A-Team member discusses experience in "Gone Girl" film shooting

A few weeks ago I made my feature film debut as a background extra in the film "Gone Girl," which is being shot here in Cape Girardeau. Initially when I heard a big-budget Hollywood film was filming in Cape, my first question was "Why?" But it was quickly replaced with "How?" as I was then only concerned with somehow being a part of it.

After attending an audition at Rose Theater, I got a call from the casting director informing me that I had been given a part as an extra and would need to be available that Friday. I was thrilled by this news and proceeded to clear my schedule to ensure that nothing would interfere with this opportunity.

On the day of the shoot I arrived at the production's central location where I and the other extras signed paperwork and got into our costumes. I was given the role of a homeless squatter who broke into the house we were shooting at and moved in. I was dressed in a worn down long sleeve Henley, a vest and a heavy Beanie. Even though it was warm outside, the life of a homeless squatter is cold no matter what.

After I was dressed, I was taken to makeup where I was aged and made to look as if I hadn't showered in weeks, as opposed to being made to look better, which is what one naturally hopes for when going on camera. From there we went outside where they rubbed dirt and sprayed water on my costume until I achieved the look of a homeless man so thoroughly that I began to truly feel sullen and down on my luck.

Once my transformation from clean cut college student to homeless squatter was complete, the other extras and I piled in the shuttle and made our way toward the set.

When we arrived at the location, which was a secluded neighborhood in the area, we got out of the van and the first person I saw was the the film's director, David Fincher.

I checked Google and it says he's six feet in height, but had anyone asked me at the moment I stepped out of the van, I would've sworn he was at least eight feet tall. Ever since I had seen "Fight Club" I was mesmerized by his style of filmmaking and have been a huge admirer of his work, so once the realization hit that I actually had a part in one of his films, regardless of how trivial, it was a bit surreal.

The shot we worked on took place in the driveway of one of the homes in the neighborhood. Two cops stood above me and another squatter as we sat on the concrete in handcuffs, surrounded by bags of filthy clothing. Though we didn't have lines and no audio was recorded for the scene, they did ask us to make up characters and act out a scene while the camera was rolling.

If included in the film, the shot will be on screen for literally no more than a second, but we took 39 takes and a couple of hours just to get it down. David Fincher is known for his perfectionism and for shooting plenty of takes, but still I was surprised by the attention to detail on the set.

Every five takes or so a lady from make up would rub baby oil on the face and arms of me and my fellow squatter just to make sure we looked sweaty enough for the camera.

Once, while applying baby oil to my face in between a take, she took a little too long and had to rush out of the scene before the camera began rolling. As she rushed to hide in the garage to make sure she was out of the shot, she slammed her head against the garage door, fell flat on her back and instantly burst into tears. This caused production to come to a screeching halt as first aid, David Fincher and others rushed to her aid to make sure she was all right. She ended up being fine, and I felt a little guilty that my face was responsible for her spill, but at the same time I thought it was hysterical that I was partly responsible for pushing the production of a major motion picture 10 minutes.

When our scene ended the production assistants took us to the home in the neighborhood that served as a hospitality area while the crew moved to a different location to shoot. Here extras from my scene and others had food and drinks as we waited for production to wrap for the day. During this time I actually found out one of the cops who pretended to arrest me in the scene actually had given me a ticket around this time last year and recognized me, so it was pleasant seeing him again.

Once production wrapped they sent us back to the central location to change out of our costumes, sign some final paperwork and head on our way. While waiting in line to get my voucher, I noticed David Fincher just outside of the building. He was talking to the head of the costume department but didn't seem too busy, so I decided to go and speak to him. Though I failed to put together a coherent sentence, I did manage to shake his hand and express my appreciation for his work in what to him probably sounded like a foreign language.

The day was long and exhausting, but being a part of a professional film and meeting one of my filmmaking heroes was an experience I won't soon forget. Though the film stars big names such as Neil Patrick Harris and The Batman Ben Affleck, my performance as homeless squatter may be the most inspiring of the film and could potentially be the breakout role. Though I am doing my best to remain humble throughout my newfound stardom, I do ask that if you see me around campus, no pictures please.