Extra work- The runaway princess

I was an extra for a film called "The runaway princess". They were filming a fantasy prom so they needed allot of extras to be dressed up, dancing and to be having fun (as this is how students behave at proms). It was a good insight into how scenes are filmed as I got to see various camera angles, techniques the crew use and what acting styles they wish you to use. During the filming I learnt that sound is often added after filming e.g we danced to no music as they were going to add the sound afterwards, we added the gasps (when the prom attendees see the princess)  and the noisyness separately to the visual scene. I also learnt that when filming, even if your an extra you have to be constantly in character and focused as it needs to be believable. During the shoot I found certain aspscts quite challenging, espesically having to dance to no music because it feels unatural without the music playing, yet they did play some music before the scene so that everyone could get a rythm going. Continuity was also difficult as you had to remember exactly where you were standing at each point, the crew did help us with this though as they took photos of where everybody was originally. Overall I enjoyed the experience and gained alot from it, I have learnt that although there is a fair amount of waiting around involved (its just a part of filming you have to accept) it is still enjoyable. You must be respectful to the crew and change your acting to suit their ideas, and at the end of the day you must perform to the best of your ability at all times.