Extra for '51 Degress'
So yesterday I was an extra on this big independent film called '51 Degrees'. Its an independent feature film written and directed by Greg Richters and produced by Filmmakers United, Films United and 51 Films. Here is a rough plot outline:
"The story explores the life struggles of German filmmaker Damon Miller who lives and works in London. The movie follows Damon through his daily struggles which become trivial when confronted with the End of the World. He is told by the UK Space Agency (British NASA) that an Asteroid will hit Earth within a few weeks. They have built a Space station to ensure the survival of the human race. In exchange for Damon's services (capturing the End of the World) he is given one ticket to the Space station. He gives it to his girlfriend."
We had to arrive at a meeting point at 5pm and sign a form and agree to the terms and conditions on camera. We then walked to Piccadilly Circus around 6.30pm, trying not to lose anyone. There were about 4 groups of 100-200 people in each.
They were shooting the final scene, where we were told prior that we had found out that Canada had been wiped out and tsunamis and other disasters have affected other countries, and in London we were heading towards the big screens in Piccadilly circus to watch a news bulletin telling us that asteroids would hit in 2 hours and we'd all be dead. Very dramatic. Some extras were possibly too dramatic. So we had to run/move from the underground towards the screen and watch it until a horn sounded, then we would scream/cry/run until a next horn sounded. We did this 5 times (with a lot of waiting around in-between), each time with different instructions because they had some trouble getting the main actor through the crowd and they wanted more movement. I felt, by that point, I was getting into the acting and really enjoyed being part of it. Filming wrapped up at 9pm.
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| Screenshot of the crowd looking up at the screen: I was also doing the old hand on mouth "Oh my God!" expression. |
I had half-predicted that they would be using DSLR's with steadicams to shoot, as they're becoming a popular choice, especially for independent filmmakers. They're lighter, less bulky, HD, and you can have lots of them moving through the crowd quite easily. Some had attached lights, screens and mics on them. I talked to a couple of guys, one with a Canon 5d Mark II most likely, and the other had a handy recorder for the sound. They were young, like most of the crew, and recently graduated. It's worth investing in the right kit and getting used to using DSLRs, because that's the reason they get onto doing these sort of projects.
I was thinking about what kind of permissions they needed, knowing Harry Potter had also been shot here, with a very large budget, but, they only had hand-held cameras and they weren't blocking any traffic. At one point the crew was approached by a man from the tube station because they were blocking the underground and not allowing anyone through, which they shouldn't of been doing. From attending the Screen South event at the studios last week, some of the time I was thinking about how the film is financed. And, naturally, I was thinking about how I would direct it myself.
They are relying on social networking and people's word of mouth for the film to get noticed, it's a great example of a viral marketing campaign. Here I am then, spreading the word.
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