We would all love to famous and rich, most of us would be happy with one of these, but acting extras usually end up neither! Having said that it can be fun and also a foot in the door of the film and TV world.
Here are a few tips that you may find useful.
Avoid the con-man! There are many well know scams and cons that have been around for years that take advantage of peoples desire to be acting extras.
The most common usually involve very high fees, some times in the $1000s, for signing up to an acting extras agency.
These fees usually entitle you to composites or head shots that are at best pointless and at worst misleading, or the promise a series of acting classes which, if they materialize, are of no real benefit.
Get a good agent To avoid the traps listed above, look for a well established agency.
There will be a one off registration fee $20 or $30 to pay for the initial admin.
But after that they make money when you do - that is their job! They will work to find you auditions that suit your skills and physical type.
If you have a specific skill or physical attribute you may get paid more.
Its worth pointing out that if you have an agent and get a job yourself, without their input, you still have to pay them.
If you are with an agent and they fail to get you any work at all you can move to another by giving them 30 days notice of the cancellation of the contract in writing.
Behave yourself As an acting extra bad on-set behavior can greatly affect how much work you get.
Some good ground rules are;
Keep your eyes and ears open This obviously applies to taking advice from more experienced extras on set, but it also applies to getting work.
Films and TV shows are filmed all over the country and every time an outdoor scene is required then locals get work as acting extras.
These jobs are advertised in the local press and though they are usually at the lower end of the pay-scale, they could be a foot in the door or just a good experience.
Get a Screen Actors Guild card Extras fall into two categories, those who have a Screen Actors Guild card (SAG) and those that do not.
The Screen Actors Guild was set up in the 30s to improve the working condition of actors.
When you have the SAG card you get paid more and hopefully your career develops.
Every acting extra starts without the card then as they do more and more work their chances of getting one improve, there been talk of a points system recently, but your agent will be able to help with advice.
The basic rule is the more work you get the more money you get paid.
Easy! I hope that this brief article has helped.
Acting as an extra can be fun, it probably wont make you rich and famous, but you might make some good friends and have some excellent diner party stories! Good luck
Here are a few tips that you may find useful.
Avoid the con-man! There are many well know scams and cons that have been around for years that take advantage of peoples desire to be acting extras.
The most common usually involve very high fees, some times in the $1000s, for signing up to an acting extras agency.
These fees usually entitle you to composites or head shots that are at best pointless and at worst misleading, or the promise a series of acting classes which, if they materialize, are of no real benefit.
Get a good agent To avoid the traps listed above, look for a well established agency.
There will be a one off registration fee $20 or $30 to pay for the initial admin.
But after that they make money when you do - that is their job! They will work to find you auditions that suit your skills and physical type.
If you have a specific skill or physical attribute you may get paid more.
Its worth pointing out that if you have an agent and get a job yourself, without their input, you still have to pay them.
If you are with an agent and they fail to get you any work at all you can move to another by giving them 30 days notice of the cancellation of the contract in writing.
Behave yourself As an acting extra bad on-set behavior can greatly affect how much work you get.
Some good ground rules are;
- Arrive early.
- If you are new, watch and learn from your more experienced colleagues.
- Bring a book because you can be on set with nothing to do for hours.
But when you are asked to do something do it straight away. - Treat the cast and crew with courtesy and respect.
- Food is provided, but know your place in the pecking order.
- Never speak to the stars! If they speak to you first fine then respond, but you and they are there to do a job of work, you are not being paid to be a fan.
Keep your eyes and ears open This obviously applies to taking advice from more experienced extras on set, but it also applies to getting work.
Films and TV shows are filmed all over the country and every time an outdoor scene is required then locals get work as acting extras.
These jobs are advertised in the local press and though they are usually at the lower end of the pay-scale, they could be a foot in the door or just a good experience.
Get a Screen Actors Guild card Extras fall into two categories, those who have a Screen Actors Guild card (SAG) and those that do not.
The Screen Actors Guild was set up in the 30s to improve the working condition of actors.
When you have the SAG card you get paid more and hopefully your career develops.
Every acting extra starts without the card then as they do more and more work their chances of getting one improve, there been talk of a points system recently, but your agent will be able to help with advice.
The basic rule is the more work you get the more money you get paid.
Easy! I hope that this brief article has helped.
Acting as an extra can be fun, it probably wont make you rich and famous, but you might make some good friends and have some excellent diner party stories! Good luck