The majority of extras auditions and other work is concentrated in London, but you can find plenty of other opportunities across the UK in major centres such as Cardiff, Birmingham and Glasgow.
Extras are needed in both film and television. They can impart a realism to the events in a particular scene. The audience believes in the reality of the situation because as a backdrop to the drama, they can see other people going about their business and getting on with their lives. Extras do not ‘perform’ as such; they move and react in the unstudied manner of real people in a real situation.
As an extra, therefore, you do not need specific stage training. Your success in a scene actually depends on how ‘invisible’ you can make yourself. Your contribution consists in briefly passing in front the camera, precisely as instructed by the director or his assistants. In fact, an extra’s day is often long and uneventful with early starts and late finishes, and often a lot of waiting around with minimal time on camera.
Many people work as extras and the chief attraction is that the pay can stack up, particularly if you have to stay to work overtime, sometimes, as much as £150 a day, which is not bad considering no training is required.
Here at Audition Now, we offer many opportunities for work as an extra. You can be sure of being notified as soon as an opening arises, with a text sent direct to your mobile.