Welcome To Academia Report

As to the film on which I just completed work, 'Welcome To Academia', here is a final look at it and some of the actors and actresses. It is a comedy that will be released sometime in 2008, when and where I do not know yet. The official plot s description is: "A young graduate student is made to jump through hoops during her dissertation process at the fictional liberal arts school of Victoria University. Meanwhile, teachers and administrators engage in debating tenure issues, fight over deanship positions, and jockey for power - activities that often take precedent over the daily operations of the school."
Most of the scenes I shot were reception and event scenes that required lots of faces (the extras). They were all G rated, but I have heard the film has brief nudity and vulgar language in it, making a PG or R rating likely. The writers are the director, Kirk Davis, and Elizabuita Szoka, a Polish born American lady I happened to have bumped into one day in the holding area after lunch.
I heard her speaking (sigh..on that ---- cell phone!) what I thought was Russian, but turned out to be Polish. When I asked her what language it was she told me and we chatted about the film and her stay in New Orleans. Most times writers are not wanted on the set (they complain and interfere with the production), but because the director and she wrote the script together she visited it for a few days while shooting. In one scene, a costume party, we shot she removed the two balloons one male extra had as part of his costume (a dress) because she said it was "offensive to women". I found that strange, given the nudity and vulgarity that is in the script. But she is more the producer of the film as opposed to the creative part. Davis did most of the writing.
The director and co writer, Kirk Davis is allegedly the unseen star of the film. He is said to be a young prodigy as a director. I found him to be very smart patient, and congenial on the set. Davis won an International Film Fest "Best Fiction Feature Film" Award for his writing and direction in a film entitled 'Screen Door Jesus'.
Most of the actors and actresses in Welcome To Academia' are TV performers, with long resume's of various TV shows during the past 40 years. They are not "name" performers, and since I do not watch TV much I am unfamiliar with their work. Some of he players I worked with in my segments include: Matt Servitto ( He was featured as the Head of FBI in the number one TV series in the U.S, in the early 200's, "The Sopranos"), Calle Thorne (appears from time to time in two TV shows called 'Prison Break' and 'Rescue Me', James Legros (The only ego maniac on the set. This guy seems to love himself too much. His most prominent TV series were 'Ally McBeal' and 'Sleeper Cells'. Again, since I don't watch TV much I don't know those or any of the series I am listing now.) and Laila Robins. (She has appeared more in movies, often as an intense and polished career woman. I got to talk with er at length because I sat nest to her for a couple of scenes. In between breaks we chatted about the fact that her sister, like me, is and English teacher and about the restaurants of New Orleans. She mentioned she adores the food, it is making her fat and that because she finishes work in a few days will not be able to taste more of it. This lady was polite and considerate of everyone, as were several others in the cast I chatted with).
So that is my summery of the time spent on the set. It was a fun 10 days of "work" for me.