“What shall we wear? What kind of expression do you want? How long after the incident is it again?…”
So we need pictures for the website… the theme is going to be stills from the police ID parade – ‘Usual Suspects’ style. Chris has organised camera, lighting, and backboard, we just have to turn up and grin. If only it were that simple. Much anxious deliberation from the cast follows. What shall we wear? What kind of expression do you want? How long after the incident is it again?…
Typing your name into the ipad (which is acting as an ID Board) feels permanent. I’ve given my Christian name lots of thought but the surname…? It feels too Northern now I’m looking at it, is that how you really spell it? Do the names sound OK together? Sod it, there are bigger things to worry about. We all get ‘snapped’ (photographers hate that term, just like actors hate being called actoors) and then as usual with this business, we WAIT.
A few days later the email drops in and we look a right motley crew. The full impact of the photos is obvious when you see the images alongside each other. You can’t help but make judgements – egotist, flirt, nervy, follower, arsehole – and then wonder if it’s just their reaction to the person next to them. I’m in a hat, tanned and hacked off (The hat is part of my character but I won’t be wearing it much, it’s something I do on special occasions, maybe in secret. More on that another time). The usual police look is bored, pale and hatless, so this must be a comedy right? Going on the storyline we’ve discussed, our director’s instincts and the cast, I’m sure it will be, funny that is. But then there’s heartache, passion, frustration and politics, all itching to jump in the mix. The script isn’t written yet. That’s the exciting thing about this project. We’re feeding it every week, and it’s feeding us. It’s fluid and so, unlike the photos, our characters are going to change.
