Film extra work doesn't always require stellar acting skills, but Weber State University acting graduate Megan Nicole Rees truly earned her pay last March when she played a crowd member for the Utah-shot "Good Luck, Charlie, It's Christmas!"
"We were supposed to be in Las Vegas, so they wouldn't let us wear coats or jackets," said Rees, 25 and a Bountiful resident. "Occasionally, we could put on our coats, but we were out there a really long time, and it got pretty cold.
"I had to concentrate all my energy on not shivering."
"Good Luck, Charlie, It's Christmas!" debuts at 9 p.m. Saturday on the Disney Channel, which most Utah cable subscribers will find on Channel 33.
Director Arlene Sanford, whose credits include episodes of "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," "Monk" and Utah-shot "Everwood," said she took the job because she liked the script, and she already knew she liked shooting in Utah.
"I thought it was a funny script, and when a script comes my way that is funny, sweet and smart, and it makes me laugh and cry, I do it," Sanford said. "I also like road pictures. Most of the Disney movies take place more in high school, with a lot of the scenes near lockers."
The Christmas film is based on the Disney sitcom "Good Luck, Charlie," about a Denver family, the Duncans, who try to adjust to the birth of their fourth child, Charlie. In each episode, teen Teddy creates a video diary for young Charlie, giving her toddler sister advice on the family and on life as a teen.
The film follows the family on a Christmas trip that goes wrong when the mom takes an airline offer to delay her flight for a second, free ticket. She and Teddy spend the film trying to reunite with the rest of the family before Christmas.
"I think the movie is good for parents and kids, and I think it is funny," Sanford said. "It has something to say about teenagers being responsible, and the importance of family. It's also a lovely mother-daughter story."
Rubbing elbows
Rees, WSU class of 2010, said she heard about the need for extras from her agent, and shot scenes at The Gateway, in Salt Lake City. Another way to learn about extra jobs is to subscribe to www.utahextras.com, which charges an annual fee.
"Being an extra is fun," Rees said. "You sort of get to rub elbows with a lot of important people."
The standard extra rate in Utah is about $100 per day, Rees said. She also has worked as an extra in Los Angeles, where the rate is $64 for eight hours, and then increases depending on additional hours and factors -- including whether the extra has to get wet or use his or her own car.
Rees said she recently took a trip to Los Angeles and worked as an extra for "Law and Order," "Torchwood," "Damage Control" and a pilot for "Wonder Woman."
"I was there for a week, and worked pretty much every day," she said.
No guarantees
Rees said she hopes to move to the West Coast within the next few months to seek work as an actress. Her biggest stage role at Weber State was playing Dorinda, female lead in "The Beaux' Stratagem."
"I have done a lot of theater work, and I love it, but one of the things I like about film is you get to watch yourself and critique your work. It's something you can keep forever."
That's true for actors with key speaking roles, but there are no guarantees in extra work. All extras know they could easily end up on the cutting room floor.
"I was in a couple scenes," Rees said of "Good Luck, Charlie, It's Christmas!" "I was a shopper walking past in one scene, and that could easily get cut, but there's a second scene where I'm holding a big, giant blow-up candy cane, and an actress (Bridgit Mendler, as Teddy) steals it from me. It always depends on editing. You never know what shots they will use."
