Reply #17: Two TV commercials and one movie.

[Xithras]

The movie, called Dead Man on Campus, was an eminently forgettable late 90's college movie about a couple of college kids who try to find a suicidal roomate after learning that their college awards automatic A's to any students whos roomate dies during the semester (presumably because they'd be grieving too much to study). The scene on the bridge was shot in Modesto, and since the camera crew was in town anyway they decided to shoot a couple of other quick scenes here, and I was a crowd extra in one of them. As it turned out, the bridge scene was the only one that made it into the movie.

I was also a crowd extra in a Coke commercial and in an Ocar Meyer hotdog commercial. A couple of my brothers and I were also on the reserve list for background extras in Back To The Future III.

Mostly it's boring. You stand around until someone comes by to check out your clothing to make sure it works (we were provided with a clothing do's and don't list ahead of time...no logos or distinctive attire mostly). Once they approve you, you're herded into a group where someone explains what you're doing and some basics about what is happening and what kind of facial expressions everyone should have. Then you stand around for a while (sometimes hours) while they get everything ready. Then "Action", 30 seconds of doing something, and "Cut". If the director didn't like it, you'll go back to your starting position and do it again, and again, and again if needed. The Oscar Meyer commercial was shot seven times because the kid the camera was focused on kept botching her lines. Oh, and if you screw up even ONCE...if you make a face, or forget where to walk, or do ANYTHING that screws up the shot, they'll eject you. They generally have zero tolerance for extras who can't do what they need to do.

And for all of that, you receive little or nothing in return other than bragging rights. I was in .5 seconds of the Coke commercial, and only half of me was visible in the Oscar Mayer commercial. My movie debut ended on the cutting room floor.

If you have nothing else to do that day, it can be an interesting experience. If you haven't done it and have the opportunity, just go for it. I did it when I was younger just to see if I could get my face on TV...and you'll find that 95% of extras are there for that very reason.

By the way, this mostly only applies to crowd extras. If you're a costumed extra in a movie, you actually do get paid a small amount of money for doing it. Quite a few of the parade marchers in that Coke commercial, who had to wear costumes and have makeup work done, went home with $100 checks in their pockets. The rest of us "cheering onlookers" in the crowd went home with their hearty thanks and $20 Coca Cola gift certificates for Coke merchandise.