Extra Extra!
As I stood on stage during a semi-blacked out party scene and reached for the M&Ms on a table, only a smidgen of my intelligence led me to think…"hmmm…someone in the crowd might notice what i'm doing when the rest of the 'extras' or members of the chorus are frozen."
Did it stop me? No. Being the glutton I am (are) I took greater pleasure in enjoying the crispy M&Ms that had just come to the market. Plus, I ensured I had my back to the audience and slid my hand full of M&Ms in line with my body's silhouette to my mouth, and only crunched when dialogue was taking place in the lit up part of stage right.
This actual incident that inspired the above anecdote, which feels like it could lead to a blog post about nothing, took place when I was in grade 9.
Not only did it allow me to have a taste of the new M&M range, it also gave me my first taste of what being an 'extra' or in the 'chorus' of a play, ad or movie would involve.
I think I have an issue with being inconspicuous.
If we go by Google's definition of extra it says: an item in addition to what is usual or strictly necessary.
Or ensemble: a group of items viewed as a whole rather than individually.
So really, an ensemble member or extra should add to the overall idea, and not take focus.
Hmmm…this has been an issue for me. Not because I always want to be centre of attention.
Well that's not all of it.
Earlier this year I was a dancer in Thoroughly Modern Millie. At one stage I opened my mouth to sing and my throat released a gargling sound. Another time my tap shoe broke at the end of a number meaning I had to hobble off stage with a stage grin while my shoe, with its sole flapping up and down in the breeze, looked like it wanted to sing too.
A few months ago I was in The Addams Family and I came onstage at the beginning of a tap number. Unfortunately I tripped over my feet (a usual occurrence that I do try to limit to off the stage) but somehow gathered myself, made it part of my character and carried on.
A couple of years' prior, and probably exactly 10 years from the M&M incident, I had a very intriguing experience being an extra in the Toni Collette movie Mental.
I was channelling the brief of 'being a customer in a donut cafe'.
My fellow extra, or shall I say, colleague across from me took the brief too far and in each shot (of about 1,002) she devoured an entire donut.
Her commitment to art and continuity was second to none.
I made the smart decision of nibbling at the donut slowly so it would last a good few hours of filming.
I had seen Ricky Gervais' series Extras. I knew what this was about.
At one stage I accidentally caught Toni Collette's eye - and having heard the 'acting horror story' of when an extra caught Tom Cruise's eye and pretty much got deported - although she smiled warmly at me, I got embarrassed and found something really interesting to look at on the ceiling.
But between pretending to eat a donut, pretending to drink a milk shake and nodding to pretend I was in a proper conversation, I was hoping I'd be discovered.
A good two hours into the shoot and I thought my nonchalant, believable coffee-drinking and donut-eating-acting had worked. (Damn - my continuity is terrible - I was drinking a milk shake before).
The third assistant director or the third assistant director to the second assistant director came up to me.
"Ahh, excuse me..what's your name?" he asked.
It took all of me not to pre-empt his next question with the answer:
"I'D LOVE TO CAMEO OR TAKE A MAJOR ROLE IN THIS SCENE!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY!"
Instead I kept my cool.
"Hi, Maree…Maree Butterworth."
"Hi Maree…"
I could only anticipate that he held the secret words that would be the 'open sesame' to my career.
"Yes…I'D LOVE TO!!!…I mean…what was your question?
"Could you please move your arm to the left…it's in the shot."
Son of a bitch.
Did it stop me? No. Being the glutton I am (are) I took greater pleasure in enjoying the crispy M&Ms that had just come to the market. Plus, I ensured I had my back to the audience and slid my hand full of M&Ms in line with my body's silhouette to my mouth, and only crunched when dialogue was taking place in the lit up part of stage right.
This actual incident that inspired the above anecdote, which feels like it could lead to a blog post about nothing, took place when I was in grade 9.
Not only did it allow me to have a taste of the new M&M range, it also gave me my first taste of what being an 'extra' or in the 'chorus' of a play, ad or movie would involve.
I think I have an issue with being inconspicuous.
If we go by Google's definition of extra it says: an item in addition to what is usual or strictly necessary.
Or ensemble: a group of items viewed as a whole rather than individually.
So really, an ensemble member or extra should add to the overall idea, and not take focus.
Hmmm…this has been an issue for me. Not because I always want to be centre of attention.
Well that's not all of it.
Earlier this year I was a dancer in Thoroughly Modern Millie. At one stage I opened my mouth to sing and my throat released a gargling sound. Another time my tap shoe broke at the end of a number meaning I had to hobble off stage with a stage grin while my shoe, with its sole flapping up and down in the breeze, looked like it wanted to sing too.
A few months ago I was in The Addams Family and I came onstage at the beginning of a tap number. Unfortunately I tripped over my feet (a usual occurrence that I do try to limit to off the stage) but somehow gathered myself, made it part of my character and carried on.
A couple of years' prior, and probably exactly 10 years from the M&M incident, I had a very intriguing experience being an extra in the Toni Collette movie Mental.
I was channelling the brief of 'being a customer in a donut cafe'.
My fellow extra, or shall I say, colleague across from me took the brief too far and in each shot (of about 1,002) she devoured an entire donut.
Her commitment to art and continuity was second to none.
I made the smart decision of nibbling at the donut slowly so it would last a good few hours of filming.
I had seen Ricky Gervais' series Extras. I knew what this was about.
At one stage I accidentally caught Toni Collette's eye - and having heard the 'acting horror story' of when an extra caught Tom Cruise's eye and pretty much got deported - although she smiled warmly at me, I got embarrassed and found something really interesting to look at on the ceiling.
But between pretending to eat a donut, pretending to drink a milk shake and nodding to pretend I was in a proper conversation, I was hoping I'd be discovered.
A good two hours into the shoot and I thought my nonchalant, believable coffee-drinking and donut-eating-acting had worked. (Damn - my continuity is terrible - I was drinking a milk shake before).
The third assistant director or the third assistant director to the second assistant director came up to me.
"Ahh, excuse me..what's your name?" he asked.
It took all of me not to pre-empt his next question with the answer:
"I'D LOVE TO CAMEO OR TAKE A MAJOR ROLE IN THIS SCENE!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY!"
Instead I kept my cool.
"Hi, Maree…Maree Butterworth."
"Hi Maree…"
I could only anticipate that he held the secret words that would be the 'open sesame' to my career.
"Yes…I'D LOVE TO!!!…I mean…what was your question?
"Could you please move your arm to the left…it's in the shot."
Son of a bitch.
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