"have you been shot yet?"

Back to the set for a 9.30am call, and a third day. There's a gaggle of people from the last two days gathered outside and we drink tea and chat before being dragged off and costumed for a 10.00am start. Now the previous days we've been all ready and then waited for our bit - today we're straight on set, and marching up and down corridors with guns, and I almost get a line to say, and then the director decides to not to go with it, so my chance is gone.

One of the things i've learnt on this job is that it matters where you stand. It's not like picking teams at five-a-side, it's generally if you're at the front or back, left or right - whichever is nearest the bit of action required. The only reason I nearly get the line is that I'm at the back of a crowd, and the 1st AD knows my name now, and not a reflection of any recognised ability. However, the exception is one of the guys that the director has taken a liking to, who later on does get a line, does a great job, and gets a call back to do some more.

It's lovely and sunny outside, and in between takes we take advantage and sit outside. Just before lunch, and it's my big moment. After a short debate, the continuity people decide that, although I appear in some scenes (already in the can) that are sequenced later than this one, it's OK for me to be shot, but maybe not dead. Which is kind of reassuring.

So I'm positioned on the floor, and the make-up people go to work. I have a bullet hole in my stomach, with copious amounts of fake blood applied to both my sweat shirt and my hands, and my face is greyed up and some sweat applied. just before 'action' is called, some more blood is applied and I'm told to grimace and act hurt. The guy opposite me has a bullet wound in the head, with blood pouring down his face and shirt. I think he's dead. When the camera rolls, people run all over the place, someone is shouting "get down!", kids are hiding under tables and screaming (with the 1st AD encouraging them) while a main character walks past the mayhem. I can't see very much of what's going on, and only later find out that behind my position there is (polystyrene) bits of building flying around, and my fellow extras are positioned at windows pretending to fire thier guns. Everyone seems very happy once it's been run a few times, and I'm told to try and keep my make up intact as they might need me in later scenes.

The guy who was sent home a few days ago without doing anything is back, and gets to do his big scene. he has his bullet wound in the neck, and gets to lay in a pool of blood. He's all done quickly, and after lunch goes home.

We have a late lunch, and the kids are fascinated by my bullet wound. "Does it hurt?" asks one of them. It's quite difficult to eat lunch with blood all over your shirt, but i am allowed to wash my hands. After lunch we all wait at base while the crew do some other scenes, and after a bit of a nap in the sun we get driven back to set. And sit around in the sun again, until every so often a runner appears and asks one of the others "Have you been shot yet? okay, we need you...".

It's late in the day when I and the two others who have been sitting around all afternoon get taken to set, and the director decides it's not worth me changing for this, so I get to clean up and watch the last couple of scenes get shot on the monitor. It really does look completely different on the monitor once framed properly, and fascinating to watch.

One more day to go, which is good because I only have a couple of chapters left in my book that I started at the beginning of the shoot...