Focus on what happens on set

Talk about focus, just watch the filming of a scene in any major movie.

I recently did work as an extra in a scene from the upcoming Mark Wahlberg movie “Weekend Warriors.” A little distraction that got me paid.

One of the benefits of being a long-time member of SAG-AFTRA is getting the occasional chance to actually act—and get paid a decent day’s wage to do it.

The day started with a bunch of sitting around at Stateside Live (an entertainment venue at South Philadelphia’s Stadium Complex), before food was served for lunch. We then got called up to wardrobe to get decked out as either Sixers or Pistons fans for the NBA-inspired scene to be shot.

Rocking a Sixers hat ahead of shooting the scene.

We walked across the parking lot before heading into Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena (that’s where the Sixers and Flyers play). Once inside, staff randomly handed out concession snacks, the ultimate game accompaniment. Some were handed nachos, a soda or a mustard-covered hot dog. I was given a box of popcorn, which later proved useful since I could snack on it in the hours ahead.

Once at the seats, the crew shuffled dozens of “extras” around across several upper deck sections. Mostly the gig entailed sitting around waiting for your moment to cheer like crazy (often silently) at nothing in particular.

I spent hours pretending to root for the Sixers (as I do anyway so that wasn’t actually acting) while they shot a brief scene again and again. During this time, I got to see first-hand the intense focus of a moviemaking crew on one scene.

The focus on one scene while moviemaking

The scene called for the actor playing Mark Wahlberg’s son in the movie—young Indie DesRoches—to have a drink spilled on him while watching a basketball game and then the actors having a conversation.

The crew staged and shot this scene over and over. The young actor took his fair share of non-spilled liquid, before getting his hair drenched again and again.

Hours passed with dozens of cast and crew running through the scene. From cinematographers, grips, prop masters, producers, to the director and actors, all attention was focused on getting this one scene right.

The only moment that really stopped the action was when the woman singing the National Anthem started belting out “Oh say, can you see..”

Wahlberg and other members of the cast and crew stopped and stood up with hands on heart as the “Star Spangled Banner” blared in the mostly empty arena.

The moment served as a bit of levity during a scene that was repetitive and hard work for the people involved.

This scene that took hours and plenty of manpower to produce likely will wind up being only a minute or two of the final product. Repeat that rigor time and again as I witnessed and it made me have a deeper appreciation for what went into that next movie night.

Will I get any screen time?

I’m gonna guess your question if you’ve read this far: Will you be seeing me on the silver screen? Don’t bet on it.

I was ready for my close-up, but the closest I got to the action was in the background on the other side of an aisle.

The extras and actors stayed for the first half of the game. Sixers fans even got the treat of getting to see Wahlberg wave to them from the cheap seats. At halftime, we were asked to head back across the parking lot to Stateside Live to return our props—I only returned the 76ers hat, since the popcorn box was empty—and finalize our time on set.

Off to the subway and back home. I returned with a renewed perspective on what goes on behind-the-scenes when you focus on one thing.