Hundreds of cast, crew and extras from a proposed WB Network series converged here for a marathon day of filming March 27.

They came here to work on the pilot episode of “Mercy Reef,” a science-fiction themed program that could appear on the network as early as this fall, according to Lisa Lewis, vice president of television production at Warner Brothers.

Vehicles began arriving at 5 a.m. to set up equipment and prepare for the day’s shoot at “Tempest Key Joint Training Base,” the fictional name of the military base. For security reasons, the production team’s vehicles and people were under military escort from the moment they arrived until they departed the base about 20 hours later.

Considering the number of visitors and the amount of time they were on base, this was a Herculean task that was successfully accomplished by good teamwork and coordination among Homestead ARB’s units, said Lt. Col. Tom Davis, 482nd Fighter Wing chief of public affairs.

Another aspect of this shoot involved the “extras,” people seen in the background of practically every television show or movie. Most of the extras for this shoot were military members who volunteered to be in the show. Staff Sgt. Yami Baker of the 482nd FW’s military personnel flight was one of those volunteers.

“I really thought that it was going to be an easy day, sit around, eat,” Sergeant Baker said. “When they call, you do your thing and sit around some more. I never thought that we would have to do the same thing over and over and over again for hours for just one scene.”

In one scene, viewers can catch a glimpse of about 20 Airmen from the 482nd Fighter Wing marching in formation on the flightline. Although not something frequently seen on the flightline, the reservists had plenty of time to get it right in the course of marching back and forth in front of the camera for more than an hour.

One thing about the film industry is similar to the military, there is a lot of “hurry up and wait.” But it was worthwhile, Sergeant Baker said.

“Once they started filming and the cameras were on and all the commotion started, it was really exciting,” she said. “The director we had was awesome. His name was Oscar, and he was full of energy. He was really into his job and made it exciting to be there. It was also really neat meeting some of the actors. Everyone there was so down to earth and they were just wonderful.”

During the course of the filming, some of the extras endured several costume changes that included promotions, demotions and even a change of service. One Air Force staff sergeant was promoted to captain just for his walk across the street in a different scene.

The shoot presented a number of logistical problems that were conquered with relative ease by smart planning on the part of the production company and base people.

One of these involved moving tractor-trailers from the front gate to the flightline, around several turns and physical barriers before they arrived at their destination. Airmen in the 482nd Security Force Squadron accomplished the job of arranging barriers to accommodate the increase in vehicular traffic, while still handling the typical volume of vehicles during the morning rush hour.

Among the more unique pieces of equipment to enter the base were three “condor” self-propelled cranes.

Capable of hoisting their baskets more than 90 feet in the air, these slow-moving vehicles were instrumental for filming some interesting scenes, including two man-made thunderstorms. They were created by elevating an elaborate network of pipes high above the “stage” and directing light into the rain shower to create the visual effect.

The practically self-contained operation included cast, wardrobe and makeup trailers, as well as caterers who fed several hundred people throughout the day.

“We will not know if the show is picked up for a series until mid-May,” Ms. Lewis said. “Normally we would air in late September, but we won't have a firm air date until July.”

For the Air Force reservists involved, it gave them the chance to participate in the movie magic that turns hours and hours of work on the set into seconds of film on the screen.

(Courtesy of Air Force Reserve Command News Service)