The One with The Movie

“If ever I’m in a scene where I have to cry, I cut a hole in my pocket, take a pair of tweezers and just start pulling.” – Joey Tribbiani ** (The One With The Race Car Bed)

Back in 2013, filming of the movie “X+Y” was happening in my hometown. At my school’s common room were advertisements of it as they were casting students to take part in some scenes. And as I was (still am, a little bit) an avid drama queen?? enthusiast, I signed up. I didn’t have any plans that summer so I thought why not?

“Oh my god, I’m going to be a star I tell ya!”

On the first filming day, I remember excitedly getting up at 5 AM to get ready to be an extra for a real life movie! I didnโ€™t think it was actually a movie at first. I initially assumed it was for a local TV show or something.

The first filming site was at the local town hall. We (me and other students) were all gathered in a room where we all just waited to be called out for makeup and outfit changes.

When I got called out for makeup, I remember the make-up artist complimenting my hair, quoting Hunger Games “the girl on fire ?” and dusting powder all over my face. Compared to the other extras, she didn’t spend that much time on makeup mainly because I did my own makeup at 5 AM that morning.

After this, I got dressed in my “costume” – my character was a student representing Mexico for the International Mathematical Olympiad (as part of the movie). I was given a sombrero (I was, for a second, 10x more awesome) but I didn’t end up wearing it for the scene.

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Me & Tay – Filming Day 2!

There was a long wait before they needed us to be in the scene.

I spent most of my time meeting and talking to other students from my hometown who went to different schools. Some people there were even actors from agencies, I managed to grab an opportunity to talk with some. They really gave me an insight on the acting lifestyle.

Fun fact: I was going to pursue drama and arts for A Levels and university once upon a time. But then I was like oooh, look C.elegans!

The first scene, take one.

Our first scene involved walking into an exam hall about three times then sitting down to our assigned seat. I was actually pretty worried I wasn’t going to get in the shot because I ended up being at the end of the line into the hall. To my surprise though, I sat at the front right next to one of the main characters/actors – I didn’t realise this at all so during breaks I would casually crack up very embarrassing jokes.

Hopefully, he doesn’t remember that encounter.

Psst, I'm in this, spot me!
Psst, I’m in this, spot me!

What did I learn from my first day of filming?

  • A few minutes or even seconds in a film takes hours, HOURS I tell you, to film.
  • Hearing “Annnd ACTION!!!” tenses my muscles.
  • Hearing “CUT!!” relaxes my muscles.
  • I could never compete at the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Scene five hundred and twenty-four, take thirteen.

As I’ve shown previously, the second day of filming was actually at Cambridge. I was excited for this day in particular because 1) I’ve never been to Cambridge before 2) My best friend Taylor came with me this time – when you’re with friends doing something awesome, it makes the experience 100x more memorable and fun!

The second day we got to walk around Cambridge University and admire the boats, architecture and boy, was the weather great. They didn’t need us all the time, so we got to explore the set.

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What did I learn from my second day of filming?

  • Cambridge is beautiful.
  • I could never compete at the International Mathematical Olympiad. Fo’ sure.

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Overall experience

It was fantastic. I met some amazing likeminded people, gained an insight into the filming process, visited Cambridge, got free refreshments throughout and a bucket of KFC on the way home. I would do it all again in a heartbeat and not just for the free food but the best experience being on set and acting even though it was a small part!

I watched the movie once it came out. Overall I gave it an 8/10 and not just because I’m in it *cough* But because the story was captivating, clever and romantic (some parts!) If you’ve not seen it already, be sure to watch it! Great plot with great leading actors and extras. ?

So did I ever get in the shot? Yes, I did! A few scenes actually, although you can’t see my face much, my distinct hair is there. I’ve uploaded some screen caps below, try and see if you can spot me!

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Questions:

  • Have you seen X+Y? Are you going to see it? (That’s automatically a yes ?)
  • Have you ever had a similar experience before e.g. been on TV or a newspaper?

** I canโ€™t stop watching Friends.

I always imagined that if I was a New Yorker, Iโ€™d be living a similar lifestyle โ€“ you know, coffee, work, coffee, socialise dramatically with friendsโ€ฆ Well, thatโ€™s what I do anyway but actually being in New York is different. That vibe. As many people have said, you gotta live in New York at least once in your life ๐Ÿ˜‰

20 responses to “The One with The Movie”

  1. That sounds so cool! Must of been an amazing experience! =3

  2. Wow, what an amazing experience! I’ve never done any tv or film myself, I’ve been in the local newspaper a few times but mostly during primary school. My sister however has been an extra in Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix! My mum (whose name is also Pauline) went with her to set and met Gary Oldman, forever jealous of that as he’s one of my favourite actors! Lol.

    I’ve not seen X+Y but may have to now to see if I can spot you.

  3. What an amazing experience! I remember when Leonardo Dicaprio and Tom Hanks came to my hometown of Chino, California to film a few scenes for “Catch me if you can?” It was pretty cool. My uncle who lives in another part of California told me that the television show “My name is Earl” was filmed where he worked. So that was pretty cool too. I do have a couple of friends in the industry that can be seen in Pirates Of The Caribbean (well, one I know of — he’s standing between Elizabeth Swan and the Commador at the end — a guard if you will). My other friend has been in Disney shows and even in a drama show. Me? Nope. I have been casted in a musical in high school, and once as part of a singing group for a special my elementary school did. That’s all I can remember. I wasn’t much into acting. I came really close to being in the movie “Dr.Seuz’s The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” but it was said they had all the extras they needed. Damn. Oh well.

