My film debut...well...sort of...maybe?
After winning and writing about a trip to NYC anything else I write about seems to pale in comparison. For the last couple of weeks I thought about what I could write next. I made a list (I love making lists) and the first one that came to mind happened this summer. I was cast in a movie! Well, I was cast as an EXTRA in a movie. Not quite the same but still exciting. Read on to hear about my experience.
On June 27, I made the short trek to OKC to film a scene from the movie "Yellow." Check out imdb.com to read more about the film. It was written and directed by Nick Cassavetes. He has directed several movies, but the one I knew him from was "The Notebook."
I was told to be there at 7:00a, so of course I get there at 6:30a. I have a habit of getting to places early and having no idea where I was going I thought the earlier the better. The last thing I wanted to do was get "fired" for not showing up on time. Well, I didn't have to worry about that. After getting there and claiming a spot in the extras corral I waited, and waited, and waited. Finally around 10:30a or so we were ready to move in to the sanctuary. Without going in to too much detail (#1 because I don't want to get in trouble for talking about the move before it actually is released AND #2 because I wasn't in the sanctuary the whole time so I really don't know what took place) I, along with about 200 others, sat in the church and filmed a scene for the movie.
We were broken in to two groups (right and left side of the aisle) and then ushered in to rows. It was crazy to see how long it took them to place everybody in just the right spot. They would check it out and then rearrange someone, and then check it out again, and rearrange again. I am sure a lot of it had to do with how people looked, what they were wearing, and also trying to make believable groupings of people. I will say, I have never been to a church that was that full. Perhaps the director should know that churches don't seem to be that full anymore on a normal Sunday...maybe it was Easter?
We were filmed a few different angles and then we had a break. It felt like only an hour had passed but in all actually three hours had passed. It helped having a nice group of people to talk to. They made the time go by. My side of congregants was excused for the next part of filming, but an hour later we were back in. This second time was a bit more exciting because we actually got to see a few of the "stars" film their lines while we were just sitting in the background. I saw Melanie Griffith, Gena Rowlands, and Heather Wahlquist. I am sitting about five rows back from Melanie Griffith and Gena Rowlands in that scene.
Oh, to be a lead actress. Those women came in, after we had been there for HOURS, said their two or three lines, and then were done for the day. FOR THE DAY. How crazy?! It didn't take all that long to film that section and then my side was excused again. Now, the time was around 3:30-4:00p and we were STARVING and had to pee. We were so happy to be out of there just so we could eat and go to the bathroom.
That was the end of my filming...not the end of the day, but the end of my filming. After our late lunch we had to stay around just in case they needed to use us again for a scene. We waited and waited and finally at 11:30p (seven hours of doing nothing) we were finally able to go home.
There was a TON of waiting to do for the film. Not ever having any experience in film (unless you count the film I did in undergrad) I never would have guessed how much work actually goes in to a few minutes of film. It made me appreciate films even more.
So was it my film debut...well...sort of...maybe? I'll have to watch the movie when it comes out and let you know if you can see my head.
On June 27, I made the short trek to OKC to film a scene from the movie "Yellow." Check out imdb.com to read more about the film. It was written and directed by Nick Cassavetes. He has directed several movies, but the one I knew him from was "The Notebook."
I was told to be there at 7:00a, so of course I get there at 6:30a. I have a habit of getting to places early and having no idea where I was going I thought the earlier the better. The last thing I wanted to do was get "fired" for not showing up on time. Well, I didn't have to worry about that. After getting there and claiming a spot in the extras corral I waited, and waited, and waited. Finally around 10:30a or so we were ready to move in to the sanctuary. Without going in to too much detail (#1 because I don't want to get in trouble for talking about the move before it actually is released AND #2 because I wasn't in the sanctuary the whole time so I really don't know what took place) I, along with about 200 others, sat in the church and filmed a scene for the movie.
We were broken in to two groups (right and left side of the aisle) and then ushered in to rows. It was crazy to see how long it took them to place everybody in just the right spot. They would check it out and then rearrange someone, and then check it out again, and rearrange again. I am sure a lot of it had to do with how people looked, what they were wearing, and also trying to make believable groupings of people. I will say, I have never been to a church that was that full. Perhaps the director should know that churches don't seem to be that full anymore on a normal Sunday...maybe it was Easter?
We were filmed a few different angles and then we had a break. It felt like only an hour had passed but in all actually three hours had passed. It helped having a nice group of people to talk to. They made the time go by. My side of congregants was excused for the next part of filming, but an hour later we were back in. This second time was a bit more exciting because we actually got to see a few of the "stars" film their lines while we were just sitting in the background. I saw Melanie Griffith, Gena Rowlands, and Heather Wahlquist. I am sitting about five rows back from Melanie Griffith and Gena Rowlands in that scene.
Oh, to be a lead actress. Those women came in, after we had been there for HOURS, said their two or three lines, and then were done for the day. FOR THE DAY. How crazy?! It didn't take all that long to film that section and then my side was excused again. Now, the time was around 3:30-4:00p and we were STARVING and had to pee. We were so happy to be out of there just so we could eat and go to the bathroom.
That was the end of my filming...not the end of the day, but the end of my filming. After our late lunch we had to stay around just in case they needed to use us again for a scene. We waited and waited and finally at 11:30p (seven hours of doing nothing) we were finally able to go home.
There was a TON of waiting to do for the film. Not ever having any experience in film (unless you count the film I did in undergrad) I never would have guessed how much work actually goes in to a few minutes of film. It made me appreciate films even more.
So was it my film debut...well...sort of...maybe? I'll have to watch the movie when it comes out and let you know if you can see my head.
Hahaha, cool! Anything counts, right? :)
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