Extra! Extra! Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice

Henry Cavill arriving on the set.

Over the years many different movies have been filmed within an hour’s driving distance of my home. Several times I have heard of them needing extras. You may think, that because I am a movie buff, that I would want to be in any movie I could, but you would be wrong. I enjoy watching movies and writing about them but I have no measurable desire to actually be in one. Of course, none of the films that may have possibly been available to me to perhaps be an extra in, have ever fascinated me enough to care.

Recently I met someone who was an extra on a film with the working title of "Sage and Milo". After we talked, I briefly thought that if the chance to be in such a movie was possible, I may have a different opinion. It so turns out that the movie he may or may not appear in is Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

He heard about it from a friend and applied online. The website asked about his physical appearance and he was required to submit some photos. There were no guarantees of anything. He was contacted a few weeks later with information on when he would need to be available and when to come in for a costume fitting. What he ended up wearing in one scene was a combination of their wardrobe and his own clothes.

In his first scene he was part of a crowd that was instructed by the assistant director to look in the air and then down to where Superman will land. Superman flying will all be done later with CGI. Then they were told to simply watch a costumed Henry Cavill, minus the cape as it will also be added later via computer animation, walk up some stairs toward a green screen. That scene will likely last mere seconds on screen but he estimated they did about nine takes from five different angles, for a total of 45 takes. It took all day to film that one brief scene.

He described Zach Snyder, who as the director of the film is pretty much God, as just a normal guy doing a job. Of course Henry made a bit more of an impression on him. After all, he was in his Superman costume. When he walked on the set he was quite amiable with everyone, greeting crew members and technicians. If anything seemed off it was that Superman was speaking in a British accent.

Apparently, Holly Hunter does not work the same way. She stayed in character even when the cameras were not rolling. At one point in between filming scenes, she questioned some of the extras about the events of the scene they were about to film as if she were the senator she was portraying.

Although he never got to see Ben Affleck in his Batman costume, my friend may appear in a scene with him as a citizen on the street. Apparently some bad things are going on above them as Bruce Wayne and the extras look up and react to it. This scene also featured some running and stunt driving, requiring three days to film it all.

The haters came out in force when it was first announced that Ben Affleck was playing Batman. Affleck even joked on a late night talk show that the first comment he read on line about his casting was, “Nooooooooo….” How soon the haters forgot George Clooney. My friend’s impression of Ben on the set was that he was very focused on his job, not saying much to anyone outside of Zack Snyder. “He did his part, and did it well, and he was very much taking it seriously and I believe he wants to get it right.”

Opinions on the stars had to be formed from a distance as the stars all had security around them. It was understood that you kept your distance from them on the set. “We were never told not to talk to them, but touching, yelling, or acting like a giddy school girl, would result in immediate termination from the set.” Although everyone dishes up their meals from the same catered buffet, the extras generally kept to themselves.

Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne.

Although he spent many days working on this film and had cameras aimed directly at him, my friend has no way of knowing how much screen time he will get in the final cut, if any. Other extras had this same concern as some jockeyed for positions during crowd scenes, pushing their way to the front. It is awesome just to say you got paid (minimum wage) to watch Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams and Jesse Eisenberg work but how much more exciting would it be to watch a film and see yourself standing behind Superman?  Superman!

If you read this article hoping for Batman v Superman plot details, I apologize for letting you down but everyone involved in the production, signed contracts agreeing to keep such details to themselves. Besides, why would you want the movie ruined for you?

I found my friend’s experiences on this production quite interesting. He learned just how long it takes to set up a single shot as well as some plot secrets about the most anticipated movie of the decade. He can now genuinely and honestly state he worked with Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill. I am not sure if I am any more sold on the idea of being an extra than I was before but if The Justice League movie is filmed nearby…