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Be An Extra

by Tony Butcher
February 2001

Tony Butcher is an experienced background artiste, featuring in over 50 TV programmes and films in the past two years. Describing himself as 'a mature entrant to the profession', he has worked alongside directors helping co-ordinate crowd scenes, and been offered several small roles in addition to his extra work. He says his worst experience was spending a whole day in Brompton Cemetery in the December rain and not being used, and his best, standing next to Stephen Poliakoff directing Michael Gambon.

The Beginning

What is an extra?

Extras are the people who appear in the background of virtually every TV and film drama. Look at Eastenders. The stallholders and shoppers and the customers in the Queen Vic who never speak scripted lines are all extras. Some are regulars but most are booked for a day or a few days for shooting a particular scene. They can be called Supporting Artistes, Background Artistes, Walk-ons or N/S (non speaking) and for most it is a part time job done in addition to a full time job in entertainment or elsewhere.

They require some acting skill but are not regarded as actors, who get named in the credits at the end of the show and have speaking roles. There are higher grades of extra who will portray a particular character or interact with a principal or speak a few inconsequential words. These get paid more and are either booked in advance or, sometimes, picked on set.

What sort of people do this work?

In so far as screen drama portrays life there is a need for all types of people: characters and neutral anonymous faces, old and young, smart and scruffy. In fact, everyone you might ever meet has a place as an extra.

You do need to be able to drop everything and take work when it is offered (this is not usually a full time occupation). You must get yourself to a studio or location with less than 12 hours to plan (locations can be remote from public transport) and be ready to get up at 6am or earlier to make whatever time you are asked to be on set.

Training, location and employment

Do I need any training?

No. But you must be ready to follow instructions and unselfconsciously get on with whatever is required in as natural a manner as possible. It is obvious to say that you never look at the camera or attract attention to yourself without direction. The most difficult thing you will possibly be asked to do is to mime a conversation, ie, pretend you are talking to someone without making any noise, so that the principal actors will be heard.

Does it matter where I live?

You will get most work if you live in or close to London because, as with everything in this business, most goes on there. But there are studios in many big cities, Bristol, Nottingham, Manchester, Glasgow etc., which have regular dramas and soaps in production. And anywhere in the UK might be a location at one time or another and agents will usually give first choice to people nearby.

How do I get work?

Most extras are booked through agencies who supply all the extras for an episode, a film or a whole series. They get a request for, say, five nurses, three doctors and 20 assorted patients and will start to ring round to suitable people on their books maybe a week before. The director may have selected particular people from their photographs or he may leave it to the agency. If you get a call you will then book the day (or days) for them (which can be cancelled up to 24 hours in advance) and get final detailed confirmation usually about 4pm the day before shooting.

Agent, auditions and more agents

How do I find an agent?

They will advertise in The Stage or are listed in Contacts (published by The Spotlight, www.spotlightcd.com). You need to take care in selecting an agent because some will charge to publish your photograph in a directory of some sort and this can cost up to £100. A genuine agent will not charge just to be on the books but may give priority to people in their directory. If you are near a studio or production centre you might ring to ask which agencies they use for particular programmes. An entry in Contacts is a more or less an indication that they are established and know the business as this is the way production companies find them.

But they may not need you. They may have enough of your type on their books, or prefer to give work to 'professionals' (usually demonstrated by Equity membership) or you may not live near enough to the work they have. It is a matter of persistence.

If you are at all suspicious that an agent is established and really does have work it is probably best not to risk a book fee as there are unscrupulous operators who advertise just to collect as much as they can from fees and photo sessions before disappearing.

Would I have to audition?

Probably not. It is good to meet an agent face to face, however, so they are confident that you are a certain type when putting you forward, but generally it is all done on the basis of your casting photograph.

Before you apply to an agency you will need a good quality picture that truly represents you, preferably printed at 8"X6" or larger. If this is to be reproduced in a casting book it may be better for it to be black and white. If you go to a professional photographer, remember you may need dozens of prints over the years so check out the cost of reprints. Better to find a friend with a decent camera who is keen to do portraits, or try photography students at a local college or evening class. The cost of several attempts will be a lot less than professional rates and reprints will be cheaper if you own the negative.

Should I have more than one agent?

If you want regular work - yes. Extras agencies will not normally ask for sole agency agreements. The director of a drama series will not want to see the same faces in the background time and time again- many shows will not have you back for up to eight weeks. Smaller agencies may only be casting one or two shows at a time so the opportunities for them to use you are limited. It is polite to let the agencies know who you are working for and to avoid direct competitors if possible.

Age, rates and becoming a professional

Does it matter how old I am?

If you can cope with the demands, there is no upper age limit. I have met couples in their 80s who will take their caravan hundreds of miles to a location shoot and treat it as a paid holiday!

