Extra Credit: My Life as An Extra

Austin Diner. A university-area co-op. The La Quinta on 35 and Oltorf. The Ramada Inn on 35 and 290. A local entertainment writer's home.

What do all of the above sites have in common? Are they gathering places for movie geeks, crime scenes, or places where I have crashed? If you answered yes to any of these, you would be wrong. These are all places in Austin where independent filmmakers have shot movies. They are also places where I've worked as an extra.

The process of making movies has always fascinated me. I grew up in California, specifically in the Antelope Valley, which is popular with filmmakers. Hundreds of movies have been shot in the desert where I lived, from Duel to Terminator 2. It was not uncommon to come across film sets while driving the backroads.

In my youth, I was able to be on set for a number of movies. I was on the set when they filmed parts of Fletch, where I was lucky enough to meet Chevy Chase and eat dinner with the crew. The video store where I worked was a location where a team from Roger Corman's studio filmed a scene for a Gremlins ripoff called Munchies. I was on set for a gas station commercial that used the vehicle from Damnation Alley. To some, being on a movie set is as boring as watching paint dry. To me, it was a home away from home.

One of the great things about living in Austin is the number of film projects that happen here. With film projects comes the need for extras, and when it comes to being an extra I am your man.

The first Austin-based film project where I found extra work was the low-budget thriller Red White & Blue. The film was shot in the summer of 2009 in numerous locations around Austin. I was an extra in a total of three different scenes. The first scene was shot at Austin Diner on Burnet Road. A number of us portrayed patrons of the diner where two of the main characters worked. I sat at a table play-acting eating a stale donut.

The second scene was shot at a co-op near The University of Texas. When I heard "co-op," I figured, cool, we'll be at some natural foods store. Nope, we were at a rundown flop house for college students. The best feature of the house: no air conditioning. Did I mention this was the hottest summer on record in Austin? This second scene required me to walk down a sidewalk  holding hands with another extra. After the scene was over, I called my wife. "They made me hold hands with a girl, ewwwwww!" She laughed.

The third and final scene took place in the backyard of a house (two years later I learned it belonged to fellow film writer and friend Brian Kelley) where we filmed a birthday party. I would be a guest at the party. Another hot day outside. Awesome ... NOT!

Flash forward to SXSW 2010. When I looked at the SXSW Film schedule, I noticed Red White & Blue would have its North American premiere in Austin. I could not wait. I hauled my wife to the screening where I eagerly awaited my film debut. Here comes the diner scene. Did I make it? Nope! Here comes the co-op scene. Did I make it? Nope! Drat! Here comes the birthday scene. Did I make the cut? YES!!! Did you see me standing there? No? Well, I was there. I made it into a movie and it debuted at SXSW. Achievement unlocked!

We finished watching the film and hey lookie there ... My name was in the credits. Level up! All my hard work suffering in the heat of the Austin summer paid off. I was in a movie.

My second big extra experience in Austin took place in summer 2010, when Austin filmmaker Emily Hagins was filming My Sucky Teen Romance, a take-off on teen vampire movies. I asked my friend Paul Gandersman, one of the film's producers, if they would need extras. He put me in touch with producer J.J. Weber who confirmed that yes they would need help.

My daughter and I were invited to be extras for a scene shooting at a hotel off I-35 and Oltorf. Dressed in convention attire and costumes (my daughter dressed as a vampire), we drove to the set. We tracked down Weber, who had us sign electronic releases allowing the filmmakers to use us in the movie. Then we waited. Like I said earlier, being an extra entails a lot of waiting. After an hour or so, we were called to the set. As soon as they called action, we were to count to ten and walk down the hall like we were attending a convention similar to Comic Con. No problemo, I've been to a lot of these. I would be a method actor. After three or four takes, we were done. 

My Sucky Teen Romance had its world premiere in March at SXSW. Would I make the cut again, I wondered? Here comes the convention scene where the bad guy walks down the hall ... awesome, I made it onscreen again (photo at top). And look, there's my daughter too. In September, I took my daughter to a screening of the film where I did a Q&A afterward with Emily Hagins herself. Strange how life works sometimes, Oh, did I mention that fellow Slackerwood writers Mike Saulters and J.C. De Leon were extras too?

My most recent adventure in working as an extra was for Computer Chess, directed by Andrew Bujalski. Computer Chess is about computer nerds, and is set in 1979. Cool ... I am a nerd, I like chess and why yes, I do like computers. It sounded like a match made in heaven. I contacted the film's producers, who gave me the days and times they would need extras. My time was limited but eventually I was able to participate for a day on set.

I headed to yet another local hotel, this time at Highway 290 and I-35. After signing a release, I was sent to warddrobe. Wow, nice duds. I think they had a monopoly on imported Italian polyester from the 70s. Thank God I wore my own pair of Levi's.

After swapping my modern glasses for a nerdier pair, I was sent to the waiting room. Eventually my time came. Today we would be filming vehicles. I had a unique skill they needed ... I actually knew how to drive a stick shift. This was way cool, as I got to drive a classic BMW 2002. My involvement was to drive the car, exit it and help haul computer equipment and suitcases into the chess tournament.

We did a couple of takes and that was it for the day. Will I make the cut this time? Will my track record having "my films" launch at SXSW be preserved? Not sure yet, but I sure had fun being an extra!

[Editor's Note: Slackerwood contributors do like to be extras. Not only were Mike and J.C. in My Sucky Teen Romance, but Jenn wrote about her experience as an extra for Red White & Blue ... and Debbie's house was another location for that film, which she wrote about as well.]

[Photo credit: My Sucky Teen Romance photos courtesy of Paul Gandersman.]