The Extra extra

A seven day shoot (10 years ago) - I'm sure that nothing has changed.

Extra extra read all about it.

Five hundred plus extras working an average twelve hour day. A huge logistical exercise in moving the masses in atrocious weather conditions, on and off track, at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse. A Mission Impossible? - let's wait and see.

The floor crews were well versed in the subtleties of crowd control, talent spotting, and 'pushy' people management.

Placating the masses is no easy task. People are herded compliantly towards wardrobe, make-up and meals but when it comes to being 'noticed' (with a view to being given a bit part), conformity disappears and the competition becomes fierce.

If there's a downside to being an extra it's got to be the boredom of sitting around for hours, and the repetition of take after take of the same action. "Rolling, action, background, cut, reset" becomes the focus of my day. Lack of sleep and exercise sends the mind into an atrophic state; mentally unstimulated and physically restrained, very similar to that induced by jet lag. Money earned is quickly spent on remedial massages, deep rejuvinating facials and re vitalilizing hair treatments.

A positive - an extra is one of the few occupations that can take you from the cradle to the grave. The world isn't full of beautiful people. Casting can accommodate the metamorphoses of the body over time, For extras there are no govenors' on the ravages of time. Extras fortunately can come in all shapes, sizes and ages. They include thwarted actors, actors between jobs, muso's between gigs, the glam wan-a-bee's, young mums taking a break from the monotony of the domestic routine, ladies that should be lunching but have chosen to be part of a 'new' scene for the week.

Why then do film extras choose this calling? For as many reasons as there are extras. Could be for the movie making experience or for as for me that one second of fame. Sometimes a 'star" is born - an extra actually gets a full face to camera, not just a hat, a hand, a backside or a bosom. Some go along for the networking, others for that warm fuzzy feeling of being part of a 'groupie' bonding thing.
Seeing and being seen is the object of the exercise, but it's being in close proximity to the 'stars'(in this case Tom Cruise) that gives the ultimate adrenaline buzz. The star is a serious working person, as opposed to the person who is working for the supposed "fun of it all".
Consequently the 'star' is to be respected for the true professional he/she is. No way must an extra act like a crazed fan. No gawking, touching, chasing, flirting or heaven forbid...stalking.
An extra signs a confidentiality agreement to not at any time, directly, or indirectly, disclose any information of any kind. My lips are sealed.

Like the 500 plus extras I'll be queuing at the box office for a one second glance of my straw hat's fleeting moment of fame.