It's Not Easy Being Green

In June, I was selected to be part of a national advertising campaign for Marker ski bindings.  The advertising campaign would involve a still camera shoot and a video shoot.  Both shoots would take place on one day.  I had to go to auditions and costume fittings at the talent agency that got me the job before the shoot occurred.  Then the day of the shoot finally came.  Here's a day in the life of a model.  I'm sure you will find it fascinating.  (I know most of you will just scroll down to the pictures.)  Enjoy!

I drove to the McCune Mansion in Salt Lake City for the Marker ski binding photo shoot.  I was to spend the day doing whatever they wanted me to do while dressed like a green jester.  First of all, I absolutely fell in love with the McCune Mansion.  I had been there when I was a little kid for a wedding reception.  When the mansion opened, I explored the first floor before everyone else showed up.  I was grateful I took that opportunity because there wasn’t any other time to do it.  Once everyone (body painter, catering, make-up, hairdresser, wardrobe, director, camera and boom operators, etc) showed up, the photo shoot began.  I got in my costume which consisted of black leggings, black tennis shoes, black socks, a gray long sleeve shirt, a black scarf tied around my waist, and a jester hat complete with bells.

Here's a picture before going green.

I talked with the other people in the photo shoot and read in a book I had brought while I waited for my turn to have my body painted green.  The photo shoot consisted of seven Little People-Chris, Rebekah, Kealalaua’e, Matt, Will, Mike, and me.  There was also one average sized girl, about seventeen years old, who portrayed Steezy Marie (the queen).  She was dressed in an old medieval dress with her hair straight up in the air.  I watched as Matt, Kealalaua’e, Chris, Rebekah, and Will got painted green.  I enjoyed watching the process.  Depending on whether the costume involved a hat some had to have their ears and necks painted green!  I also partook of craft services while I waited since I knew that time for eating would be nonexistent when the shoot began.

After two hours, it was finally my turn to go green.  It took about fifteen minutes for the body painter to turn me green.  I was grateful my costume had a hat that covered my ears and neck so they didn’t have to be painted.  My fingers, fingernails, hands, wrists, and face were all painted green.  It looked and felt pretty awesome!  It was fun to be green!  The paint was airbrushed on.  The paint was cold.  It always made me jump when he started because a puff of air would assault me along with the cold paint.  After I was painted green, I went to make-up.  I was also grateful my hair was covered up so I didn’t have to have my hair done.  The final part of my ensemble was a jester (puppet) head that looked like me that I carried around on a stick.  My character talked with the puppet as if it were human and I used the puppet to mesmerize people to do what I want them to do (mostly create mischief).  

When I was finally ready, I went up to the third floor in the mansion where the photo shoot was taking place.  Since I was the second to last person to get ready, the photo shoot had already begun.  They did a series of pictures with the jesters jumping on a trampoline while I was getting ready.  I was glad I missed that!  The videos consisted of an introduction of each jester, a lot of hanging out talking about Jester Marker ski bindings, and trying to win the favor of Steezy Marie.

Around 1 PM, they began setting up the shot for the print ad.  It took a LOT of time to set up!  I was put in a few different places before they decided on where I should be.  In the shot, I was mesmerizing the shy jester (who was sitting in time out with a jester hat) to get off the stool and do more mayhem.  The photographer took a LOT of pictures once the shoot was set.  My eyes were probably closed in half of them or maybe I was doing weird things with my face.  Who knows?  Thank goodness for photo shop!

We were given a thirty minute break for lunch/dinner around 4 PM.  I scarfed down a roast beef sandwich and cookies.  Then had my makeup touched up.  Then it was back to work.  They were all done with the still photos.  After dinner, we made the still photo come alive with video.  It was CRAZY!  Total MAYHEM!!  Kealalaua’e knocked the head off of my puppet with her barbell.  I just laughed and picked it up and kept going.  All of the LPs ended up in one big heap at the feet of Steezy Marie as she rolled her eyes at us.  It was so fun!

Will and Chris decided to do some sumo wrestling.  One time when they hit, they hit so hard they both fell down on the ground!  It was HILARIOUS!  I tried so hard not to pee my pants!  Then five of the LPs (Kealalaua’e and I opted to be spectators) were filmed playing musical chairs.  Once again, I laughed so HARD!  The LPs really got into it.  When the “music stopped” some were so competitive that they fought for the chairs.  At one point, a leg of a chair popped off.  The leg went one direction, the chair tipped over, and the jester was sitting on the ground wondering what happened.  So FUNNY!

The photo and video shoot finally ended around 7:30 PM.  I changed out of my costume and gave it back to the wardrobe person.  I left the green makeup on when I left so on my drive home, I made a very concerted effort not to stop directly next to another car when I had to stop at red lights.  I didn’t want anyone to freak out when they looked over and saw a green LP driving the car next to them.  They probably would have thought I was some sort of alien or something!

