have you been an extra in a film/online research on extras in a film wanted

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i'm looking to hear about people who were extras in films - your experiences, what films, what was it like, observations, are wanted. i need to hear from you!

― doom-e, Friday, 10 January 2003 13:08 (twenty-three years ago)

I've been an extra on TV when I was kid. I ran up and down a lot of streets in the background of Grange Hill.

I was almost an extra in Return Of The Jedi, but I was too short to be an ewok.

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 10 January 2003 13:11 (twenty-three years ago)

what was it like? experiences....who move you around?

― doom-e, Friday, 10 January 2003 13:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Film extras

ilx just ate this post, hopefully itll work this time

L was in the US version of the drowners video

and we got asked to be swedish mods a couple of years ago, we didnt though, i think we forgot

― gareth (gareth), Friday, 10 January 2003 13:14 (twenty-three years ago)

We generally got shoved around by an random assistant - whoever was directing the scene would just expect us to kind of walk up and down looking natural without making any noise. The BBC wasn't really paying that much attention as long as we didn't draw attention to ourselves.

BAsically they had a huge stock of kids who wanted to do it so it you mucked up for a second you were sent back to school.

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 10 January 2003 13:16 (twenty-three years ago)

was there any suspension of disbelief on your part, pete?

― doom-e, Friday, 10 January 2003 13:18 (twenty-three years ago)

What do you mean. Did I believe I was going to be discovered. Or was I acting, did I believe in the part of "kid mucking about in the background". Yes to both.

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 10 January 2003 13:22 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah, something along those lines - about how did it feel to be doing an ordinary thing, like walking, but it being filmed, etc. that's sort of what i'm looking for - including - who gave you directions, etc...etc.

― doom-e, Friday, 10 January 2003 13:24 (twenty-three years ago)

also - did you come dressed as you were, pete, or did wardrobe dress you?

just looking into the psychology of an extra.

― doom-e, Friday, 10 January 2003 13:26 (twenty-three years ago)

That's the weird thing, because it was TV and the turnaround was so quick (two three takes tops), you generally kept going. So for instance in on scene where I had to run past a cafe window I ran to the top of the street, and back again about twenty times in a row - never really being told when the camera was on or not.

It feels like a good day off school, and then there is the excitement of watching your jacket on the show later. Dressed as was. I'm probably not a typical extar, I was thirteen/fourteen at the time.

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 10 January 2003 13:28 (twenty-three years ago)

did you think it was odd that you were being filmed doing something relatively normal like running?

― doom-e, Friday, 10 January 2003 13:32 (twenty-three years ago)

pete, did you meet zammo?

― james (james), Friday, 10 January 2003 13:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Doom-e - no.

James - yes - I ran behind him and his rub girlfriend Jackie. But I was more excited about meeting Ro-Land.

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 10 January 2003 13:41 (twenty-three years ago)

were the extras bitchy?

― doom-e, Friday, 10 January 2003 13:42 (twenty-three years ago)

MY GOD ro-land and jackie, oooh i liked jackie in a "warm feeling 9 year old" love kinda way. God that zammo treated her badly what with the smack and all - was zammo on smack then?

― james (james), Friday, 10 January 2003 13:45 (twenty-three years ago)

It was the series after Zammo was on smack. I think it was the one where the School's merged.

No, the extras weren't bitchy cos they were all kids at school with me.

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 10 January 2003 13:51 (twenty-three years ago)

when i was an extra it was extremely dull. i was perhaps 16, the extras were local people, many shipped in from the dole office, where they advertized it, and it didnt affect your dole money.

i didnt 'believe' in anything, i just thought it would be a laugh. i was wrong. and all my friends got to be in the other film running about being football hooligans, while i had to sit in the pub all day with a 1/10 full pint of non-alcoholic beer while the same lines of dialogue were repeated over and over and over again. i was jealous of the rest of them so badly!!!

― gareth (gareth), Friday, 10 January 2003 13:56 (twenty-three years ago)

goddamn brookdale (sorry i was a nutter for grange hill) that was when jackies old flame came on the scene wasn't it.

I actually saw the new grange hill the other day - rub abso rub, no drama.

― james (james), Friday, 10 January 2003 13:57 (twenty-three years ago)

It was grebt when Brookdale & Grange Hill met up for a rhumble (it would have been excellent being an extra in that. SOrt of like Helm's Deep but in North London).

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 10 January 2003 14:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Jackie's ex turned out to be an alright sort in the end, didn't he?

I was an extra in an AIDS awareness ad filmed in Leeds in the early 90s. We had to walk in and out of a cinema, and mill around on Briggate for a bit. It was mostly dull, but they fed us and gave us £20 each, so it was a couple of hours well spent. My friend Pete was clearly visible on the finished ad. I liked the cute little railway they used to move the camera about.

― Tim (Tim), Friday, 10 January 2003 14:06 (twenty-three years ago)

were you aware of the cameras, tim? did you "feel" normal, whilst doing it?

― doom-e, Friday, 10 January 2003 14:07 (twenty-three years ago)

ripped blazers and lunch money scattered all the way down the edgeware road.

Grange hill re-runs used to be ten-a-penny often two different "time-zones" competing at ones (hmmm what to watch - danny graf'in the estate or gonch chaining up bikes for profit hahahahah)

they dont happen now - sad. Still tho pete you got the chance to breathe in some of that magic - cherish it, cherish it

― james (james), Friday, 10 January 2003 14:09 (twenty-three years ago)

I was aware of them and I felt un-normal like I was being filmed (which I'm not very comfortable with at the best of times). Also they had us walking in and out of a cinema again and again, which just wasn't a normal sort of thing to do. I was with mates, mind, so I didn't feel strange, just that I was undertaking this artificial exercise for a (much needed) few quid.

― Tim (Tim), Friday, 10 January 2003 14:11 (twenty-three years ago)

I was in Inspector Morse a couple of times, as my parents were sort of involved with a theatre group in the village, and were poor enough to need to do it. It was quite odd, but mainly boring. I was also part of a football crowd at the Manor ground for something I've forgotten the name of. All I thought at the time was 'great, 20 quid for doing very little'. Spent it on a Playmobil yacht. I couldn't be seen in any of the stuff that was actually broadcast though, so even better. My mum could though. Terrible clothes.

― alix (alix), Friday, 10 January 2003 15:23 (twenty-three years ago)

student films, yes.

why did i bother replying to this, its just more embarassment, if i would feel it anymore i guess ha

― Vic (Vic), Friday, 10 January 2003 18:06 (twenty-three years ago)

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