Shawnee State University students Brittany Rudd and Gabriel Havens are getting a first-hand look at how a major Hollywood film is made.

They are stand-ins on “We Are...Marshall,” a movie about the 1970 Marshall University football team plane crash.

As stand-ins for January Jones and Matthew Fox, Minford residents Rudd and Havens are on the Huntington, W.Va., set while the film crew prepares the set for the shooting.

For example, if lighting or a camera angle needs to be tested, the stand-ins take the place of the actors. Then once the lighting or camera angle is correct, Rudd and Havens are replaced by Jones and Fox.

“It's cool,” Havens said. “They call us the second team.”

Stand-ins are paid for their time and work on a day-to-day basis.

Fox portrays former Marshall assistant coach Red Dawson and Jones plays his wife.

“We Are...Marshall” will star Matthew McConaughey as former Marshall football coach Jack Lengyel. Lengyel's task was to rebuild the football program after the crash.

“It's exciting,” Rudd said. “The equipment they use is amazing. And it's interesting to see how a movie is shot. The other day it took them 25 takes to do one scene.”

Warner Bros. is filming the movie at various Huntington locations, including the MU campus, Spring Hill Cemetery and a private residence.

Shooting in Huntington is scheduled to last for another two weeks. The film crew will then head to Atlanta to film football scenes.

Rudd and Havens sent their resumes to the film company and were called shortly afterward to work on the set. Some work days have lasted 18 hours.

While they are having fun with the experience, Rudd and Havens have learned some things too.

“Acting takes a lot of motivation,” Rudd said. “And after seeing 25 takes for the one scene, I know that it takes a lot of dedication, too.”

“We Are...Marshall” may not be Rudd's only brush with the movie industry. She plans on appearing in an upcoming low-budget film, “Terror Trail.” Rudd also wants to move to California in August to get closer to Hollywood.

“I enjoy seeing what all it takes in producing a big-budget movie,” Havens said. “It's fun to look at all the big actors and know that I'm on the set with them.”

The movie is not the first time in front of the camera for Havens, a middle-childhood education major. He is a model who has done work in Columbus and Cleveland. Havens said he hopes his Marshall experience will help further his modeling career.

JEFF BARRON can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 236.