Film extras Orion Kendrick (left), Mike Barbieri and Chris Bidmead pass the time while waiting for the next scene in The Humanity Bureau that was filmed in Oliver last week. (Lyonel Doherty photo)

Many of the South Okanagan’s quaint townsfolk were needed at the Oliver Theatre last week to help Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage be the star of another studio production.

In his upcoming screenplay The Humanity Bureau, Cage will navigate through a dystopian world in the year 2040, set in midwestern United States. Severe climate change has seen the quality of life significantly reduced and members of the public considered inferior are deceptively removed in order to create a more efficient society.

Contributing towards that plot will be a scene filmed at the local movie theatre, where the live performance of a children’s choir – consisting of 11 students from the Oliver Elementary School choir – becomes entwined with the plight of Cage’s character, Noah Kross.

“The students are going to remember that forever. They’ll tell their grandkids, as will I,” said Lori Martine, director of the OES choir. “Even if the movie doesn’t become a blockbuster it was still pretty cool to be part of it. It was so interesting to have that fall into our laps, and to see our little theatre on the big screen.”

Even though the students were between the ages of 10 and 13, they were still aware of Cage’s celebrity.

“One Grade 5 student said that was his favourite actor,” Martine said.

In addition to the 11 students posing as choir members, four other students were extras in the audience.

To prepare for the scene, Martine said producers emailed her the first verse of the classic song Amazing Grace, “Which we all knew anyway.”

Martine portrayed a pastor while directing the students.

And to synchronize with the fictional world, they were asked to wear scruffy, worn-out clothing.

“They asked us to bring costume just in case, but we were provided outfits for us that were kind of beat up.”

Even though the experience may have seemed surreal to some of the students, they were told to be professional and refrain from approaching Cage the way a fan would.

Martine said Cage appeared to be personable when she saw him interacting with other actors, and he was most recognizable by his distinct voice.

“But I think he only said a total of two lines the whole time we were there,” she said.

The scene was shot five times and the director was always calm and friendly when describing what was happening. Each take was shot at different angles with different equipment, and Martine said it was fascinating to witness the “lights-camera-action” call-outs made by each member of the crew.

Students had a good opportunity to get to know one of the film’s feature actors who’s a 13-year-old boy.

“He was telling the kids about the film industry and everything during little five minute breaks. They started peppering him with questions. And he didn’t mind – we had nothing else to do so he was just talking with them. And all the kids are around the same age as him.”

Martine said she would happily participate in something like that again, but December is a stubborn time of year for a teacher. To make it happen, she had to cram the film crew’s tentative schedule into an already-busy week, and it nearly conflicted with the school’s Christmas concert.

Nevertheless, it was completely worth it.

“We’ll be able to point to the theatre or ourselves and say, hey, that’s us!”

It wasn’t just local youngsters the crew needed for extras. Most of the audience was full of grown ups, such as Oliver resident Lorne Davis. It was his first experience acting and at one point he found himself right beside Cage.

“I said nice to meet you, he said ‘nice to meet you too,’” Davis recalled.

He said the production was a fun experience, the setting of a devastated society was interesting and he was even paid $12 per hour, and the process was kept quite simple.

“Nicolas Cage came down through the theatre and talked to one of his actresses and then I sat there and we clapped. Then ya know, that’s about it.”

Another local extra was Mike Barbieri. Everybody involved has to stay tight-lipped over the details they were allowed to share, and Barbieri wasn’t able to say much more beyond how his role required him to demonstrate a sense of aggression towards Cage’s character.

“They had me almost greeting him at the door but almost looking like I was gonna come at him,” he said. “They just put you in position and tell you what to do.”

Barbieri, who was also professionally acting for his first time, said he found out about the filming when his daughter Sophia came home from school expressing a keen interest to be in it herself. So they both auditioned and they both got a role.

“She was ecstatic about it,” Barbieri said, adding that he would consider acting again.

“It felt like another normal day. A lot of the local people involved my friends so it was fun hanging out, and I got to skip work.”

Members of Town council were invited to witness the production and Councillors Larry Schwartzenberger and Petra Veintimilla took advantage of the offer.

“We’re happy they’re here, it’s a great boost for the community,” said Schwartzenberger. “I’m really looking forward to seeing the movie so I can pick out the scenes I can recognize in and around Oliver.”

Oliver farmer Minh Thai got up close and personal with Cage, but he didn’t let it go to his head.

Being an extra in the film didn’t leave him starstruck or change his life, but it was a good experience, he said.

Thai and his children were used to shoot scenes in the Oliver Theatre, where a children’s pageant was filmed on stage.

Thai was a patron in the theatre, and his children were in the school choir.

Thai and several other extras had to walk by Cage many times during numerous takes of one scene where Cage’s character (Kross) interacts with co-stars Sarah Lind and youth actor Jakob Davies.

“It was so repetitive and sit and wait,” Thai said, noting he wouldn’t have time to do this during harvest season.

“I did it for the experience,” he stated.

Thai said he almost had a part in the theatre foyer scene, where he was slated to throw a can at Cage’s character. He said Cage chose him to throw the can, but the director apparently chose someone else at the last minute.

Cage was dressed in black and packed a pistol during the scene. In between takes, Cage was relaxed and jovial with the extras, putting them at ease when they were nervous, particularly when the director told them not to look at the camera.

Thai said the extras were not supposed to have their phones with them because they weren’t allowed to take photographs. But they made at least $12 an hour for being there.

Thai recalled Cage being a nice enough guy on the set and remembered the actor wanting to redo scenes just to get them perfect, even after the director was satisfied with them.

The movie, a science fiction thriller, is about global warming and how the government banishes “unproductive” members of society to a special colony called “New Eden.”

Cage’s character investigates and tries to do the right thing in helping a mother and her child caught up in the government’s twisted plot to create a new society.

By Dan Walton and Lyonel Doherty