Decked out in their blue and gold attire, Oxford students cheered for their team as they played in the Lake Orion gym.
‘Cut,? called Director Chuck Grady.
Everyone stopped their acting and waited for the next cue to continue.
Hundreds of Oxford students and residents filled seats at Lake Orion’s fieldhouse to be extras in an independent movie called ‘The Point? last Saturday based on a true story about a basketball player.
Grady and Associate Producer Roger Smith needed the extras to fill in as the crowd during the staged game scenes.
Smith, an Oxford resident and broadcast/video teacher at Lake Orion knew it would be great to get the Wildcats involved.
‘Lake Orion schools has a friendship and partnership with Oxford,? said Smith. ‘They are our neighbors. We thought by including Oxford and including their students, we would include the community. It helps to create buzz locally and get people to take part.?
‘It’s a great story,? said Oxford High School Principal Mike Schweig. ‘We thought it would be a great opportunity for the kids to have some fun.?
Students acted out the part as fans in the stands and some members of the basketball team acted natural on the court.
‘I thought it would be a good opportunity,? said Kayla Pollard in between takes. ‘I have always been interested in the movie business.?
Besides cheering, Pollard and her friend, Katrina Smith sat in the stands and had quiet scenes, in which they acted like they were talking about the game as coaches said their dialogue during the time-out.
They also would get up and fill in empty spots in the bleachers to make the spots look full on the camera.
‘We have been here since 8:30 this morning,? said Katrina. ‘We are here until one, but might stay longer. It has been fun.?
They met a lot of new people and learned a few pointers about being an extra from one of the other actresses playing a fan.
She was able to also give Pollard and Katrina advice on how to get into the film industry and which agencies were legit and which ones weren’t.
Anthony Esparsa, Mitch Seeling and Mario Paese donned their Wildcat uniforms one more time to play the opposing team.
‘It is a lot different than I thought it would be,? said Esparsa. ‘They kept shooting the scene over and over again – getting it just right.?
‘Perfectionism,? added Seeling.
The film is based on a true story about Johntell Franklin, a basketball player from Milwaukee Madison High School in Wisconsin. His story made headlines in February.
Franklin’s mom passed away after a five-year battle with cervical cancer a few hours before the team’s big game and the acts of sportsmanship by the opposing team made headlines.
Before the game began, Franklin had decided not to play and wasn’t going to the game. By the second quarter he was in the gym and ready to suit up and play with his team.
Since he wasn’t listed in the Madison’s official scorebook, the referees gave the team two technical fouls.
The opposing team took the free throw shots, but chose to miss them.
‘The Point? will be a 15-20 minute long independent movie and was shot over three days with 12 hours of shooting every day.
Once the film is finished, there will be an announcement of when the movie will be shown in Lake Orion before it is shown at film festivals around the country.