ALT-3 Exciting Job what its like to be a Movie Extra
On a daily basis we are reading or watching in the media tabloid stories about famous celebrities. Believe it or not many of those famous celebrities began their careers as a TV or film extra. Before the fame and fortune the now famous celebrity went on a set of a production and were paid as an extra, sometimes under $100 for a full 12-15 hour day. This role as an extra was a stepping stone in many cases to a very lucrative career in the TV and Film industries. Work as an extra can be very exciting, yet it is not quite as glamorous as a principle role.
Personally, I have been privy to this world through the careers of my children. I have spent several days on the set watching my children perform. I say careers lightly, for my two sons it has been a rewarding and fun activity that they have been fortunate enough to participate in outside of school and athletics. They have met new friends and learned many aspects of the TV and Film industries. Both of my sons have had the luxury of being chosen to be in commercials and as extras on films, sometime they were principles in commercials and at other times just performed as extras.Overall, the thrill of the set and the activity of being behind the scenes exists regardless of your role. There truly is such a thing as movie magic! Performing as a principle actor in a commercial or TV show is what everyone who breaks into the business hopes for and aspires to. The pay can be substantial and the working conditions are exceptional. Unfortunately rarely does an aspiring actor or actress start out as a principle, therefore extra work is a required part of the business.
As an extra, it is actually the appearance in the production that matters most and not about the compensation. The more commercials, TV productions or films a person participates in the better it looks on their resume. Now a little about the pay, in defense of the minimal pay, obviously for a teenager to work 8 hours and earn $100 or more as an extra is better than any part time job. In contrast, the pay for an adult is not enough to make a living and obviously you can not live on extra jobs alone! For this reason many actors and actresses supplement their acting or extra work as servers in restaurants or bars. When working as an extra they need a flexible schedule since you may be on the set as an adult up to 12 hours or more, in addition to be available to just show up on set as needed. During the day or days you spend on the set, food and beverages are provided, in addition to safe and secure areas to wait off set until you are required to be in the scene.
The work itself is not complicated, as an extra you are given your part and it may be as simple as walking in a crowd to as complex as saying a few words and showing a particular emotion for the camera. You may be asked to laugh, dance, run or pretend to speak to someone nearby behind the principle actor or actress. If you are asked to speak, it will be a word or words, not lines as non speaking parts are what extras are usually asked to participate in. If an extra is requested to perform another role that includes speaking they will be compensated for their new role as well as participating as an extra.
Most of the time spent on the set will be spent waiting for the extra's participation in the shot. In addition, the extras will also wait for the production crew to set up, shoot the scene, re shoot, review the shots and continue waiting for the discussion with the director to the crew and the principle actors. The actual time spent in participating in the shots is less than half the hours you are required to be there.
Productive time spent on the set as an extra, may include wardrobe fittings, make up, discussing what the extras will be doing behind or next to the principle actors.In addition when they are not included in the shot, they will be watching the principle actors recite their lines and perform their scenes. Overall work as an extra can be very exciting and fun as you are allowed to participate and witness how TV, Motion Pictures and commercials are made. If the film includes a famous actor or actress you may also witness the actor or actress preparing for their performance, normally the extras are told to remain off to the side until needed, but you usually have a birds eye view of the principle actors and actresses performing their craft.
If the film or commercial includes special effects this can also be a great learning experience. It is truly amazing how the technology behind the scenes equates to the incredible special effects in the final production. I would highly recommend extra work as a stepping stone for anyone who is looking to break into the industry. The compensation may be small but the experience and rewards from participating in a production as an extra are immeasurable.
