It's really nothing. Acting like you're talking mostly, and throwing

Reply+65

(05/03/2013)[-]

i always wondered what do background characters talk about? like you see a shot where people are in a restaurant and there are other people sitting behind them eating and talking.

wtf are they talking about? do they know each-other? or they are random people...

#281 to #11 - ofsoldier

Reply0

(05/04/2013)[-]

It's really nothing. Acting like you're talking mostly, and throwing in some facial expressions. lol i remember when i did some extra work for a short film, and when i had to "talk" in the hallway me and this kid whispered random **** about him getting a girl, the girl being his sister, and this other kid ******* my goldfish lmao.

#210 to #11 - hypocrystalline

Reply+1

(05/04/2013)[-]

these scenes are called 'wacca wacca scenes'
basically if you can't think of anything to talk about you say "wacca wacca wacca" like Pacman, giving the illusion that you are actually talking.
Teamed with facial expressions it generally works as long as noone is wearing sunglasses and watches.

#180 to #11 - anon id: 96ade8c2

Reply0

(05/04/2013)[-]

I actually had a teacher who had told us that in really old movies, extras used to just say "General Chatter". Because if you had enough people saying it, it couldn't be heard clearly at all.

#167 to #11 - cardanbar

Reply+16

(05/04/2013)[-]

sometimes they're cast to be "the couple talking in the background" but they do use real people who are just eating and talking. One of the things the director will do is record all the background people talking simultaneously and then when they shoot the scene the extras will just move their mouth with out talking. They tell us to say "peas and carrots" back and forth to each other but it really doesn't matter you could mouthing the most graphic obscene thing you could imagine as long as you aren't acting like a maniac. Editors will put in the the real conversation over the tape for mild background noise. I know this because I was an extra on a lot of movies/tv shows when i was younger.

#291 to #167 - anon id: 0e9e35a8

Reply0

(05/04/2013)[-]

A list of other things extras said:
"Barabar" or "I care for Rhubarb"
"Peanutbutter and Chips"
"Consonants create Sentences" &
"GAAAAAAHHH"

#239 to #167 - musclemarinade

Reply+5

(05/04/2013)[-]

Care to list any movies you were in?

#299 to #239 - cardanbar

Reply0

(05/05/2013)[-]

role models, handful of disneyland commercials, a few tv shows here and there, etc

#164 to #11 - rokkarokkaali

Reply+3

(05/04/2013)[-]

They were filming a movie or something one time while me and my parents went out for coffee. The people just talked about random ****. And every time they had to retake the film, they'd just keep talking. Pretty sure they just start talking about whatever

#166 to #164 - xsap

Reply+1

(05/04/2013)[-]

the other day i was walking around downtown NY and like 4 guys with scripts and headphones asked me if i wanna be in a hollywood movie... i said know cuz i thought it was a scam... i wonder if it wasn't

almost all of the good actors today started out as a background character with like 1 line or line at all

#131 to #11 - anon id: 0275b841

Reply0

(05/04/2013)[-]

Small time actors can get their friends to play the extras or simply get people off the street who are willing, that is if they aren't on a set.

#13 to #11 - hotspace

Reply+1

(05/03/2013)[-]

Sometimes they are able to talk about anything they want with whoever they are near. It's mostly random people who just come down for the shoot.
Most times, they have to mime talking and keep silen and the background dialogue is added later.