To start an acting career, it is not necessary to graduate from a professional university. Every day, several hundred people are required at various movie venues. Or rather, extras are needed. Most often, the specifics of such roles is that the person will not have words, and in the frame he will stay a maximum of a couple of minutes. Read about how to become an extras actor and why you need it.
Limitation
In fact, to star in the film for five minutes, you do not have to complete additional courses. However, some restrictions for the extras actor still sometimes exist. For example, if you need difficult passers-by, and people for a certain role, they will look for a person according to the necessary parameters. For example, for a waitress in an oriental restaurant, you will need an Asian 20-25 years old. And for the buyer of old inventory, already a man aged 50-60.
In addition, there are certain rules for extras actors. So, the presence on the set in alcoholic or any other intoxication is simply unacceptable. And if the uniform was agreed upon in advance and the person ignored this, they can also put him out of the pavilion.
How can I get into the frame?
The motives for becoming an extras actor (extras) playing a role without words can be different. Someone wants to make money on this, someone wants to be shown on TV, and someone just wants to meet useful people. But still, most people come to break into the main roles, and start small.
In fact, there are a lot of such stories. Someone notes that a theater university does not need to finish at all, and someone is going to study already at the time when he is filming a movie. In any case, each of them knows a few nuances, so that any extras actor (extras) playing the role without words, the director noted.
Tip one
No matter how trite it may sound, you must be active. Of course, there is no need to improvise when no one demands it. But if a person not only seeks various vacancies himself, but also offers himself as an extras actor, then this will increase the opportunity to find work, and, consequently, earnings, and useful contacts.
It is best to submit ads on social networks, while filling out a personal page. And first of all, you need to put your photo of good quality. And also it is worth paying attention to all the entries that appear on the wall. To really beautifully design the page, you need to take the place of a person who is looking for actors of an extras movie. It is then that it will be clear which avatar to put and which entries it is better to delete.
Reviews
Students who go to work as extras in St. Petersburg admit that they are most often motivated by earnings. Not everyone wants to go to work as a promoter, but to become a consultant, you need to skip classes. A job in the movie, it is really profitable and very convenient.
Many reviews also note that it is quite difficult for a newcomer to find decent offers. The first six months, when a person sends out his resume for absolutely all vacancies, the formation of an ideal shooting day takes place. Most often they offer a 10-12-hour day for less than 1,000 rubles. For example, to become an actor in the extras of the series "Margosha" they offered 700 rubles, while it was necessary to be on the street for almost half a day. Such ads are not uncommon, but they are unlikely to improve a person’s financial situation.
On the other hand, a small fee is not a reason to refuse: in each profession it is necessary to start somewhere.
Second tip
Despite the fact that the role will be secondary, it is still worth preparing for it in advance. If you need to go through a casting, as is often the case for extras in Moscow or St. Petersburg, you need to think through a greeting speech in advance and prepare a couple of lyric works. And, of course, the most important thing is to relax and enjoy the process.
When the shooting itself takes place, it is worth immersing yourself in the image and not be afraid of the camera. This can play a big hand. If, for example, the director decides to shoot an extras actor in close-up, then it is a relaxed person who feels comfortable and falls into the tape.
Calm Recipe
Of course, to say that you need to relax is very easy, but it is much more difficult to do it. Fortunately, in the modern world there are many ways to calm your nerves. To begin with, you should make a respiratory complex: take a deep breath, after which you need to hold your breath and slowly exhale.
A small portion of good chocolate or a handful of nuts will also allow the body to get the better of anxiety. Especially impressionable people should take a bottle of valerian or other drugs that have been prescribed by a doctor.
Third tip
The next step for an actor should be creating a portfolio. There are times when a producer notices a person and offers free help. But most often, even for shooting in the crowd, the actor himself must provide high-quality live photos, a story about experience in the cinema and other useful information.
It’s worthwhile to understand that the picture in which the person took part may not yet be on the screens, so telling what exactly he did there is not worth it.
All this will allow you to get into the database of sought-after actors much earlier.
Expanding the circle of friends
One more step to success will be the necessary acquaintances. Most actors believe that exactly the same newcomers come to the set as they do. In fact, this is not so, every new acquaintance can be useful. For example, if one of the participants in the picture gets sick and an urgent need to find a replacement, they will contact first of all with friends.
And even very often it happens that an entrepreneur with extensive experience likes to spend his free time acting in films. Such an acquaintance will also be an excellent base for new knowledge.
