by E.J. Friedman

Created on: February 07, 2007   Last Updated: August 05, 2008

There are many aspects to large-scale film making that go unnoticed to the naked eye. Among them are the many thousands of people who work as movie extras, also known as "background", every year. The pay isn't great, there is no screen credit involved, and the hours are frequently long. However, it's a great opportunity to get your feet wet in the world of film making and maybe learn a thing or two.

If you're interested in becoming a movie extra, there are a number of agencies and companies who regularly hire extras. If you happen to live near a major city, keep an eye out in the local newspapers or television news for films which may be coming to your town. If there's a movie being filmed nearby, you can almost be certain that extras will be needed and a call for extras will be posted. From time to time, you will find these listings on Craigslist, a city-by-city free want ads website where you can look for opportunities to work as a film extra. For example: if you live near New York City, you would go to http://ny.craigslist.org to browse. Near Los Angeles, try http://la.craigslist.org, and so on In particular, Central Casting is one of the largest such agencies for New York and Los Angeles. You can reach Central Casting at http://www.centralcasting.org for more information.

WARNING: *Do not ever* pay an agency that promises to make you a film extra. Any legitimate agency has their fee paid by the film's producers. You should never be charged any kind of fee by the agency and, if they try to charge you, you should report them to your local Better Business Bureau.

So you've made contact with a film in production that needs extras - congratulations! You've taken the first step, but there are some things you should know to make the journey wonderful.

DON'T BE A NUISANCE! During production of a film, there's always enough chaos for a small army. If you're calling the office every two hours to find out if they need you today, you will probably be taken off the list and not be called again. I have worked production on a number of feature films and this is the one thing that is the kiss of death to a movie extra. I cannot stress this enough: don't call us, we will call you if we need you.

BE ON TIME! If you got a phone call from extras casting, that means you're on your way to the set! Punctuality is extremely important because, as with any business, time is money. You must be on time.

BE PREPARED TO WAIT! Bring some books or magazines and be prepared to wait around for an extended period of time. A day of filming can run as long as 16 hours, so be prepared for the down time. If you smoke, bring an extra pack because you probably won't be able to leave set once you arrive. If you take medication, make sure you bring enough medication for the lengthy day ahead.

DON'T TALK TO THE ACTORS! It's exciting to see an actor whose movies or television shows you've enjoyed standing two feet away from you. However, as a general rule, you should never approach the actors while you're working. If they talk to you, by all means you can reply, but you should never initiate the conversation. It's film etiquette to give the actors their space. Every actor has their method and you never know when that question you have for them is going to throw a monkey wrench into their concentration.

I hope you enjoy your journey as a movie extra and who knows - maybe I'll see you on set one of these days soon!

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