Surprisingly, the green body paint came off relatively easy.  The body paint artist had left each of us some cream that helped take the paint off.  It came off my hands and face pretty easily.  The paint had worn off some on the palms of my hands from holding the puppet stick all day.  The hardest parts to get the paint off were my hands and fingernails.  I had green hands and fingernails for a few days.

Here is the final product of the print ad.  I went to Barnes and Noble last week and bought the current issue of Powder Magazine because the ad is there.  It was pretty fun to see!

Here is the link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2WkwTOBzU4

Traffic Court

A week after I returned from Seattle, I had the pleasure of attending traffic court.

Last March, I received a citation for running a red light.  The crappy part was I didn't run a red light!  As I was in the intersection making a left turn the light changed to yellow, and then by the time I got out of the intersection, it had turned red.  That is NOT running a red light!  That's clearing an intersection!  Two VERY DIFFERENT things!  The police officer that pulled me over couldn't even see what color my light was!  So I decided to fight it.

The lovely Sandy Justice Court was the background for this lesson in the law system.  I took with me pictures from the scene showing clearly the officer could not see what color my light was.  I also took a diagram of the intersection showing where the officer's car was in relation to the traffic lights and my car.  I also took a copy of the page of the Driver's Manual showing that when there is a yellow left arrow, vehicles must clear the intersection.  I felt I was prepared.

As I walked up the stairs to the courtroom, I saw a coworker sitting in one of the chairs outside of the courtroom.  I sat down next to him and asked him why he was there.  He was fighting a red light citation that occurred at the same intersection mine did back in March on a different day.  He showed me his evidence and told me his case, and I didn’t think he had a very good case.  I didn’t tell him that, but that was what I thought.

The courtroom was finally unlocked, and we filed in.  On the list outside of the courtroom there were about seven names on the sheet for cases.  Luckily only three of us showed up!

The first guy they called up was a 17 year old boy.  He pled not guilty to running a red light at the same intersection as the rest of us.  He received it about an hour before I got mine but from a different officer, and he was turning right.  The officer gave his testimony.  Then the poor kid was asked by the judge if he wanted to testify or remain silent.  He looked at his mom because I guess he didn’t know what to do.  His mom asked the judge if she could sit next to him but the judge said, “You can sit next to him if you are a member of the Bar.”  The mom stayed put in her seat.  The kid said he wanted to testify so he took the oath and the witness stand.  His testimony consisted of, “Well, uh, I thought I, uh, stopped.  I remember that day and I wasn’t late for work so I thought I stopped.”  Sorry kid.  If you are going to plead not guilty, you’ve got to own it!  At least have some conviction!  After his testimony, the prosecution showed the dash camera from the officer that showed the kid rolling through the intersection on a red light.  Unless he stopped twenty feet before the intersection….With the kid's stellar (not!) testimony and the video, the kid was found guilty.  The judge was going to sentence him and tell him to pay the fine, when the prosecutor asked if the kid could be given a plea in abeyance instead since he had a clean record before that time.  The judge agreed so the kid had to pay court fees, attend a teen traffic class, and have a clean record for the next six months.  Then the citation would be taken off his record.

The next person the judge called up was my coworker.  He pleaded not guilty to running a red light.  I knew he didn't have a prayer but I just hoped he wouldn't make the judge mad before I had to have my time in the sun.  The officer took the stand and gave a fifteen minute testimony.  Then my coworker took the stand and gave a not-so-strong argument.  The judge found him guilty and asked if he could pay the fine.  He hmm’ed and haaa’ed over it and acted pitiful.  The officer leaned over and said something to the prosecutor.  The prosecutor broke in and told the judge that the officer would reduce the sentence to a plea in abeyance.  The judge asked if my coworker could pay the court fees.  He told a sad story about how he was saving for his daughter’s hernia operation.  She gave him 19 hours of community service that had to be completed in the next 60 days.

While my coworker’s paperwork was being completed, the prosecutor got up and sat in the empty chair next to me.  He said he was willing to offer the same “plea in abeyance” deal the other two received if I would skip the hearing.  I agreed to it.  I mainly didn’t want to listen to the officer’s testimony against me, and I didn’t want to testify.  I think I could have won my case, but I didn’t want to take the chance.  The other two were found guilty and I figured they would find me guilty as well.  The court was set up for appearances but I bet everyone walked out of their with a guilty or plea in abeyance verdict.

The judge called me to approach the bench which I did.  The prosecutor explained that he had offered me the plea in abeyance and I took it.  The judge asked me what I pled.  I didn’t know what to say (guilty or not guilty).  She knew I was confused so she explained that if I pled no contest, that would mean I was taking the plea in abeyance.  I said “No contest, your honor.”  She said to strike that from the record.  She asked me when I could pay the court fees, and I said, “Today.”  She told me I was on probation for six months so if I didn’t receive any citations in six months, the red light violation will be taken off my record.  (I'm halfway through probation.)  I waited for my paperwork.  I paid the court fees.  I was back to work in an hour.

Oh the justice system.....Add that to the life lessons learned.