LightLeakStudios

One of my colleagues approached me and asked that I play an extra in a documentary. The subject is domestic violence; a difficult visual to present in a documentary. The directors decided to rely on out-of-focus reenactments, which are paired then with actual victim testimonials. This way the pivotal moments in these brave women’s lives are represented. This particular scene takes place in a bar, where the victim is accosted by her husband. The husband must be restrained and ultimately escorted out of the building. Another colleague of mine plays the abusive husband, and I’m embodying a billiard- playing, bar goer. Needless to say, my friend is a bit larger than I am, so for the sake of realism I really had to hold on to him. After several takes and many setups, we wrapped up the shoot. The following morning my chest hurt. I was really bruised from all of that poking and tugging at the bar. I was great fun, but nobody ever told me I was going to have to do my own stunts.
 

The bar where we shot the altercation.
 

Some behind the scenes footage of the setup.