I have been

Thinking about sharing this piece that I wrote for my Philosophy class on free will and determinism.. My teacher was very impressed by my writing skills and my storytelling abilities.. I had to laugh to myself because I am a creative writing major.. Storytelling skills are a must.. Or at least one would think that..

Anyway.. Here is my piece.. Hope everyone enjoys it!!

The Magic of Movie Making Through the Eyes of an Extra

My job has its ups and downs. I started writing this essay while sitting on a movie se; by the point that I started to write, we had been on set for about 10 hours. There was marching band playing some song that I don't recognize while the cheerleaders danced. We had been there since 10 AM this morning; total amount of time spent on set was over 12 hours. Now I'm tried. And my throat hurts from screaming at the world’s longest basketball game, ever.

Sometimes I wonder why I ever decided to start working in movies. Why? Why do I want to get up at like 2 in the morning, only to drive a few hours away for around 100 bucks? Is it really worth it? Is it really worth me almost falling asleep on the way home? Will this increase my dependence on caffeine and coffee? And for today in particular, will it affect my schoolwork?

Movie making is an awesome process to watch. The process that the directors and crew use to get the right exact shot that they need is almost magical, even if we have to shoot the same shot over and over again. Sometimes it feels like the crew has OCD, shooting the same scenes over and over until they have the scene just perfect.

Even when I do complain about the hours, when we have to film the same scene for two hours or more, or even when they wait for over five hours to actually feed us lunch. I enjoy the process. I enjoy meeting new people and getting to go places where I might have never gone before. And even if it does seem like I’m complaining now, I’m really not. I try not to complain about it because I choose to do it. I choose to get up at like 2 in the morning and drive a few hours away for only like 100 bucks. I choose to almost fall asleep while driving on the way home. I choose to do it. No one makes me do it. It’s my choice. And I choose to do it.

Some people do complain on set. That’s when I want to go over to them and be like, “You didn’t HAVE to take this job. You made the choice to be here. Now suck it up!” But I never do. I never tell anyone that because it’s not my place to say anything. It is funny to think that some people act like some outside force, like an invisible hand, made them to take the job. They, however, are like me. They chose to be there.

I don’t know about the rest of them, but I will still choose to make movies. Only because I love it. It’s what I am meant to do.

© Natalie Davis 2012

Peace and Love. 

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