Then we were bused a short way to the hospital. Most of it is still a functioning hospital, but part of it is not being used. That is the part that we were in.
All of us extras were herded into the holding area on the first floor, where we sat for maybe 30 minutes. By this point it was already three hours or more since we first reported.
We were all on the edge of our seats, hoping to get to go through these magical doors and up stairs to the actual set.
The dude in charge of us finally came out and walked to the middle area of all the extras. He then started pointing to people--you, you, you, ummmm, we need another doctor so you, and you. We were all dressed in lab coats as doctors, green scrubs as nurses, gray scrubs as orderlies, and gowns as patients. He took about half of us, but since the dude started past where I was sitting, I unfortunately did not get to go upstairs to set with the first wave.
We waited a couple hours more and he came down again. He said he needed a couple more people so I jumped up and said, "Me!!" About 10 more of us finally got to go to set! As soon we stepped off the elevator, we could hear someone yelling. It was the star of the series, screaming in her hospital bed. All of the extras on set really looked like hospital people who knew what they were doing.
We were led around the corner and silently waited. And waited. I was handed a clip board to look official.
And we waited some more. Then they said we were breaking for lunch. We all went back downstairs and walked across the parking lot to a buffet outside. When we were finished eating, they called everyone who was upstairs before lunch to go back up. So I made it back to set again!
After more waiting, they finally called the rest of us to be in the scene. I was standing at the corner behind a counter, having a conversation with a doctor about something on my clipboard that we kept referring to as we mouthed words, shook our heads and used hand gestures whilst walking away.
One of the main guys was walking right by me saying, "We all have families, Jim." He then walked into the corner room where the main character was lying in bed.
After I finished walking away, the director would yell out, "Still rolling. Reset." And we would go back to our spots, they would say, "Background," and we would start our movements. Next they say, "Action!" and shoot the scene again. We probably did it maybe 8-10 times.
Then I silently waited around the corner a bit more until they called us back. We shot one more scene that was chronologically before the one we already shot. So we had to think of what to do so that we would finish where the other scene started.
If you can see me at all, it will probably be my shoulder or the back of my head. Honestly, I'm not even sure if I was in the shot.
Then we went downstairs again and they called up the people who had been setting there for about 11 hours and they got a turn at a new scene. A while later, a different guy came in and said he needed about five ladies. I jumped up. He took us outside and in through a side door. We ran up the steps and quietly snuck onto set again. I saw Nicole Kidman doing a scene in the same hallway that I was in earlier.
The guy continued bringing us back around the corner and told us to go into the snack room. There was a small buffet and snacks in there. He told us to grab what we wanted. At this point, I thought I was going to be in another scene. But alas, after we grabbed a snack he brought us back down the secret side stairs and back into holding, taking another small group up for dinner.
These are the stars of the show. I saw all of them on set, except one--I just heard her yelling from the bed. The guy on the left is the one who kept walking past me.
We finished at 9:00pm, about 13 1/2 hours after reporting. I believe I was in S2 E7, which is set to air December 1. I am not supposed to post anything about the show beforehand, so I will wait until it has been aired to post this.
And that's a wrap!
As the clan of fanciful neighbors reunited there was excitement and energy in the air until one fateful guest fell down dead.
