how I got to be an extra in a film.
Ok, so this will perhaps seem silly and I am actually not really placing myself in the "I' portion of this title because it isn't necessary me. It just anyone that happens to be anywhere in this vicinity. It can be you if you just happen to be in the right place at the right time.
As a resident of Thailand, despite the fact that for the most part I am not involved in films at all I am constantly asked if i would like to be a part of this or a part of that (mostly work as an extra) and for the most part I say that I am not interested. However, if you happen to find yourself in this part of the world you can easily be an extra (or even more) just by the sheer sake of being here at the time
this is not Thailand, nor do i know anyone it in, but the message is the same
You don't need to be an actor to be involved in these things. You don't really even need to be particularly good-looking, which is extremely fortunate for me. You also don't need to be terribly connected inside the acting community (well, maybe a little bit) to work in this industry. You only need these three things
- Be alive
- have a valid passport
- want to work during your holiday
That's pretty much it, oh and you also need to be in the right place they happen to be filming (which is Krabi)
I know that a vast majority of you don't know what I look like but I can assure you that I am not particularly good-looking. However, i have been in more than a dozen films in the past 4 years and some of them you may have seen. One of them I have reviewed in Steemit.
Being an Extra in a film is very easy depending on how much you think of yourself, but you have to have thick skin.... because you will be mistreated. you have to remember that you are not there to act, you are not there to be a feature, and you are never to look at the camera.
If your are asked to be having conversation in the background say "Watermelon cantaloupe, watermelon cantaloupe" over and aver again because this makes your mouth move an awful lot for the camera and well, you could be saying anything based on the difference between you and the director's cam. You might think this seems dumb but i can promise you... all of the scenes that you think you and your almost-certianly-just met-them pal is going to be shot 10, 20, 30 times. Get accustomed to talking about produce... seriously.
As an extra you will make near $100 a day simply by being patient because i can promise you, nothing is going to move fast. This is very important and i cant stress this enough because i know from personal experience: no matter how strongly you feel that the director is making mistakes, you must never attack him or her with a stick - just don't do it
If you are staying in guesthouses in Thailand there is a very good chance that you will have a chance to be an extra in a movie. It pays pretty well and all the food and accommodation is free while you are involved. If you are lucky you will get a speaking role which will mean your name will be in the credits and you get some sort of union benefits despite not being a member. I don't know how that works but I am currently writing about this because I am staying up all night for a speaking role in an upcoming Hollywood movie that is being filmed in my town. They start filming at 330 am and well. I don't go to bed at 9.
I know this post has been mostly about nonsense and I'll do the best i can for my people. If you mention the word circumference in your response to me, i will upvote you fully.
Ohh so, you got a speaking role in the film and get ready to own a little credit in the movie. circumference of extras will be allotted with certain money without speaking is great.
Lol, circumference like a group of extra that have formed an arc?😄, nice piece, i want to be an xtra in Game of Thrones anybadvise on that?
Ok so what your basically saying is that you get to be say some words and be patient enough to take 100 dollars? That's some serious crap😄, lemme put it this way a circumference of crap😄
oh no, as an extra you don't really get any props, you do get paid but well, unless the actual stars are really nice, you generally don't even get to meet them.
You are involved? That sounds good. Are you treated normally or Misbehaved.? What roles can one play in a movie as an extra.?
you don't really play a role. This is one of the few times I actually had lines. As an extra you are normally just a face in the background, not really relevant to the story at all. Even the role I had today wasn't a big part of the film at all. but if you have lines, you get paid substantially more and your name will be in the part of the credits that no one pays any attention to :)
Yeah being an extra is more about being at the right place at the right time than being an amazing actor and sometimes the money comes in handy. I've been involved in couple of movies which came out great. Thanks for sharing
Something similar just happened to me.
I got asked to be an extra in a commercial for a fund-raising charity filmed in the hospital i work at. Too many actressess as nurses showed up and not enough male actors as doctors - so i got asked because i was in the area.
The 2 minute scene i was in took about an hour of filming and about 30 takes lol
☺
30 takes for a extra? woah o.o
Lol... not takes exactly. More lots of different angles of the same thing over and over. Then just sound recordings.
I was amazed at how much goes on to build a short scene.
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I know exactly what you are talking about. I was an extra in the making of an advert and gosh it was exhausting. We had to do the same scene over and over again, running up a hill.
Appearing in a Hollywood film! A SPEAKING role! Wow! Now you are immortal, babbling forever about cantaloupes.
I am in the interval of a play, featuring at least one actress I have seen on screen, but I've never been in a movie, though I worked on a couple briefly, so I'm quite jealous lol.
I will not mention the word "circumfer-whatsit" as I will leave that for others. But I am excited to hear about any stories that happen on your set. :)