Being an Extra in a Movie

This past summer I had the distinct honor of working on two big budget movies filmed here in Cleveland, Ohio; Avengers and I, Alex Cross. What a blast! I was an extra for both movies; that means that I did not have speaking parts. An extra (better described as background actor) is a person that is, literally, part of the background and not a primary actor. You know, the people sitting at a cafe, running screaming down the street, buying a newspaper, etc. in a movie. On Avengers I played a New York police officer and in I, Alex Cross I played a Detroit police officer.....I guess I just look good in the uniform. Talk about being type-casted! The days were long and repetitive and just like the military, it was all about "hurry up and wait".

How to Get to be an Extra:

Casting agencies will have what are sometimes referred to as "cattle calls" where they will advertise an open casting where hundreds or thousands of people will attend, wait in line and basically have their picture taken and contact information added to a data base. Then you wait to get a call or an email offering to "book" you for a role. Watch your local news channels for information on filming and use the Internet to search for filmings near you. Major cities will likely have film commission web sites. I met people who traveled from Iowa and New Mexico to Ohio just to go to the cattle call for the chance to be in Avengers!

Be flexible. You may not get the character that you originally wanted but sometimes casting directors/agencies or sometimes directors will have VERY specific ideas of whom they want where and what characters should look like. Directors are the final say and their creative talents are what they are hired for. Take the role and let wardrobe and makeup do what they want with your character (short of cutting off all of your hair or something that you are morally or ethically opposed to). If you have talents or experience in a particular capacity try to write it in or mention it on your paper application / contact sheet.

Remember: EVERYBODY has a look. NOT everybody is a model....YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE! To add reality to movies, there needs to be the same mix of "real" people in the background most of the time. Society is made up of people of ALL different looks and levels of "beauty"(...I fall at the low end of this scale!) and the physically challenged. I could go on but you get the point.

What to do Once You are Booked:

Follow directions given! The casting folks have sometimes thousands of people to keep track of, to make sure are on set and to disseminate information to. Respond to phone calls and emails promptly.  Arrive early for whatever you are booked for; wardrobe fittings, hair and makeup or on set. Many days were 12-14 hours long (food provided) and scenes were rehearsed and filmed over and over. Don't be surprised if you find yourself running down the same sidewalk fifteen times.

Do what you are directed to do by the director or more likely the assistant director (First Assistant). They will decide where you will be in the movie and what your "action" is. If you don't understand what they are looking for, ask questions and get clarification.

Don't try to be a camera hog. That is, if you happen to be faced away from the camera or put on the fringes of a scene, don't be discouraged. Remember, you are being hired to do what they want you to do. Better to get just your butt in a scene than nothing at all. You will likely be used in several different versions of a scene and they may be filmed from different cameras and angles so don't fret if you think you are not being filmed.

Background actors may also be used over and over in similar scenes to add continuity and can be re-cast as different characters in different scenes. Be flexible and have fun with it.

Things wind up on the "cutting room floor". Since many versions of a scene are filmed you never know what will be used or spliced together and what won't. Some scenes are filmed and never used..."That's Show Business". Don't feel bad if you don't get a lot of screen time. Use the experience to pad your resume for the next production stating your experience.

I have now decided to try to get some experience on the production side of the movie business. I just secured a job as a production assistant (P.A.) on an independent film and working on getting the same position with another movie.  Whatever bulks up the resume!

Good Luck!

Anyone else ever done extra or background acting. Let me know and I will feature you in my blog.