Visitors to Boston’s picturesque Public Garden on Monday might have been surprised to find crews filming Mark Wahlberg’s latest motion picture, Ted.

An anonymous crew member said lights, rigging, and extras reported for work at 5 a.m. that morning, to start preparing and setting up for the scene, which was shot at the corner of the pond nearest the “Make Way for the Ducklings” statue, under one of the great weeping willows.

While police and park rangers kept an eye on the crowd and made sure passersby did not interfere with filming, many of the people strolling through that side of the park were actually paid extras.

Dog walkers, children playing by a tree, young men dribbling a basket ball, an accordion player, a guitar player, and people reclining on a blanket are not necessarily unusual sights in the park, but watching them walk back and forth, repeating their same path for an hour helped make clear that these park pedestrians were actually paid performers. There was even a man pushing a baby carriage with a plastic doll wrapped in a blanket strapped in the front of it.

Production assistants were stationed on the bridge and along the perimeter of the shooting area, helping to call out directions for the performers. An unlucky few were even stationed in the pond itself, wearing high water waders to hold reflectors and tent poles that overhung the water, or corralling errant ducks and birds brought in specifically to add to the “natural” scenery of the park.

The film, which stars Wahlberg, a Dorchester native, Mila Kunis, and Giovanni Ribisi, began filming in March in Norwood, and also recently shot scenes in Swampscott and the South End. Voice-over star and Connecticut native Seth MacFarlane also costars.

The film follows the story of a man whose teddy bear comes to life as the result of a childhood wish. The movie is expected to be released sometime next year.

The crew continued filming until about noon, wrapping that scene and picking up their equipment before moving on to the next location, also in Back Bay, where they filmed until 8 p.m. 

Parking was restricted for film vehicles along the Boylston Street side of the Public Garden and in front of the Emmanuel Church on Newbury Street. The Emmanuel Church is being used for catering and as a holding area for extras.

Today, the crew has moved on to an unspecified high-rise in the Back Bay for more shooting.