Breaking into Acting - a Late Beginner's Thoughts on being an Extra.
posted October 8, 2009 - 8:16am
Breaking into Acting – a Late Beginner’s Thoughts on Being an Extra
Being an extra or background talent can be fun, educational, oftentimes boring job. I’ve enjoyed each show I’ve been an extra on for many
different reasons. Shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, House, The Mentalist, Lie to Me and several movies all had their plusses and minuses to being an extra.
Plusses
- Able to observe the different crews, cameras, lights, sound
- Opportunity to show the Director, Assistant Directors that you can take direction
- Observe other actors taking directions such as ‘hitting their marks’.
- Partake in the break time snacks, often hot meals otherwise known as crafts services
- Could possibly get a glimpse of a star
- Get paid, minimum for non-union is $64/8 hours.
Minuses
- Can get monotonous, often standing or just walking back & forth all day
- Often long days 12-14 hours
- Last in line for meals, often have to hurry lunch
- Most often instructed to bring several changes of clothes
- Uncomfortable. Once sat on hard bleachers for 10 hours.
- Long periods of time in the extras holding area. Usually a bunch of folding chairs in a large, unused sound stage.
- Get paid, minimum for non-union is $64/8 hours.
Roles can range from having your hand showing in the surgical field on a medical show to being that blurred person walking across the street on any show. It amazed me how I spent a 14 hr day on a bus, cameras everywhere, main actors everywhere and in the final cut of the show I saw the back of my head for 2 seconds. It was a fun day though; I still would go back and do that taping again.
A featured background role is where in a script you are doing a scene with a principal actor. This is a higher rate extra role. These parts usually have a character name or descriptive name such as Vogue Editor.
If you wish to give being an extra a try I suggest that you join Central Casting.* They handle the majority of prime time shows and major movies. To get a job with Central you need to call in daily for the next day’s booking.
Union extras register on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. only at 220 S. Flower Street, Burbank, CA 91502.
Non-Union extras register Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. only at 220 S. Flower Street, Burbank, CA 91502.
There are many individual extras casting shops some that only supply for a movie or show or two. Please do your research.
I’ve only touched on the subject of being an extra or background talent. If you’d like to know more in-depth accountings please let me know. Subjects for my next articles will be Acting – a Late Beginner – my first “live” show and “reenactments”.
* This is being written from the Los Angeles area.
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