What’s It Really Like Being an Extra in a Film or TV Show and How Do You Get the Gig?
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- čas přidán 22. 04. 2019
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In this video:
Becoming a Background Actor, or “extra” as they are more widely known, is a fairly simple process that usually involves little more than responding to an ad. Depending on the scope of the project and the kind of extras needed, this ad could appear anywhere from a dedicated website to Craigslist- we even found examples of casting directors using Facebook and Twitter to round up extras quickly in a pinch.
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Sources:
www.rd.com/culture/movie-extr...
www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...
www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016...
www.pottermore.com/news/the-s...
mentalfloss.com/article/67393/...
www.theguardian.com/commentis...
www.shortlist.com/entertainme...
thoughtcatalog.com/corey-rear...
www.thebillfold.com/2012/08/w...
www.theatlantic.com/entertain...
www.thepennyhoarder.com/make-...
www.sagaftra.org/files/apr18_...
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I was an extra in a christian film. also happened to be crew as well.
their articles look really nice...too bad they wont ship to europe. Or do you have an adress in prague or a nearby large city with a store?
promocode dont work.. its expired?
only in america and canada?! Wtf is wrong with these people.. dont they have a postal service over there?, well fuck it then..
Expired promo code..I'm pretty bummed. Would like to give you credit
I don't care what anyone says about being an extra, the fact that a normal person like us can be in a movie and be paid for it is just mind-boggling to me. No amount of bad weather or boredom could ever ruin anything about that, and God willing I will be an extra in movies.
We all are. Watch it and you feel like you actually there
Lots of pretending
God had truly blessed us
Facts!!.. people complain too much for me
You never know what trying for an extra job can lead to. Although I had zero experience, I went to a cattle call along with hundreds of others for an extra job on a James Bond film. I thought getting to work on a movie set for a day or two would be fun. After filling out paperwork, having my photo taken and a very short interview I left thinking, ok, that was interesting but slim chance. The next day I got a call from the casting director asking if I was free to work for the next 6 weeks. When I said yes, she said they wanted me to be the double and stand in for one of the leading actors in the movie since we had similar looks and build. When I accepted she asked me to come back for a wardrobe fitting, meet with make-up people, etc. that same day as they were going to start filming in 5 days. What a great experience! I learned a lot about shooting a film and what better movie to work on than a big budget James Bond film. Being in the action scenes was amazing and the pay was great too! Even if I went 1 minute into overtime on the set I automatically had my pay doubled for the day! 6 weeks shooting out on location with early morning call times and long hours could sometimes be grueling but totally worth it.
I love how much more personal you've become in this channel
So MUCH *YES!!!* I _really_ miss Simon's vlog. If you've never seen it, you should look. Everything is three or four years old now, but they are great vlogs and show some really interesting places and things. Also, I miss Simon's partner Domi. She's pure gold.
This is what I came to say.
Mr Whistler had a natural charisma in front of the camera and it's nice to see it on show a little more.
Thank you :D
What is different? I may go back and try and figure it out. I see he laughs sometimes.
*...aka Gayer.*
Yup. I do film extra work on the side, and I always tell people that the REAL skill required for that job is "the ability to entertain yourself for hours while not being allowed to leave."
LOL. Did an overnight stadium crowd scene, and a clueless couple a few rows above me asked a PA "we're cold, can we go?" NOPE.
I'm an extra ....... It's a nice experience , however .....I started at 6am , hung around in a food truck until 5:30pm and was used for 10 mins 😂.
Bunny button I was an extra in 2 movies. Both were a whole lot if hurry up and wait but fun. One was never released. The other was but not til like 2 years after the filming.
@@akeda16 ive been in 3 so far 2 are out this year , luckily my first I was cast as an actor in a commercial( I have acting experience ) , 4 hours of filming and it was 8 seconds of me 😂😂not bad for £800
Bunny button We had to be there at the meeting location at 5am and we shot the scene over and over for about 6 hours.
Yeah,I've had days like that...:D x
Lol
I used to be with an extra agency and did quite a few tv shows and movies, just for the odd bit of extra cash here and there!
Only thing that was *really* interesting was the time someone didn't turn up for a big scene being shot in a feature movie and the agency phoned me asking if I could step in at short notice. I got to the filming location and it turns out I was going to be in a scene where a large gang brawl breaks out. Every other extra had been to basic fight training the day before, I hadn't!