To work professionally in TV and film, under 16s need a local authority licence. Because of this, agencies will often work with stage schools who have children on 'open' licences. This does not stop production companies coming to ordinary schools or dance/drama classes and arranging licences with the cooperation of parents but it happens rarely. And as under 16s need chaperones and tutors, those who are 14 or 15 will often be substituted by young looking 16 year olds, so unless you have particular experience you are unlikely to work in this age group. Family groups can be booked, as the parent acts as chaperone, but licences are still needed.

How do I get paid and what are the rates?

Minimum Equity rate for a nine hour day is £65. Overtime is paid after that at time and a half and you can be required for up to 12 hours. Films and independent productions in the London area (specifically a 40 mile radius of Charing Cross) do not work to Equity contracts but you should not get less.

Theoretically, the maximum is probably a little less than £200 but that would be for working 12 hours as a featured non-speaking character, recording more than one episode of a series on the same day and providing your own change of costume.

You are paid via your agent and it may be several weeks before the money comes through.

Some low budget productions will advertise locally and pay 'cash in hand' at less that Equity rates. If you are doing it for fun, fine, but if you want to be paid properly in the future you should discourage them by not attending so that they only get inexperienced (and hopefully, useless!) people.

Is it a way of becoming a professional actor?

No. You can learn a lot and you may regard it as an informal part of your training but background work is not regarded as professional experience. To be accepted as an actor you should have proper full time training or a number of credited parts. It is possible to be cast-up and get small roles but generally casting directors will not seriously consider you for parts. Actors' agents often forbid their clients to do extra work as it undermines their status.

You can make friends on set, however, with people on both sides of the camera and most success in this business is based on personal contacts. You can also gain Equity membership as an extra, which is a step forward in demonstrating your commitment, as well as the other benefits it provides.

Life as an extra

So what happens when the phone rings?

... my favourite agent is on the line asking if I am available a week tomorrow. She tells me the programme and that it's a costume drama to be shot in Wisbech. That is all I can expect to know at this stage so I confirm I will book the day for her knowing that the times could be anything up to 12 hours between early morning and late night.

About four in the afternoon the day before, I ring and am told my 'call time', 7.30 am, the address of a car park in Wisbech and an emergency phone number. I always insist on the latter as the one time I have not had a number was the time I got disastrously lost and needed it! Normally I would be told what type of character I was playing and discuss what to wear but as this is set in Victorian times, costume will be provided and I only have to be sure to wear black socks.

The internet does make things much easier as I can check maps and journey times the night before which gives me much greater confidence planning my departure time. In this business 'on time' is 15 minutes early and if you want to work regularly you should never get a reputation for being late. When going to London I can check the early tube times and there are sites that give directions to the main studios.

The alarm rings

... at 5.45am. If I have fully prepared the night before I can be in the car and on the road in 15 minutes but I do take a battery razor with me to touch up the bleary eyed shave!! When I get to Wisbech I know I am looking for a collection of film vehicles, converted trucks and buses, camper vans and at the centre, a double decker dining bus. If it is going to be difficult to find, there may be direction arrows with the name of the show, or production company or just 'film unit'. I park the car and head for the double decker bus which is always the heart of the camp, looking out for somebody with a list to check me in. If there is no one about it is usual to wait on the bus and make contact with the other background artistes. In a studio it is much easier as you check in at reception and then someone fetches you.

When checked in it is time for breakfast, which is always the full cooked English from the catering van with options of cereal, fruit etc. which will be set out on a table or on the bus. On a large shoot there may be additional accommodation for the background artistes so look out for signs - "Crew only" indicates there is another bus for background which may be marked "Crowd". Food is free on location but in a main studio you have to pay in the canteen along with all other staff.

Life as an extra - on set

First call will be a visit to costume and make-up.

If you are wearing your own clothes, your agent, or the programme's wardrobe department, will have told you what to bring on the phone. Basically, unless you are told different, wear nothing with prominent logos - TV does not advertise for free. Do not wear bright colours - you are background and must not stand out: no whites, reds or fluorescents. Very narrow stripes and checks can cause problems in close up on TV screens, so avoid if possible.

If you are planning on doing this regularly, it costs very little to stock up on plain pastel colours at charity shops with a range of outfits from smart business person to down at heel market shopper. It never does any harm to take alternative clothes and often you will be asked to do this so costume departments have a choice. On my costume drama I was provided with all the clothes and was in a panic beforehand that my agent had my up to date measurements. When you fill the forms in to join an agency, your clothes sizes should be accurate, not what you would like them to be or expect them to be after the next diet!!

Background artistes rarely get any attention from make-up - a hair check to make sure it is not a style that changes all the time and will be difficult for continuity, and a dab of powder if you are in close-up, but for my costume drama I had to have sideboards and many of the ladies were put into wigs.

