Thursday, August 25, 2005

Someone I don't miss at all.

Prospect Studios must have had too many complaints about "The Evil Guard".

Back in the days of The Shield (several seasons ago), which shot at Prospect, this one particular entry-gate guard was always nasty, sour, angry, and seemed to look for ways to delay people at the gate. I remember having to get to the lot at least 20 minutes early every day because of this woman. One day, when I forgot my I.D. card at home, she kept me at the gate for over 30 minutes while she tried to "find a call in pass because how do I know you really work on this lot" (this after seeing my face every day for weeks), while shooting me dirty looks and every once in a while muttering something derogatory about people who forgot their cards and messed up her day. Then, as I finally drove past (muttering something about being late to work), snarled "That's what you get!" at me.

If she's still at Prospect, she's not working the east gate anymore.

The entry-gate guards these days are sugary sweet to the point that I'm afraid I'm going to fall into a sugar coma just by talking to them.

I don't have a Prospect Studios I.D. anymore (it's long since expired, and it's not for Grey's Anatomy, so it wouldn't do me any good even if it were still current), so the younger guard (it's always the same two) comes out to the car and says "Good Morning", then takes my drivers license with a heartfelt "Thank you"; while the older guard - who stays in the shack and smiles - prints out my vehicle pass and personal pass.

The happy younger guard then hands me my personal pass and drivers license, sticks the vehicle pass to the inside of my windshield, and warbles a "Have a great day, ma'am!" as the gate lifts and I drive into the parking lot.

It's certainly a nice change.

I don't miss her at all.

5 comments:

Doom/Blondie said...

you worked on the shield?

I LOVED that show

From the making of DVD it looked like a really hectic et very creative and rewarding show to work on...


was it?

Peggy Archer said...

Creative and rewarding?

Sure, if disorganization, chaos, constant night shoots in horrible neighborhoods, 15 hour days and a gaffer who was a screamer is your idea of rewarding.

You have to understand that the crew has no 'creative input' on these shows at all. We're just there to do a job, and hence we tend to decide if a show's good or bad to work on just by, well, if it's good or bad to work on.

None of us cared that they won an emmy. We just wished they'd plan their days better.

Anonymous said...

Where does The Shield shoot at now if they've moved from Prospect (I ahven't kept up with them for a while)?

Peggy Archer said...

They still shoot at Prospect. They're on the stage next to Grey's.

Anonymous said...

So the station house in The Shield is a set? I didn't think that anyone would think of having a police station in a deconsecrated church and then build a set for it -- I assumed that they just wrote it in to explain why they were filming in an old church. :)