First take I accidentally got punched in the face, every take afterwards I hunted the guy who had punched me and gave him a fair old whack in the head with the (foam) weapon I had. Oh and it turns out the gang member I was playing was also meant to be one or the last few standing after the brawl had ended. Cue several text messages after the film was released congratulating me on my victory lol.
Oh, and I mouthed a very rude word on a soap opera once.
How is this process to get started and what is it like??
Nice
i, personally, wouldnt classify someone in a large fight scene as an extra. Unnamed henchman.
Extra cash? My first year as an extra I made $51K in Los Angeles.
Ha!!!!. Awesome story!!!
BTW, it’s great when you go off script and we get to see the real, wonderful, Simon show. 😊😊👍🏼
I am thinking the same LOL
Agreed!
Definitely!!!
Thanks! I love that everyone loves this. I’ll do it more :)
@@TodayIFoundOut yes please!
Every rule given for extras sounds exactly like what I would want in a job as an introvert: an ostensibly social situation with no sociability, no need to make small talk or faking being sociable, and not caring about meeting the people around me. The closest I've found to that is quality control in the factory I work at: I have to work with people on occasion and fake being sociable, I get to remain separate from the rest of the staff to the point of not learning their names for weeks, and I get to be part of a workplace with many people in it without being a part of it. It's an introvert's dream.
I'm an introvert who's stuck living in my dad's kitchen, with zero personal space or privacy. And there's always someone home like 90% of the time, and they're usually on the living room couch, which literally faces my living area. I have nothing but pieces of cardboard up around my bed to hide behind. It's killing my soul and driving me insane.
@@Network126 I hope things are looking up for you now? I’m also an introvert and an empath. So, I literally felt your pain.
"Edward, you put that in the script on purpose!" LOLOL
Like how an add was slipped in right after that.
I'm not going to lie, I frequently put in things just so Simon has to say them, including that bit. He doesn't always keep them in the final read. ;-) -Daven
@@TodayIFoundOut Oops, looks like I got the name wrong. Sorry! 😖
dementedfurbie Hhaha I thought that was part of the joke ;) - Simon
@@TodayIFoundOut yet he can work naked while talking to someone off camera....
I have several cousins who were in Shaw Shank Redemption. It was filmed less than 10 miles from some of the family homes. They enjoyed it alot. Almost every scene, I can point out family lol
I bet they were all in the rape scenes.
So I just need to look for ads specifically talking about ''Danny devito body types'' ?
LOL you poor thing.
Lol!😄
I worked with him once on Sunny. He's a really nice guy.
He's a sex symbol. In his own way, of course ;)
Christ, when I did SA work for the BBC, we had bugger all food provided.
The pay was ok, but we were just sat around doing nothing for nearly 15 hours and filmed for all of 5 minutes. Only for the footage (at least, that which was taken of us directly) ending up being deleted on the spot. I did get a bit of a pay bump because I had to operate a camera (we were playing a press pack), and it's the footage from that camera which ended up being used.
I did meet some good folks though, so it wasn't all bad.
Yeah, I was wondering how much of that was an American thing. When I did it the food I think was fine, but not really memorable at all. I think we had bacon butties.
We were just pointed towards the nearest greasy spoon, which happened to be a mile or so away.
What were you in, by the way? I was 'in' (in the most "technically correct" sense possible) a couple episodes of Casualty.. oh, must have been 8 or 9 years ago now. Truth be told, it's that long ago it may well have changed completely!
Gareth Fairclough he said he was in the original captain America
According to Burton Gilliam his career was launched when he answered an add for an extra of Paper Moon because he hoped he might meet Ryan Oneal. His part in Paper Moon was expanded to a speaking roll. Mel Brooks saw him in the movie and begged him to be in his up and coming Blazing Saddles even going as far as to re-write the script to add him in it. A huge exception to the rule that being an extra won't get you anywhere I'm sure but I thought it makes for interesting trivia.
I did a ton of extra work in NYC, you learn really quickly- at least with the TV shows, who has the best spread. There was one show we knew it was pretty sparse if it wasn't just sending you out to get your own food, but it was a show you kind of knew you could get 'cause it was the one people didn't really apply for unless other options didn't come through.
I will say The Following had an absolutely amazing spread...
