Posted by Bonnie Conner on March 12, 2001 at 13:17:22:
In Reply to: some good, some bad--my point of view posted by Andrea Musher on March 11, 2001 at 15:13:36:
> First--apologies to all who waited in the cold and didn't get into the parish hall. As well as those who waited in the holding near set and weren't used. Of course we take no pleasure in your discomfort or disappointment. In fact, I and my helpers were unbelievably happy that everyone who came on Saturday not only got into the hall, but got onto the set.
> The difference between the two days illustrates a point--we can't make promises about the experience you will have. In the movie business our main goal is to make the movie. That is the only promise we could make, that you would have a part in making a movie. In trying to work towards that goal, most of us try to be human, kind, and respectful. But whether you're IN the movie, or are near Richard Gere, or any of the other many complaints I heard...we just can't make that happen. It's not that we didn't care, it's just that we can't make everyone with all their various needs and dreams happy. The reality is that making a movie is very hard work. But we can all take satisfaction in the part we played (even if it was "just" cooperation in letting us be in your town) when we see final product.
> I think there were too many assumptions all around, rather than an easy "oops." The most common problem I found was the misunderstanding about the confirmation calls (complicated by the existence of two casting agencies). When we called the first time, we said we'd be calling a second time. If we didn't reach you a second time (often because people were online ;-), but sometimes numbers were busy, or there was no machine), we moved on down the list, assuming only people who received the second call would come, and that they would bring the number they originally asked for (usually their children, husband, or a friend).
> But we were unprepared for the enthusiasm and determination of Kittanning. What ended up happening in reality was that late Thursday night and Friday morning of the first filming, our message machine became filled with calls from people who hadn't received their second call, and we had therefore assumed weren't coming. But they hadn't assumed they weren't coming--they had found out on their own where the meeting place was to be and had brought friends and family. So we were faced with about 750 people all feeling that they and their friends were legitimately supposed to be there. The alternative to closing the doors would have been to argue with every person there about their right to be there, who had invited them, even why their name wasn't on the list when they thought it should be. Many of the messages I received were incomplete--names weren't spelled, phone numbers weren't left. People often called more than once and left different names (Debbie-Debra, both spouses). I didn't want to humiliate individual people by rejecting them because they forgot to leave a phone number, or didn't listen to directions, or brought more people than we expected. Not to mention the time that would take.
> (The list was 1400 long, by the way, and we called every one at least once. The message machine holds about 100 messages, and I cleared it every two hours. I must have received two thousand requests after I stopped keeping the list. I'm even sorry we couldn't respond to all of those people. This much enthusiasm has never been our experience in the past, and we were not prepared to handle it. At the same time, we did want to include as many people as possible, and thought we had room for about 600 each night. When the doors were rushed on Friday, we felt we needed to close them quickly for everyone's safety. Otherwise, we actually could have taken about 70 more people.)
> Well, that's my long apology and explanation. It takes many people the accomplishment of many details to complete a movie, and now you've all been part of the process, one way or another. I wish you could all at least say you're proud of that, because you should be.
Hi Andrea,
In response to your response, I am enclosing a copy of the confirmation letter we received about being an extra in The Mothman. It clearly DOES NOT state that we can POSSIBLY use you. It states that YES we can use you.
We also recieved 2 phone calls. Did I misunderstand this letter and the phone calls and give the wrong information?
Well, now for the good news! We came back Saturday evening (we had signed up and been confirmed for both evenings) and were able to be a part of the group at the tree lighting scene. I am also very happy to be able to say, we did not see anyone turned away that evening.
We hesitated greatly about coming back but at the last minute decided to come. While participating in this ceremony, we were approached by someone from Mothman productions and asked if my sister and I would be interested in being part of the movie. We are now paid extra's for the Mothman Production Company. (Not that I EVER really expect to see myself on the big screen either!)
I would like to thank you for replying to my postings. Your response is greatly appreciated.
All in all....this has been a great learning experience. I only hope that the other small children (esp. the crying ones) also came back and got to be part of all the excitement.
Thank you again..................Bonnie
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Hi Bonnie,
Yes, we can use you all on either Friday or Saturday (however, we've decided
we can't accommodate children younger than first grade. Are yours older
than that?).
Here's the previous info again:
I don't know specifics yet about where and when to arrive. Since it's a
night scene, it will probably be around 4:00 pm. until quite late. We will
likely be parking people at the mall and busing to where you can wait
(someplace comfortable indoors) to be taken to the set (unless you live
walking distance from town, so you can just walk to the place to wait).
Clothing--dress for the weather, the scene is outdoors. Wear dark outer
garments (plaids and patterns great, but dark) with no visible logos (no
Pens or Steelers).
Don't bring any valuables unless you can keep them with you. But there will
be some time waiting, so you might want a book, etc.
This is an unpaid position, but we will feed you dinner, as well as
coffee/lemonade through the evening. However, you may want to bring an
extra snack.
We'll call you to confirm a couple of days before. We'll have all the
specifics then, and you can let us know who's coming. We want to keep an
accurate count, for both nights.
Thanks again,
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