I spent 2 days as an extra in the movie "The Legend of Bagger Vance". The movie stars Matt Damon and Will Smith and is directed by Robert Redford. Hopefully, it will be released no later than Christmas 2000.
All I know right now is that the plot centers around golf. If you're interested in the plot of the movie, I suggest reading the book. Good luck getting a copy though, I had a hard time obtaining one.
My story begins back in September of 1999. My photography professor announced to the class that there was a casting call for a movie that was going to be filming in Savannah. So that afternoon I called one of my friends and we went down to the Trustee's Theater for the casting call. We waited forever in a freezing auditorium while they passed around information cards for us to fill out. The cards included things like: name, address, address, phone #, dress size (for females), shoe size, prior experience as an extra, could we ballroom dance, could we play golf, did we own a dark 1920's car, and various other things. Then, after waiting another 45 minutes or so, it was our turn to have a polaroid taken of ourselves. That was it for the "audition".
About 2 months later I got home and found a message on the answering machine that was from Bagger Vance Productions. They wanted to know if I was still interested in being an extra. I said yes and they started telling me about what I'd have to do. There was a certain scene that she wanted me for that would be filmed that Wednesday and Thursday. But that I would have to have my hair cut to chin length on Tuesday if I wanted to be in the movie. I had to think about it before I could give her an answer. Having my hair cut that short was something that I never wanted to do and missing 3 classes was a pretty big deal. So I wound up calling one of my friends long distance to talk to about it (lucky for me, she was home... no one else was [Thanks Sarah!]). She helped me to convince myself that I might as well cut classes and be in the movie. Considering that this was a 1 time opportunity, I called back Bagger Vance Productions and told them I'd do it.
Tuesday afternoon I went downtown and found the building where they were doing fittings. I went in and waited for Lane, one of the costume people to return from lunch. While I was waiting, another lady came in who was also supposed to be fitted. For lack of anything better to do we talked some. Not too much later we were being fitted. It was then that we found out that they wanted everything to be as authentic as possible. That was a shock considering that it meant that our wardrobe would consist of tights, stockings with seems, garters, a corset, a dress, a pair of gloves, a pair of shoes, a hat, and a purse. I tried on several dresses, of which they made outfits out of 2 of them. I had a polaroid taken of both outfits so that 1 of them could be approved by the costume designer. One of the dresses wasn't too bad. The other however, was the tackiest most unflattering thing that I've ever put on. That fitting, made me glad that I didn't live back in 1931.
After my fitting was over, I walked down the street and had my hair cut by one of the hairstylists for the movie. Prior to going there, they had threatened to dye my hair. Luckily, they thought that I could get away without dying it. The haircut wasn't a great experience, so I won't relive it. I hate having short hair.
That night I spent almost an hour rolling my hair in the sponge rollers that Betty Lou had given me. It wasn't a pleasant nights sleep.
I got up at 4:30 the next morning and was downtown before 5:30am.
DAY 1
I was one of the first 5 extras there. While waiting to be seen by either hair or makeup, one of the movie people sent 3 or 4 of us down to wardrobe instead. Luckily they had allowed us to take out the rollers, so I didn't have to walk down the street in them again. I got to wardrobe only to find out that I needed some type of form from holding before I could pick up my costume. After walking a block and a half down to holding and back I got my costume. I couldn't believe it when she handed me the outfit that I had to wear; it was the ugliest of the two. I took it upstairs to the changing areas and put it on. When I came back down I had to find a pair of shoes. The first pair the put me in was a pair of Spectators (like saddle shoes). But upon being seen by another wardrobe person, I was sent back to change them for something less sporty. The next pair they put me in was a pair of heels that had to be 3 1/2 inches and were very steep (something I'm not used to at all). After wobbling back up to try and get a hat again, I was sent back again to get something that I could walk in. After going through just about every pair of shoes they had, I wound up in the 3 1/2 in. heels. It turns out that it was easier to walk in them on the pavement. However, concerning whoever designed them, I hope that they died a slow and painful death. When my shoes were finally approved I was then allowed to get a hat. I had already waited in line for over an hour the first time (before they sent me back for different shoes) so they put me at the front of the line when that was finally sorted out. They went through many hats before finally selecting one. I should've know it wouldn't work when she decided on the one that she said she couldn't get to work for anyone else.