You also see the same faces as you get accepted to different gigs, and between takes we'd figure out what kind of back and forth to "say" to each other, usually related to past conversations off the set so we were able to get facial reactions that matched each other. Even when you didn't know who you might have been paired up with in a scene, that was pretty common.
I also now clap differently- there's a way to clap so it hides from the camera that your hands aren't touching and you're not making any noise, and I find it just funny to do when actually clapping now... it's a super ultra inside joke...
eventhorizon is it the hands at right angles, fingers bent at the outward joint clap?
@@CraftQueenJr hehehehehe! It cracks me up when I see it on TV and in movies...
And, oh gosh, how I love it when you go off-script! Just the way you go so goofy I bet you are really fun to hang out with. Cheers.
Super awesomely dorky laugh s/ Ryan Reynolds
I used to be fun to hang out with... Now I interupt conversation with “Oh, I made a video about that”, and now I don’t have any friends.
Today I Found Out Yes you do have friends, by the thousands I suspect.
Visual media makes for a unique and one-sided relationship. We can see you as you are in our homes very frequently but you cannot see us. While it seems odd enough you become somebody we know, or at least it feels like we know you.
One more thing: Your sense of humor is delicious. Cheers.
Not necessarily! I bet he's still talking when he's sleeping! I know the type!
I was an extra on star trek discovery kept the uniform and got it autographed it was awesome live long and prosper
Congratulation in being an extra in the worse Star Trek series ever.
@@GigawingsVideo Jesus man, he didn't say he was an extra on voyager.
Holy shit!
How did you get the gig?!
@@Network126 long story short luck really I have a friend who's on the show and gave me a plug only did two as a background actor was nice to see the stage where all of Star trek was filmed btw they are still using ds9 and Voyager props a few from the original and next gen as well and alot from Enterprise
Thought I'd leave a comment here since I've been an extra for the past few years on some big projects like Game of Thrones. I'm just writing stuff as I watch the video.
I get my work through an agency, they will give my photos/details to productions, and if they think I fit, the agency will give me a text with the details and the dates to see if I'm up for it. In Northern Ireland we don't have a union or anything, but a lot of us are in contact with each other and will always look after eachother and help eachother out.
The agency has people that then work with the production which deal with myself and the other extras. They will give us our call times etc and sometimes provide us with transport to set. When we get to set we fill out NDA or disclaimers etc. What we do on the day can be a lot of different stuff. Many days I have just slept the entire shoot. My day usually starts at 3AM and ends at 7PM.
About the food, this is really hit or miss. Sometimes we got great food, sometimes we got half a microwaved frozen meal. I never saw shrimp, though I did see steak once on the final day (this was a day where many of us had been working on the show as the same people for years). One day on a popular sci-fi show we got dominoes.
I do not consider my extra work a career. I have made a lot of money from it, but I wouldn't call it my main income, I work a part time job ti pay the bills. I was an actor when I was younger, and this is what remains of that life. I don't think this is a good way to break into the industry unless you really put yourself in there. It's good experience but you need a lot of work outside of it to get far. Saying that I know people that went from being an extra in Game of Thrones, to being an assistant director. You learn a lot of BTS stuff when you are looking at it for 8 hours a day. Getting work just depends on what you look like. My Asian friends get a lot more work than my white friends because they stand out or make everything look more diverse.
Looking the same as an actor can be helpful. Myself and many friends from a certain big TV show were brought in and used as extras, then pulled out to be doubles for a main cast member because we look like them. This is a good part to point out that my agency has also gotten be stunt work, body double work, and actual acting work. The double work paid not much extra. Can't disclose how much more.
Yes it is VERY boring sometimes. We sit in the mud for 8+ hours sometimes. Then there is sometimes where we are joking about the main cast. Sometimes I sit in a tint for 12 hours then go back home. A show I worked on recently, there was an extra who made it their job to try and make other extras laugh. If you laugh, you go home with no pay.
Yes if you are caught with a phone, you go home. No pay. BRING A BOOK A small one if you can, sometimes i hide a book in my clothing for between takes.
Simon's becoming so much more playful. Love it :D
Also great to hear his awesome British accent saying "tracksuit bottoms". :D We call them that over in South Africa. :D
Jason H Really?! Wow, I am fully out of touch!!
