Extra! Extra!

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I can't believe it's been nearly two years since I dabbled at being an extra for what was one of the biggest German TV productions yet... Babylon Berlin. At the time (I vividly remember my first day of shooting was exactly the morning following the 2016 election) I got outfitted with various 1920s costumes, and survived a number of relatively uncomfortable and long days of shooting.

So, now that the finished product will finally hit German TV screens starting tomorrow (it previously was shown on the Sky network), I'll be glued to the TV in the hope of seeing myself in one of the 3 or 4 scenes.

The series, set in the tumultuous 1920s, has some added significance today... this was the time of the rise of fascism, and by some lucky timing, we're seeing elements of that today here, with a far-right party gaining support. Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself!

Here's the link to the series website, with a lot of material.

Update: just watched the first 6 episodes and actually saw myself in episode 5, that was an exciting 0.05 nanoseconds! As the story unfolds, there's one scene I worked on that I'm still waiting for (I was part of a bunch of journalists thronging a car carrying a shady military guy). Stardom beckons!

VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
gadget:
I can't be sure how our experiences differ. It does sound similar. I personally can't stand waiting around for no reason. It makes me get insanely agitated. Managing that is stressful! I was interested in a behind the scene look, and I too now watch things with a different eye. On a level though, I kinda feel like it's taken a bit of the suspension of disbelief ability away, which if you get too much of that I'd fear it could ruin the entertainment value of media all together. I dig new experiences and gaining new perspective, but it's a double edged sword sometimes, cutting both ways.
ferkixlll:
Indirectly an extra. Back when they were shooting the Civil War movie for "Gods And Generals", the unit I'm with was at the Antitum Re-enactment. We could see the towers for the cameras, so when they show the sweep of the battlefield somewhere in the Confederate Lines is me. Unlike some of the other guys in who could actually find themselves in "Gettesburg".

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