The scene we were filming takes place in the summer. However, to actually be there, you'd never know except for the fact that we were in summer clothes. It was COLD (the 50's or 60's I think). I took the only jacket that I had with me, a barn jacket that provided virtually no warmth, but kept the wind out. Whenever they'd yell cut all of us who took jackets to the set would run and get them. Whenever it was time to start filming again, someone would walk around yelling, "Coats!" and collect them all. By the second day though, Glady's and I had started stashing them close by instead of off the set. Several times we had the band, who sat up on a truck (I think), stuff them around their feet where they couldn't be seen. But the first day though, after coming back from lunch, and we had just finished a scene, I stood there talking with several people around me. We were facing the stage, but were in the back. Suddenly I felt something hit my shoulders. An older gentleman had scene me shivering in my sleeveless dress and draped his coat around me. Chivalry is not dead! After that though, I went and grabbed my coat. Before, I hadn't realized how much time there was in-between takes. For the first part of the afternoon, I was in the back to the far left facing the stage. By the end of the afternoon, I was in the center of the back. In-between takes I'd talk with the people around me, mostly older men (and I don't mean they in their 30's). When we were filming, our job was to clap when necessary and murmur some until the golfers went to leave the stage. Then, we were supposed to rush the stage. Being in the back, I didn't get very close. At the end of the day, they told us that they had done many close-ups of the crowed and that everyone should have been on camera. Now whether I made it on camera, I don't know. In spite of the heels, I was still short. When I was in the back, and could, I stood on the curb. They finished shooting for the day around 5pm and paid us for 12 hours work (5:30am-5:30pm). I went back to wardrobe, changed, and left. I walked around 3 blocks down to my car that I had left in a SCAD parking lot. This wouldn't be noteworthy except for the fact that my hair and make-up were still intact. There is no traffic at 5:30am, but there's a lot at 5:30pm. I went home and rested for a while before spending another 45min to an hour trying to get those stupid rollers back up in my hair. It was only after I had completely finished that I realized I had forgotten to put the gel in before the rollers... oh, well. My stylist didn't notice the next day and it didn't make any difference. I got to bed a little before midnight.
The second morning when my alarm went off at 4:30am I wished I had a mallet like they do in the cartoons so I could smash the thing. No one should be made to get up that early! I dragged myself out of bed, had breakfast, got ready, and went back downtown. It was another cold morning. After filling out a work form in holding again, I went down to wardrobe and got dressed. Luckily the only problems I had with my wardrobe was fixing the garters in the back, something that everyone had to have help with. After finishing there, I walked back down to hair and make-up and got in line to have my make-up done. While I was waiting, the stylist that had done my hair the day before became free and didn't have anyone to work on since they'd decided that it would be faster to work on the same people they had the day before. So I left my place in line and spent the next 3 hours sitting in a small folding chair while she worked on my hair. Of course, after all was said and done, my hat hid everything. I then went and got at the end of the make-up line. As always, I spent forever waiting in line. After a few minutes I was lucky to get a chair and just keep moving over chairs from there. One reason the lines for hair and make-up take so long is that there are some shameless extras that cut. I finally reached the front of the line. I had the same guy do my make-up again (he was the first one available). After I finished there I got to go down to the set. This time though, I made it well before lunch.
The morning started off bitterly cold again. However, in spite of the cold asphalt, I walked around without my shoes on whenever I could. It was too far a walk to my tennis shoes to leave them on. I kept having people remark, "Aren't you cold?!" All I know is that if they had the shoes I had, they'd do it too... no matter how cold it was. The shoes were too painful to wear whenever I didn't have to. I would wait for them to yell cut and then quickly slip my foot out of one of them and balance on that one foot. However, I always had to steady myself on something or someone in order to put the shoes back on. I did this all day long. I spent some of the day standing in front of the band near the back. The rest of the day I was to the left of the stage. I started off in the back, but at some point, I was standing nearer to the stage. Somehow, me and the people I was standing with had migrated that far forward. When it came time for us to rush the stage, I was close enough to make it onto the steps. The kept re-shooting this scene from different angles for several hours. Once, I would up being hugged by the old golfer, once I got pushed up onto the stage, and once I got slammed into the stage. What is significant about my position in relation to the stage is that in this part of the scene (where the golfers go to leave) is that they came down the side of the stage that I was on. In fact, Matt Damon brushed by me at one point and said, "Excuse me" on his way down the steps after they had called cut. To note things about the three big names attached to this movie; Matt Damon is better looking in person, Robert Redford is small, and Will Smith is tall and friendly (he ran out into the fans along the side at one point). Sometime during the day, we were served lunch. After eating, Gladys and I walked over to a camera store on the same square that they were filming so I could look for a filter. We had no luck at the store, but we did get to see them filming the scene where there are two small boys in a tree. It warmed up that afternoon so that we didn't need our coats. Again, I spent most of the time in-between takes talking with older men. It was weird being hit on that many times by old men (something that I seem to be cursed with, ask any of my friends). During the course of the afternoon, I watched the people on the set a lot. Specifically the photographer, one reason that I agreed to do the movie. It was interesting. At the end of the day, they asked all the people who were near the front of the stage to stay. The girl actually didn't tell me to go, but everyone told me to go since I wanted to. I was very tired, but I took time off from school to do this movie and had already missed one scene; I wanted to take full advantage of every opportunity to be on the set. Eventually one girl grabbed my arm and we went back to the set. We clapped a little off set, that’s what they wanted us there for, to clap. They then dismissed us we went back to change. Again they paid us for 12 hours work. For the first 8 hours, you are paid $50; after that you get overtime. So in the end, it was worth taking the time off from school. After I handed my paperwork back in, I left and went home.
I fell asleep at 6pm only to wake up at 10:30 and crawl into bed. Being an extra is a lot more exhausting work than many people may think. My feet hurt all the next day even though I was no longer in excruciating pain from having to wear those shoes.
And that is where my story ends. In spite of the drawbacks, I had a great experience working as an extra.