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chickentribs · 06-24-2005, 08:04 AM

I lived in Los Angeles for almost 2 years down on Venice Beach and they were always shooting commercials, TV shows, Movies, or whatever pretty much every day during the summer months. You can't imagine how many infomercials they make in this world, and they all have people on the boardwalk literally grabbing at the tourists and pleading to get them to go sit still for 4 hours and clap so that they can be on TV.

I held out for a long time - but then I got a call from my buddy that I couldn't refuse. The first Spiderman movie was in production and they were shooting the first big fight scene between Spiderman and Green Goblin at the Unity Day Festival! Can you say "sick day"??

You can see me by a table of champagne glasses that Spidey gets kicked through, and again quickly running out of bleachers near Spiderman while Goblin is throwing his grenades at him. That last part actually got Sam Raimi the director over to yell at me personally. It was getting late in the day, And I was determined to get seen in the movie. Because of the explosives they were setting off, the "extras director" (punk) told us about 20 times that nobody was to leave the bleachers for any reason and just run back and fourth like idiots. Around the fifth time they shouted it at us I figured they were asking for it.

I played it straight for the first 2 or 3 takes, (they can't spend the money on more than a couple takes with the special effects) and when it looked like everybody was getting really serious for The Take, I positioned myself down front and took a little "artistic license" and hopped the railing, left the roughly 100 other extras in the bleachers and went running behind Spiderman like I was Spiderboy or something. Between working up the balls to actually do it, and the throbbibg vain on Raimi's head, that moment was near perfection for me!

But even with one of the best days an extra could ask for, I agree with Marq that it was mostly looooong and boring. 13 hours of sitting around for about 40 minutes of action of which 15 seconds show up on the screen. The first 6 hours, pretty cool - the last 7 hours, ugh. But, hands down my favorite story to tell!

The bastards kept my $50.

06-24-2005, 08:04 AM	#6 (permalink)
chickentribs Addict Location: Mansion by day/Secret Lair by night	I lived in Los Angeles for almost 2 years down on Venice Beach and they were always shooting commercials, TV shows, Movies, or whatever pretty much every day during the summer months. You can't imagine how many infomercials they make in this world, and they all have people on the boardwalk literally grabbing at the tourists and pleading to get them to go sit still for 4 hours and clap so that they can be on TV. I held out for a long time - but then I got a call from my buddy that I couldn't refuse. The first Spiderman movie was in production and they were shooting the first big fight scene between Spiderman and Green Goblin at the Unity Day Festival! Can you say "sick day"?? You can see me by a table of champagne glasses that Spidey gets kicked through, and again quickly running out of bleachers near Spiderman while Goblin is throwing his grenades at him. That last part actually got Sam Raimi the director over to yell at me personally. It was getting late in the day, And I was determined to get seen in the movie. Because of the explosives they were setting off, the "extras director" (punk) told us about 20 times that nobody was to leave the bleachers for any reason and just run back and fourth like idiots. Around the fifth time they shouted it at us I figured they were asking for it. I played it straight for the first 2 or 3 takes, (they can't spend the money on more than a couple takes with the special effects) and when it looked like everybody was getting really serious for The Take, I positioned myself down front and took a little "artistic license" and hopped the railing, left the roughly 100 other extras in the bleachers and went running behind Spiderman like I was Spiderboy or something. Between working up the balls to actually do it, and the throbbibg vain on Raimi's head, that moment was near perfection for me! But even with one of the best days an extra could ask for, I agree with Marq that it was mostly looooong and boring. 13 hours of sitting around for about 40 minutes of action of which 15 seconds show up on the screen. The first 6 hours, pretty cool - the last 7 hours, ugh. But, hands down my favorite story to tell! The bastards kept my $50. __________________ Oft expectation fails... and most oft there Where most it promises - Shakespeare, W.