My Day as an Extra, Part 2

(Part 1 recap: as of lunchtime, the score was: Scenes filmed with Extras = 0, Trips to set = 2, Hours spent in Holding = 6, Lunch = $8.75. Sheesh. But all that changed upon our return to Holding after lunch, at 2:00 p.m.)

So, those of us who were available grabbed our props and raced to the set. (The call was for 20 Extras, but the A.D. ended up taking everyone back from lunch early, and as we tromped to the set, more and more Background joined us as they saw the parade.) The A.D.’s staged us around the set, in this case the upper concourse of the mall, near a fabricated yarn-selling kiosk, where the small, blond stand-in was being tested. I was paired with a guy from the second group of Extras, a flight attendant for Southwest. Nice guy. We were directed to walk together, crossing from our set point by the tooth-whitening kiosk and walking down the opposite aisle. The director yelled “Background!” and we made our leisurely, pre-Christmas mall shopping way down the aisle until someone yelled “Cut!” And then we re-set and did it again. And again. And again.

It’s true – multiple takes are really the norm. I’m guessing even moreso when you are filming at a mall that is still open to the public and filled with loud, really inconsiderate members of the general public.

After this scene was in the can, ("Check the gate!") we were wrangled back to Holding, although not for very long. Within minutes we were brought back to the set, this time another area upstairs in the mall near Macy’s, the GNC and the escalators.

I was staged on the deck above the escalators with a young guy from Mosser with the straightest, whitest smile I had ever seen. We were supposed to be talking, which, of course meant fake talking. My cohort kept backing toward the railing so he could lean while he talked, forcing me to turn toward him and seemingly look into the camera. We were repositioned a couple of times before the A.D. pulled me because my light-tan jacket was a little too bright and distracting in the shot. At first I was a little taken aback, as I was sure I end up in the movie if this scene was used. But not being in the scene meant hanging back near the area Kevin was watching a monitor and directing his actors. This was bliss.

In the scene, Seth Rogen (Zack) and his friend, played by Craig Robinson, Darryl of “The Office,” are riding up the escalator and delivering some lines. It was fascinating, watching Kevin’s reaction to each take of delivered dialogue and then giving the actors very specific instructions on what he was looking for. While I watched, I also ran into Jason Mewes, who wasn’t acting that day, and Kevin’s mother-in-law, Gail.

After many, many takes and re-sets, Kevin got what he wanted and my little slice of nirvana ended. Once again we were taken back to Holding and almost immediately returned to the set – this time downstairs, but still near the escalators. Again we were set and given instructions on where to walk, where to cross, how fast to move. The same two actors were walking up the aisle delivering lines. Somehow, as I started from the opposite side and crossed behind them, I ended up almost immediately in their backs. This scene was shot from several directions, including an overhead shot.

This was also when the general public was at their worst. People just refused to be quiet for a few moments or not walk into a scene. You’d see the same kids walking into the shot over and over again, desperate for their 10 seconds of fame. People stood in clots watching, many of them in the shot. On more than one occasion, I had to vary my path on a re-take because some twit decided to stand directly in my path in the middle of the shot. The A.D.’s finally started incorporating some of the bystanders into the scene, following the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” philosophy. I know how frustrating this was for me, so I can only imagine what it was like for the crew.

Finally, Kevin got enough film and yelled “Cut!” and “Wrap.” We were done for the day and the production had completed its first day of shooting.

The Extras had their props collected and we were marched back to Holding to get signed out and sent on our merry ways. It was 7:20 PM. Earlier in the day, I helped one of the A.D.’s by prepping some forms, writing in the name of the production company (“Blue Askew Inc.”) and the name of the production (shortened to just “Zack and Miri”) on the forms all Extras used as their W-4 and I-9. When she checked me out, she remembered my name and thanked me, which I thought was a nice touch. I earned $7.15 per hour, PA state minimum wage, plus time-and-a-half for anything over 8 hours, not including our 1-hour walkaround lunch. They could have paid me nothing and I’d have been just as happy.

I went out to the dark parking lot, opened my car, got my keys from the visor and drove off without once being approached by Security. In fact, I didn’t even see anyone other than the other Extras getting into their similarly unlocked vehicles. At that point, I really didn’t care, since it all ended well.

Thus, my flocked car and I made the 2-hour drive back to Akron and home. When I was driving home, I switched on my cell (off due to the heavy schedule of filming all afternoon) and had a message from the casting company. The following day, Thursday, I got a call from Nancy Mosser apologizing for the lack of lunch the previous day. She also said, “The movie people want you back, so remember what you wore and bring some other outfits.” My adventure continues on January 31st, when I return to the Monroeville Mall and “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.”

My Day as an Extra, Part 1

Wednesday was a long (but interesting) day.

Note: I'm going to try to describe my experiences as completely as possible without giving away any plot details or actual dialogue from the movie. Bear with me. To read more about the production from The Man himself, check out his blog, HERE.)

