It's not often that you hear someone at Ashley's say, with god-like authority, "I need the four sorority girls here, I need the two frat boys there, and I need the couple making out here." But then, the local pub isn't normally a backdrop for a feature film, either.

"Trivial Pursuits," helmed by Ann Arbor natives Chris (director/screenwriter) and Mike Farah (producer), tells the story of an insulated, longtime U-M graduate student named Paul who gets involved with a city-wide pub trivia tournament, as well as a charming young co-ed, while his dreaded graduation date looms.

Some scenes from "Trivial Pursuits" filming this week, shot by Melanie Maxwell:

Jenn McKee also interviewed director Chris Farah for AnnArbor.com.

With scenes already shot at Zingerman's Delicatessen, the 8 Ball Saloon, and Espresso Royale on South University, 'Pursuits' began filming at Ashley's on Sunday, and Thursday was the final shooting day at that locale. On most days this week, the crew started work at 4 a.m. to haul in and set up equipment (the crew had removed it each day so Ashley's could re-open in the evenings), hang additional lights, and figure out the look, feel, and progression of each shot.

"One of the biggest things has been to de-logo a lot of stuff (on the walls) in here," said Ashley's owner Jeff More, who watched as the 'Pursuits' team filmed the movie's technically complex opening scene Thursday. "I’m sure with licensing and copyright issues, it’s easier to just tape over it."

Thousands of small details like this are the reason film making is such a slow, painstaking process. For the opening shot of 'Pursuits', the crew built a small, raised stage in Ashley’s so that the man working the Steadicam — who essentially wore the 75-pound piece of equipment around his body (and thus looked a bit like a Transformer) — could start shooting at the level of a sign posted above a high shelf with beer bottles, then move fluidly down to floor level as he made his way around the bar to the where the main characters would be seated.

The shot was rehearsed and analyzed and tweaked for nearly two hours before about 50 extras lined up at the entrance to fill up the bar. Dressed in their Saturday night best, even though it was midday Thursday, the mostly student-age extras were divided into groups and roles — the aforementioned “making out” couple, etc.

And while you might think that a real-life couple among the extras would sign up for “makeout” duty, you’d be wrong. Ann Arbor resident Rebecca Rende, 25, volunteered for the job, unfazed by the idea of repeatedly, passionately kissing a young man she just met on camera. “I’m pretty outgoing, and I’m pretty serious about acting,” she said. “It’s what I want to do.”

The 'Pursuits' extras wrangler regularly instructed the crowd to be "silent but excited," since they were supposed to be students out for one last night of freedom before classes begin. The extras mimed reunions, quietly clinking bottles and hugging and silently chattering and laughing. But one rehearsal shot was temporarily stopped when water appeared in puddles on the floor near the end of the bar — instantly, one of about 10 production assistants that are U-M film students appeared with a mop — and another shot was marred by a ringing cell phone.

Plus, when an effects person stood behind the bar and tried wafting fake smoke into the crowd by waving a black screen, director Chris Farah announced that it was just floating behind the bar and looked wrong, so the effects person moved her equipment to another part of the room.

Finally, though, the 'Pursuits' team got a good take, and the crowd broke out in relieved applause. After a couple of additional takes, everyone was asked to stay put for audio recording, wherein the crowd conversed enthusiastically among themselves for a few moments. Then, a group of three men was asked to chant, “Chug, chug, chug,” and the “sorority table” was asked to shriek and talk excitedly. (The performance got a laugh from everyone immediately afterward.)

The moment concluded that portion of the filming, so the extras were led away, the two actors (Chris Gorham and Nelson Franklin) stepped outside, and the production team studied the footage, mentally preparing for what would come next.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at jennmckee@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.