You Oughta Be In Pictures

It's been two years since I started my job as senior zookeeper of invertebrates at the Rio Grande Botanical Gardens, and as per city requirements, I am forced to take 3 months off. While this could be seen as an unfortunate situation by many, I intended to make lemonade out of these lemons and do something interesting and perhaps extraordinary with my time. After one day of being a stay at home wife and pet mom, I knew sitting home idly wasn't for me. As luck would have it, I received an email from On Location Casting, a company with whom I'd been signed up for a few years now. They find work for budding actors and people who just want to be extras, and they'd been emailing me for a while now, but seeing as how I had a full time job, finding the time to participate was difficult.

My last week of work, my coworker Megan had been asked to go up to Santa Fe to bring some roaches for the film "Odd Thomas." Once I'd heard that, I scurried to get my work done so I could join her. I mean, I didn't minor in film for NOTHING!! We drove up, but unfortunately, after sitting there for several hours (and exploring the set, including a livingroom with a toilet in it), they told us they wouldn't need us and sent us home. The next time they used our roaches, I was on hiatus in Michigan, so I couldn't come along. Needless to say, I was exceedingly bummed about missing it, though I wouldn't have traded the trip to MI for anything.

Upon my return from Michigan, I was greeted by an email from my agency asking for extras the following Wednesday. Megan's friend Dayna (who also came with us to Santa Fe) had been doing extra work with them for a while now, so I quickly emailed her and asked her if she was up for it (being a bit nervous to go on my own the first time). She was, and we both signed up! I was excited and scared, all at the same time.

The night before the shoot, they provided us with specifics on what to wear: nothing black, red, white, or dark in any way. Summery stuff that people would wear to a mall in a desert town. Ok, that shouldn't be too hard...except for the fact that nearly everything I own comes in those colors!! Since the email came at 7pm, I dragged Nate and we frantically searched the mall for anything suitable that actually looked good (that is the hard part!). We hit the jackpot at J.C. Penney, and came home, relieved.

The next morning, I had to get up around 4:30 and be at the Winrock Mall (Albuquerque's resident dead mall which they use to shoot fabulous mall films such as "Observe and Report") by 6:30. I was sooooo nervous, not knowing what to expect! As soon as I arrived at the parking lot, a van came up to tote the extras, changes of clothing in tow, to the holding area, a place with which we'd become most familiar very soon. I crawled into the van, surrounded by whorish looking teens and twenty-somethings, and I started to worry that I wasn't done up enough. Luckily, once in holding there were enough normal-looking people that I needn't have worried.

Our first day consisted of a lot of waiting around...it was a 14 hour day, and we probably only worked about 5 of them. (Still getting paid, all the while!) I sat and chatted with Dayna for a while and eventually wound up meeting a nice retired couple with whom we wound up chatting most of the day. It really was amazingly easy to meet and talk with people here! Most were quite warm and welcoming. There was one lady, a realtor, who made a comment about a kiosk we passed, saying she used to work mall duty for Coldwell Banker there. Excited that we had something in common, I mentioned I used to do the same at the adjacent mall, and she just got all snooty with me. Whatevz. Everyone else was nice!

During the times we were working, we essentially shot two main scenes. The extras wrangler gave me some kid, prolly around 8, to tote around the mall with me. We were instructed to check out the cell phone kiosk, which I'm sure was way far away from any camera action. Not being used to kids, I awkwardly chatted with him, asking him what phone he wanted and if he's extra-ed before. Between takes he'd always run back to his friends, and I just assumed he was all, "Gawd, look who they gave me for a mom!" or something. Yeah, kid paranoia stemming back from, well, nevermind. Anyway, his one friend came up to me later all, "Would you like another kid?? Please??" Haha!! He wanted me for a stage mom, too!

