Have you ever been an extra in a movie?

whoatherechunk · #1 07-01-2008, 12:31 PM

For some reason I've always wanted to be an extra in a movie. Anyone have any tips on how to become one? Has anyone here ever been an extra in a film? Haha. Sounds stupid, but I think it'd be fun and you might be able to make some good dough.

Hoover · #2 07-01-2008, 12:39 PM

My wife was in a bunch of movies when she was younger. (Like much younger: age 7-17.) I think she got the gigs through the Actor's Equity union, which she was already a member of due to some precocious musical theater stagework she'd done even earlier...through AE she was able to get a SAG card & that led to a bunch of film connections.

Don't think the money for extras is really that good, especially considering you spend so much time waiting around doing nothing.

**Jerose** · #3 07-01-2008, 01:03 PM

I wasn't personally, but my dad was an extra in Slap Shot

GeneralElectric · #4 07-01-2008, 01:10 PM

A friend she's of mine does it a lot, she's been in about a dozen episodes of Law and Order and I think her pay averaged out to $100 a pop.

steve21 · #5 07-01-2008, 01:11 PM

Not in a movie. A few years ago they tried doing this 24 spinoff thing for cell phones. I was a background person in that. Got paid 25 bucks. My friend's dad was involved in the project.

As far as suggestions for how to get in... check your local craigslist? Although it would probably help to live in Los Angeles vs. El Paso...

Wally Malone · #6 07-01-2008, 01:14 PM

I was an extra in Home Grown. As someone stated above there is a lot of "hurry up and wait".

Wally

ryco · #7 07-01-2008, 01:21 PM

Never in a movie, but got to be in a shoot for a Pepsi commercial for college.

One scene had me swiggin' a Pepsi down while holding a DB outdoors. Thing was they really watered it down so the contents would appear brown, otherwise the cola looked black onscreen. Tasted like crap and yer 'sposed to be smilin'.

Made $40. Not bad for an hours work in '80.

fenderhutz · #8 07-01-2008, 01:25 PM

I was a co-star in an indie short film.

The movie never made it anywhere though

Mon Rominee · #9 07-01-2008, 01:35 PM

Only had my music in movies...no cameos. Look and see if there are any indie filmakers in your area, and contact them to see if they need help on set, might be a good first step...here's the latest movie I was involved with:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0471037/soundtrack

the track "Chemical". Your music played in a movie is pretty satisfying too!

werbo1 · #10 07-01-2008, 01:46 PM

I was an extra in an independent film called Palindromes about 5 years back. It was being filmed across the street, and our house served as a place for the actors to go during their downtime. I was paid 50 dollars a day for two days for about 3 hours work total.

CrashClint · #11 07-01-2008, 04:27 PM

Back in the late 80s when my wife worked for Hardee's home office I was an extra in a commercial.

Brummie · #12 07-01-2008, 05:42 PM

I played a small Victorian brooch once, it was more of a Cameo role.

sorry about that - I've never really been in any film.

iamlowsound · #13 07-01-2008, 08:38 PM

I haven't, but a bunch of my friends have been. Usually get paid about $100 a shot. I have a friend in the current band-aid commercial here in Ontario. Don't know if it is playing anywhere else.

lowsound

Murder_Worship · #14 07-01-2008, 08:53 PM

i was and extra in a movie when i was like 5. all i got to do was walk around in triangles

bongomania · #15 07-01-2008, 09:00 PM

I was an extra in a couple of movies when I was a teenager. There was no pay at all, just lunch at the craft service truck. I got the "gigs" because I happened to be in the neighborhood while they were filming.

If you live in a city with a bustling movie industry presence, then you can get opportunities by watching Craigslist and hanging around the union office and asking the crew whenever you see a shoot happening. Otherwise it's either totally random (I've had a number of instances when some friend with a hookup called me up and said "hey dude wanna be an extra this afternoon?") or you have to really work at it, and the pay/fun may not be worth a lot of effort.

Valerus · #16 07-01-2008, 11:00 PM

Not yet...

Passinwind · #17 07-01-2008, 11:20 PM

I got offered a day or two as an extra in Jaws II. They wanted some people to go sail around in the background while the talent got munched by Bruce the Shark. I think it paid $150 since you had to actually be able to sail a little dinghy and not end up in Portugal. I ended up letting my co-workers take the gig so I could double up shifts at the hotel and make a ton more in tips. We had a lots of the actors and crew staying at our hotel for like a month, it was kinda cool. I was working there when the original Jaws was shooting too.

It looked like who you knew was pretty important (or just being in the right place at the right time), but that was on Martha's Vineyard and not in a major film making area like LA, Vancouver, or whatnot. I've seen plenty of casting calls in the local weekly arts/entertainment papers, and of course Craigslist would be a good bet these days.

Spector_Ray · #18 07-02-2008, 05:27 AM

Not yet, but have done stuff on local news crime reenactments.

I happened to talk to Tommy Lee Jones last week and told him I wanted to be an extra in his next film he's shooting in Puerto Rico at the end of this year.

blizzard · #19 07-02-2008, 07:55 AM

I've been an extra in two movies:

Inspector Gadget 2 - I just stood in the island down the middle of a street when everyone was frozen.

The Never Ending Ring of Light (or something to that affect, it was Disney and starred Mischa Barton) - I walked past in the back of a cafe scene.

I've seen both now and can't find myself in the final shots however since boths movies are terrible I'm not really complaining.

Alan Vorse · #20 07-02-2008, 08:13 AM

From 03 to 04, I used to go to a midnight movie house most Saturdays. The host was friends with Ted V. Mikkels, the director of such acclaimed films as "Corpse Grinders" and "Astro Zombies." He made a movie called "Cauldron: Baptism of Blood" which has a talent contest scene. They shot clips of the audience at the midnight movie for reaction shots to the talent contest and I'm in it.