Salem Andreus There is something fun about saying “tracksuit bottoms” not sure what it is.
@@TodayIFoundOut I totally get you on that. :D
Of course u do after us British got your country going, b4 that it was a Jungle
and we also call them “Trackies” here in Australia 🇦🇺 😊
I was on set for 12 hours and when the movie came out I was out of focus and was on film for 2.4 Seconds.
Welcome to the life of an extra
I'm pretty sure I'm just out of frame in one the scenes I did as an extra haha! Was a church scene, 1940s soldiers, and I look a tad asian. Most of the pews were full, lessening to the back, just in case the camera caught it. I was the only person on my pew lol.
So basically it sounds like being an extra is almost equivalent to working retail
But at least extras get good food.
no nothing like we dont have to put up with customers, we talk to hot women all day and get fed really well !
As a working extra you can make upwards of $100K a year.
No, your job's way way worse sorry
I know a few people who were extras in films/tv. One was a former coworker who was one of the many auditioning Hitler in the musical Producers film. Mel Brooks said to them, "You're wallpaper!" Coworker moves at one point, Brooks exclaims, "My wallpaper moved!" I told coworker he should call his autobiography "I Was Mel Brooks' Wallpaper".
Getting roasted by Mel Brooks sounds like a great thing to happen to you.
I know a girl who was an extra in a movie once I can't remember if it was a DC or Marvel one but she got to meet one of the actors.
Being an extra can be really fun or extremely boring. You quite often see rows of extras laying down in a row sleeping on long shoots. I've had one experience where it was like a small festival, all of us in costume a few people playing instruments, music blaring, random puffs of smoke from nowhere, it was pretty bizzare.
Yep, I can confirm, most boring day of my life. However the scene I was in appeared in the opening credits of a show called Babylon 5 for three years straight. It was weird and kinda cool.
Very cool, are you a fan?
@JRBEDITZ No.
I used to do extra work in the UK and the Ricky Gervais show 'Extra's is a fairly accurate representation of the work. If you want to get in to the work take a book, magazine or handheld gaming console with you, most of your time will be spent waiting for your scene to be setup.
Simon's little giggle tho! ❤
Good work Simon, your really churning out the video's! Proud of you.
Oh yeah! Cheers!
I'm a professional movie extra and this is 100% accurate imo, especially the part about being treated like you're something the director found stuck to his shoe.
My chiropractor was an extra in Avengers during the German opera-house scene and Winter Soldier.
A former co-worker of mine worked as an extra in a looney tunes movie. She said it was a fun experience
Which one, if u don't mind my asking?
Shazeem Khan Looney Tunes Back in Action. She lived in Las Vegas at the time and said they needed extras for certain scenes. She said she seen Brendan Fraser up close and he was nice
I enjoyed that movie. Wow that is awesome! Glad for her mate
Wait... That wasn't a pun.
emcee2k Sorry didn’t do one yesterday
(7:46) - "...cheering clouds?"
Oh dear...
.
@ Vely good.
Just gonna wait for the person to post the screenshot of Simon in Captain America. Also, does this mean the MCU has its own version of Simon doing Biographics, TopTenz, and Brain Food? I think so!
Senikai Slay came here looking for that, still nothing 3 months later. Very sad.
I was in on scene director for a couple low budget productions and I cannot help jumping into play as an extra in military battle scenes. I am a historian after all. 😁
Long Forgotten you have earned my respect.
You quoted Jesse Heiman! He's like the most famous extra! He's been in everything! Look up his IMDB listing and you'll see the ton of work he's done. He's pretty hilarious, too. Seems like a pretty awesome guy.
Simon is amazing, he's his own co-star, extra and inflatable extra.
I’d be a steal for any movie.
netflix is filming a big movie at my school and i’m applying to be an extra tomorrow morning! wish me luck!
Puppy Soccer how did it go?
THE SMALL TURTLE good lol, i got it! it was fun
@@puppysoccer9465 whatfil
I love when Simon breaks. Is so funny
Wow your speech pattern made it seem like you were just speaking didn't even know you had a script hire this man as an extra right now!
Teleprompter
Once again, another video you knocked out of the park. I have always wondered about this very topic so thanks very much.
Keep, keeping up the fantastic work! Simon, your an host and you and your crew do a great job. Thanks again for another wonderful video!
