It’s 5 am and I’m wondering how I ended up in a parking lot on Hollywood Beach, wearing neon, high-waisted shorts, lost in a herd of confused individuals dressed in 80s garb. I’d have to say it started with my love of film.
I’m a senior Communications Studies major, but my passion has always been film production. One day, I hope to direct my own movies, and maybe even perform in them as well. When a friend told me that the feature film, “Rock of Ages,” was looking for extras, I figured it would be a great opportunity to network and get some real-world production experience.
I showed up to the open casting call, headshot in hand, not knowing what to expect. This was my first time auditioning for anything other than a high school play. Name: Kelsey Cortez, Age: 19, Height: 5’4 5’6 (I soon found out all actors lie about their height). After handing in my information, I assumed that the chances of getting a callback were one in a million. To my surprise, I received a call the following week asking if I would like to participate as an extra in the production’s first day of filming. Of course I said yes, eager to mingle with actors and film professionals, possibly get a glimpse at the film’s star, Tom Cruise, all while getting paid. It seemed like a dream come true. All I had to do was call a hotline number 24 hours before the day of the shoot to find out the details…Location: Hollywood beach. Attire: 80s beach wear. Call Time:…5am?!
Suddenly, my big break seemed like a huge mistake. Like a mad woman I rushed to Forever 21, buying anything that could pass as 80s beach wear, after all the hotline said we should come with three outfits! After blowing $120 on everything neon, I woke up at an ungodly hour the next morning to cake on make-up and tease my hair. I arrived at the Hollywood Beach parking lot exhausted, but awe struck. Vans, buses, and tents crowded the space while important looking people rushed in and out of trailers. Tom Cruise? No. Tom?! No. I made my way to the check-in tent, along with a group of hired extras. I was surprised at how easy it was to identify the “first-timers,” like me. The “newbies” were young teens, dressed in their best idea of 80s wear, wide-eyed and confused. “Men in one line, girls in another!” I heard one of the extras behind me, obviously not a newcomer, say “And the cattle call begins!” And soon I understood what he meant.
We were separated by gender, asked to change our clothes (turns out neon was not allowed), stripped of our self-applied make up and remade, by professionals, into 80s looking birds of paradise. We were then sent to a waiting area where we were fed a light breakfast. After an hour or so, production assistants poured into our waiting room and led us to the set, only to break us into more manageable groups of ten and position us along the beach. “You, here.” “You, wait there.” For hours we were placed and re-placed, until finally, it was show time. The actors (the professional ones) arrived on set. You could tell because a person holding an umbrella followed them wherever they went. Us extras, on the other hand, also received some star treatment – we were offered a sunscreen “spritz” every now and then to prevent cancerous growths due to waiting in the sun for hours.
While the cameras were rolling, it was my specific task to act like I was enjoying a game of beach volleyball, while a scene was being filmed inside a beachfront restaurant. Filming took no more than 15 minutes, and then we were shepherded to our next shooting location while the stars went back to their trailers. This processes repeated itself from 7 am to 7:30 pm. It wasn’t long before I realized that being an extra was very similar to being an animal in a cattle call. Nonetheless, I made friends, was able to network with other aspiring actors, and had a memorable experience. Given the chance, I would definitely do it again, but this time I’ll pack my own sunscreen, and leave the neon shorts at home.
