"Touched By an Angel" Set Visit Part 2

In fact, everyone seemed a trifle nervous; I know CyberSusan and Catwoman were, and I got the impression John didn't know what to expect from us, either. He was very nice, though. We shook hands, and exchanged a few comments. I'd talked to John's mom via the 'net quite a bit, and I'd spoken to John himself a couple of times via the 'net, but it is always very different to meet someone in person, and that goes double for anyone I've seen primarily on TV.

My reaction to seeing someone I usually see only on TV is about as follows: For the first fifteen seconds or so, my brain gets stuck trying to work out why there's not a piece of glass between us. Then about twenty seconds are spent trying to wrap my mind around the fact that they are three-dimensional, not two dimensional as some part of me was utterly certain they were. After that my brain decides that given the way nothing makes sense, I must be on a roller coaster, and my stomach obligingly provides a few butterflies to enhance that sensation.

After that, I'm usually fine, provided I haven't made an utter fool of myself already.

Thereafter, due somehow to the fact that all those TV closeups make my subconscious think I've spent an awful lot of time in their company and I must know them really well, I have to keep reminding myself that I *don't* know them well and if I act like I do I am possibly going to freak them out. I *think* I managed to behave myself on that score this time.

At any rate, the introductions seemed to go pretty well - CyberSusan hugged him hello but Catwoman and I simply shook his hand, and then it was time for John to get up on the scaffolding and do the first run through of the scene.

They were filming the 'tease' for the episode "Charades" (Fourth season, episode #410.) For anyone not familiar with the term, the 'tease' is the part of a television episode that comes before the opening credits roll. The episode itself, again for anyone who hasn't got the titles memorized, is the one about McCarthyism and Hollywood blacklisting, and the woman (Libby Glaser) who was struggling with her past and her father's death. Click here for the description on the official TBAA site. In this case, they were filming the scene with Andrew and Monica sitting atop the "Hollywood" sign and introducing the case for that episode. Both for your reference and my own as I write this, here's the dialogue we saw being shot:

Monica: Oh, Andrew! I'm so excited to be here! My first time in Los Angeles, the city of Angels.

Andrew: Well, this city needs all the angels it can get. Here ya go. (Puts sunscreen on his fingers and rubs them together, then applies the sunscreen to Monica's nose.) I don't want you to forget your sunblock, 'cuz Tess said I should keep an eye on you, and I'm not taking any chances.

Monica: Where is Tess?

Andrew: I don't know. But until she shows up, I'm the stand-in. That's a movie term.

Monica: You know, Andrew, I've never actually been to a movie. Tess never wants to go.

Andrew: Well, you know, Tess isn't a big fan of Hollywood. The last time she was here was in the 50s, and oh, that was a bad time. For people AND Angels.

Monica: But it says in my guidebook that Hollywood was the dream factory?

Andrew: But for a lot of people it was a nightmare. And for some, it still hasn't ended.

(Voiceover - Andrew, shot overlooking the city) Welcome to the world of Libby Glaser...

In order to film this, John and Roma had to get up on the scaffolding by means of a staircase built into the back of it. Before they went up there, however, standins would be used to sit where they would be while all the various pieces of equipment such as lights, cameras and sound equipment were placed correctly.

Each angle seemed to require a different camera, and they took many MANY different angles. There were 'long' shots, where you could see all of them in the shot, heads to feet. There were medium shots, taken from about the waist up, of both of them together and maybe of each one separately, there were closeups on each of them separately. I don't even know how many total takes they needed, but if you watch the scene with the above dialogue and look at all the different shots, you can get your own idea. Each different angle and depth of shot required everything being set up and the entire scene done one more time.

John seemed to think we would find all the repetition to be a bit boring, but I was fascinated by all the gadgets and all the details. I figure I probably looked like a tourist, standing there staring at things with my mouth open. Fortunately for my own self-esteem, I don't remember for certain what I was doing. I also doubt I would remember everything this well if not for the repetition for much of it.

Anyhow, once everything was set up, *then* John and Roma would climb up the stairs in the back of the scaffolding and seat themselves with their feet dangling off the edge. The makeup and hair folks would come up and take care of any last minute touchups that were needed, and then John and Roma would 'settle' themselves for the scene while the other folks were climbing back off of the scaffolding, and then once the director called for quiet, they were ready to film.