From time to time I work as a film extra. The most interesting project I have worked on so far is for the German TV spy drama mini-series 'Deutschland 83'.
My involvement with the filming was one year ago in September 2014, but the series is only now having its German premiere this week. It has already been shown in the U.S. and is apparently heralding in a new age of German drama (because everything else is mostly shit) and also was the first time a German production was shown in America in its original language (it was shown there with subtitles).
The way I get these jobs is through an agency that I am registered with. It starts with an email "We want you for x production" and I have to get back to them if I am available or not. In this case they wanted me as a 'featured extra' and for multiple dates. The email also stated that it was a period 80s drama, so some hair cutting may be required, but nothing major. I accepted and went to the costume fitting at a sound stage somewhere near Tempelhof.
When I got there, one of the production guys looked at me and said 'oh fuck!'. It was my hair. They had assumed from my agency photo that I had short hair, but in fact I had it in a long pulled back style. (yea I was rocking a pony tail....I didn't say it looked good!)
We had a discussion with the make up crew and they said it all had to go. After a bit of deliberation I decided to let them shave it all off - I was in a conundrum about my hairstyle anyway and I really wanted to be involved in the project. Plus, they paid me 15 Euros for the haircut!
The haircut was followed by a costume fitting, where they tailored a US army uniform for me...meet Private Edwards, playing a supporting role to one of the main characters, General Jackson.
Please excuse the quality of the following photos, filming policy is that you cannot take cameras on set, so these were taken with my very shitty iPod camera.
Filming took place over the following months into December 2014. One day was spent filming a NATO scene (look out for me sitting next to the main character Moritz Stamm at some point).
NATO scene. photo source: http://philipphaberlandt.com/images/d83.jpg
(i'm not in this photo)
Another day was spent filming at some fancy house out 'west' where I did some fine walking, standing and smoking work. Due to it being set in the 80s we were encouraged to 'smoke em if you got em'. In my cohort none of us were smokers and the producers needed at least one of us to smoke. I was too late to say no (because this was happening all in German and took too long to realise what was going on) but was able to insist on herbal cigarettes.
Photo source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/deutschland-83/s01/pictures/tv-8702/
Most of the filming work I was part of was in some former clinic looking place also in the west, used as the setting for a hotel. These was very long days and nights, where mostly I sat around waiting to be called for action. This experience is both very interesting and often incredibly boring with all the waiting around.
Hanging out with the other extras.
Taking a publicity shot. ...again, HERBAL cigarettes, and not a herbal jazz cigarette as my mum thinks.
Trying to get some rest on a bench.
Watching a stunt scene where a woman jumps or is pushed off the balcony of the hotel.
And taking part in a lounge and outdoor scene, where I chat with some ladies, and then retire for a smoke with my army buddies outside while the main character climbs the wall above us (I think).
I also had a short filming day out in a Potsdam army barracks. In this instance my American buddy and I were put to the test in that I had to open a door, walk out, negotiate one step and then cross a street into another door. Complicated stuff. We still managed to ruin a few takes though with poor hat placement or bad timing.
All in all a mostly fascinating, but often tedious, experience! It seems so long ago, and then suddenly Berlin is blanketed in advertising for the series premiere on 26 November 2015.
Watch out for me :)
My involvement with the filming was one year ago in September 2014, but the series is only now having its German premiere this week. It has already been shown in the U.S. and is apparently heralding in a new age of German drama (because everything else is mostly shit) and also was the first time a German production was shown in America in its original language (it was shown there with subtitles).
The way I get these jobs is through an agency that I am registered with. It starts with an email "We want you for x production" and I have to get back to them if I am available or not. In this case they wanted me as a 'featured extra' and for multiple dates. The email also stated that it was a period 80s drama, so some hair cutting may be required, but nothing major. I accepted and went to the costume fitting at a sound stage somewhere near Tempelhof.
When I got there, one of the production guys looked at me and said 'oh fuck!'. It was my hair. They had assumed from my agency photo that I had short hair, but in fact I had it in a long pulled back style. (yea I was rocking a pony tail....I didn't say it looked good!)
We had a discussion with the make up crew and they said it all had to go. After a bit of deliberation I decided to let them shave it all off - I was in a conundrum about my hairstyle anyway and I really wanted to be involved in the project. Plus, they paid me 15 Euros for the haircut!
The haircut was followed by a costume fitting, where they tailored a US army uniform for me...meet Private Edwards, playing a supporting role to one of the main characters, General Jackson.
Please excuse the quality of the following photos, filming policy is that you cannot take cameras on set, so these were taken with my very shitty iPod camera.
Filming took place over the following months into December 2014. One day was spent filming a NATO scene (look out for me sitting next to the main character Moritz Stamm at some point).
(i'm not in this photo)
Another day was spent filming at some fancy house out 'west' where I did some fine walking, standing and smoking work. Due to it being set in the 80s we were encouraged to 'smoke em if you got em'. In my cohort none of us were smokers and the producers needed at least one of us to smoke. I was too late to say no (because this was happening all in German and took too long to realise what was going on) but was able to insist on herbal cigarettes.
Most of the filming work I was part of was in some former clinic looking place also in the west, used as the setting for a hotel. These was very long days and nights, where mostly I sat around waiting to be called for action. This experience is both very interesting and often incredibly boring with all the waiting around.
Hanging out with the other extras.
Taking a publicity shot. ...again, HERBAL cigarettes, and not a herbal jazz cigarette as my mum thinks.
Trying to get some rest on a bench.
Wondering the corridors super bored.
Watching a stunt scene where a woman jumps or is pushed off the balcony of the hotel.
And taking part in a lounge and outdoor scene, where I chat with some ladies, and then retire for a smoke with my army buddies outside while the main character climbs the wall above us (I think).
I also had a short filming day out in a Potsdam army barracks. In this instance my American buddy and I were put to the test in that I had to open a door, walk out, negotiate one step and then cross a street into another door. Complicated stuff. We still managed to ruin a few takes though with poor hat placement or bad timing.
All in all a mostly fascinating, but often tedious, experience! It seems so long ago, and then suddenly Berlin is blanketed in advertising for the series premiere on 26 November 2015.
Watch out for me :)
