America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 12 Priority of Debtors

Early Thursday morning, Martin drove his old Ford to the Midtown Arts Theatre.

Hundreds of people gathered in the theater square next to Taoshu Street.

This is where extras from Atlanta gather.

To put it bluntly, it's just a temporary labor market.

Martin came by yesterday morning and even encountered a TBS television program selecting audience actors, but he wasn't chosen.

Whether in Los Angeles or Atlanta, the supply of lower-level actors far exceeds the demand.

Lacking connections and a formal organization, even finding work as a background artist requires luck.

Martin parked his car and entered the square, where he saw Robert's large head.

Robert, with his hair neatly combed and dressed in an old-fashioned formal suit, said, "Wait a minute, the commander hasn't arrived yet."

Martin glanced at it briefly: "Was this specially made?"

Robert said, "That way I have a better chance of being chosen. Actually, I don't have any other ideas. As long as I have one line, that's fine."

"It really depends on luck," Martin said. "Good luck, buddy."

The Marietta Theatre Company members arrived one after another, including Martin; they were all temporary workers and penniless.

The troupe leader, Jerome, drove up in a Lexus, told the entire troupe to wait at the edge of the square, made a phone call, and when a bus stopped on Peach Tree Street, he shook hands with the fat man who got off, said a few words, and waved to the square: "Get on the bus."

Seeing that there were no oddballs or people with particularly unusual appearances, the fat man said something to Jerome before going to select temporary workers.

Martin walked quickly, getting to the front of the bus before anyone else. He glanced at the first row by the door and saw a folder on the inner seat.

He chose a seat on the other side of the same row, and Robert went inside.

Martin sat on the outside, observing the square through the car window.

The fat man is selecting people. His selection method is very simple: he chooses whoever he likes.

Based on the information Martin has gathered recently, it is not difficult to conclude that Atlanta is far from film and television production centers such as New York and Los Angeles, and its preferential policies have just been introduced. At present, there is no mature market for extras and a supporting agent system.

Jerome is, in a way, an agent.

California and New York's laws and regulations do not apply here.

The bus quickly filled up with people, with the fat man and Martin separated only by a narrow aisle.

Martin didn't rush into a conversation.

The bus hadn't gone far along Peach Tree Street when it suddenly slowed down.

A march began near the state capitol building.

Television and newspaper reporters also followed and filmed them.

The fat man craned his neck, watching ahead. Instead of cursing, he said, "Make way for those people. Once they've crossed the next intersection, we'll turn around and take a detour."

The protesters' vests bore the name "ATL Freedom Association." Judging from the fat man's attitude, Martin seemed to be talking to himself: "Fighting for legal rights?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it reached the fat man's ears. He casually remarked, "This is a famous liberal progressive group in Atlanta. They've done many remarkable things."

Martin, certain that the fat man's stance leaned towards the protesters, immediately adjusted his position: "Are you doing something remarkable this time too?"

The fat man clearly knew: "Several conservative leaders of the Georgia Methodist Association claimed that women are merely subordinate to the family and must obey the family's will, which sparked this protest."

Martin said, "It's a very socially significant action."

The fat man was proud: "One of the organizers of this event is Ms. Kelly Gray, the boss of our Gray Company."

Unexpectedly, this fat man was a good employee who understood his boss's needs. Martin quickly found a topic to build rapport and said, "My friend, and many of her friends, have always wanted to join the Freedom Association to do something for the rights of freedom. They can participate in socially meaningful activities like this anytime, but unfortunately they can't find a suitable person to introduce them."

As long as meals are provided, Elena can pull out hundreds of people from the Clayton community, let alone dozens.

Elena, on the other hand, volunteers at the conservative Methodist Association.

That's not the point. Elena once said that as long as the pay is right, it doesn't matter who you trust.

"I know many outstanding people in the association." The fat man, who definitely had a promising future at Gray Company, took the initiative to recruit supporters for his boss. He took out his business card and handed it to Martin: "I'm Andrew. If you want to join, feel free to call me anytime."

Martin accepted the card carefully, then took out a prepared business card and handed it over: "Martin Davis."

Just before the bus turned off Peachtree Street, another marching group entered Peachtree Street, carrying Methodist flags.

The two sides exchanged insults across the distance, causing an uproar in the area.

The happiest people are the media reporters.

…………

The bus traveled for more than half an hour before arriving at a farm north of Atlanta.

The film crew rented a farm and temporarily built some 19th-century plantation-style sets. Next to the wooden houses that served as temporary dressing rooms, actors dressed in old-fashioned costumes had already finished their makeup.

Martin got off the bus and found the group leader, Jerome, waiting at the farm entrance.

Andrew approached Jerome and said directly, "There are two special roles. The daily wage is $100. The workday ends at 4:30 PM. Overtime will be paid at $10 per hour. Call over a few of your best actors."

The hourly wage for a purely extra role is only $5.15.

Jerome immediately remembered that idiot Martin still owed him dues, and called out Martin's name first: "Martin, come here!" Then he called out, "Kohler, Robert, Jones."

Nobody can owe me money! Jerome then said to Fatty Andrew, "Martin is good; we can consider him first."

Andrew remembered the name, and as soon as they arrived, he pointed to Martin: "Martin Davis, and... you, come with me."

Robert, who followed Martin, became another lucky one.

Jerome led the two towards the cabin, while the rest of the crew followed the production crew to the outdoor temporary makeup area.

Robert nudged Martin, who gestured to him with his eyes to shut up.

The two followed Jerome to the cabin, waited a short while, and were then told to go in and get their makeup done.

While I was getting my makeup done and changing clothes, an assistant came over to talk about the play.

The character has no lines, but has a lot of movement.

The two actors play assassins who try to kill the female lead. They rush into the garden where the female lead is, only to be shot dead by the male lead with two shots. Then, the male and female leads fall in love after the hero saves the damsel in distress.

In other words, Martin and Robert had to lie dead the entire time they filmed this scene.

Background artists who are lying on the ground and creating a corpse are paid more than those who are standing.

Robert has a senior background, not to mention Martin.

There were no difficulties at the beginning. We just followed the blocking requirements strictly and filmed it twice. The only time the director yelled "cut" was when the male lead accidentally dropped the gun.

Then came the main event: the two lay motionless on the ground.

The male and female protagonists embraced each other deeply...

(End of this chapter)