Posts Tagged ‘tips for extras’

“Extra” Cash

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Watching “Extras”, you’re rather fed the impression that all extras are fame-hungry, attention-grabbing creatures hell bent on snaffling as much of the limelight for themselves as possible. This is actually rather untrue.

Of course, of the many paths to fame and fortune, one is to begin acting life through extras casting, but a great number of TV extras get into the business simply to be everyman, to blend in and make some money doing so.

Whilst some extras shoot for the money shot (getting into the same frame as the main star or principal character), a lot find it enough to indulge in the thrill of being onscreen – albeit in the background – as a supporting background character.

The average extra tends to earn around £65 or so for a day of standard work (usually about nine hours) but opportunities for increased revenue are pretty common. Overtime, extra pay for night work, and increased rates for skilled extras can help carve out a living wage.

Got any skills? Horse riding, ice skating, welding, sculpting, hairdressing, gymnastics, rock climbing, singing, yoga – increased rates for extras performing particular skills can push your daily wage up substantially. Also included in the stunts and skills arena is playing a corpse – technically lying very still is deemed a stunt – another great way to make a little extra!

If you’re under eighteen we can’t offer our £1.50 per text service to you (maximum of three texts per day).

Tags: , , ,
Posted in extras | No Comments »

Extras Work and Stage Training

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

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.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in extras | No Comments »

On-set Terminology and Etiquette

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

For those embarking on an assault of the TV industry in the guise of TV extras, here are a few bits of lingo you’re likely to hear as you amble about the set, stand in the queue for sandwiches and generally try not to be in the way until you’re needed.

TV extras are handed the difficult job of being adaptable, invisible, and also visible. It’s really quite confusing at times, and tends to vary from job to job. To be an extra you’ll need to be able to respond quickly and perfectly to a barrage of instructions, be ready at a moment’s notice, patient and basically provide as little stress as possible for the rest of the staff on-set.

Star struck? Keep it to yourself. The stars you’re surrounded by are working, as are you. The importance of networking cannot be underestimated, but use your head to decide when a situation is a little closer to harassment or irritation than it is to furthering your career through charismatic and well-judged banter.

On-set nobody wants to explain a thousand terms to you, so here are a few to help you out.

Shot – One run of the camera
Scene – Made up of several shots
Sequence – Several scenes
AD – Assistant Director
PA – Production Assistant
AC – Assistant Camera
Dolly (Tracking) Shot – A shot filmed from a moving dolly.

To be an extra is to be stealthy; invisible until needed.

We can only provide a service to you if you’re 18 or over (£1.50 per text, no more than three per week).

Tags: , , ,
Posted in extras | 10 Comments »

All About Extras Work

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

There are many opportunities for those wanting to do extras work, and it particularly suits those who can be flexible about their time. Many extras become regulars for particular TV production companies: although there is no training required for doing extras work, experience is an advantage in the eyes of the production companies because they can be confident of achieving results easily if their ‘background artistes’ know what they are doing.

Extras are often called early in the morning to a shoot, particularly if they are required to wear costume and make-up, but often a large part of the day is spent sitting around and waiting. It can be quite a social occasion, and you may even get to meet members of the cast, although generally the extras are kept apart from the rest of the cast. A good tip is to bring a book – you will have plenty of time to read. Refreshments and meals are provided, and often the shoot runs over. This could take your basic pay packet up to £150 for the day.

There are no particular skills required if you want to be an extra, although sometimes, for example, they need a driver for a scene and this can earn you extra money. The main requirement is that you follow your instructions, and that you keep in the background. The last thing they want is someone to ‘pull focus’ from the main action of the scene.

Here at Audition Now, we keep you informed of all the latest extras work opportunities, texting you direct to your mobile phone.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in extras | No Comments »