Rain, camera, action

The perks of being a stand-in for "Killshot" stars Johnny Knoxville and Thomas Jane didn't include sitting inside a trailer while the rain poured Tuesday morning.

Cape Girardeau residents Matthew Fry and Seth Hudson stood under umbrellas while crew members prepared the movie set at the Missouri Dry Dock. Knoxville and Jane were in the trailers.

Fry, who was selected to be the stand-in for Knoxville, joked that he didn't really know if the job was worth standing in the rain. But he quickly changed his mind.

"Killshot" director John Madden looked into the camera for the next shot in the cold rain at the Missouri Dry Dock Tuesday morning.

"It actually is a very good experience," said Fry, 22. "I've got to meet the director, and he was extremely nice."

The men originally applied to be extras but because their sizes and heights matched that of Knoxville and Jane, they got to be stand-ins. The production crew used the two men to test certain lighting shades and camera angles before placing the actual actors in front of the cameras.

"We basically stood around and observed for the most part," Fry said.

Tuesday was Knoxville's final day of shooting in Cape Girardeau and the last day on the job for Fry, who hopes the opportunity will help his future acting career.

Even though he won't be seen in the movie, Hudson, who is home for the final week of his Christmas vacation from Murray State University, said this experience has been one of the best in his life.

"We've been rubbing elbows with all the actors," he said. "Like today, while we were working, if we got cold then we would sit in the warm-up room with all of them."

Knoxville, known for doing crazy stunts on MTV's "Jackass" show, acted kind of goofy around the set at times but also was very serious about rehearsing his lines over and over, Hudson said.

Hudson learned just how difficult filming a Hollywood movie can be.

"It's just surprising to see how tedious it all is," he said. "They did a two-line scene at the courthouse Monday, and it lasted for almost two hours."

Scenes from Tuesday included a shot in which Diane Lane and Jane sat in a Ford F150 truck while Knoxville was parked next to them in a GMC Jimmy. Both vehicles moved about 15 feet to the edge of a parking lot overlooking the Mississippi River. The crew set up sandbags to help both of them stop.

Another scene was shot on the Dry Dock. Hudson said the scene is supposed to be the first day of work for Jane's character at the Dry Dock, and he is introduced to other employees. Five Missouri Dry Dock employees were used as extras in the scene.

"Killshot" shooting wrapped up around 8 p.m. Tuesday and will resume at the Dry Dock this morning.

Unlike Monday, the public wasn't allowed access on to the set to watch filming. A guard at the Missouri Dry Dock said people who wanted to be spectators tried to get inside the gates surrounding the property all through the day.

Missouri Film Commission director Jerry Jones said production of the movie is on schedule despite the rainy weather.

jfreeze@semissourian.com