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Article sent in by Anne Hillebrand.
A n article in the Orlando Sentinel about 5 weeks ago mentioned that there would be an open casting call for a new Jodie Foster & Robert Zemeckis movie at the Swim Center in Orlando on International Drive. It said they were looking for 2000 extras "all types, sizes, shapes and ages". You were to also be able to tell them what type automobile you drive, any military experience you had, what hobbies, personal particulars and that they would need a photo. It listed the afternoon hours that you could go to the call.
I went to the call with photo in hand, wearing a golf shirt and jeans, sneakers and no belt. Nothing special. Followed a few hand-written signs at the entrance to the swim center to a conference room in the back.
Stood in line with about 50 people. Not a crush of people, they just dribbled in a few at a time. Some were families with kids, but mostly adults. All kinds. I don't thank that they took any kids younger than 16.
There were about 3 rows of tables set up. Lady at the door gave brief instructions about what kind of shoot would be, that it would be at Kennedy Space Center, and to pick up a pen and form and fill out info about ourselves. I think she was with Cassandra & Bailey, a local casting/talent group. Nice.
Form asked for age, weight, height, eyes, etc.
Next stop is a lady with a polaroid camera who took a waist to head shot of each of us which we held until it dried on our way to the next table, where there were about 5 or so people who spoke to each of us. I had also brought along a 8 x 11 typed sheet that told a little about myself and had a small photo attached. Of me, and my car!
Before going to the call, I had looked up Robert Zemeckis on the internet, through Yahoo.com search engine. Had read all about Contact, Robert Zemeckis, The Planetary Society, Carl Sagan, etc. Knowing what it was about, I had also included on my personal sheet that I had gotten up at 4:00 am and driven Jetty Park by Kenneday Space Center to watch the first launch of the space shuttle after the Challenger disaster. I figured that this couldn't hurt, since they were probably going to be doing a shoot like that if it was at Kennedy Space Center, they were using 2000 extras and all types were ok. Just seemed logical.
A lady reviewed my sheet and said "You're going to be in the movie" go to the next table. Actually, she marked my sheet with the words "Pre fit" and said that they would contact us by phone to let us know when to show up for any wardrobe needed.
Another group of about 4 people at the next table asked some questions about our forms and if we could come to the shoot and told me that it paid $60, and that we would need to be able to be at Kennedy Space Center on Feb 1 (Sat) by at least 4:30 am and be willing to work for up to 11 hours. I said yes.
We were each given a sheet telling what to bring and what the shot would be. It said to wear tropical pastels and bring several changes ofclothes. Also to bring lawn chairs, cameras, sunscreen and picnic stuff just like if we were watching a shuttle launch. No logo clothing was allowed. I later saw some at the shoot, so must have been from wardrobe.
We were also given a map with our security car pass printed on the back.
We were to be the crowd watching a "machine" taking off for outerspace. Our cars would be parked along the "Causeway". That's the closest place that civilians can get onto KSC property to watch a launch. And then it is with special permission. The causeway is the long bridge of land where the roadway goes out across the Banana River. There are briges along it in several places. There is a grassy beach on either side with enough room to park about 10 cars wide, parallel to the roadway.
I had spent the night in Daytona Beach with family, even though Orlando is closer for me. Just visiting. So got up and drove southbound on Highway 95 (Highway 1 goes through to many little towns) to Kennedy Space Center Gate 3. It was completely fogged in over several areas I drove through. Few cars on the road at that hour. Some trucks. Speed limit is 70 most of the way. The radio station was playing requests from people who work the swing shift. Lots of oldies, some broken hearts stuff. With the fog and dark it was pretty errie. The road is divided by a wilderness median, so you really only see the cars in your two lanes and headlights sometimes from the northbound two lanes. Took about 1 hour and 15 minutes from Daytona.
It is several miles from the main gate to the Causeway shoot area. There was a really long line of cars there before I arrived. Heard that some were there at 3:30 am.
A lady with the production company or casting and a security guard met our cars at the gate. They let us in one car at a time and checked for our passes in the front window. It was pitch dark so they checked us out with flashlights, of course.
We drove for several miles down the two lane NASA Parkway, eastbound, and on to where it turns into the causeway, past water canals with wildlife and tropical palms, etc on either side. It was too dark to see anything but the roadway, really, but we passed the Visitor Center on the right, and the Astronauts Hall of Fame, and Space Camp, also several big buildings that belong to companies who work at KSC. There were at least a couple more security huts along the way, but because was not a real launch, they were not open. At least one draw bridge, but of course it was down for driving. Even driving the 35 miles per hour speed limit, it took quite a while.
