It certainly was a hot, sticky summer day walking down Woodward about 20-30 times back and forth at 11 o’clock in the morning. Pacing as we wait for the bus? No, more like being filmed as extras in the TV shoot for QL Android Promotion! So far, interning at Quicken Loans has opened up so many opportunities that would not be available at any other company.
All of us know about the Android Promotion and how most of the TV spots were captured in Detroit. A small group of us got to take a break from our day to be filmed as extras in one of those spots. Jake Marmul, David George, Kristen Curzytek, Sheridan Reed, Jonathan Slappey, Victoria Araj and I were all part of this magical event.
What started out as a typical day in the office (with the exception of Seventy7 Productions’ film crew and equipment scattered throughout the twelfth floor) ended up an experience that I will probably never have again. We headed down the elevators to the first floor and met with Quicken Loans creative geniuses Jeff Keller and Dave Witkowski. Outside we were given breakfast as we waited for the director and his film crew to set up for the scene. It felt like VIP treatment…that’s the way to live life. Soon after, each of us was given direction to either chat amongst each other or walk down Woodward. For those of us who had to walk, we hiked about twenty or thirty times back and forth. If we couldn’t get the scene right, it was “back to one!” A handful of attempts were made to make the scene perfect: catching the phone, avoiding traffic, not capturing scenes with random pedestrians…the usual.
After filming and re-filming the same scene over and over again, the tedious walking started to get more…annoying. Walk faster, walk slower…sweat, sweat and more repetition. Random pedestrians expressing their dissatisfaction we asked them to excuse themselves from the scene. These are definitely the non-glamorous parts of acting. It’s not all glory and fame, autographs and private jet planes; it’s sweat and walking. We ended around 11:30 that morning then went back to our desks to get back to business.
Will we all be discovered from this small excerpt and become rich and famous? You never know! What I do know is, regardless of all the unglamorous parts of the day, it was all worth it in the end. I might not get another opportunity like this!
Although Magic Johnson wasn’t there yet to shoot his part of the commercial, the entire experience was truly magic!
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