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Would you apply for an extra position in a movie?
- Thread starter waloshin
- Start date
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Recently Happy Madison was shooting a film here 50 for the day free food free prizes and all around fun.
I work in film and TV and without extras what good would the movies be!
I work in film and TV and without extras what good would the movies be!
In 1985 I got $85 a day for standing around for 12 hours then being in front of the camera for several takes. If I had a speaking role I would have had to join the SAC and would have been paid a minimum of $2500 a day.
That was 1985.
That was 1985.
Over here in New Zealand you get about $100 a day for being an extra (although a fair chunk of that would be spent on gas getting there & back).
Nice, I just don't know if it would be worth it as last summer I made over $200 in a 12 hour shift working at a mine as a student. It would be an experience of a life time though.
If you ever get a chance do it. It was a blast. Got to stand around eating the good food and shooting the bull with the main actors and learning about the movie business. It was one of my most memorable times.
I almost got a speaking role and a name in the movie but I was so star struck my huge ego caused the casting director to pass me over for the other guy who was more humble.
I don't see why it would be.
Now the bad part.
It took 3 months to get paid.
Ha !
I was on set for 8 days and the hotel I worked at was gracious enough to give me the time off to do it.
They usually tell you what the movie is when you go.
My best friend asked me and two other friends to go try for extras in the new Batman movie out in Pittsburgh (he is a huge Batman fan), we all went, but only he got in (which was good since that was pretty much his dream come true). He actually got to fight right behind Christian Bale in several scenes. I hope he is visible in it.
Basically you go and they have you fill out a form, and then take your picture and thats it. If you get called then you will get paid a minimum wage type salary for the days you go.
Exactly - it was a 'blast'. Friends of mine have done it and have hugely enjoyed it - later, it makes for great bragging rights over coffee or in the pub. See it as a bit of fun and an interesting experience.
Actually, my understanding is the extras don't like to be called "extras".
It's "background actors".
Right!
A rose by any other name...
It's "background actors".
Right!
A rose by any other name...
In 1986, there was a TV show, "Spencer for hire" about a private eye in Boston, MA. I was visiting my friend who was a student at Northeastern University. The day I was there they were filming a scene on the Uni campus. My friend and I were extras and we were paid $85 each to walk around looking like students. Which was easy because we WERE students at that time. She was a Sophmore there and I was a sophmore at a Uni in another state.
