MOVIE EXTRA JOBS

Working as a movie extra can encompass much more than just the movies and TV - you could be in any medium that requires people. The other obvious avenues are commercials, pop videos, photographic jobs and the Internet. Less obvious are promotional work, publicity stunts, corporate or training videos and even police identity parades.

TELEVISION

One of the great things about the expansion of television channels in recent years is the increase in the production of tv programs. Digital and satellite TV does mean more repeats, but it also means more new TV dramas, soaps and sitcoms, which in turn leads to more work from television extras. Soaps often have regular extras and as noted earlier, some even become familiar faces to the audience, helping to create the sense of a real community. For the lucky few working on a soap, it can become a full-time job.

TV dramas can be one-offs or be anything up to about twelve episodes in a series. Your agent will be wary about using you too often on multi-episode series, but if you're lucky you may be able to work on the same drama more than once, as long as the episodes are far enough apart to avoid you being remembered by viewers. Other types of TV work you could be asked to do include reconstructions for documentaries or crime reenactment shows and sketches for comedy programs.

COMMERCIALS

Lots of types of work fall under the umbrella of commercials. You could be used as part of a billboard campaign, a TV advertisement or a magazine advertisement or across all media in the same campaign. If a commercial is photographic, or requires little or no dialogue, Directors will often consider extras as well as actors. For this reason commercials can be very lucrative, and if you get featured in a commercial the rewards can be high. However, just being in a commercial doesn't necessarily guarantee the big money - working in the background of a commercial is paid at similiar rates to background work in TV and film.

POP VIDEOS

Pop videos, referred to in the business as 'promos', are the less glamorous relation of film and TV work. Normally organized at short notice and often filmed in a day, they generally involved very long hours, and can be fairly painful for the SA. The shoot may continue on and on (up to twenty hours has been known) without proper breaks, and does not always involve good catering. You may be offered the work for a flat fee for the day; it is always worth asking before you accept the job how long the day will be before you go into overtime. Because the British music industry is centered there, the majority of pop promos are made in the London area.

CORPORATE AND TRAINING VIDEOS

If you've ever been in a job where you had to watch a training video, you probably know how dull they can be. However, from the casting point of view, they can involve role-play acting, and big companies sometimes employ talented extras as a less expensive alternative to using actors. Corporates can therefore be a really useful training ground for testing out and improving your acting ability - if you have any. But be aware, because the usage of training videos is restricted, daily fees are negotiated and can be lower than for film and TV jobs.

PROMOTIONAL WORK AND PUBLICITY STUNTS

This can actually be more regular than film and TV work, but is not normally as well paid. Some extras take promotional jobs in between filming to supplement their income. You could be employed to look glamorous handing out leaflets on a stand in an exhibition or giving our free samples in a supermarket. If you are particularly unlucky you may be dressed up as a giant coffee bean and put in the middle of Oxford Street. Occasionally you could be booked for a 'crowd scene' that will not be filmed - large scale publicity stunts sometimes involve hiring big crowds to attract attention in commuter areas such as train stations.

BEING IN THE AUDIENCE

Game shows and sitcoms often record in front of a live audience. You can normally get tickets for these free of charge by writing to the production company involved, but you will not be paid to be in an audience. However, it can be an interesting way of watching the production process, particularly for those with no experience.

You Can Be A Movie Extra by Rob Martin is geared towards Movie Extras better known as Supporting Artiste in the UK. Whether your interest lies in the movies, television, videos or commercials, there is a great demand for people to fill the needs of production companies.