  4. Sounds great ! I never experienced any thing like this in my life. Such a nice experience you had ๐Ÿ™‚ xx
    http://www.ambiinwonderland.com

  5. Awww, it’s fab, congrats! It’s a really unique experience. I’m going to watch the movie. x

  6. I didn’t really watch Friends back when it was originally aired. I’ll watch it from time to time. I know what you mean. I feel the same way when I do watch Friends or other movies and television shows that take place in New York. I wish I had that life style. It must have been fun to be an extra. My friend and I auditioned once to be an extra. I forgot what movie they were making here at that time. It must have been tiring, yet fun. Doing the same scene over and over again.

  7. Haven ‘t see it nor have I heard of this movie before but it must have been exciting to be in one. Eek! Looks interesting, the movie that is, but I’m glad that you had a great time and you visited Cambridge which looks awfully beautiful. <3

    Nice new layout! ^^

  8. That sounds like such a rad experience!!! The Cambridge campus looks so beautiful, and it seems like you got to knock out two birds with one stone. ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. I’ve heard lots of stuff about Friends! I hear lots of stuff about New York and it makes sense since it’s a busy area. It’s awesome how you had an opportunity to be part of a scene a few years ago! Kind of funny how you represented a student from Mexico XD.

    Are you the one in the front left? ๐Ÿ˜‰

    It’s awesome that you had this experience! Hopefully you can have a chance to be in a scene in the future for fun ;).

    I haven’t seen X+Y before, but I have seen myself in TV before (in the background). Pretty neat stuff!

  10. I don’t think I could ever be in a film myself. I don’t feel that confident to appear on videos, haha! Well, maybe in the future, but definitely not now.

    I enjoyed reading about your experience. I knew beforehand that a single scene can take forever to shoot! That’s filmmaking at its best XD

    I’ve never heard of this movie, but I’ll take a look into it more and see if it’s something I’ll want to watch ๐Ÿ™‚ On a sidenote — Cambridge does look gorgeous! What a beautiful campus!

  11. Wow, that sounds like a really cool experience. It’s great that you were in the film. What a brilliant opportunity!

    I’ve never been on TV before, unless you count on the news in the background of a parade or something. I have a lot of friends who were extras on Waterloo Road, and they said it was quite a boring job to do. A lot of sitting around and waiting for a scene, etc.

    I used to want to be an actress too! When I started high school it’s all I wanted to do, but by the end of it I really didn’t want to. I think I prefer sitting at a desk all day!
    xxx

  12. Wow, that’s really cool that you got to take part in a movie and that you made it into a few scenes! I remember hearing about this movie, but I haven’t seen it. I think that’d be really interesting to be on a movie set. I’m glad it was a good experience!

  13. Wow! That’s so cool. Being in a movie is like being forever immortalized. I really need to add that to my bucket list. Be an extra in a movie/tv show/music video.

    I’ve never heard of X+Y. Oh just did Wikipedia and the American title is A Brilliant Young Mind…which I also haven’t heard of. I guess I’m really out of the loop.

  14. First I want to say that I’m loving the new layout! (Yaay, purple!!)

    I haven’t seen X+Y nor have I experienced being on TV. I prefer to be behind the camera instead of in front of it. I haven’t really been in the newspaper either aside from maybe a local newsletter once or twice. They don’t film movies in my city too often, but there have been opportunities advertised in the past. Heh, not something I’d volunteer for though. x)

  15. OMG this is soo cool! I’ve always dreamt of being in a film, doesn’t matter if it’s just an extra. You’re so lucky to be seen in the film! Haven’t seen this yet but the mom is from Happy-Go-Lucky so I’m very interested in this! Will find you haha

  16. I’ve never been in a movie or anything, but I have done makeup for a few productions. It’s rough, and nearly completely ruined my movie watching experience. For starters, makeup is usually one of the first ones on set and some of the last ones to leave (especially if any sfx or prosthetics were used, the MUA has to remove them). And there’s a loooooot of downtime in between. But yeah, whenever I watch movies, I sit there and think “I wonder how many takes that took?” Totally ruined.

  17. I actually had the chance to become an extra in a local TV show, and yes, one moment in film takes a lot of hours to accomplish. I’ll never thought about that unless I’ve been part of it. I was still young when it happened but I can still remember the feeling of excitement of being up close with the stars. ๐Ÿ™‚

  18. That is so awesome. ๐Ÿ˜€ Thanks for sharing this experience.

  19. What an amazing experience you must have had.
    I have heard of the movie X+Y.

    I have not done a similar experience. I have always wanted to be an extra in a tv show or movie. however.

  20. I just read this, and I know this is a late comment, but what a wonderful experience!

    I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, and although it’s some 400+ miles up north from L.A/Hollywood, seeing TV/movie shoots and even Hollywood celebrity sightings around and about my area is increasingly becoming a lot more common (some of them even live here now too). I’ve met a few of them through some local events in the past, took a few photos with them (can’t really post them up because they’re my dad’s photos LOL), and such. My family and I cried when Robin Williams died because we actually did meet him (he lived (and died) just some 40 mins up north from where we live).

    But, I don’t think I would able to see myself as an extra in a movie LOL. I’d like to see X + Y also, story seems very inspiring, especially that I have a few nephews who are also autistic. Maybe it’ll show up somewhere on Netflix or Amazon Video in the near future. ๐Ÿ™‚

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