Later, Dayna and I were paired together, and we just zigzagged our way around the mall, looking at all the crazy stores. I told her I like my character to have a backstory (like before I was a mom looking for new shoes (hence my old sneakers) and just got sidetracked by the awesome new cell phones). So we decided we were the lesbian couple, and she was thinking about starting a band (so we spent some time gawking at the guitar store). Haha! We also got sidetracked at the pet store and koi fountain. One cool thing was that most of the shops were actual local stores - what a nice touch!

I also was within 3 feet of Anton, the star, and we made eye contact and smiled, and I had next to NO idea who he was. I deduced his identity, though, because of Dayna's rapport with him - she met him with Megan when they did the roaches, and she knows just about all the actors at any given time, she does this so much. Too crazy!

At the end of the day, they asked us if we'd like to sign up for more days of shooting. While 14 hours was rather killer, it's money, and actually quite fun, so I signed up for every day they offered!

I'd hoped to work Thursday, but they notified half of us at the last minute that they didn't need us, so I relaxed and caught up on sleep the next day. Friday, however, I was back in the saddle!

Friday was another fun day at Winrock, during which we did more scenes, this time involving some running (though not as much as they'd threatened us with). We met some more good people, but spent even more time in holding. Extra-ing is a lot of hurry up and wait...and wait...and wait... At least they feed us! From what I understand, the food was awful compared to usual extra work (most of the others had done gigs before, such as "In Plain Sight.") I was just happy to be fed! I mean, I could sit around at home and not get paid and have to buy food...or I could be an extra and sit around and get fed! No brainer!!

Saturday was more of the same...I think I worked 4 hours out of 14...there were some people who didn't work at all! 14 hours on those awful folding chairs must have been terrible. Ten was bad enough!! I'm glad I brought a book to read!

Sunday we had off, and Monday we were back at it. I was up at 2:30 so I could be ready and make the trip across town to Cottonwood Mall. They needed 500 extras that day to do the big exciting scene. I figured I'd just be a face in the crowd, if that. They sectioned us off into groups, and I met some more good people. We started at 6am, since this is a working mall and we needed to be out of the way of the customers at a reasonable hour. We did some stampede scenes, which were downright scary because you seriously could get trampled. I managed, unscathed, but there were a few people who fell. On a few shots, Anton ran right by me and we narrowly missed each other. So look for a girl with an orange tank top running away from the camera next to him...that is probably me!

Once the mall opened, we had to nix the stampede scenes, and rather took to more walking scenes and "looking around" scenes (which will be evident when you see "Odd Thomas"). They did decide to do a scene in the food court, however. Our group was chosen, and we were placed strategically around the food court, to make it look busy (even though the general public was there, too!). They took one of the girls I'd been talking with and me, and placed us at the table right next to the action!! They gave us each a prop (a plate of food) but no fork!! I figured, no biggie, we'll just talk to each other - who needs a fork, right? Well, then they go and take HER away, leaving me alone at this table to do what I do best: be awkward!

So the filming started, and I mostly just looked around casually, like I was waiting for someone, occassionally playing with my plate. I ignore the stuff going on next to me, and smile at people walking by. We did this for many, many takes. I kept expecting them to move me or something. One of my friends saw the shot on the camera and said that she could see my nose and eyes. So, as you're watching the food court scene, I'm to the right of the table with the action. Hehe.

So Monday at Cottonwood was all types of fun! Then they surprised us by asking us back again that Friday! We were back at Winrock to do some more outdoor scenes. I got paired with an older gentleman who was my "dad" for the scene. We also did a scene in which we were trying to get out of the glass doors to the mall, but they were locked. Our group only did one take - I was at the front, against the glass, and you would have thought it was for real, they way I was being pummelled. I thought they were filming us from behind, so I have no idea what look was on my face, but then I opened my eyes and saw the camera right in front of me! Whatever I did, I hope it was natural, but who the heck knows?!

Anyway, that's about the extent of it! It was such a blast, and I want to do it again and again!! Yay to New Mexico for welcoming movie production!! Let's hope the new governor doesn't screw it up!