"DON'T eat the prop food. It will MESS YOU UP."-Liz Lemon
So, I can't talk too much about this on FB, Twitter, etc. because I signed a non-disclosure agreement, but I figure if I leave out key words in the subject line and post to a wasteland like LJ, no one will notice (especially if I don't post pics).
I worked an Adidas commercial yesterday! The theme is Derrick Rose's triumphant return for another season w/ the Bulls, so we all piled in to the United Center and lost our shit whenever they yelled "action!" There weren't enough of us (obviously) to fill the United Center, which has a capacity of about 20,000, so they took some stills and videos of us in a couple of different spots in the stands, which they will then digitally replicate to fill the stands. They gave us various props, like signs, drinks, or boxes of popcorn to hold (and I actually ate a *lot* of the popcorn after discovering it was actually fresh and not treated with anything weird). Some extras got their faces painted too (some guys got their whole faces painted red and white, and a few girls got bulls painted on their foreheads or cheeks). For my part, I just wore a cute Bulls v-neck t-shirt that I borrowed from my sister. :) For the part when Derrick Rose actually enters the stadium from the tunnel, I was right at the end of the tunnel in the front row of the bleachers, so I got to high-five Derrick Rose multiple times yesterday! He seems like a nice, chill, professional dude. I think he was only there for about an hour or two though, and for the rest of the time, there was a photo double. The Luvabulls joined us for a while, and Benny the Bull was there too, to wave the Bulls flag for the commercial and to otherwise entertain us when the cameras weren't rolling. Add to that getting paid a modest fee for the day, two free meals and lots of snacks, a souvenir to take home (I got a Bulls cap), meeting some interesting people like the digital marketing lead for Adidas and a young, enthusiastic aspiring Luvabull, and getting to read a bunch (one of my fave ways to pass the time) during downtime, and it made for a pretty good day, :).
People occasionally asked me yesterday what-all stuff I've worked on as an extra, and it occurred to me that I haven't really listed it out in a long time and was in real danger of forgetting, so I'll just list my experiences here and add to the list occasionally so I don't forget. My first experience was volunteer; the rest were paid:
2007: Batman, The Dark Knight (action scene in alley--volunteer w/ proceeds going to Dave Eggers' 826CHI)
2008: WWE Cyber Sunday with C.M. Punk commercial and print ad
I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything in 2009...then the casting agencies starting announcing a ton of jobs on FB and I started regularly seeing more opportunities.
2010:
Source Code (running across the Michigan Avenue bridge following emergency evacuation due to a bomb threat)
The Dilemma (the Smith & Wollensky restaurant scene and the car show scene at McCormick Place)
Contagion (press conference scene with CDC workers)
2011: Did I seriously do nothing in 2011? I honestly don't recall doing anything in 2011. (I realize now that I went to Turkey and Vegas during my breaks from school so that would have put a big dent in my availability; makes sense.)
2012:
Starz's "Boss" (weekday church scene)
MTV's "Underemployed" (outdoor food truck scene, restaurant lunch scene, and bar/restaurant nighttime scene, all filmed in one day...and later a tequila launch party scene filmed over two days)
National Louis University commercial (students in library)
Adidas commercial (fan in stands)
I hope to be able to add more to this list, but for now it's back to the grind with school! I can't believe how quickly the fall semester is coming, and I still have so much to do to prepare for it! Eek.
I worked an Adidas commercial yesterday! The theme is Derrick Rose's triumphant return for another season w/ the Bulls, so we all piled in to the United Center and lost our shit whenever they yelled "action!" There weren't enough of us (obviously) to fill the United Center, which has a capacity of about 20,000, so they took some stills and videos of us in a couple of different spots in the stands, which they will then digitally replicate to fill the stands. They gave us various props, like signs, drinks, or boxes of popcorn to hold (and I actually ate a *lot* of the popcorn after discovering it was actually fresh and not treated with anything weird). Some extras got their faces painted too (some guys got their whole faces painted red and white, and a few girls got bulls painted on their foreheads or cheeks). For my part, I just wore a cute Bulls v-neck t-shirt that I borrowed from my sister. :) For the part when Derrick Rose actually enters the stadium from the tunnel, I was right at the end of the tunnel in the front row of the bleachers, so I got to high-five Derrick Rose multiple times yesterday! He seems like a nice, chill, professional dude. I think he was only there for about an hour or two though, and for the rest of the time, there was a photo double. The Luvabulls joined us for a while, and Benny the Bull was there too, to wave the Bulls flag for the commercial and to otherwise entertain us when the cameras weren't rolling. Add to that getting paid a modest fee for the day, two free meals and lots of snacks, a souvenir to take home (I got a Bulls cap), meeting some interesting people like the digital marketing lead for Adidas and a young, enthusiastic aspiring Luvabull, and getting to read a bunch (one of my fave ways to pass the time) during downtime, and it made for a pretty good day, :).
People occasionally asked me yesterday what-all stuff I've worked on as an extra, and it occurred to me that I haven't really listed it out in a long time and was in real danger of forgetting, so I'll just list my experiences here and add to the list occasionally so I don't forget. My first experience was volunteer; the rest were paid:
2007: Batman, The Dark Knight (action scene in alley--volunteer w/ proceeds going to Dave Eggers' 826CHI)
2008: WWE Cyber Sunday with C.M. Punk commercial and print ad
I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything in 2009...then the casting agencies starting announcing a ton of jobs on FB and I started regularly seeing more opportunities.
2010:
Source Code (running across the Michigan Avenue bridge following emergency evacuation due to a bomb threat)
The Dilemma (the Smith & Wollensky restaurant scene and the car show scene at McCormick Place)
Contagion (press conference scene with CDC workers)
2011: Did I seriously do nothing in 2011? I honestly don't recall doing anything in 2011. (I realize now that I went to Turkey and Vegas during my breaks from school so that would have put a big dent in my availability; makes sense.)
2012:
Starz's "Boss" (weekday church scene)
MTV's "Underemployed" (outdoor food truck scene, restaurant lunch scene, and bar/restaurant nighttime scene, all filmed in one day...and later a tequila launch party scene filmed over two days)
National Louis University commercial (students in library)
Adidas commercial (fan in stands)
I hope to be able to add more to this list, but for now it's back to the grind with school! I can't believe how quickly the fall semester is coming, and I still have so much to do to prepare for it! Eek.