Be in a Movie, Become a Movie Extra

Want to be in a film or on television? Ever imagine seeing yourself up on the silver screen? Well now you may have a chance! Lots of people get in to the 'industry' by first appearing as 'extras' in movies and TV shows. An 'extra' can vary from someone with a small speaking point, to perhaps just being in the background of a shot or part of a crowd in a scene. It's fun and varied.

A background actor, or "extra", is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background (for example, in an audience or busy street scene). War films and epic films often employ background actors in large numbers: some films have featured hundreds or even thousands of paid background actors.

On a movie set, background actors are technically referred to as "background performers" or, simply, "background." In a stage production, background actors are commonly referred to as "supernumeraries". On today's film or TV show set, the word "extra" is considered a demeaning term, and "background actors" is the much preferred term, especially by those who work as background.

Being an extra in a movie can range from just a few hours work to potentially days or even weeks of work. In the USA and UK most extras are given the same rights and conditions as those of speaking actors.

Do you get paid? Sure - sometimes! According to this article on Wikipedia the rate for a Screen Actors Guild extra ranges from $126 to $309 for an 8 hour day. Obviously you should check your pay and conditions before starting any work.

As mentioned further in that article, while some famous actors such as Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone have been extras in movies, it's not always high paced showbiz. Extras need to be patient and able to entertain themselves as you can be waiting around for long periods of time between shoots.