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Extra: In the Background of a Dream (2001) [N/A]

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Featuring:
Catfish Bates, Helen Bates, Patty Reed

Directed by:
Topher Straus


Release Date:
February 16, 2001

Original Title:
Extra: In the Background of a Dream

Production Companies:
Purple Mountain Productions
Reel Dreams

Ratings / Certifications:
 N/A

Runtime: 51

Overview from TheMovieDB

Extra offers the first true glimpse of the absurd, oppresive, yet hopeful experience of working in front of the camera - even when it barely knows you are there.

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Overview from Open Movies

In the world of Hollywood and celebrities, known mostly for its glamorous lifestyles and big dreamers, there exists a segregated underworld, a subculture where dreams are rarely realized and whose contributions go unappreciated. EXTRA: In the Background of a Dream offers the first true glimpse of the most common Hollywood experience, documenting the plight of movie ?extras?, or as they?re known in the business, ?background artists?. Through numerous hours of interviewing and observing on sets, including Little Nicki, 13 Days, The Beach Boys (TV), V.I.P. (TV), and a national commercial, EXTRA: In the Background of a Dream is a raw examination of the extra?s world of hope and disillusionment. Taking a behind-the-scenes look at two families immersed in ?background? life, EXTRA: In the Background of a Dream focuses on: Catfish Bates, a responsible, proud extra supported and respected by his loving wife Helen. Eking a living off an extra?s meager pay, Catfish and Helen is a story of a couple united in their commitment to each other and chasing the Hollywood dream. Patty Reed and her two daughters exist on a combined income of $6,000 a year and are haunted by dreams of Hollywood. Fourth-generation extras, the Reeds dream of stardom, but are split by their motivations for persevering against overwhelming odds to succeed. EXTRA: In the Background of a Dream is filled with one-of-a-kind characters filled with dreams of fame and fortune, all struggling for work, recognition, and burdened with the stark realities of an unforgiving industry. Documenting lives facing extreme adversity, EXTRA takes the audience through heartache, laughter, disappointments, and success? with an appreciation for the people audiences see, but never notice.

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Rankings and Honors

Extra: In the Background of a Dream (2001) on IMDb
Internet Movie Database 8.8/10

Performers

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Production

Co-Producer:
Michael Abbott
Jon Cooper

Director:
Topher Straus

Editor:
Nena Olwage

Producer:
Topher Straus
Kate Atkinson

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