Tuesday was filled with tension at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies. I was supposed to arrive by 7 a.m., but because of traffic, I got there late. This led Mr. Michael to question and caution me for arriving after time. Thankfully, he later calmed down and allowed me to sit.

I sat quietly, unsure of what to do next, especially because I wasn’t feeling well. Meanwhile, Mr. Michael was explaining how the equipment provided would be used. He asked the set design crew how they planned to arrange the lecture hall. After listening to their ideas, he told them to set everything up before he returned from shooting the café scene.

He then took the actors and actresses to the Faculty of Engineering to film the café scene. I had to remain at the Faculty of Communication. I had nothing to do at first, so I decided to assist the set design crew. It was stressful, but in the end, everything turned out perfectly.

As time passed, I began to wonder why they hadn’t returned yet. I was hungry. I bought snacks, though what I really wanted was proper food 😂. Still, I had to manage what was available so I could stay attentive and observe everything happening around me.

When they finally came back, Mr. Michael instructed that the class scene should begin.

Before I knew it, my sickness kicked in again. I quietly left the lecture hall to sit outside for a while. Mr. Michael noticed me and called me back inside. He asked me to join the background cast for the class scene. I agreed without explaining anything about my health.

He instructed us to have a discussion but to keep our voices low because the main cast members would be delivering their lines.

As the class scene began, something surprising happened. As I started talking with my coursemates, my sickness seemed to reduce. The discussion was lively and enjoyable. We laughed and interacted naturally. At that moment, I was truly glad Mr. Michael included me in the scene.

We heard “Cut!” countless times and had to redo the scene repeatedly until it was perfect. From morning until the end of production, we stayed committed. Anyone who has experienced something like that knows how exhausting it can be. Of course, we had short breaks, and snacks were shared by the welfare crew.

After a while, my sickness returned. I felt restless and confused. Someone even told me to speak more and make it interesting because I was just staring ahead. The vibe slowly faded, and I was extremely tired, but I pushed myself to continue.

After a few minutes, the energy returned. The discussion picked up again, and we continued until the scene was finally completed.

When production wrapped up, we all gathered together. Plates of rice and cold drinks were shared among the cast and crew. I had been waiting for that food all day, and it tasted so delicious.

That Tuesday didn’t just teach me about being a background actor. It taught me responsibility, patience, teamwork, and what it truly means to be part of a production.