My partner has done a couple background character gigs and he loves it. He’s in a deleted scene in geostorm, a spot in a show where he was just in an aisle shopping, and another show during a protest scene. He made about $300-$400 for half a day of being on set.
“These pretzels are making me THIRSTY!”
In the mid-sixties I worked as an extra for a week in Oregon, in an outdoor civil war battle scene for the movie Shenandoah starring Jimmie Stewart. I was a rebel on the battle line. The scene was referred to as the "Cow Scene". I thought it was an interesting experience. Costumes were provided and makeup artists "created" battle wounds and grubby looks. Among props were guns, cannons, and a truck full of stuffed horses to be scattered on the ground. Techs ran around with smoke flares before scenes to give the look of a smokey battle. Field and cannon explosions were electronically controlled. The catered food wasn't as fancy as seen in this video, but it was still quite good and there was lots of it. Jimmie Stewart wasn't in the scene, but he did make an appearance to say hello to the extras. As I recall, I was paid $500. At a guess, there was probably a total of around 30 or 40 extras for both rebels and yankees.
That was a fair amount of money in the 60's!
@@nfijef I heard about the audition from a newspaper article. The pay was brought up at the audition. Yes, it was a nice amount. A lot of people showed up, but most were turned away. I guess it was first come, first serve. I felt fortunate to have been chosen.
Much of the time on location was just sitting around while the cameras and lighting, and determining the best shots were being done. It also took time to set up props, and for parts involving script from the professional actors and stunts involving the horses. The cow scene took several takes to get the animal to go in the right direction. If I remember correctly, they had someone carry a calf (just out of view of the camera) and got the cow to move in the right direction. One of the extras got hurt by messing around in front of a cannon.
I was interested primarily because I was interested in motion pictures and acting. On the last day of filming, an invitation was given to anyone interested in working as an extra in California as there is always a need for extras.
I've seen the movie several times, and have never seen myself in any of the scenes, many of which were distant shots. Closer in, the shots are changing too quick to pinpoint anything. But that's the idea of extras in crowds. The viewer in more focused on the crowd and action.
I’ve just finished being an extra on a big budget production and this guy has simply nailed it!
Simon is my favorite voice to listen to. His exertion, his cadence, accent, everything. I wish he could voice all CZcams videos!!
Having been an extra on a TV show, a movie, and a commercial, it was enjoyable to hear an accurate rendering of that experience. About clothing; pay close heed to the scene as described, as this can make a difference in whether they decide to use you in that scene. Also, when we were on the set of Leap of Faith, we were strictly told not to approach Steve Martin for an autograph. Contrary to that directive, a mob ran toward him anyway; they were non-selected for future work.
Getting off the script and mixing with bits of bloopers is so great and fresh... JUST LIKE THIS MACKWELDON SHIRT! - keep it up ;)
I was recently an extra in an upcoming movie. Checked in with the staff at 5:30 in the morning, got buses out to the filming location about 10:00 after breakfast, wardrobe, hair and makeup stood under a canopy with about 5 other extras from about 10:15 in the morning to 7:30 in the evening when they called me to go sit at a table and smoke a cigarette and drink a beer for about 30 minutes while they filmed the shot several times from different angles. It was an exciting experience that I would definitely do again. That said, if you don’t like standing or get bored easy, being an extra is NOT the gig for you. It is definitely not as glamorous as you might think.
That was really informative and well researched, thanks.
