Look ma, I'm in 'Rocky'!

As he sat in the packed theater Friday night for the premiere of Rocky V, College sophomore Barry Mark had an announcement to make. "I'm carrying a green pillow," he told those sitting around him. "Look for a green pillow." Mark and his friends were among the many students who packed the Eric 3 on Campus theater this weekend to find out if the hours they had spent performing as extras in the new film had paid off. For his part as a ringside fan during the title fight scene, Mark carried a pillow which had a slogan supporting Rocky's protege, Tommy Gunn. When the scene was filmed in the Civic Center last February, students lined up to get tickets to be extras and get close to the filming crew. During filming, which was completed February 8, students were told to cheer Tommy Gunn when he was fighting, and then to boo him when he denied Rocky credit for his win. The scene took a day to shoot, but lasted only about three minutes in the movie. Students had little chance to find themselves in the crowd. Mark thought he might have caught a glimpse of himself Friday night, but said he would check on his VCR at home when the videotape comes out. He said even though he is not sure he is in the movie, he does not regret attending the filming. "I'm content with my unfamous life," he said. Other parts of the movie, in which Rocky and his family come back to South Philadelphia, were filmed in the city. The film showed familiar scenes, such as Center City buildings and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which elicited cheers from Friday night's audience. Wharton sophomore Steven Foecking, who camped out overnight last year at the Civic Center, emerged with front row seats to the filming the next morning. But Foecking, who could not find himself in the short crowd scenes, said that "having done it once" he would probably not attend another filming. He said he learned a lot about cinematography, but probably should not have put "so much effort into it." Foecking said he had told a few people to look for him. "I've been trying to remember which sign I was under," he said. College sophomores Kristin Bencik and Bridget Grimes, who got tickets for the filming last year, said that even though they didn't see their friends in the movie when they went this weekend, they enjoyed going to the premiere because of the "atmospehere" created by the audience. Bencik and Grimes estimated that over three quarters of the audience on Friday night were University students. "It was really cool to see everyone get into the movie," said Bencik. "The audience made the movie."

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