Lights, camera ACTION!

It’s very exciting to have a movie filmed in Harrison. My hubby and I got to be extras during the Memorial Day downtown shoot. When the movie comes out, you may or may not see us. Hubby was at one end of the square with a young lady and a fancy old car. I was placed at the other end sitting on a bench in front of a store. It depends upon the camera angle … I could be a body with a beautiful hanging flower basket for a head. Ahhh … stardom!

The 6 a.m. call time was a sacrifice for the possibility of sleeping in on a holiday, but it was totally worth it. We were told to find three sets of clothing fit for 1995 and to wear our favorite outfit. Hubby had on a shirt his father had given him and his father’s boots from that era. So he was good. My jeans were not “boot cut” enough, so I changed to an older pair. My shirt and jean jacket made the cut, and they wanted my purse in the scene too.

To our fellow “extras” for this scene, the discussion as we waited was interesting. “These are the clothes I wear every day.” And of course there was laughter and agreement. One gentleman was asked to change to a long sleeve shirt to cover up his tattoos. Apparently a tattoo artist of the past sued and received a good size payout because her work was in a movie and she wasn’t attributed for it. But it was interesting … and another person said, go ahead and roll up your sleeves. Then another came back and said nope … let’s cover up that artwork —  it looks nice, but let’s cover it up. I’m not sure who won out.

But the attention to detail was amazing. No smart watches made the cut. No cell phones. I actually counted the downtown chimes to know what time it was at 8 a.m. We were told to enjoy being disconnected and back in 1995 for a few minutes. (It was a different world wasn’t it? … And it really wasn’t that long ago!!!)

The streets had been cleared of all vehicles, except for some from that time period. So when someone yelled “action” we did our thing. I waved at the “boys” in their pick up truck so many times I didn’t try to count. Smiling and waving … let’s hope I did it right.

Because of my job at the newspaper, I’ve heard the story line and feel confident the movie will be excellent. (Let’s hope the extra sitting on the bench waved at the right time!) The script has already won numerous major awards before filming ever began. That speaks well of the subject matter and the story being told.

I’m also proud the producers said they wanted to highlight the good parts of our community in the scenes. But in reality, we all have things about our lives we don’t want to see on the big screen. 

But some day, we will all stand before God Almighty and have to give account of our time spent on Earth. Did we accept His Son’s gift of salvation and sacrifice for our sin nature? Did we do things for God so people could see how wonderful we were? Did we hoard our resources to make sure we’d have a tremendous retirement? Did we work real hard to climb the corporate ladder and step on everyone in our way? Did we share the Good News with anyone who would listen? Did we do our part to support missionaries willing to live in a foreign country so they could learn the customs and language of the people to share the gospel? Were we kind to all people? Did we try to love the unlovely? (I’m convinced some people just want to be a prickly cactus and get madder when you smile and say ‘hello.’)

There is more to life than what is often focused on. The camera lens sees where it is pointed. God wants a relationship with each one of his children —  prickly or not. Rich, poor, wise or the opposite. When you see another person, look at them through God’s camera lens. He sent His Son to die for that person, and each person on this planet is very valuable to God. “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. View today through God’s camera lens.