My Day on the Set

I spent a day as an extra(or background actor) on the Eastern Market/Dutch Market set of Body of Lies. For the most part, the day was made up of waiting for long periods in winter coats and sweaters in extremely hot weather for the crew to set up shots, cameras, etc. But it was thrilling to see how everything works behind the scenes. I don't think I'm giving anything away to say that a car bomb goes off in a crowded market. I don't think I'm giving anything away because of the huge amount of media that was standing on the edge of the set when the scene was shot.

We rehearsed the scene a number of times, but it was still a shock when the actual explosion went off. The blast was much louder than I was expecting, and it was followed by a shower of broken glass. There were a number of cameras rolling, including two on a nearby rooftop, and one on a helicopter. For all you Russell Crowe fans, I have to say that he was not in the scene, at least not in the parts I was around for. The best part of the experience was being able to be so close and watch the crew create and dress the sets, set up the scene, and wrangle all the moving parts to the point that even though you know its not real, it feels real. It was also surprising how few changes need to be made to create a convincing set. And of course, it was great to watch Ridley Scott at work. I can't wait to see the finished film.