When we topped the big causeway bridge, we were directed to park our car along the north side. They packed them in pretty good. Like at a football game.
We started getting out of our cars and could see that there were tents and other things set up along the southside of the causeway road. Must have been 10 to 20 of them. One was wardrobe, some were caterer wagons.Warner Brothers provided our breakfast and lunch that day. There were checkin tents strung along the roadway.
The one closest to my parking place was my first stop. We told our names, and were checked in and given our pay vouchers. Filled out a 3-part form with name, ss #, address, etc. Also had an I-9 form to show were are citizens and proof of ID to work.
We were told to keep the form with us at all times, and they stapled two meal tickets to the corner.
Another extra and I started talking and decided to get our breakfast from the catering wagon and sit in the car and listen to the radio. It was still very very cold at that time of day (around 5:30 am), and dark, so we were all bundled up in coats and stuff.
The caterers had foil-wrapped croissant sandwichs - Canadian bacon and cheese and egg. Hot and good. Also serve-yourself hot coffee, and apples and oranges. And of course several big dispenser coolers of Orange Juice. You gave them your ticket as you picked up the sandwich.
Casting and film workers were all over with bullhorns and told us what to expect and when. One lady was passing out flyers that told the sequence of events for the day's shoot. We read them in the car.
The flyer said that there would be different shots. There would be low-flying helicopters and that anybody who couldn't handle that should bail now.
Well, the sun finally came up and it warmed up pretty much. The directors and film crews were up on cranes telling us where to move and what to do.
Many of us were playing people from IMC who had worked on building the "machine". We wore t-shirts with IMC, also hats, etc. Several tents were set up as being IMC with goodies for the visitors, just like at any big event.
There were a few younger people wearing shiny silver vests who seemed to be representing space club members.
During a part of the filming I was able to talk for quite a while to a young actor (Scott Langford) who was playing a IMC / KSC security guard. He had been in other shots on Contact earlier in the week there at KSC. He has been in several films in recent months, some of them featuring martial arts - that's one of his specialities. He said is from New York, but relocated to Florida recently. He's about 24 or so.Said he works security at night at the Cocoa Pier and is engaged to be married soon.
In much of the shooting we were supposed to be watching the "machine" from across the water and talking to those around us. I chose to talk to Scott and also to a fellow named Chris who was standing in the back of his red Nissan truck with a tripod and was playing a guy taking pictures. In real life Chris is a tall, good-looking 20 something who has a unique business. He's in the construction business and modifys homes so that termites can't get in. It eliminates the need for spraying.
If you see us in the movie, it will be when the crowd is watching the launch of the machine. The cameras were mostly to my right as I was facing the machine. There was a guy in a straw hat standing on a truck and I am about 100 feet further away from the camera than him. Chris is in the red truck right in front of me, and Scott the security guard is to my left. But out of 2500 people - I doubt you will be able to pick anything out. We'll see.
Since we were supposed to have cameras for the scene it was ok to have then out, so a lot of people took pics of themselves with the security guard actors, and of the directors, etc.
I wore jeans and sneakers and a solid colored knit polo shirt, because that's what I wear all the time. Before shooting, one of the wardrobe ladies came around and had me put on a white IMC t-shirt with black ring designs on it. Kind of like phases of the moon. She took my pay voucher. She marked the voucher for the shirt and I was told that at the end of the day I should turn the shirt in to wardrobe and get back the pay voucher.
They had us move back and forth on the causeway all day long while they shot the scenes. The helicopters did the overhead shots but are not seen on film.
Lunch was Subway sandwiches, turkey or veggie, and included a cookie, an apple and bag of chips. Everyone seemed to like that just fine. Must be hard to feed 3000 people all at once.
One scene was a big tailgate party, so that was pretty fun.
Some of the extras were sent over by their agents. They did not even know that there was a casting call in the paper. They were shocked that we had just read about it and went in for it. They thought their agents had done some great trick to get them in this movie. I guess they had if these actors are so clueless that they don't watch the paper for announcements of casting calls. A lot of people had no idea what the movie was about either. Like any other job, I think you should try to figure things out before you get there so that you are easier to direct and work with.
Anyway, that's what is was like to be a movie extra for a day. I guess I could tell you more details about the scenes, but then you might not enjoy the movie in July when it opens. I am not going to read the book ahead of time for the same reason.
(Thanks Anne!)
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