To make the background of people walking down a street seem realistic, two production assistants control the flow of pedestrian traffic by spacing out the flow of pedestrians down the street. Credit: Article's author
- To make the background of people walking down a street seem realistic, two production assistants control the flow of pedestrian traffic by spacing out the flow of pedestrians down the street.
- The woman in blue is Reese Witherspoon. Amid the dozens of crew members surrounding her and oncoming traffic that passes through the street between shots, this as close as most extras (along with this photographer) can get to her.
- Extras wait in line for their cues on when to walk down the street. Extras are needed solely as pedestrians today.
- Damien, a 20-year old (at the time of this photograph) actor who lives between Baltimore and New York. This is his fifth film to date as an extra and he woke up at 3 AM to make it to production today after getting a call from the casting agency yesterday.
- VCU theater student Caty Nicholson (no relationship to Jack) is enjoying her downtown conversing with friends on set. This is her debut as an extra and she admits that the gig involves a lot more waiting than she expected.
- Another production assistant halting pedestrian traffic so that only paid extras can appear on camera.
- Through traffic was allowed to pass through the scene while the cameras weren't rolling. The cranes were part of the production.
- The film crew includes top-notch catering for everyone on set. One of the members of the catering staff hands out ice cream treats to the production assistants to help them beat the heat on this summer day.
- The extras are all outfitted by the costume department at the start of each day. Before leaving the set, the extras deposit their wardrobe here.
- The extras aren't the only ones getting dressed up for the shoot. The street is also glossed up a little to look nicer for the camera. The street is sprayed with a hose so that it is more reflective to the camera lens.
- The man in the foreground is a paid extra. Because only extras (who've signed releases and have received proper payment) are allowed to appear on screen, the pedestrians across the street will soon be diverted away.
- Paul Rudd chats on his cell phone as production wraps up. Because it would significantly slow down production otherwise, crew members and extras have to resist the temptation to get star struck.
- Because this double-decker bus stopped for a while at the red light, it's safe to assume that the tourists on board got an unexpected surprise in seeing Paul and Reese up close.
- Another (admittedly blurry) shot of Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon. The scene being shot involved the two actors having a brief conversation while waiting for a metro bus.
- Production assistant Drake Booth explains the irony to these Israeli tourists that while they are real-life pedestrians, they're not able to walk down this street although that's what the extras are being paid to do.
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