By Doug Rogers
Imagine Moses in “The Ten Commandments” descending Mount Sinai only to find two or three Israelites hanging around at the bottom. Or Rocky entering an empty arena to face Apollo Creed in that film’s climactic boxing match. Let’s face it, it’s the extras, those background actors who populate various scenes, that bring life to a movie.
Such is the case with “Woodlawn,” an epic production about revival, football and racial reconciliation that called for scores of extras, from football players and cheerleaders to students on campus and fans in the stands.
I first discovered the work of the Erwin Brothers when they released “October Baby” in 2011, the beautifully crafted story of a college freshman who discovers she was not only adopted but survived an abortion attempt.
They followed that film up with last year’s “Moms’ Night Out,” the light-hearted and hilarious tale of three moms who simply want to spend an evening out while their husbands watch the kids.
Both films were shot in Alabama, primarily in the Birmingham area, and after the success of “Moms’ Night Out,” I vowed that if I had the opportunity to be on set for “Woodlawn,” I would seize it.
Dreaming of stardom
And so it was Oct. 25, 2014, that my college-aged daughter, Emilee, and I decided to throw our names in the hat to be considered as extras in “Woodlawn.” Dressed in our finest polyester — the film takes place in the early 70s — we showed up at the Pelham Civic Complex, ready to impress. We departed just a few minutes later, after filling out some paperwork and having our pictures taken, dreaming of the movie stardom that was to come.
Five days later I received a call inviting me to be a part of Bull’s Group, a circle of five friends who sit in the bleachers with one of the film’s antagonists, Bull, played by actor Steven Prince. The part called for no lines, just cheering and commiserating in the stands as we pretended to watch football games being played. But hey, I was an extra, and on top of that it was a paying gig!
Turns out there are two kinds of extras. The paid type, or featured extras, are hired to play a specific nonspeaking role like a policeman, a cheerleader, a football team member or in my case a specific group of fans. There’s also a “y’all come” category. These are opportunities open to those who have expressed interest and sometimes to the general public to be part of a crowd, perhaps helping fill up a stadium or walking around in the background on a campus and so on. Their pay is typically in the form of pizza and soft drinks and the thrill of being part of the production.
Series of shootings
For Bull’s Group, what followed was three days of shooting scattered over five weeks in November and December. The first one, an outdoor shoot in Finley Stadium at the old Berry Middle School in Hoover, was a night event. We reported at 7 p.m., filled out some paperwork and headed to the costume department. Interestingly I was able to wear what I had brought — a pair of brown polyester pants I found at a thrift store and a long-sleeved blue polyester shirt that, sadly, was hanging in my closet.
After about four hours of waiting in a gymnasium, we were whisked into the stadium to be part of the crowd watching what would be several different football games in the film. The players were on the field, the coaches, played by Nic Bishop and Kevin Sizemore, were on the sidelines and Sean Astin, playing the part of Hank the chaplain, was just across the running track from us. Things were getting exciting. Plus we were surrounded by hundreds of dummies sitting in the stands, which were rented from a movie supply company to help make the stadium look full. Ah, the magic of making movies! After an hour or so of cheering on cue in between long periods of resetting the lights, we were let go around 1 a.m.
Candle lighting scene
Three weeks later, I opted to go to Legion Field for one of those unpaid opportunities, the shooting of the movie’s pivotal candle lighting scene. It’s an emotional moment in the film when Sean Astin’s character, speaking to a large rally, recounts attending Explo ’72 in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, a key event in the Jesus Movement. It was an incredibly memorable experience to me largely because of the power of Sean’s (Hank’s) words in that scene, and I still have my candle as a reminder of that evening.
A week later Bull’s Group was called in for our final two days of shooting at Ernest F. Bush K–8 School in Birmingham. These were day shoots with 6 a.m. call times and would give us our first opportunity to meet Steven Prince, aka Bull. These scenes were shot on a section of football bleachers set up in a gymnasium, where sound and lights could be more closely controlled. These shots would focus on smaller groups of fans cheering and would be edited into the outdoor shots filmed earlier.
It was these two days of shooting which would demand the best efforts of our fledgling group of background actors. Cheering for players that weren’t there. Pumping a victorious fist in the air. Mouthing lines like, “You’re killing us, coach!” And knowing that at any given time, any one of us might be visible as close-ups of Bull were being filmed. We felt the pressure of having to carry on the proud tradition of generations of extras who had gone on before us. Day one lasted around 12 hours, day two about eight hours.
Making the cut
And then almost as quickly as it started, it was over. We were cut loose but told to watch for emails in case they needed to call us back in to reshoot anything. I decided I wouldn’t get a haircut for the next few weeks, just in case. But that December day was to be the end of the road for Bull’s Group.
I’ve had the opportunity to see “Woodlawn” four times during the past month at preview events, and I’m happy to report that I made the cut. I’m visible over Bull’s shoulder in three shots, adding up to maybe six or seven seconds of screen time. But I can honestly say that even if I had ended up on the cutting room floor it would have been worth the effort, because somewhere along the way to my seven seconds of fame I realized I had learned several bonus lessons from the experience.
First patience really is a virtue. The phrase “hurry up and wait” definitely applies to an extra. It wasn’t unusual to report at an early hour and get into your costume only to sit for several hours before being called on set. And even while you’re on set, there’s a lot of waiting as lights and cameras are set and reset. But that waiting around provided a great opportunity to soak up the experience — we’re making a movie! — and get to know people you otherwise might never have met.
Second everyone’s job is important. It really doesn’t matter how talented the actors are if the writers haven’t provided a great script, or if the lighting crew hasn’t done its job well or if the costumes are all wrong. And that’s not to mention all the work that goes into sound and editing and props and sets and makeup and catering and on and on. It reminds me of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12 about the body of Christ. It takes all of us, even extras, doing our job and using our abilities to accomplish the purposes God has for His Church.
And third on a movie set you must trust the often invisible force behind the scenes. Even when you don’t see him, there’s a director (or two in this case) who knows the master plan and is calling the shots. It requires the same kind of faith that we must exhibit in our Heavenly Father each day as we trust Him to put us where we need to be to play the part He has written for us in His master plan.
The experience also provided me with several unexpected blessings. A chance encounter with co-director Jon Erwin over lunch gave me the opportunity to hear firsthand about his passion for this project and his prayer for revival in our nation and world. During that same lunch hour, I had the privilege of shaking Sean Astin’s hand and thanking him for being a part of this project.
Lasting friendship
Being part of Bull’s Group led me to form a lasting friendship with Marc Hodges, pastor of First Baptist Church, Thorsby. Unfortunately Marc didn’t fare as well as me in the final cut of the film, although you might be able to glimpse his arms or hands if you know what he’s wearing.
I guess it would be stretching it a bit to say that I’m co-starring in a film with Jon Voight and Sean Astin. But what I can say is that “Woodlawn” is an amazing film about an amazing God who did an amazing thing in Birmingham in the early 1970s. It has the potential to impact our nation, even our world, in an incredible way, but that won’t happen if people don’t see it. You owe it to yourself to see this film when it opens on Oct. 16 and to encourage as many others as you can to go see it. And I would say that whether I was in it or not.
EDITOR’S NOTE — State Missionary Doug Rogers is director of communications & technology services for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions and an avid movie fan.
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