Have you always dreamed of being in a movie? Running over to the costume department, getting hair and makeup done, and hearing “quiet on set”—iconic, right?Â
My first encounter with the idea of being a movie extra came when Sonic the Hedgehog was filmed in my hometown, Ladysmith, back in 2018. I saw people I knew from town casually acting beside James Marsden and Jim Carrey; and it hit me that being an extra might be one of the coolest jobs around!Â
Yet, the chances of becoming an extra in a big-name production seemed virtually out of reach—until I ended up as an extra in a movie that led me to be half a foot behind two famous actors.
The Callouts
About two years ago I joined a Facebook group for casting calls in the area, where I discovered that the local film scene is much bigger than I realized in Victoria. In this group, I noticed a post that was reminiscing about the experience of coaching a famous actor a year ago when a popular movie was filmed. Channeling all the luck I could—and not expecting success realistically—I sent a hopeful DM to the casting director I thought I recalled making this post (which has since been taken down). Although I had only hoped to get an insider perspective to write about the film, I was offered a spot as an extra… OKKKK?!!!
Pre-productionÂ
In the days leading up to the shoot, I was given minimal details. Extras were tasked with finding three suitable costumes on a week’s notice, and the style guidelines were not open-ended to say the least. The time and film location were withheld until their confirmation the night, with crucial set details only being released at 1:00 am. The length of time that shooting the scenes would take was only mentioned upon arrival on set the day of.
The day-of (10:12 a.m.)
Upon arrival with three bags of costumes, multiple documents, and all the backups I could think to bring, I was ushered into the holding area called the “circus” where approximately 60 other extras slowly piled in. It was a tent to hold us while organizers struggled to make their directions heard. Stuff was tossed everywhere, and someone was yelling out “Go eat breakfast.”Â
Amid changing costumes, finishing paperwork, and last-minute makeup fixes, the crowd rushed into buses driving to the film location. Miscommunication occurred though, and many extras followed the (incorrect) instructions to leave everything in the tent. But, this mishap actually resulted in someone bringing my stuff to the location, while most others didn’t get their stuff for the entire day! #softslay? It was at this point the rumour began spreading that filming would be going on until midnight.
Action!
Amid a small sea of fresh makeup, shiny costumes, and perfect hair, stood someone wearing a dishevelled—nearly frightening—costume and an old wig. This person, along with various others, would sporadically enter the waiting room and call for a certain number of people to get in the shot. Those extras would then jump up and grab a prop, then hurry up a staircase to be given a place.Â
I was among the first small group to enter the shoot. The set was exuberantly decorated, the team was excited, and the extras were even more hyped.Â
After numerous re-shoots, a scene would end, and everyone would pile back down the stairs. I would then wait hours before getting to finally be in another scene. The cycle repeated: wait, wait more, get prop, run upstairs, shoot, cut, shoot, cut, run downstairs, wait, repeat. After a costume change and a *lunch* break at 6 p.m., the shooting continued—until eventually at midnight, I was amongst a small group that got the privilege to go home.
The aftermath
Despite the unexpected 14 hours in heels, this was such a fun experience. Because of my random entry into background work, I wasn’t aware of how the industry worked, which was a bit surprising. After experiencing a shoot though, I would definitely do it again!Â