Why over-packing is good

Greetings from "Beyond."

Beyond is the property my brother and I inherited from my dad. John and I have been here for about a week, and have been working on a horror/comedy film. Tomorrow is probably the last day of principal shooting -- secondary shooting will pick up in a week or so around home.

I have so much more to write, but not much time. There have been close to 30 people here, total, some for one evening to play drones/zombies, others for longer stretches. I came along, mostly to be emotional support for John; I was also going to be having a small spoken part (as a "peep"), and act as combination production assistant and co-producer.

To prepare for the extra-with-one-line role, as requested, I dyed my hair black (badly, as it turns out). I packed a variety of outfits, suitable for 9 days camping out in a barn and running around. I always over-pack. Always. I wish I'd packed more, but I'm glad I had as much as I did (clothes were stuffed into one of the huge blue bags from Ikea), because I ended up with a significantly larger role. Like, one of the main 4 parts.

On indie movies, at last on this one, a lot of times cast is responsible for their own wardrobe and makeup (except for specialized stuff). I have 2 pair of pants and 4 tops that I'm rotating, depending on which scene we're shooting. And wow, are they limp. It's just what I packed -- 1 outfit for my little part, and the rest for just day-to-day stuff.

It's freaking hot here during the day, and almost freezing at night, but beautiful. It's been absolutely beautiful every day. Not a hint of rain (so far), and cold nights are excellent for fog scenes. We've had issues with bathroom and shower availability and I've gotten almost good at getting changed just around a corner or under a nightshirt...there is little privacy (it's like a giant slumber party).

I have so much more! But I have to go kill some monsters now.