A Summer Surprise! on The Tybee Times Online

A Summer Surprise!

By: John Robert Major

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John Robert Major, Age 13, at the top of the Tybee Lighhouse. Made it up all 178 steps!

...on Tybee Island

Last week we had a family get-together at my grandparents’ home here on Tybee. It included my aunt, uncle and cousins from Virginia, as well as my parents, sister and me from western Maryland. We all knew they were filming “The Last Song” on the island, but had no idea that we were going to be in it.

Around 8:30 P.M last Monday my grandparents, two of my cousins, and I were biking home from the pier after watching the filming of “The Last Song” on the beach. When we arrived home, we got a phone call letting us know that my Grandmother, Aunt Lisa, cousins Matt and Jessica and I were chosen to be extras in the movie. So, we cleaned up, changed clothes, and headed back to the pier, while calling and sending text messages to every one we knew.

Once we arrived at the pier, entered the set, and listened to a speech about what to do, we did nothing for about an hour. The set portrayed the “37th Annual Tybee Island Seafood Festival” and was a real working carnival. It included four rides (a Carousel, Ferris wheel, swing ride, and car ride). There were games (water gun and balloon game) that could be played during filming. There were also booths advertising real restaurants and vendors such as The Crab Shack and Leopold’s Ice Cream as well as carnival vendors pretending to sell popcorn and cotton candy.

We hung out on the beach during this time and it was great. It night was warm and the beach was lit, which made it perfect for collecting seashells and wading in the water. At about 11:00 P.M. we were finally called to be filmed. It was fun. All we had to do was pretend that we were at a carnival. In my scene I was with my cousin Matt. We just walked around checking out the booths. My Aunt Lisa and cousin Jessica pretended to be buying seafood. But, Miley went home early so we did not see her that night. We finished up at around 1:30 A.M. that night.

The next night was much more organized. We had to sign up at the Tybee YMCA by 5:30 P.M. Then we had to go to the cafeteria and get hair, make up, and wardrobe check. One problem many people had including me was dress. You couldn’t wear any clothes that were white, black, red or navy blue and they couldn’t have a logo on them. I had on a Tybee Beach Sweep t-shirt and had to wear my shirt inside out. They also had a huge dinner for us. After that, they took us on charter buses to the set. We didn’t have as much “down time” as the night before. We played in at least five scenes that night. In one, they wanted my cousin Matt and I, with our skim boards, to walk around and check out the vendors.

In another scene, I played a water gun game with my cousin Jessica. Whenever we acted in a scene, it was filmed many times. This allowed the cameramen to shoot it at many different angles. That night we stayed until 3:30 A.M. but they never let us go hungry. They ordered at least twenty pizzas and gave out Subway subs. That night we did see Miley, but it was from at least 50 feet away. We also saw a Miley “stand-in”, who gave Miley breaks.

Despite the late nights, it was worth it. We enjoyed the beach and free food. We had the incredible experience of being in a movie, and best of all we got paid for it.

When I came to Tybee Island, I had planned on fishing, swimming, biking, kayaking, and boating. Never had I planned to be an extra in a big movie, and it's something I'll never forget.

That's my story.

John Robert

John Robert is the grandson of Tybee residents, John and Sandy Major. He lives in the Western part of Maryland near Deep Creek Lake. He's 13 and will be in 8th grade this year. He loves history and has really enjoyed his visit to Tybee - he's seen all of the island's historic treasures.

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