How to become an extras actor
This article has already described a phased plan for mastering the profession. But still, the most important thing depends on the person. As in other professions, you need to work hard to achieve the goal. The more actively a person behaves, the better. After each casting, you need to publish new photos and send even more job applications. All this will allow you to quickly and efficiently collect your portfolio. And after that, start sending it to all possible film studios and wait for great offers.
It’s very easy to get an actor into extras - just study various VKontakte groups. But it’s much harder to get invited to play a role. Even if this is a minor five-minute game, they will pay for it at least three times as much as for the crowd.
Training
After the statistician visited the first 10 films, he will understand if he likes this profession or not. If he decides to seriously engage in acting, then he should think about continuing education. Various courses and work on the stage will come to the rescue. Of course, there is no question of an invitation to the Bolshoi Theater, but, for example, in small apprentices very often appear without a higher acting education.
And also if a person lives in a city where there are specialized universities, then you can look for ads on free courses. For example, before exams, an institution such as GITIS recruits people for training, which lasts only 2-3 weeks.
Thanks to this step, the actor’s price tag is growing. When an statistician gets his first role with words, he will not only begin to earn large sums, but will begin to appreciate his time. For example, for shooting an extras actor in Novosibirsk will receive about 600 rubles, but in the same city there are proposals to play a small role with words in a detective series. Such work is already worth 3,000 per day, and it is necessary to arrive by a certain time, and not sit and wait in line for several hours.
Work will not always be
Every person has a black streak in life, and an actor is no exception. To go from extras to roles with words, almost everyone will have to face a lot of failures. But this does not mean that there is no talent in a person, most likely he simply does not fit the proposed role.
It is best to treat this type of activity as a hobby, and not as a full-fledged earnings that will provide for all life. And the most important thing is not to quit what you started halfway and listen to the advice of the masters.
So, for example, if a person is told that he has “porridge in his mouth”, then professional work with diction will not hurt. The same goes for appearance. If the producer doesn't like the pale pink eyeshadows, then maybe they don't go to the actor?
Work as a viewer
In addition to various roles in the film industry, one can find vacancies related to TV programs. A lot of shows are recruiting people as spectators. But here it is worth noting right away that the payment will be much less than even for an extras actor, while it takes 10 hours or more to sit in the hall.
Most often, a person goes to such work not for the sake of money or even for the sake of acquaintance, but in order to visit his favorite program or to see a public person. Nevertheless, it is not worth considering such vacancies on an ongoing basis, at least because a lot more money will be spent on travel and food.
Negative side
Of course, many people want to try a movie. Beckon and large salaries that receive stars, and popularity. But if a person decided to start his journey with a supporting actor, then he should be prepared for certain difficulties. For example, very often directors treat such people not very loyally. If the room is cold, then the crowd may not care. But, of course, such cases are rare, and it pleases.
As in any profitable business, scammers will appear very soon. Most often, it is very easy to distinguish a real offer from a fictitious one. The producer, who needs the actors of the mass plan, will never ask for any makings. That is, if money is demanded from an extras, then these are 100 percent scammers.
Work day
The actor, who begins his career with extras, thereby chooses when and what time to work. But if a person begins to be invited to shoot, then he will have to adapt or refuse favorable offers.
Most often, television programs are recorded in the morning, and with movies it’s more complicated. Extras may be required in the morning, and in the afternoon, and in the evening, and sometimes around the clock. This situation does not always suit students, since you have to choose between study and acting path.
Statisticians for TV programs are mainly grandmothers (for them, this is a way of spending leisure time) and young people who try to sit in the back rows and, having opened a laptop, start working or studying. There are low-income people for whom 400 rubles for shooting and a small snack is the only way to earn.
Food on site
An excellent bonus is a small snack for the actor. Like on an airplane, small sandwiches and a drink are given out on set. Most often it is coffee or tea. If the shooting lasts no more than 4 hours, then most likely the actors will not provide any food. But with 12-hour shoots, free water and free meals will be available in free format.
Despite the fact that almost all producers provide actors with dinner, it is better to take food from home. A broth in a thermos or steamed buckwheat with chicken will not only perfectly satisfy your hunger, but also allow your body to work normally.
It is impossible to call work an actor in extras simple. The load can be really huge. Not everyone can withstand a 12-hour work day. But still, if someone decided to become a real actor with words, then such vacancies will be very useful.