Had my first experience working on a shoot in Michigan this past weekend for a new Bruce Willis film. While I'm here, I'm training more than anything else, but I registered with Real Styles in Detroit (who casts extras for Hollywood projects in Michigan) just for the chance to get onset and make a bit of extra cash on the side before I start filming on Figment next month, and they cast me in this immediately.
It was a first in terms of a lot of things (i.e. working on a film of that budget size, working here in my home state in Michigan, etc) but the single most impressive thing about it was the food. With a lot of the jobs I did in Japan, the craft services (i.e. food) consisted of a few bottles of tea, some Okashi (snacks) and a bento (lunch box).
Here just the snack table was INCREDIBLE. 6 different kinds of fresh veggies, all kinds of fruit (dehydrated and fresh), 5 or 6 different kinds of nutri-grain bars, 5 or 6 different kinds of candy bars, multiple kinds of potato, corn and veggie chips, and a multitude of different nuts... and all that was BEFORE LUNCH.
Lunch actually consisted of king crab, fresh steak, grilled chicken, 2 kinds of pie, 3 kinds of salad (with 7 different kinds of dressing) and the list goes on and on. The most incredible thing was the fact that I was eating like this as an extra. I can't even imagine what they must have been feeding Bruce and 50 cent.
Beyond that, the mechanics of the shoot itself were pretty much the same. The equipment they used was obviously of a bigger budget, but how they did things was nothing new. I did learn a few cool new tricks for dealing with fake blood, and adding realism to a murder, so that was cool though.
Beyond that, the other big difference was the pay rate... As an extra, for shorter shoots, Japanese films actually pay better... but out here, you actually get overtime pay and all kinds of bonus for things (wearing your own clothes, bringing your own props, etc) so for a longer or more involved shoot, you can actually make a really decent amount. It's no wonder there are people who work as extras full time in LA.
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Hi Chuck...I am reading your blogs and LOL! Boy, you have a great love of food...its amazing that you eat as much as you say you do and can still look good! I have been communicating with the casting director for Sunjata. At this time I have not been able to secure a positive answer on how committed they are about having you, in addition to the travel fee we discussed. Keep the Faith! I hope you are well and I will speak with you soon. Your numero uno agent, Fe.
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