My father was an extra in Alvarez Kelley, one of the cowboys riding by in a group chase scene, so I always wanted to be an extra. I got the chance in P-51 Dragonfighter as the fat guy who gets pickpocketed in the establishing shot for the bar. I was there 2 or 3 days, at the same place as the scene where Iron Man saves the villagers from the bad guys ('he's all yours'). I was an unpaid volunteer, but it was worth it for the novelty of the experience. The director Mark Atkins and producer/star Scott Martin talked to me a few times. It was a small shoot, but it had a group effort vibe, so I was happy to help out. The pickpocket scene was easy, just lay there and be a passed out drunk while the lady pickpocket does her thing. I'm in the bar fight scene in the background, holding a drink when someone gets knocked back into me. It was about 7 hours for that scene. The drink I was holding was a warm and very flat diet coke. I remember standing in formation in basic training years ago and my day job involves a large amount of occasionally tedious paperwork, so the sitting around waiting to do the scene and standing around while they shot the bar fight were maybe boring but a necessary part of the job. I remember the costume lady trying to find a shirt they had that would fit me, that they could put this ink stuff on to make it look dirty, but I ended up using my own shirt and patting myself thoroughly with dirt instead, since they couldn't find a fit for me. I've been in one other Archstone film, something about some people on vacation that end up on an island where the bad guy is doing organ harvesting. I was a drunk again. I remember the director (Atkins?) asking if I'd mind lying on the ground in the gutter as a passed out drunk. It was a bit awkward because he seemed like he wasn't sure if he was asking something reasonable of me, but for me it was the mission, the job, etc., so I was happy to do my part. It may have been due to me wearing a suit, the same one I wear for work, but the previous edition that wore out too much for work. I still have the unlabeled brown beer bottle from the scene. I kept it in case I ever get to be a drunk extra again. It was a memorable experience. I had a small part to do, but I was happy to do it.
You nailed it, I've been an extra for a few years and it's exactly as you described.
Jason Dickens it all varies from set to set.
I really like the out takes you leave in sometimes like "dreamy ". It adds to the fun of your channel.
I work as a Background Wrangler between my real gigs and you actually got more right than most people trying to explain it. I'll tell you one story of a Mission Impossible where we were supposed to be in hot Bangladesh but we were in chilly Vancouver. We wranglers ran around hefting coats from summer-dressed extras as the ADs were welling "rolling!". Tom Cruise noticed the shivering people around him and managed to get a nearby Starbucks to open at 3am and paid for the hundreds of drinks needed. I have no idea how his people managed that, but it was super nice.
Bravo, that has to be one of the best commercials I've see here on CZcams from one of you CZcamsrs LOL
I can sit on a sofa and get paid?
Nice. That's better than acting like a tree
I think they call that porn.
i've seen some trees with amazingly good acting chops
Wait. You guys get paid?
Trees typically smell fresher though...
@Zuzu cells at work!!
Having done a couple extra gigs for major films, you are spot on correct. Well done.
A friend of mine who was a special-talent extra (because he had done SCA swordfighting) mentioned being on the set of a war film but not given any earplugs.
Some of my favourite moments are when Simon breaks "stage face" (it isn't the fourth wall if it's informational content, right?) and comments on the script or questions the ridiculousness of the content. It takes him from being an efficient, professional presenter who is little more than a voice to the text to a real media personality.
Simon, you do *such* a good job. You're hands-down my favorite presenter on CZcams, though SciShow takes the cake for content, personally, simply because I like science more than history and current events. TopTenz, despite its clickbaity name, is also a phenomenal channel. I had my doubts at first because of the channel name, but it delivers the same quality of content as TIFO.
I hope all your channels continue to prosper for years to come, delivering fascinating facts to anyone and everyone with an internet connection.
Also, that segue into the sponsor was fucking flawless.
Interesting thing to note.... there way a bit-player/extra from the 1930s... had steady work all the way into the 90's.. when asked why he was willing to play, mostly, gangsters who got shot, or just died, he pointed out that HE was working while Cagney, Nolan and Bogart were just sitting around.
I've already had 5-6 gigs as an extra and this video is so accurate! Of course, that also includes the part where you are treated as cattle, since there are times when the food isn't more than a bun with a thin slice of cheese and a thin slice of salami...and hopefully some water or coffee.
I have been a movie extra for many years * yes some acting gigs too ) it depends on the film crew/ production you either have a good experience or you are treated like crap union and non union !
... They were making a movie near me and they were offering to pay the extras a $100 a day.
@Voltaic Fire I didn't do it. It was more for the people who could take off a few weeks to be in the movie. I was working full time.
I got $120 for a day. I had to get up at 6:30 am, which sucked and I got to see Francis MacDormand and Abbie Cornish but I didn't get to talk to them. It's part of the contract to not speak to the actors unless spoken to. I spent most of the day sitting on my ass and then I got to drive in the background of a scene. I had to loop around five or six times. That was about it. The AD that was in charge of us got chewed out a lot because he was the bottom of the food chain and shit rolls down hill and he took it out on us some times but it wasn't too bad. It was a long day. It was half fun and half shitty.
@@HarryBuddhaPalm that did sound like an overall fun experience.
