Extra enjoys 'The Great Debaters'

Want to know what it's like being an extra?

Mike Midkiff had a positive experience on the set of "The Great Debaters." He is the director of public relations at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas. "The Great Debaters" is about the 1930s debate team from Wiley College, also in Marshall.

Here's the note Midkiff sent me recently:

"The call time for the extra’s was 5:15 a.m. for the ladies and 5:45 a.m. for the men. The location site was ranchland located just north of Shreveport. The set was a revival tent set up in a cow pasture. The scene was the debate between Wiley College and Oklahoma City held in Oklahoma. The scene that was shot was the debate between the two schools. There were about 110 extras that made the audience for the debate. I played a farmer, dressed in overalls and a farmer’s hat. I was located beside a car parked away from the tent and walked up to get closer to the tent so I could hear. I have no idea if I will be visible in the movie because that depends on how the movie is edited.

"The day went like this. Once we got into wardrobe (1935 era), we went to makeup. After make up at the base camp, which was a private Christian school located on Old Moringsport Road in north Shreveport, we were transported to the set about 10 minutes away. Actual filming of the scene started about 8:30 a.m. and did not wrap it up until around 8:00 p.m. that night. The pay was $58 for the first eight hours and then overtime pay after eight hours.

"I was very impressed with how smooth everything went. The movie set is crawling with hundreds of people who all have a job to do. It never took very long to move cameras and shot from another angle. Everyone was very courteous and friendly.

"I had heard that Denzel Washington was a tough director to work for. But what I saw on the set was a gentleman, who was very courteous to everyone. He definitely has a passion for what he does. I have a different mind set towards actors and actresses; they work hard at their craft. During the course of a scene there may have to deliver their part over and over and remain fresh. They must be able to jump right in and do their lines. Sometimes the scene being shot is out of sequence of the actual timeline of the movie and I don’t see how they keep it all together.

"It was along hot day but I am glad I did it. I have an experience that I can share over and over and looking forward to the movie coming out about Wiley College and seeing how the scene I played a part in comes out on the editing room floor. What Wiley College did back in the 1930s winning those debates is an important part of our local history here in Marshall."

Thanks, Mike.

Photo: Downtown Mansfield was the location for much of the filming of the movie The Great Debaters starring Denzel Washington. Movie extras stand outside a cafe in Mansfield. (Mike Silva/The Times)