International British Motor Show. This was where they unveiled their first new car model since 1995 and the hype behind it was unbelievable. British television stars and aristocrats crawled out of the cracks to be there when they took the cover off of the Lotus Evora for the first time. In addition, luxury automobile companies from all over the world had their latest models on showcase - and being shown off by models. And, as if that wasn't good enough, UB40 was also playing a concert at the venue. 

Friday I woke up with an eye-splitting headache so I called in sick to the office. After a large dose of advil and a few more hours of sleep I was feeling much better so I took the opportunity to explore parts of the city that I never get to see during the day while I'm at work. I got a coffee from the corner bakery and walked to the British Museum to say hello to the Rosetta Stone. Then I visited my new favorite, the Tate Modern museum (home to Monet's Water Lilies). I then met a friend that I worked with at Kanakuk at Harrods for a delicious seafood and champaign lunch and then I laid in Regents park and read magazines. A GLORIOUS day of hooky, if I do say so myself!

I spent Saturday in Brighton, England...which can easily be compared to New York's Coney Island. While I enjoyed the sun and the beach and the seafood, the type of people that Brighton attracted were a breed of their own. The main tourist attraction is Brighton's Pier which houses numerous carnival rides and junk food kiosks. 

Today I spent the day in Oxford, England. This was one of my favorite places I have visited yet. The whole town is centered around the University - for obvious reasons. As we strolled down the street we kept passing stone plates marking the home of the man who discovered the first living cells and the author of Alice in Wonderland and various other remarkable bodies. We paid a high school boy to chauffeur down the river on a punt (sort of like a very unsafe gondola) which proved to be the best idea ever. Then we dragged our damp selves to Christ Church (where Harry Potter was filmed) for an Evensong service, followed by dinner in the oldest pub in Oxford. Even though the bus  to Oxford took nearly two hours it was well worth the adventure.