Expansion on Surviving as a Film and Television Extra

Film and television extra-ing is fun, the first seventeen times or so. It makes for a fun peek behind the scenes, but the hours are long and instead of the "hurry up and wait" atmosphere of most screen acting jobs, as Racheline Maltese charitably describes it, it's just plain "wait".

Having survived extra duty on the studio feature Hitch and independent feature The Ten, plus an assortment of short student films, here's an expansion on some of Maltese's salient points.

Whatever the case, be prepared to wait. And wait. Film shoots are long in the best of circumstances, and when you're an extra, you won't have stand-ins sitting through the long light changes for you. As an extra, your correspondent has spent more time actually on set not doing anything than in holding not doing anything, so portability of amusement is key; Maltese emphasizes tasks in holding, but there's a great big world out there you get to sit through.

Ideally you'll be interested enough in the magic of making movies that you can watch the crew do things and treat it like a peek behind the scenes. Eventually this wears off.

Very early on, Maltese mentions one of the key points: "Bring a book"-and mentions that you can read it in holding. Well, you can do one better; bring a small book, one that can fit in your pocket or handbag, and you can probably get away with bringing the book out to set to read in between takes and through the long lighting adjustments. Because oftentimes you're brought out of waiting in holding to… more waiting.

A paperback copy of "The Catcher in the Rye", in convenient pocket-size form, got me through an hourlong wait outside while on "Hitch" (and a full day of gripping a short in my college years!), and a copy of "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" I brought to set on a student short actually made it into the movie when the AD decided my character needed something to do besides sit.

"Have snacks on hand," Maltese advises. This goes double for you non-union extras, who occasionally are not as meticulously cared for. "As much as you will usually be well-fed on set," my foot. A pile of bacon and a sad little coffee machine for a roomful of extras comes to mind, when I recall a film that shall remain nameless.

Maltese's sixth point is about pen and paper and writing. Here's a suggestion: keep a diary of the day! When I extra on big shoots with exciting celebrities, I know my non-industry pals love seeing what it's like, and so I keep a play-by-play of all the interesting (or not) things that go on, as they happen. You know, "8:02. PA tells a guy to move two seats to the right. 8:05. Camera crew changes lens." It's a fantastic time-killer, and allows you to be more aware of what's going on even as you're in it.

Curiously enough, Maltese's article leaves out one of the best things about extra-ing, and it would lend itself so well as a 10 for her nine-point list: talking to people! When you extra, you are cast into a world of what the film Fight Club called single-serving friends, and whether the guy sitting next to you is a seasoned career actor or a random dude doing it because he thought it'd be fun, you're bound to have some interesting chats with people from all different backgrounds who, for one reason or another, all showed up to be an extra today.

Maybe they'll have war stories from previous extra-ing gigs to share! And after a few hours of waiting, everyone's pretty chatty. The most fun moments are when a random extra decides to show you his screenplay. (This has, in fact, happened to your correspondent.)

Or just eavesdrop on other conversations. Why not?

Extra-ing can be rewarding, and it's fun to spot yourself when it's all over. Just follow the Boy Scout motto and be prepared; it's a long day where not a whole lot gets done besides sitting around, unless you know what you're in for. See you at-or in-the movies!