The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Being an Extra

By Bob Siegal

Being an extra can be a fun, if not very profitable way of getting a taste of Hollywood. However there are lots of misconceptions about being a movie extra. So let’s review:

The Good:

1) You typically will get paid, depending on exactly what you are doing and the working conditions. If you’re among the hordes stumbling out of the burning building with soot all over your face, you will likely get more than if you are sitting in the bleachers for the remake of 'Pride of the Yankees.'

2) You will get fed assuming your assignment requires you to work through a meal. The general rule is the bigger the budget, the bigger the stars, the better the food. (There is always plenty to eat on a film set as crews, likes armies, travel on their stomachs.)

3) You will get to get to see the “process”  of moviemaking although working as an extra seldom leads to a directing gig.

4) You might actually get to meet some stars, although taking their picture and asking for an autograph is considered extremely un-cool, unprofessional and might be the end of your extra career.

5) You will plenty of time to read, count leaves, sort and listen to all the songs on your ipod as movie making is a LOT of standing around while technical things like lights get adjusted.

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The Bad:

1) After about an hour on-set after the initial rush has dissipated, you will realize that working as an extra can be unimaginably boring. This is unlike watching paint dry which will seem like a thrill ride in comparison.

2) While you do get paid, you can’t really make a living being an extra unless you’re a member of The Screen Actors Guild, or SAG, in which case you get 2x – 6x the non-union rate.

3) The odds of you getting noticed and being elevated to a speaking part are less than the odds of the President and Congress being rated as productive, cooperative team players by the American public.

4) The odds of the star noticing you and asking you inviting you to vacation on Lake Como or having coffee with them are less than No. 3 above.

5) A productive 12 hour day on a movie set yield 30 seconds of useable footage…enjoy.

Editor's Note: Bob Siegal, a Plainview native and 1974 graduate of Plainview-Old Bethpage High School, is Director, Management Advisory Services at Prager & Fenton LLP where he provides entertainment and marketing consulting feedback to studios, networks and corporations. He's been a General Manager at the Walt Disney Co., former Director of Original Programming at the USA Network and former VP, Programming at Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising.