Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Sussex Salt and Trailer Trash...

I've been enjoying living by the sea over the last week and, in my opinion, there's nothing better than an Autumnal seaside...
I love how the elements manage to distort whatever they come into contact with, even though it also terrifies me, and I also love the feeling of warmth within cold.
Birling Gap is probably one of my favourite places in England...a simple, rock-pooling beach
which always pours sea-life sucess into any bucket, with an equally simple and satisfying cafe up at the top...



I also like the quiet beaches along the Sussex coast...the ones with the not-so-trendy beach huts...just because it's quiet, really, but also the textures of the more unkempt civic areas fascinate... and worry me at the same time...
'The Door To The Sea...is Jammed'!



The walls seemed scorched...by sea salt

However...all good, artistic things; things that are wonderfully creative for the body and soul, must come to an end...
As they did today:
Anyone who thinks filming or being an actress is in any way a glamourous occupation, prepare to be disillusioned!
Today, I did my day's filming on the new, comedy film 'Swinging with the Finkels' (and, yes, it really is about 'swinging', and yes I did have to say kinky stuff...anyway....)
It was all being done in a kind of hand-held, improvisational way...to the point where I'd never met my 'boyfriend' until I had to take my top off in the 'wardrobe trailer', where they were trying to work out how to make us look like a couple!
Luckily, my 'boyfriend' was a lovely man, and we had a real laugh, until we were led to the set where we had to 'improvise' on a constantly malting fur throw, and then be regularly de-furred (for continuity)...to the complete silence of an on-looking crew...
The job is an embarassing one at times, and at times I wonder what on earth...well, just what on earth!
Anyway, the make-up girls did a good job...
Also, a large part of filming is always spent in your 'trailer', with your name emblazoned across the door on a manky piece of A4 (or if you're really unlucky 'Lesbian 1', as was one I saw today!)
But the trailers are the most un-aesthetically pleasing waiting rooms you could imagine, with their dull lighting, even duller furniture and nervous dull actor inside.
So during the age I had to wait alone in the dim light, eagerly anticipating how 'funny' they were going to ask me to be, I embarked on trying to get some arty shots, imagining how I could convince bloggers that I was actually somewhere quite swish, or at least that William Eggleston had just popped in....
So:


But he hadn't and the reality was...
A corrugated metal-shutter-view from the window...
An all American home from home...
and, er...not much else!
Consequently, I'm finishing this post on a wonderfully rare K3...
designed, like the K2 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, but made in concrete, as opposed to cast iron, introduced in 1929.
It was an unsucessful kiosk, due to its fabric, as the elements were not kind to it, and demanded too much up-keep...but how beautiful.
K3's, though incredibly rare, have to be a personal favourite...
There... I feel much better now!

7 comments:

  1. Very evocative pictures, i can almost smell the sea, almost taste the coffee in the cafe, I'll be there soon!!
    Love the stuff about acting, great read, made me LOL! x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great post! Juicy info! The next time I think of Jenifer Aniston, Reece Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock I'll just think of them as trailer trash and I will feel sooo much better. lol.

    Seaside photos are great, especially 'the door to the sea is jammed'. And of course, the cafe ... why is it always trips to the seaside end up in the cafe?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, you do make me chuckle...I just laughed out loud reading your post! Brilliant. Your blog would make a wonderful film...with you as the star, obviously! Hoorah for the seaside too. Katie x

    ReplyDelete
  4. That was just a wonderful post - gorgeous pics - chippy paint, rusty doors, dinky grafitti and fabulous stories of your day (you're very brave - I take my hat off to you!) and then a K3 cherry on the top. Thank you - this post made my day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. oh 5ft your gift are your eyes. what a great vision you have. wouldn't it be great if you could take 'people holidays' where you became another person for a day. i bet ya you would be booked out. i justed watched a seris called carnival. ihave it on dvd. its great. if you can get it, do.

    ReplyDelete
  6. when i clicked on the third photo of the rock pool I swear i thought smellyvision had been introduced to the www, I really could smell the sea,really lovely evocative photos there, (love spiderman/boy) and despite what you say about acting being unglamourous i think you paint a wonderful picture of all its goings on.
    especially like your being unfurred for continuity description, i'd love to see that film katies suggesting.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This post is incredible. I came by, actually, within a few hours after you posted it and was so overwhelmed (in a positive way) by the pictures AND your lovely accompanying prose that I couldn't articulate a comment. But I've been remembering it and have just now finally taken a moment to come back and tell you. Wow!

    ReplyDelete