Old school Japanese maid

This Monday I was at another shoot. It turned out to be one of my favorite projects so far. Why? It was a Japanese period piece, and everybody gets to dress up in a kimono! It was my first official kimono experience. I was excited.

So even though it was another student film again, and I am again doing the shoot pro bono, it was a well-rounded crew. I mean there was a whole wardrobe department with kimono experts to help us dress. It was an extremely complicated job, to put on a kimono. Even though I was only playing a non-speaking role, as the maid of the Lord, they had me in a kimono just as well. And a pretty pink one too! After they put the 3+ layers on me, i feel like I was going to faint.. The obi (belt) was so tight around my waist I could only use 50% of my lung capacity. It was like a corset for Japanese people. I was exclaiming in my mind, how do old time Japanese people do this everyday?

After I was dressed, I put on my geta-or Japanese sandals, and walks painfully to hang out with the other maids in the back while they shoot the other scenes. My hair was in a bun in the back of my head, making me look really old. The kimono limited my movements so I could only take tiny steps at a time and couldn't bend down without looking awkward. And, did you ask about bathrooms? Oh yes that was some fun experience... I am glad I am not an old school Japanese woman 100 years ago before they had jeans.

The samurai looking actor seemed to whisper to me something like I look pretty when I walked past him... But I was too shy to say anything I just hurried and scurried down the path like a squirrel and barely acknowledges him and stayed in character, like a good old Japanese girl would have done in the old times.

I waited for 3+ hours total before my little scene. But then that was not that bad.
I was in my kimono trance the whole time.

Finally it was my turn. The scene took place in a Japanese garden (in real life the one in Van Nuys) I was to try to take the plate from the princess because I was the servant. She would ignore me and walk past me. Then I would turn back after the princess and her maids were gone and stare at their backs in confusion. It doesn't sound like much, but looking at it from a Japanese aesthetics point of view, I think I can say that it was a single action that spoke a thousand words.

And in my mind's eye too it was a beautiful shot. Maybe something close to what I have always wanted to be able to portray on screen. Like THE moment in a film that would touch some hearts and stay in memories. I am glad I accomplished it so early in my acting career. Hope the final product turns out well.

I hope nothing was stuck in my hair and my lipstick didn't smudge!!

It took a while to take all the layers off me and put on my real life clothes. I was really catching a cold and I had a bug bite on my face :(

But I was happy.