If the extras were correctly placed, shot and lit, you wouldn’t be hearing discourse to the degree you are.
Extras are meant to fill a space; decoration.
Nothing more. It’s great to see their reactions and expressions at a distance in not so crystal clear view on some occasions.
A hazy view of any extra work is best,
you cannot control a crowd and how each one’s ability to act on cue measures to the next beside them.
If you’re a perfectionist you’d be there all day observing everyone’s reactions one by one, each take. One of them is bound to spoil if a shot lingers in place.
Take the scene in TDK where the Wayne Enterprise accountant gets shot at by the angry mob outside,
it’s a crowd of extras in the shot, but they didn’t pan a camera across each individual’s grill multiple times for more than a frame or two, taking you completely out of the immersion of the heat of the moment.
The fundraiser penthouse scene is another example of this, I’m certain Nolan put who he felt were most convincing front and center in the rows of the crowd with actors being the only of the bunch Ledger interacted with in camera.
Personally, I believe Superman is a character that looks and performs best with night scenes at the forefront, reserving the day scenes for the Clark Kent counterpart. Superman at day isn’t the most convincing, much less coupled with lackluster cinematography.
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