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We recommend our users to update the browser. Marci Dean has been in dozens of movies, including films with Meryl Streep, Eddie Murphy, Reese Witherspoon and Jude Law. But you probably don’t know her name. She is one of thousands of part-time actors who make money as movie extras. Extras don’t get film credits or lines. But they can get union wages, meals and perks — such as getting to read novels on the job. Dean said being a movie extra is a great part-time job for retirees, college students and anyone else who has a highly flexible schedule. For the record: 1:36 p.m. April 12, 2021This article says SAG-AFTRA union dues start at $445 annually. In fact, annual dues are just shy of $223, plus 1.575% of covered earnings up to $500,000. * Please Note: I am not an agent, manager, or casting director. I do not procure work for actors. All information, workshops and coaching are for educational purposes only and are not a guarantee or promise of employment. Thank you for being here!So you want to become a movie extra, huh? Smart idea. There are plenty of good reasons to be an extra for commercials, TV, and film. Let's talk about that. Then we'll tell you how to get extra work in six simple steps. Why Become a Movie Extra?
Six Steps to Become a Movie Extra
If you become a movie extra, it can be fun and profitable. Who knows, maybe you'll get discovered and become a movie star... Lights, camera, action! Are you ready to have your fifteen minutes of fame? Ok—I may be using the term fame very loosely, but being a movie extra will at least give you a taste of what being on a film set is like. Plus, every background acting job will be different and can transport you into a different world for a day, or two. Perhaps you’ll find yourself as a zombie in a post-apocalyptic paradise somewhere, or to the busy Christmas streets in a cute downtown. Sounds fun, right? Here’s a guide for exactly how to be an extra in a movie. How to Be an Extra in a Movie & What to Expect as a Background Actor What is a Movie Extra/Background Actor?A movie extra (also called background talent or background actor) is a person placed in the background of a scene to make it seem more realistic—like diners at a crowded restaurant, shoppers at a mall or fans at a concert. More often than not a background actor doesn’t have any memorized lines to speak, nor is any acting skill required, though the requirements will be different for every movie and for every scene. Plus, the director may change direction on a whim, so you’ll need to be okay with expecting the unexpected! Don’t be surprised if they pull you out of the crowd to become the happy dancer at a sports game or to be the one to wave down a taxi on a busy street. Depending on the size, scene and budget of the film, it can be a small group of extras that are on set with you or it can be hundreds. Some will doll you up in hair, makeup and costume—especially if it’s a historical period flick—while many will just send over clothing guidelines and have you show up in your own attire following those rules. It’s a bonus that there might be a chance to meet a famous Hollywood star! Plus, if you’re lucky, you might have a shot in the final film where you can be seen on the big screen. You can actually see the top of my head in the Bollywood movie My Name is Khan and my left arm in So I Married an Axe Murderer (don’t be jealous!). How to Find Movie Extra JobsYou don’t need any experience to become background talent, but you should have a decent headshot and some persistence. It’s definitely not like the old days when you would look in the want-ads of a newspaper or Variety magazine to find a casting call. Though sometimes you will be required to register in person, now the internet is also full of places that you can sign up with without even leaving your house. Here are some tips that will get you started.
There are lots of online sites that list available acting and extra work. These sites are not actually the ones who do the hiring, they are job boards who allow the casting agencies, producers or production companies to post their current jobs. Think of them like the Indeed job platform, but just for performance artists. Here are some of the top online casting job boards:
Casting agencies are the ones who assist the production companies in finding the actors that they need—and they always keep a database of talent. Find the ones closet to you by Googling “casting agent in XYZ”. Do your research! Find out which ones work with movie extras and register with all the reputable ones. Take note that it’s common for some to charge a small fee (typically under $30) to process your paperwork, but beware of them wanting lots of extra money for professional headshots or acting classes.
Pop into your local City Hall or tourism board and ask if they know of any future film productions. They would know because a production company needs to sign permits if they film in a public place, plus they might contact the tourism board in advance for shooting location suggestions.
It’s worth a shot to do a simple Google search for extra work in a major nearby city or county. Try these terms:
How Much Do Extras Get Paid?Here’s the best part of being an extra in my opinion—it comes with a check at the end of the day. You can actually earn money checking something off your bucket list! Typically, the total earnings for one day on set will range from $100 to $200 depending on what you did. The amount may be more if you do something extra, such as multiple background actor bits. How to spend that hard earned check is all up to you, but why not consider framing it instead?
What to Expect on the Set?So you finally got yourself cast as an extra, now what can you expect? Here’s a typical day on set:
For some being background talent is a dream job to have. You might have the opportunity to step back in time 50 years, or 100 years into the future. You might also get to play dress-up in clothes from a different era or country. Then again, you might be in a really gross zombie movie that has to eat weird food and people. The possibilities are endless! But for others, it might be a very dull experience with all the waiting and countless retakes of scenes. You will never know which person you are until you try. How much do extras in movies get paid?A common rate for a single day of background work is between $100 and $200. SAG talent earns more—sometimes a lot more—than their nonunion counterparts, but pay is much less uniform. The base rate for background work in 2021 is roughly $170 per day, but there are a number of stipulations that affect that number.
Is it hard to be an extra in a movie?Of course, working as an extra for both film and television is not an easy task. Extras are required to perform, at times, demanding work that entails repeating the same movement or action over and over, for long periods of hours.
Do extras have to audition?The pros of becoming an extra are: You don't have to audition for parts; you're only hired based on your looks and sometimes experience. It can potentially be a good opportunity to network, but you must be a really good schmoozer. If you're into that, you can hang out around famous actors (but not bother them)
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