@@davidprodigy5833 It was fun and not fun at the same time. I'm glad I did it but I don't know if I'd do it again.
@@HarryBuddhaPalm makes sense. The experience was worth it, but after that, it wouldn't be something to repeat.
So I now have to break out _Captain America_ and look for Simon.
In 2004 Iwas an extra for the military film 'Jarhead'. A fun experience before smartphones and social media ruled the world. USMC boot camp and parts of Iraq were filmed in Victorville, CA.... in DECEMBER! Freezing cold all day despite the setting being an Iraqu desert. On the last day of filming we spent about 6 hours in a movie theatre with no heater to film a scene that only lasted about 3 total minutes in the final cut. Quite a fun day mixing it up with USMC vets playing extras and hearing their stories, bs'ing with the actors and enjoying catering. The pay was good for me since I was on vacation from my regular job at the time. A month later the studio called us back in for additional scenes to be filmed in the Universal Studios backlot. That was EXTREMELY FUN! I would gladly work as an extra again.
13:45 - When I think of massive crowds I remember the Forrest Gump scene at the Washington Vietnam rally where they filmed and 'copy/pasted' the crowd that had moved around.
So, in other words, being an extra is exactly like the show Extras.
I did extra work for about a year for the professional production experience of it all. Mostly played "college student" rolls.
Love how the author is taking heed of viewer’s fondness for making Simon crack up
You got more right than any other video I've seen on this! I did background/extra work full time for years, including as a regular on several shows, as well as commercials/promos, print ads, and movies. I miss the catering and crafty most. haha. Just kidding, I really miss the sense that any day anything could happen. I found it interesting the way it's the true A'listers who are usully cool AF once they've worked with you enough to know you're not going to fangirl them because they've seen their fame and fortune come and go and come again, and aren't as attached to it. It's the up-in-comers who tend to be insecure and full of themselves at the same time. The stories I could tell if it weren't for NDAs would shock anyone whose never been fully immersed in that weird world. It's also kind of funny when people keep trying to figure out where they know you from, and you just keep shrugging even though you know full well they've never met you and it's probably someone who watches TV all the time and your face has seeped into thier subconsicous. I chopped my hair off and stopped wearing makeup to fix that....
Truly love this more personable side of you!
I was thinking about it. Now not so keen. Thanks for this.
I can confirm being an extra is long hours, being treated like cattle, and lots of sitting around. But the food is pretty good.
My dad was an extra in the Film "Everything's Fine", and he was pretty much front and center stage on screen. When Drew Barrymore is at the airport terminal, my father, with his white beard, and glasses, comes ambling right off a plane and right into the camera with a roll on luggage. All of his goofy friends broke into this wild cheering section in the movie theater when we all saw the scene, no doubt freaking out everyone in the theater. No one, including him, had any idea that he would be so well damn prominent in those shots. When I was a teenager, the film "Jacknife" (Robert De Niro) was shot almost entirely in my home town. They used a LOT of locals as extras. My science teacher played a waitress in a bar in that one.
Lol. This was one of the few times I actually sat through the promo pitch. It was fun to watch for sure. And honestly, now I'm thinking of buying some Mac Weldon clothes for my husband. I think I will.
Good sales pitch, Simon. Well played.
All three of my boys have done extra work. It's really great work for kids. They learn a good work ethic. My 6week old baby was supposed to be in The Crown as Prince Andrew. Light failed. He never got used but we all got fed, twice, mother and baby got paid.
One thing to note meals are delayed, breakfast is at lunch and lunch at dinner and so on. This is to accommodate late wraps.
Simon is definitely one of my favorite, if not my favorite, CZcams presenters
This was your best video ever!
Brilliant job.
I worked on the house that was used to film the original Amityville Horror movie. They changed the roofline for the movie and then changed it back afterward. Years later they subdivided the property it was on and moved the house about 40-50 feet. I worked on the bathroom and kitchen renovation when they moved it. Excitement!
I like the little "casting couch" part 😉 very cute
I've been watching TIFO for so many years now that when Simon started wearing glasses I tried to see the reflection of his screen and his teleprompter (iPad I think?) in them. Little human details like that make me smile.
Missing Daven's appearances though. Kickstarter for another can shaker-esque video, please.
