The French public demand my return.

[Lehaut]

After my roaring success as an extra in the French film "The Origin of Evil (L'Origine du mal)", I was once again in demand for my services.  "Mademoiselle Holmes" is filming in Nantes so I put myself forward and got a call late on Tuesday.  It was a garden party set in London so they needed British extras to provide background ambiance.  On our feet all day, take after take of the same thing as the temperature ramped up.  These people must have the patience of saints to do this job full time.

Did learn when talking to them that  most  of the technical set people they are classed as in precarious employment .  As they work film to film they have no long term contracts so things like mortgages, loans and renting are difficult if not impossible. 

Great day out and met loads of interesting people, French and British, Dutch and Zulu, 4 course lunch, SMIC with one hour extra.

Don't think I will make a career out of it, two days work in 2 years will not cut it!

This was the garden party set.

[Loiseau]

You were lucky with the four course meal Lehaut! The only time I did a few hours as an (unpaid) extra, I had to make a bowl of vichyssoise last for four hours…

[Hectorsdad]

Are you able to post a picture showing yourself, even in a background shot?

[Lehaut]

1 minute ago, Hectorsdad said:

Are you able to post a picture showing yourself, even in a background shot?

The series will not be out until September, so I don't have any stills of myself (yet).  We started at 0800 and finished at 18h00.  From that (according to one of the "stars" we spoke to) there may be 5 to 8 mins of actual TV time used.  Don't even know yet if I will be in it as they shot the same scene from so many angles.  Watch this space for any updates 😉

[Hectorsdad]

We will have to be patient!

[menthe]

Lehaut, wondering if the garden party was supposed to be somewhere in the south of England, Devon, cornwall, etc.

Do palm trees grow elsewhere than in the south-west of England?

As you see, I don't appear to know a great deal about English flora and fauna.....but I am NOT ashamed!  Well, nothing wrong with an eagerness to learn, is there?

[Lehaut]

23 hours ago, Hectorsdad said:

We will have to be patient!

Hectorsdad, to whet your appetite!  Our eldest managed to "find" a copy of the first film I did two years ago and sent me a still of the scene.  We (80 of us) sat in a church for about 4 hours for this one clip of a woman walking towards a coffin.  No cushions on the seats, so it was a painful 4 hours.  I am under the arrow.  The chances of being mobbed for an autograph in the street is thankfully small, based on this 🙂

[Lehaut]

Menthe, the ladies and I were wondering the same thing.  The garden party was supposed to be set in a house in London and the plants in the garden in Nantes did seem a bit exotic.  However;

According to the RHS: Some hardy palms will survive winters in much of lowland Britain in sheltered gardens with favourable local conditions. London itself is an urban heat island with mean temperatures at least 2 to 3 degrees warmer than the surrounding places. 

So technically it is possible, we all learn something!