Our student Matt Cottingham on landing himself a film role as an extra and
getting into the movie business
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being in a film, knowing that - for
a short while at least - you’ll be the centre of attention for a certain
audience, however large or small. I’ve always had an interest in film and
have been involved in various productions, so when I was invited, through a
friend at university, to spend a weekend on the set of British-made film
Lady Godiva, I took up the offer immediately.
After leaving school with A-levels, the natural progression for many of us is
to go to university, give or take a gap year. Vicky Jewson took a slightly
different lean on things. Within a few months of leaving school she had
already prepared the script of Lady Godiva and was providing corporate film
services. A year later, she founded Jewson Productions and after extensive
fundraising was able to begin the Lady Godiva project.
Chances are you will have heard of the legend of Lady Godiva, yet few know the
complete story. Legend has it Lady Godiva rode naked through the town of
Coventry in order to protest against her husband’s oppressive taxation of
the town’s people. In the film this forms the prologue, with the remainder
of the tale embodying a love story set in contemporary Oxford. The location
used as medieval Coventry for the film is a dominating 14th century fortress
in southern France. So, two weeks after my invitation, I ditched the essays
and swapped the medieval spires of Cambridge for, well, more medieval
spires, this time those of Carcassonne.
The nature of the location meant access was tricky, so only the essential
aspects of the production were actually in the fortress. In my role as an
extra (a peasant) I was required to be covered in muddy rags and this was
done early on Saturday morning. When we finally made it on to the set in the
afternoon, my first impression was one of awe. Ok, so I’d met this Vicky
Jewson, the young director who had managed to gather the capital to make a
film professionally, yet I’d never really clocked what an achievement this
was until I arrived on set and saw the project in the flesh.
The plan for Saturday was to film the passage of Lady Godiva riding naked on
the back of her horse through the market. This is harder than it sounds;
steep cobbles meant working with horses was even more complicated than
usual, and many takes were required. As an extra my job was to mill around
the market, doing my best to come across as a 14th century peasant. On the
entrance of Lady Godiva, the peasants were instructed to cover their eyes in
order to protect her dignity, all except a certain boy named Tom (which is,
of course, where the phrase “peeping Tom” comes from). This sequence took a
whole afternoon; filming was finally halted by the failing light.
Milling around as a peasant for such a long time was actually quite a
challenge. There were no set actions to carry out; instead we were given a
rather diffuse set of ideas to manifest. Performing this over and over again
did become tiresome, although spending a whole afternoon on one scene is to
be expected, especially since this scene would form a crucial part of
exposition. The crew were entertaining and talkative between takes and over
lunch, with the exception of the slightly aloof camera crew.
A film set is a fascinating place to be. Specialised teams of lighting
engineers and camera grips mean that, between shots, the entire set erupts
in activity, only to shrink to a terse silence at a shout from the director
or assistant. Because the scene was a market through which Lady Godiva was
to ride naked, entire French families had been costumed as peasants. They
remained good-natured throughout, even rounding the day off by singing some
(probably revolutionary) songs. The weekend was a stimulating experience; I
hadn’t been involved in any films since starting at Cambridge, and this was
a return to the excitement of filming that I remembered so well.
When it comes to actually landing a job in film (and indeed, the media in
general) I am inclined to agree with the regular refrain, “it’s not what you
know, it’s who you know”. The greater the number of reliable contacts you
possess, the more opportunities will present themselves. Getting into the
film industry to begin with can be difficult, yet once you have a foothold,
if you are dedicated, motivated and good with people you have a high chance
of progressing further. Academic qualifications obviously carry worth in
certain institutions, but in the world of film this importance is certainly
played down. Of course, this isn’t to say that some qualifications aren’t
important. Training is key for those wanting to do, say, lighting. Just
don’t go away thinking that people will require you to have done a media
degree if you want to start working on films – there are people of all
backgrounds on most sets and this is in part, I think, what makes them such
interesting places.
If you are excited by the prospect of working in the film industry, one of the
best things to do if you don’t have any contacts is to take a job as a
runner (the lowest of the low on film sets) where you will spend entire
weekends doing exactly that – running props between different parts of the
location, making tea and driving actors and actresses around. That may not
sound particularly glamorous or interesting, but the potential benefit in
terms of rubbing shoulders with the right company is huge. If you can make
an impact on a film set by doing the most menial jobs in an approachable and
enthusiastic way, all sorts of doors will eventually open themselves.
David Carr, from Halifax, in the middle of nowhere says: "camers crews are not aloof..." so, David, you know ALL crews do you? What the man was saying was, the crew HE worked with on THAT film were aloof...not that ALL camera crews were aloof...and well done you for being a Director of Photography, I'm sure your mum is very proud...
Mark, London, UK
Matt Cottingham spends one day on a film set and he becomes an expert.
He mentions lighting engineers and said you can train in "lighting."
Lighting is conceived and instructed by the Camerman or "Director of Photography" which is his/her title. What he calls engineers are actually gaffers and best boys etc etc. They are not engineers. Also camera crews are not aloof. I am a Director of Photography, so there!!!!
David Carr, Halifax, Canada
you've captured the film industry very well in this article. I started off as a runner in the uk about 4 years ago and as you've said i did my fair share of menial tasks, early mornings etc etc. I found my way into the costume dept somehow and now i work as a costume assistant and have done for the past 3 years. its a great job and has given me the opportunity to travel to interesting parts of the world and earn a good living.
It definitely helps to have some contacts though, even at the lowliest levels. This in fact can be the hardest part and requires perseverance. And be prepared to work very long hours for little to no money, and to always be willing to do that bit extra. If you're the right sort of person people will notice and you will progress, good luck.
alistair, Melbourne, Australia