Ekstra

Running through the film are reenactments of interviews that IEEE did with Shannon in the 1980s. In the film, those scenes are re-created with actors in Shannon's actual home in Winchester, Massachusetts, which was arranged to look as it had when he lived there. He died in 2001.

Shannon emerges as a shy, playful, curious man who didn't seek fame or much care what people thought of him. But his achievements speak for themselves, and he is certainly a person whom anyone who uses a smartphone or computer should know about. The Bit Player is the perfect title for this informative and fun film.

I thought this was going to be another rom-com melodrama (metaphorically: more cheap food fare) typical of Mexico, Philippine, Thai, Indonesia, New York, some Hollywood and certainly Bollywood film studios. Pleasantly surprised by the writing, acting and unique storyline of what it's like (at least in some cases) to be those extra faces in a film. The background of putting up with director whims and idiosyncrasies, intolerable assistants, uncertain logistics, competing for choice roles and, of course, the weather. Surprisingly realistic elements of disappointment as those rare opportunities of having a speaking role can be so quickly lost.

In "Ekstra"/The Bit Player viewers get a chance to understand the complicated world of television through cinema. The film is authentic to the core as coming from television background has helped its director Jeffrey Jeturian to make a film about extras of a popular TV show. One can sense a lot of authenticity as Jeffrey Jeturian has already experienced what he has portrayed in his film. For viewers who have a little idea about Filipino film industry, it needs to be stated that this film's star attraction Ms.Vilma Santos acts in one of the most deglamorized roles of her career. In many ways, this enables her to have a direct experience of the problems faced by junior actors who use all their energy to land a small role. Most laughs in "The bit player" are generated when viewers get a chance to watch what really happens during the shooting of a TV serial. Director Jeffrey Jeturian takes viewers on a hilarious behind the scenes ride where one watches with dismay how junior artists are lodged, kind of food they are provided, conditions in which they work and how weather can sometimes spoil all good plans. At the end of this ride, it is made clear that television is not a joke and a lot of hard work needs to be put both by actors as well as technicians in order to create shows which are loved by millions in a country. Lastly, it is said that ideas are important when there is shortage of finance. This assertion has been proved true with the inclusion of an ordinary cake to represent a large cake.

This movie chronicles the typical story of a bit player, how important ( and ironically , unimportant) an ekstra is. Loida plays the lead role, a single mother who successfully raised her daughter through acting in the movies, but has no luck after years of playing small roles, but has certainly gained wisdom.

The movie is a funny, insightful look on what goes behind the camera. Jeffrey Jeturian certainly knows how to make n audience laugh, without trying too hard and with his realistic portrayal of a typical life of his main character. You feel how life is difficult but the ekstras love their job, and that is how they survive.

Get treated as well with many cameos from both networks and an additional commentary on showbiz backstabbing. They say nice things in front of the stars but say the opposite behind the back.

She has never failed to deliver a stellar performance in her movies but what makes this movie more special and touching is seeing her perform in this project. You see, being one of the brightest stars that she is, to see her recognize and play the role of the often unrecognized yet indispensable persons that make a movie/series, namely the bit players or "extras", is very humbling.

A depiction of how bit players struggle to earn minutes/seconds of screen time, this movie shows what goes behind the final results we see on TV/theaters. With realistic performances from the supporting actors, the movie's lead actress cements the inspiring concept of the film. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time that anyone has ever come up with such a concept of showcasing the lives, or a life, of bit players who aspire to grab a role for a talent fee which doesn't even comprise an eight of the main characters' talent fee.

This movie succeeded in showing reality..the reality of what bit players experience off-camera, the reality of what they had to endure to earn that unseen role, the reality that there is so much more than what we see on TV. 10/10