My brother was an extra on American Splendor and shared a scene with Paul Giamatti (he was Frank the manager in the grocery store scene), and he loved it! He got the gig because he had the "1970s Clevelander look" about him.
Ryan Reynolds is dreamy! 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
I love the off script moments by the way, great way to see you guys off camera time to time
Simon never fails to make me laugh while learning.
Loved your attitude in the last few minutes of this video.
Thank you for telling us about this and you have a nice smile 👋
A friend of mine tried to be an actor. He peaked when he got a gig as an extra on Zoolander. Ben Stiller even shoved him out of the way. Unfortunately, his scene was cut and only exists on the deleted scenes of the DVD.
I worked at LAX and Sylvester Stallone was filming scenes for “Stop, or my Mother will Shoot” (absolutely lousy comedy) They wanted real airline personnel as extras, so.... I’m actually in the film... but blink and you miss me. The food was great though. One of my colleagues actually got a line with Syl.. but only because he made Syl look taller on screen. (The professional extras were quite jealous of this)
Lol-True that! I was an extra in another "best forgotten" Stallone movie called "Over The Top" where he played a professional Arm Wrestler. I played a Candy Striper in a hospital scene ( & even if u DON'T blink,you'll miss me) Stallone also liked to Shadow Box between takes.( which u probably noticed as well😉)
That movie Over the Top is a corny-ass-movie-goldmine.
I was an extra on the Crash TV series on Showtime. Had to get to the next town over before the sun. Took a bus with other extras to the middle of nowhere where we ate breakfast. The stars got to eat from the omelette station, but the breakfast for the extras was still good. Took a shuttle to a church in the middle of the desert. Walked from the steps of the church to a line next to a van relatedly. Sat in the church when they were recording scenes they didn't need me in. It was actually a lot of fun for the money. It was probably more fun because on the bus ride, my seatmate was an amusing young guy who was frequently an extra. We were also paired together sitting the scene to walk with each other. He was also in Hamlet 2 and another movie, I don't recall the name, where he was used as a human avatar wearing a silver outfit. I live in New Mexico, the scene of lots of movies and TV shows, so almost everyone there were pros. When I was a student teacher, one of my students had been an extra in the first Thor movie and cam be seen in the trailer being picked up out of a truck by Chris Hemsworth himself!
Flawless segue way Whistler!!👍👍
Cheering clouds! ☁️
Hello Simon ✌😁,
That was FUN and funny!
I really enjoyed that. Thanks for the entertainment!
-E-
You've got the most enticing vocal range I've ever heard in my life!
Simon has nailed this one. Great insight. Boring in activity but fascinating atmosphere.
Simon you and the team at Today I Found Out, have possibly just drained the extras pool for a generation, hahahaha top shelf sir's top shelf.
I'm going to look for you Simon on that movie. Thanks again
simon, i admire how you make us wait for the bonus facts to do you shpeal on your sponsor....its a really good business decision. you seem to know what your doing. good on you buddy.
My step dad played in jarhead as an extra at George Air Force base in Vic Victorville and they were told to talk and create background noise. They had actual conversations but he said by the end of the day they ended up going “blah blah blah” He also played in Herbie. We missed the Hulk though. You’d be surprised how many movies that are filmed in our desert.
My mother was in Contact. The scene was set in the summer before spring and it had to done in the morning.
Mr. Randall i worked as a boom op for a short film and we asked the extras for background noise by having them say “walla walla walla” over and over in a conversational manner. It was pretty funny to record.
They had my group silently mouth the word "watermellon" over and over
A couple of my friends were extras in a film about a civil war prison camp. If memory serves the name of the movie was "Chancellorsville" . They got $100 a day to be really dirty prisoners laying in mud and dirt, 10-12hrs a day, for about a week. They got the part by being (at the time) in a crew of civil war re-enactors.
Couple of other guys I know, just acquaintances, were trapped (goat-roped) into acting in a reality show based on the shop they were employed at the time. They both said the money was unbelievable for the little bit of acting involved (one made enough off the deal to leave and open his own shop). The shop owners said their total payout wasn't that much more than they would have made just being open regular hours doing customer work, but the exposure more than doubled their business and forced them to relocate to a larger building. Good problem to have IMO. The series ran a couple seasons on Discovery, I think, then was re-run a few times, so they all got decent residual payments for a while.
😂 Love the ‘Fight Club’ joke! 🤣