My call time was 7:00 AM at the Monroeville Mall. So, I set my alarm for 3 AM and left the house at 4 AM so I had a little “lost time” in case my directions weren’t entirely accurate. Traffic was (not surprisingly) light and I pulled into the mall at just after 6:00. We were instructed to park and enter at the back of the mall, near Burlington Coat Factory. The production, with all its trucks and trailers, was pretty easy to spot. I pulled into a parking space and was greeted by an A.D. (Assistant Director) who told me to stay warm in my car until they needed me, around 7:15. Slowly, more extras joined our little section of the parking lot and by 7:00 we were a full complement of 20 “background actors.” Another A.D. came along and asked several of us to pull our cars over to a section of parking lot that was being sprayed with powdery fake snow and instructed where to park. The flocking truck then sprayed each of our vehicles and we were told to run the wipers so it looked like we just pulled in. Then, the A.D. told us to grab our wardrobe and forms and walk with her to Extras Holding. We were instructed to leave our cars unlocked and put the keys in the visor.

(I’m a city boy. My vehicle is always locked. Leaving mine unlocked all day made me incredibly paranoid, but I was assured that security would keep an eye on it.)

Allysa, the A.D. who was our wrangler for the day, took us to Extras Holding, and checked us in. Holding was an unheated room at the back of the mall with two small bathrooms adjacent. This was our base for the day. Extras are allowed to go to the bathroom and outside to smoke, but otherwise they are kept in Holding. After a few minutes, we were paraded back outside to the mini-metropolis of trucks and trailers to have our wardrobe approved. It was still dark outside. I grabbed my garment bag and trotted along. The wardrobe supervisor lined us up and then walked the line, pointing and saying, “Love it,” “Love it,” “Love it,” “Oh, that won’t do – do you have another shirt?” My shirt/sweater/jeans outfit got the nod. For the rest of the day, I never opened my garment bag with the additional three outfits we were required to bring, complete with shoes. Then, we went back to Holding to wait.

Around 8:00 we were called to the set – the hallway in the mall leading out to the portion of parking lot that had been prepared with fake snow. This proved to be a false alarm – The Powers That Be decided not to use us, so we trundled back to Holding. From our vantage point inside the mall, I could see a rusty pickup truck set-up in the shot with a female blond stunt double ("Second Unit") in the driver’s seat. The A.D. told us this would be a near-miss accident scene and they couldn’t have anyone outside. They thought they might be able to see into the mall and wanted to have people walking around, but the glass doors were opaque in the early morning sun.

(The “accident” thing didn’t make me feel any better about having my unlocked car parked so near the pickup. On the plus side, my car may make it into the movie even if I don’t.)

Back in Holding, the A.D. said they would bring us some breakfast from craft services. A truck pulled up with coffee, which I availed myself of immediately. Breakfast consisted of a half-dozen leftover muffins and some plain donuts that looked suspiciously well-handled. I decided to wait for the hot lunch promised on our call sheet.

I had plenty of time to talk to the other “background actors” and learned most of them were from Mosser Casting and had performed the same function in other movies, notably the as-yet-unreleased “Adventureland.” They were a pretty wide cross-section of humanity – all sizes, shapes and ages. There were soccer moms and college kids and an elderly couple dressed in their Sunday finest. Most were pretty friendly and somehow, I gravitated into a small group of theater people. We talked about shows we had been in and roles we had played. I felt terribly bohemian.

Props came in and gave most of us gift bags or wrapped presents to carry on set. Apparently, there had been an emergency call to get the Extras props as soon as possible. About an hour later, six extras were selected to be taken to the set. I wasn’t one of them. The six returned a while later, saying that they stood in another hallway and weren’t used. One lady, coincidentally also there from Kevin’s web board, was selected to go out to her car, get out and enter the mall. At 11:15, another group of 20 Extras arrived – all hastily called in by the casting company to hurry up and wait with the rest of us.

Around noon, Catering started putting condiments on our tables and I could smell food being set-up in the room next to our holding cell. Our wrangler assured us that lunch would be a delight: rosemary chicken, steamed veggies – the works. Around 12:30, Catering reappeared and took most of the folding chairs for use in the dining room, leaving us standing. At 1:15, a different A.D. dismissed us for a “Walkaround Lunch” and told we could go buy something in the mall food court and be back in Holding by 2:15. Yup, that was it. My theater pals and I went to a cheesesteak place and grabbed a quick bite before returning to Holding – just in time to be called to the set!

And this time, it was for real!

I'm Making "Porno" with Zack & Miri

Tomorrow morning I'm driving to Pittsburgh to work as an extra in Kevin Smith's new movie, "Zack & Miri Make a Porno." We are filming at the Monroeville Mall and my call time is 7:00 AM!

I can't even begin to describe my elation! A friend of mine said the opportunity was "a dream come true" and at that exact moment, I realized it was.

I'll post again upon my return. Until then -- rejoice!