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6:30 a.m.
I'm so tired, I barely recognize Frances Conroy (Ruth Fisher) when she arrives for work. The 2nd 2nd assistant director Eddie Kalpa greets Frannie warmly, the way he does every day. Eddie is the link between the cast and the rest of the crew, and he has a walkie-talkie so he can keep track of when the actors are needed on set.
In the hair and make up trailer, I watch for an hour as they transform Frannie into the character of Ruth. Six Feet Under takes place in a realistic universe where most characters don't wear make up or elaborate hairstyles, but it takes lots of work to make it look that way. Donna-Lou Henderson, the make-up department head, perfects Ruth's "no make-up" look.
The hair department head Randy Sayer puts Ruth's hair into a "morning bun." Ruth also has a "fun bun," a "nice bun," a "tight bun," and a "soft bun" - all of which were designed to reflect the emotional state of her character in the story. In the show, Ruth's buns always appear to get messier throughout the day, with little hair tendrils falling out of place. This requires lots of planning on the part of the hair department, because scenes in the episode are shot out of order. After Frannie is finished with hair and make-up, she goes to the wardrobe trailer where Michelle Pershing, a costumer from the wardrobe department, has her outfit ready.
Meanwhile, I tag along as members of the art department and set dressing departments walk through the sound stages with the episode's director Nicole Holofcener, making sure she approves of the sets.
The art department designs all the sets on the five Six Feet Under sound stages. They include windows that appear to have a view of the "outside," but behind them is just another layer of set, lit with man-made sunshine. Doorways and hallways appear to lead to other rooms, but when I walk around the corner, the set comes to an abrupt end. To give the sets a three-dimensional feel, they also include many live and fake plants. The greensperson David Holowach buys or rents plants as needed and tends to all the plants to keep them healthy. The set decorating department dresses all the sets, making the rooms look lived in. Their attention to detail is incredible: there are baby pictures in the sun porch of the three Fisher children, which are actual baby pictures provided by Peter Krause, Lauren Ambrose and Michael C. Hall.
It's time to bring Frances Conroy and James Cromwell (George Sibley) onto the set for a rehearsal. I watch the scene being blocked, which means the director tells the actors where to stand. Alan Caso, the director of photography, figures out where the cameras will go, and 2nd camera assistant Kira Hellickson marks the actors' positions on the floor with tape. Jason Hodges, the key grip makes room for the camera by moving a set wall that's in the way. Nicole and Scott Buck, the writer, talk about the emotional beats of the scene, and she decides how she wants to direct it.
After the rehearsal, the actors go back to their trailers. It's time for Ruth's stand-in Joy Highsmith to take Frannie's place. Joy's job is pretty simple, but important - she stands where Frannie will stand in the upcoming scene. The two women are about the same height, with long red hair and similar skin tone. When Joy reflects light for the camera, the electric department figures out the best way to light Frannie on film.
I'm amazed at how close the camera will be to Frances Conroy when she films the scene. Six Feet Under looks different from all the other shows on television because the camera department uses specific lenses to create a certain mood. For instance, a typical Hollywood "beauty shot" is done with a long, telephoto lens. But this show uses very wide lenses, and places the cameras close to the actors' faces. This makes the viewer feel close to the character, and has a subconsciously intrusive effect.
It's almost time to begin filming. There is a scramble as last minute preparations are made to the set and actors
The set costumer Kathy Hendricks snaps a few pictures and takes detailed notes of the way Ruth and George wear the clothes - whether sleeves are rolled up, or shirts are tucked in. She makes sure the clothes look good on camera - no shirts showing a gap between the buttons, no collars accidentally turned up on one side.
The hair department sees that Ruth and George's hair is exactly the same in every take. Monica Perez, the assistant prop master gets all the props ready and makes any last minute changes if necessary. The make-up artist Julie Kristy does a few touch ups.
Everyone takes his or her place for the first shot of the day.
A cluster of director's chairs surrounds two video monitors. I take a seat at the back. The director and writer sit in front of me, along with the script supervisor Tracy Zigler. Her job is to keep track of how many times the director films a take, and which ones the director likes best. She also feeds actors their lines if they forget them, and is responsible for continuity - sameness from shot to shot - in the scene. All of us will watch the scene in the video monitors as it's being filmed. We put on headsets so we can listen to the audio tracks that will be recorded by the sound mixer, Bo Harwood.
On set, the boom mike operator Don Coufal gets ready to follow the actors around with an enormous microphone on the end of a pole.
Everyone on the crew is in place. The camera and lights are ready. The actors are on their marks. The set looks perfect. It's time to roll film on the first shot of the day.
Film starts rolling in the cameras. The sound department begins recording tape. The 1st assistant director yells, "On a bell..."
A loud bell rings and a red light starts flashing outside the stage door, so everyone knows not to enter or exit until the shot is complete.
"Set!" yells the camera operator.
"Rolling!" yells the A.D.
Everyone on the set gets quiet and stands very still. "And...action!" yells the director.
I'd tell you what happens next, but you'll have to tune in and watch for yourself.
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Mortuary Fact
In 2004, Joseph E. Hagan "Funeral Director to the Presidents" was inducted into the Nation Museum of Funeral History's Hall of Fame. He was on the "embalming team" that prepared John F. Kennedy.
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