In Pictures: Being an extra on the Mountain Man film set
By David F. Rooney
There was lots of excitement at the United Church on Wednesday, April 9, as 40 local people discovered what it meant to be an extra on the set of the film Mountain Men, which is now being shot all over town.
It was a long day for most. We were all asked to come to the Powder Springs Hotel at noon.
” Regarding wardrobe please bring a few options,” film crew member Rosalee Yagihara told me in an e-mail. “Look: Sunday Best Clothes or Casual Dressy. Please bring three options of clothes you would wear to church on Sunday – Your Sunday Best Clothes. Please keep in mind the movie is set in small town in winter ( February ). Avoid black, white, bright red and logos.”
Fortunately, I only had to change jackets once. Some of the women had to change their entire outfits once or twice.
Peter Waters who got to wear a black minister’s suit, complete with Roman collar, all afternoon was delighted to be on a movie set as was Zophie Humphrey.
“Peter’s working so I get to play,” she laughed, delighted to mingle, however briefly, with movie stars.
And mingle she did. In the wedding reception scene the stars of the film, Christine Willes, Tyler Labine and Chace Crawford, mingled with the extras greeting them as friends and relatives.
All in all there was a lot of waiting punctuated by periods of furious but brief moments of filming. Still, it was fun and interesting — even if a certain amount of our big moment in front of the camera may be left on the cutting room floor.
Here, just to give you a sense of what it was like, are some photos from this little adventure:
It’s no secret that film crews is in town this month shooting scenes for the upcoming Canadian feature film, Mountain Men. Local acceptance and cooperation with filmmaker Jason James and his team has been outstanding and lots of people have eagerly signed up as extras for various scenes around town. Forty local people signed up as extras for a major scene shot at the United Church. The film crew used Powder Springs as the main base for the extras required during the 11-hour shoot for the wedding scenes. David F. Rooney photoThis is the choir scene shot in the United Church early on Wednesday afternoon. David F. Rooney photoDirector Cameron Labine (in the ball cap) talks with some of the extras, including local Revelstoke Theatre Company actress and director Lyn Kaulback ( left) during the choir scene. David F. Rooney photoFilm crew assistant Victoria Van Leur (right) smiles as Peter Waters shows off his ministerial togs. Peter, a long-time local actor, was tapped to play the minister during the wedding scene. David F. Rooney photoEven I got into the act as a random wedding guest. All dressed up I just had to pose with Annie Hewitt. David F. Rooney photoAh! The wedding scene! Lyn Dyer plays the bridesmaid, Peter Waters is the minister, Rob Lamont is the groom and Mark McKee is the best man. They’re awaiting stars Christine Willes, Tyler Labine and Chace Crawford. Willes plays a widow who is about to be remarried while Labine and Crawford play her sons. Labine plays a local Revelstoke boy while Crawford is his somewhat estranged brother who went to New York and has returned home to the mountains for his mother’s wedding. Pat McKee (who sat beside me as an extra during this shoot, has a funny story about this scene. Apparently the producer, Mark’s son Jason james, began talking to him about who would be the perfect local guy to cast as the groom. “Jason said ‘We need someone who’s not too short, maybe a few pounds and sort of charismatic,'” she told The Current. Mark started to preen a bit and smile, anticipating his 15 minutes of fame in the limelight when Jason asked, “What do you think of Rob Lamont?” David F. Rooney photoThat’s local photographer Keri Knapp holding that big, boxy camera… and that’s Bonnie Teed with her bright and happy trademark smile behind her. David F. Rooney photo
After three hours of the usual hurry-up-and-wait stuff that seems to dog everything on a film set all of the extras paraded over to the basement of the United Church for a light lunch served up by the delightful United Church ladies. David F. Rooney photo
Doesn’t the United Church’s basement hall look festive? It should — minutes after all of the extras finished eating the film crew set up their lights and cameras to shoot the typical post-wedding stuff: wedding photos with Willes and Lamont and the wedding dance. David F. Rooney photoZophie Humphreys (center left) and Lyn Kaulback ( center) act excited and happy to see actor Tyler Labine (center right) during the wedding reception and party scene. This photo was taken at about 8 pm and that’s when I pulled the pin. I was told on Thursday that some people stayed on until 11 pm… waaaay past my bedtime. David F. Rooney photo
