Being an Extra

[peacefulanimalguy7]

What's it like being on set as a reenactor for a movie/TV show? I am planning on being an extra for an upcoming series called "A Land Remembered", which is about Florida history and is going to have a couple of scenes set in the Civil War.

 

[RedRover]

Alot of sitting around.

 

[SJU]

Not a reenactor but I've been an extra quite a few times. What RedRover said. Lots of waiting around. Could be really long days also. Bring a book.

 

[The Ninth Ohio]

Alot of sitting around.

This. And a lot of repetitive stuff too. A few of my family members were involved in Gettysburg…said it was basically like a living history weekend. They would have one battalion marching over a road the production team just laid down to give it a lived in look. Over and over and over.

 

[captaindrew]

Use the search feature and look up an older thread called Twenty Five Years Ago: My Brush With Glory. An excellent thread from a former member who was in several films including Glory. I'll be interested to see "A Land Remembered" a great book.

 

[gary]

Alot of sitting around.

But don't you get access to the catered food? Rally boys, Rally!

 

[RedRover]

But don't you get access to the catered food? Rally boys, Rally!

The only thing I remember about the food at the one program I partook in, was the actors with the fake beards/mustaches being spoon fed like babies by production assistants so they wouldn't have to go back to the makeup chair.

Here's a 1989 program behind the scenes of the motion picture "Glory" (1990) filming in Georgia...

 

[Sid J.]

This thread might provide some help

NF Thread 'Twenty-five Years Ago: My Brush With Glory!'

Feb 7, 2014

Exactly twenty-five years ago today when I returned home from my regular job working in the Housewares department at the Dallas Galleria Macy's I found on my answering machine a phone call I had been waiting for and one that would in many ways change my life: "James, how would you like to come to Savannah and teach young blacks how to be Civil War soldiers?" It was from my friend Ray Herbeck, Jr., who I had worked for before and who was to be one of the Associate Producers on a new movie project called Glory. This was the beginning of a three-month Odyssey...

• James N.
• Replies: 250
• Forum: Civil War Books, Stories, & Media

• 

 

[bayonet]

This. And a lot of repetitive stuff too. A few of my family members were involved in Gettysburg…said it was basically like a living history weekend. They would have one battalion marching over a road the production team just laid down to give it a lived in look. Over and over and over.

yeah ran up the same hill 25 different ways with everyone else. My close up ended up on the reviewing floor! The kid they put me with just showed up with his friend on set after buying fresh looking outfits in downtown Gettysburg, too clean no dirt. Plus he was Farby looking, the Sutler grinned $$$ when he walked out the door.

 

[bayonet]

But don't you get access to the catered food? Rally boys, Rally!

it was terrible oh but they did have a snack cart......but that was for the real Actors not the lowly pee on Reenactors

 

[RetiredCanuck]

I was an extra in North and South Part 2 more than 40 years ago.
Camped 3 weeks on a working cattle ranch. (Longhorn cattle are mean tempered, BTW.)
We were paid $50/day which was more than I made working at the time LOL. And they fed us breakfast and lunch every day.
Would have gotten $100 if were were members of the Extras Union but we didn't know that at the time.
One of our group played a reverend. Because he was shown giving last rites in a two-person closeup, he got residuals for years.
I was not prepared for how many takes it gets to get a scene just right.
It's hard work actually. But it is very interesting to see how the process works. And I got in a few scenes that made it on screen. Mostly the Antietam scenes.
BTW if you do this, try to avoid the buried charges that simulate shell explosions. The "dirt" they throw out is actually fresh sheep manure. And yes it smells bad!

 

[Rhea Cole]

After four days with makeup & everything, my left leg from the knee down is in the Final Cut for 15 seconds.

 

[johan_steele]

I'm going to say it's nothing special. But whatever you do don't let the makeup people touch your uniform they will wreck it.

 

[Rhea Cole]

I'm going to say it's nothing special. But whatever you do don't let the makeup people touch your uniform they will wreck it.

Amen, brother!

 

[frontrank2]

Back in September of 92 I took three days off from work and went with a friend out to Gettysburg to be a Background Artist ( movie extra ) for the movie Gettysburg. As others have already said there's a lot of sitting around while they set up for the next scene. But they feed you three generous meals per day from the craft services. If you do go, take lots of photos. But ask permission from the actors first.

 

[bayonet]

Back in September of 92 I took three days off from work and went with a friend out to Gettysburg to be a Background Artist ( movie extra ) for the movie Gettysburg. As others have already said there's a lot of sitting around while they set up for the next scene. But they feed you three generous meals per day from the craft services. If you do go, take lots of photos. But ask permission from the actors first.
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"3 generous meals"? I don't recall that. Maybe they switched Caterers when I was there and fired the one when you were there for being to generous and costing too much. Basic Training slop was better than what they served up!

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

This thread might provide some help

NF Thread 'Twenty-five Years Ago: My Brush With Glory!'

Feb 7, 2014

Exactly twenty-five years ago today when I returned home from my regular job working in the Housewares department at the Dallas Galleria Macy's I found on my answering machine a phone call I had been waiting for and one that would in many ways change my life: "James, how would you like to come to Savannah and teach young blacks how to be Civil War soldiers?" It was from my friend Ray Herbeck, Jr., who I had worked for before and who was to be one of the Associate Producers on a new movie project called Glory. This was the beginning of a three-month Odyssey...

• James N.
• Replies: 250
• Forum: Civil War Books, Stories, & Media

• 

That was an excellent thread.

But as others have said, there's no glamour involved with being an "extra".

My former wife was an "extra" in the late 1980s film Mississippi Burning. Most days she just sat around the set ... doing nothing.
She never once saw the major actors.
Gene Hackman, William Dafoe ... ect.

 

[frontrank2]

"3 generous meals"? I don't recall that. Maybe they switched Caterers when I was there and fired the one when you were there for being to generous and costing too much. Basic Training slop was better than what they served up!

Sorry to hear that. When I was there, we had less than a hundred troops to feed. So maybe they did change caterers or else not having to handle thousands of hungry mouths during the Pickett's Charge week possibly made a bit of difference.