As an extra, I just learned about “crowd tiling” while on the set of a movie being filmed. The word “tiling” was explained, and then I was asked to move from the great seat I had inhabited for a concert scene. As the movement stalled for a second, I googled the term in relation to the environment; roughly stated, it is a way to move folks to different locations or seats during filming in a large venue, then “tiling” all of those shots together to make the venue appear full.
Having absorbed (on the very first background role) that my job was to support the production in whatever capacity I was directed – even if it was out of the scene; I moved…then again, and again…with each seat, finding myself next to different people and farther from the front of the stage.
Now I would wear a tutu and attempt a cartwheel if asked during a booking – maybe…no I would – so I made the most of the rearrangements. Instead of picturing it as a new kind of hell, or as an inconvenience because that was my seat…I took it as an opportunity to watch, listen and learn. Not about the making of films or shows, but about the people who do this kind of work. Each move became an original one time only vignette filled with new characters; mini plays with one scene.
The impromptu dialogue ranged from tired and disgruntled (it had already been a long day) or silent, to cheerful meet and greets. Many people shared their reasons for being at the venue, others shared stories of pets, kids, grandkids. There were conversations about where we were from, good places to eat, the occasions where we had seen or been seen by others. There were exchanges of names, social media pages, phone numbers; productions we had worked on and which were the most fun – which were the best or the opposite.
I mean where else can you find yourself next to a retired soldier and his wife saving for a cruise on one side and pianist for a rhythm and blues band heading to Vegas in the morning on the other in one minute; then sharing space with a full-fledged member of the IBRBS (International Brotherhood of the Real Bearded Santa’s) and an aspiring novelist the next? The creative and diverse personalities that you find filming a large crowd scene, with so many different backgrounds, is an incredible place to find real and inspirational individuals.
Like the first job I had taken, and all since; I left with new friends and contacts from those minutes before we swayed, clapped, laughed or smiled for the cameras. I overheard conversations and stories that I will (hopefully) incorporate into future writing…then we moved on to the next scene.
The filming for tiling was complete. The crowd had “grown” for the production crew…and I found myself having done the same.
Topwater Moon 