E is for Extra

This Past Thursday I did extra work for an upcoming film called "Ultimate's Guide to Flight." It's a largely improvisational comedy about disc golf. It was a super foggy morning that day, and it took me almost two hours to get down to the set in Giddings, Texas. I passed 7 separate wrecks on the way there....scary!

Once there I struck up a conversation with a Russian fellow named "Gabe". Within moments he challenged me to a chess match. I should've been wary when he pulled out his own, personal, customized board! Needless to say, within minutes I was the unwitting victim of his Soviet cunning. It was great, though, to repeatedly hear him say things like "In Russia, we have saying...you should smoke and drink, because if not, will die healthy!" I bet he knows Sarah Palin.

The film shot on a huge, closed off country club in Hays County. It was still very misty so it took several hours before we were called. Everyone involved with the project was very polite and cordial, though the director had the charming tendency to call us extras by the color of our shirts ("Hey! Purple! Move out of the way!"). I was wearing a black jacket, and was referred to as "Black Jack" the whole time. The director was Scott Meyers, and he's recently assistant-directed some pretty big budget stuff like Sin City, Frost/Nixon, and Sean Penn & Brad Pitt's upcoming movie, Tree of Life. Though a bit impersonal, he wasn't a jerk, and he did special order us all some delicious Thai food for lunch! Yum! I got my shoes and pants completely soaked by running back and forth on the course chasing after frisbees. I did watch some of the Karate Kid, as well as chat with a local casting agent in between setups. I know it's just par for the course, but it always irks me a bit when I give up my whole day and 3 hours of driving to be an extra (for free) and the only person that ever thanked me was the lady that booked me to come out. Ah well... it's a great lesson in humility to extra, and I don't regret the opportunity. If anything, it gives me perspective and appreciation for the work of everyone one the crew, no matter how small.