I love it.
I hate when extras try to eat up the camera and jostle for a good shot. Usually they don't suceed, but sometimes....
Ever see Russian Ark ? 90 minute movie, filmed in one take on a mile long journey through the Hermitage museum, and there are over a thousand extras, period costumes, live music, etc.
Its a brilliant piece of work, it amazes me every time I watch.
If my feeble memory recalls correctly, the trick to being an extra was to stand next to the prettiest girl and try to pick her up between takes. Usually she was a drama student at NYU or taking acting lessons...but hope springs eternal.
We just saw "Russian Ark" recently, since we will be going to the Hermitage in just a few weeks, and wanted to get a preview. It's amazing, all right - since it's all in one take, it's exactly the way the world appears seen through your own eyes. The voices are at such a low murmur, though, that in the evenings after dinner, we'd doze off and realize we'd missed whole parts of it. I think it took us about a week to watch the whole thing!