If you are wondering what job may suit you, thinking of changing careers, or perhaps looking for a second job or just some extra money then this series of articles may be of interest as each edition we address one of the various range of jobs out there that perhaps you may never have considered.
The Movie/TV/Advertisement extra.
Very few people don’t enjoy a good movie at the cinema or sitting back on the lounge to watch their favourite TV show, whether free to air or streamed, but how many have ever wondered if they could one day be on that screen? If you are one of those then this article may be of interest to you.
Obviously to be the “star”, or even just main cast, can take years of training in acting, singing,
dancing, or any other skill that may make you the one chosen for the role over all the others that may have auditioned.
However, what about those that may not have any of those skills, or at least believe they don’t, for them there is still the opportunity to be an “Extra”. Those people in the background that although may not add to the plot on an individual level, they- do make a scene look authentic. To fully understand the importance of the “extras” just imagine any show without them,! Busy city streets with no pedestrians but the stars themselves, empty restaurants, bars, cafe’s or not even cars in the background.
So how do I become an extra, how much does it pay and what can I expect to be doing are probably the questions you are thinking, and is it really as easy as it to answer the last question first, yes it is, however it can be very competitive and much will depend on whether you are what they are looking for as your “look” must suit the scene being filmed. However every film, TV show or even advertisement can vary greatly so few suit everything all the time and almost every look is wanted some of the time.
So what must you do to start the process.’ First find a casting agent. There are many to choose from and they tend to operate and charge in different ways, so you need to investigate which appeals to you.
One example is you pay nothing up front but the agent takes a commission from what you make so it is in their best interest to get you as much work as possible. 20% is not uncommon. However, your agent will probably require you to provide a quality head shot photograph, as a minimum, to put you forward for the job. Whether you have your photo professionally taken or not is up to you but it will certainly help if you do.
Another common example is an agent may charge an annual fee up front, which can greatly vary. However, often it includes a professionally taken photo and the commission taken from your wagcsearnings may be as low as 10%. This may sound worse than the previous example as you must pay a fee, but
it tends to vary on how much work you get. If none, then you end up out of pocket but if you should be fortunate enough to get regular or high paying jobs then the lower commission may result in more money in your pocket.
Next is how-much-does-it pay, which can also vary. Normally for a feature film or TV series you can
expect just under $30 per hour gross, out of which will be taken tax and your agent’s commission. However, should you be asked to speak or in some other way become a “featured” extra then that pay may rise, sometimes quite considerably.
Comparatively, advertisements often pay equal to films and TV shows for background extras, but at times those who normally just do extra work are picked to star in an advertisement and the pay can then exceed well over $10,000 in some cases, but often go above a $1000 for a day’s work. In some cases, advertisements may be seeking couples, families in which case each member gets paid.
So finally, what can you expect if you become an extra, and the answer to that is almost anything, except what is dangerous, as there are qualified stunt people for that. The range of possibilities as to what you could be asked to be is virtually as unlimited as what can be taken from a human mind and transferred to the screen. Although generally one would expect to simply be someone in the background, perhaps walking down the street, sitting in a coffee shop, or perhaps running through a park.
Another aspect to consider is what you may be asked to wear, which will vary on the production you are working on. If it is set in the past, or even the future, the clothing, hair etc will represent the period in question, all of which is usually provided. Although you can be sometimes asked to bring anything you might have that meets the criteria. In addition, you might require to be transformed by the hair and makeup department from anything from a glamourous socialite to a coal covered miner.
Lastly there can be definite good and bad points to expect if you should decide to seek out an agent and look to taking on some extra work such as its standard to be provided breakfast on set if you have an early start, but it can be as early as 4am or even earlier. Lunch is also provided, as is dinner if the shoot was planning to go later into the night.
I will add here that there is also the weather to deal with when filming outside, which can get very cold in winter in the early hours and extremely hot in summer, especially during the mid-day and through the afternoon. Keeping in mind the clothing you may be wearing can be appropriate for the scene being filmed, but totally unsuitable for the weather. To illustrate this point, you may be dressed for filming a summer beach scene, but it may be mid winter with a freezing wind coming in from the ocean. In regard to this it isn’t all bad as members of the crew will keep you covered in blankets whenever possible between actual shooting and there will always be plenty of water and sunscreen.
So, if you think you might like to give being an extra a try then hopefully we’ll all be seeing you on the screen one day. Good luck and have fun with it.