Then back to waiting - a skill that is needed on set; in fact, many of us say we do the acting for free, it's the waiting they pay us for!! Make sure you have a book, or some letters to write, or a personal stereo to pass the time. For a long wait of several hours you should be in a heated area but always have a warm coat and, if you know it is an outdoor shoot, an umbrella. You will be provided for. There is coffee and tea on tap all day and if you are working in a studio you may be in a comfortable 'green room' with armchairs and a TV. But be ready to be patient when it is raining and you are huddled in a shop doorway waiting for the next shot to be set up. Feature films often only produce one or two minutes screen time per 12 hour day. Many camera, lighting and sound professionals are doing the best they can but it takes time to get everything right for shooting. If you know it is cold, thermal underwear is a good investment.

On set.

Who are all these people? There may be up to 50 crew about, all with their own jobs to do so keep out of the way and don't trip over anything. Costume and make-up will be there to keep an eye on things and props departments take responsibility for everything from pieces of paper to furniture. The three main technical departments, camera, lights and sound are a minimum of three people each plus 'grips' to do heavy lifting. The director is the chap crouched in front of the TV monitor with his personal assistant, and maybe an additional continuity person.

On a location set the person in charge of the background artistes will usually be a third assistant director and the first assistant director is the chap doing the shouting. The second assistant is off-set making sure everything and everyone arrives when needed and a runner takes messages and fetches people when they are wanted. In a studio, the first assistant may be with the director in a separate gallery and the 'shouter' is the floor manager.

Life as an extra - terminology and a final word

Terminology

"Rehearsal" is for the camera's benefit so you must do exactly what you have been set to do so the cameraman knows what to expect. If you are not certain, now is the time to ask the third before the "Action". "Reset" is go back to the beginning. When the director is happy, a shout of "Checks" will bring the make-up and costume people on set to make sure all the principals in camera are exactly as they were in the previous shot, comparing them with Polaroid snaps taken maybe hours earlier. "Rolling" is the signal that the cameras are running and anyone near the set must keep silent. If this is a studio the red light will go on outside and a bell will sound. If it is a busy scene there may be a cue for background action otherwise you go with the main actors on "Action". If you are to come into shot later, the third will cue you with a wave or a tap on the shoulder. You do your bit and keep acting until you are certain you are out of shot, when you stand still and silent, or until you hear "Cut". Then usually you will do it all again with the camera in a different position, a "Reverse" has the camera pointing the other way, a "POV" is the point of view of an actor. If there is much resetting to do you may be told to "Relax", which means you can leave the set but be ready to return at a moment's notice. The first place they will look is the coffee area so that is a good place to wait. When a scene is finished you may hear "Moving on" and if you have been lucky to see a 'call sheet', which gives the order of scenes for the day and the actors involved, you may know when you are needed next in order to prepare for the wait.

The end of the day is the "wrap" when everything is packed up but individual actors and groups of background are "wrapped" when they are finished with. This is the magic moment when you can go home but make sure you sign out with the second assistant or designated person before leaving. The sheet you sign should contain all the info needed to make up your wages including times and your national insurance number. But much is done on trust and I know one show that does not sign out at all. Double check before leaving and, if you are coming back the next day, find out your call time for the morning.

A word about acting

Acting for screen is totally naturalistic. If you have been on stage, you must forget about projecting to the audience, if an expression is needed the camera will come to you. Non verbal acting can be more difficult than speaking lines as you are making up your own script. If you are having a conversation with someone, keep your voice very low but talk with them. If you are watching principal actors, pay attention to the words but do not let it look too much like a tennis match, looking back and forth as each actor speaks, but concentrate on the most interesting character and glance at the other occasionally. If you are walking down a street, give yourself a destination. But do not make things too complicated as if you are in shot from two different angles, you will have to do exactly the same thing over again. Always try to remember on what lines you changed position or started a new action.

You should never look at the camera but do not panic about looking in the direction of the camera. If it would be natural to look around a room, do so but keep your focus on the people and smoothly pass by the camera lens. It may be necessary to mime speaking if the background noise is making it difficult for the sound man to record the main actors. One trick I was told was to mouth the words of a song. Later the background noise for, say, a crowded pub scene may be recorded separately, called a "wild track", so it can be controlled in editing. Another noise problem is feet - your shoes must be appropriate for the rest of your dress but if you have a choice, wear soft-soled shoes. Do not be surprised if you are asked to take your shoes off if your feet are not in shot.

Anyway...

...my day in Wisbech went very well, the costume fitted and we made a wonderful Victorian funeral procession. I exchanged a few words with the star, David Jason. It would be highly unprofessional to ask for autographs or photographs but the stars are waiting around just like you and will often be happy to pass the time of day. It is an interesting life. New places, new people and you can work more frequently on the same show than if you have had a part.

USEFUL INFORMATION

National Association of Supporting Artistes Agents

Equity

BECTU/Film Artists' Association

Contacts