Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 1 24 their heads. One server in particular is carrying a tray with half-eaten french fries smeared with ketchup, the fries looking about a week old. Marcus dares me to eat one as she passes by. All the extras are assigned their cues and practice their pre-planned routes. The cowboy epic gamblers at the blackjack tables practice shuf- fling their chips, smoking their fake cigarettes, and sipping from their fake whiskey. The Big Director gets on his chair with the camera attached to the hydraulic crane and yells, "Back to one!," meaning everyone is at their starting position. For me, it's sitting in front of my keno machine, ready to re- peatedly push a button. "Masks off!" the Big Director yells. His voice rip- ples across the set as other assistant directors repeat him, until the people at the very back of the casino can hear. I take my mask off and crumple it into my pants pocket. "Rolling!" After a few seconds, the crane moves up several feet. "Background!" This is our cue to start acting. The first few takes are establishing shots. We're encouraged to interact with our neighbors, with our environ- ment, and to ignore the cameras. The man on my right, about seventy with a shock of white hair, manages to dis- regard the directions completely. He puts all of the dollar bills given him into the machine at one time, turns up the volume to max, ups his bets, and pushes the button repeatedly in a very loud and fast motion. Because he has an aisle seat and a line-of-sight view of the blackjack tables, one of the secondary cameras is slowly inching forward on its tracks behind him. Someone frantically tries to get his attention but his machine is so loud that he's oblivious to everything. The extras director comes over and taps him on the shoulder. "Sir, maybe turn down the volume and don't press the button so fast." Old Button Masher, looking very confused, says, "You said act natural. This is how I always play keno." Working as an extra means a lot of waiting around. We do maybe twenty takes. The cameras and their respec- tive equipment get moved around the set for follow-up shots. After the Big Make 2021 the year you check the Bighorn off your fishing bucket list! PRICE INCLUDES: 4 NIGHTS LODGING 3 DAYS GUIDED FLOAT TRIPS ALL MEALS ALL RENTAL EQUIPMENT $ 1495 PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY BOOK NOW! 888.665.1321 BIGHO R N F LY.C O M • BIGHO R N F LY @ GM A IL .C O M FORT SMITH, MONTANA

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