Background Acting 101: Chapters 11–20

A Field Guide For The Film and TV Extra

11. Cellphones

It’s common to see extras checking their hand-helds between takes and camera set-ups. Despite productions becoming more lenient towards cellphone use, practice discretion — we still have a job to do.

Put your device on silent or airplane mode and keep it tucked away. If it’s a period piece, stash it in your belongings at satellite holding.

Don’t be that guy who holds up production by being on his phone instead of his start mark. The cameras are rolling and the scene is about to begin. The oblivious background actor yapping, texting, or fielding emails as the scene is underway.

Most booking emails will include a cellphone policy. Productions often demand that no pictures are taken along with no video recordings of celebrities, guest stars, and sets. They will also request that you refrain from discussing storylines and notable personalities involved with the show or movie as well.

For the most part, checking one’s device for emails, texts, and job alerts is tolerated. It’s the pictures, video, and information on set that production is determined to protect.

At its core and essence, film and television are storytelling. People don’t visit the multiplex to see movies and turn on the television to watch TV — they yearn to experience stories and to bond with the characters in them.

From the production’s perspective, plot points, personalities, and settings are spoilers. The mysteries, auras, and emotions ought to be shared with their audience during screenings or the episode’s broadcast and not beforehand.

Consider these sensitivities from the production’s standpoint. On their end, money and livelihoods are on the line. It’s a small thing to ask, and it’s more than fair to help them preserve their stories and their mission to tell them.

12. Social Media

While shooting on location, public onlookers will often record the actions on your set. The footage they capture will likely be uploaded and shared on social media.

Abstain from taking part. On period pieces, I’ve had people approach me and request that I pose with them for pictures and videos. That’s a no-no.

As fun and harmless as it seems, production is against this stuff. For our purposes, production is city hall. On Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, we were given adhesive strips to place on our cellphones when we checked in.

For those who are active on social media, this is your warning shot: Production assistants might scour your platforms, looking for posted photos and videos from their production sets.

I’ve heard about extras being contacted to remove uploaded material from their platforms. It’s copyrighted property of the production, and not for public use and display. Not to mention that the same extra was warned of this in their booking and production emails.

13. Scheduling a Fitting

Period pieces are loads of fun. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (late 1950s through early 1960s), Dickinson (1850s), The Plot Against America (early 1940s), and The Deuce (early 1970s through mid-1980s) to name a few.

When contacted to schedule a fitting, the notes will describe what types of undergarments and socks to wear. You will be meeting with the wardrobe department who will take all of your measurements and dress you up.

Fittings are normally scheduled on consecutive days with morning and afternoon time slots. If you have a preference for a date and time frame, let the casting agency know. In my experience, they’re diplomatic with these requests.

During the fitting and once your outfit(s) are finalized, the wardrobe dept. will take a picture of you in costume. From there they will make the alterations and send your costume to set. On production day, your costume will be hung on a rack with a plastic bag, your name, and a photo waiting for you in the wardrobe area.

After you change back into your clothes, you will visit the hair department. For women, it’s usually a consultation on the different styles and what to expect on their production date. Men might receive a touch-up, depending on their current style and how far out their shooting date is.

I’ve had trims and alterations in order for my hair to reach a certain length with a preferred look. If you happen to have conflicting projects, let them know of your other production and shooting schedule.

Hair departments are professional and accommodating. They understand the business, production demands, and erratic schedules of background actors. They’ll be glad to work with you — it’s their livelihood.

For guys, they might shave your neck and or sculpt your style with gel to temper its modern-day appearance. For women, it’s usually the other stuff. Curling irons, rollers, hairspray, and such. All involved want a satisfied look while moving on to other roles.

This industry is full of freelance talent and specialists. It’s common to see PAs as well as wardrobe, hair, and make-up personnel on other productions. We all know how it works and functions best when working as a team.

At most fittings, you will be asked to fill out a voucher for tax purposes. Most fittings are paid and often include two-to-three hours or one-quarter of your daily rate. It’s not a money-maker but designed to cover the time and commuting expenses incurred during the fitting.

When you receive your booking email you will be reminded of your fitting and to report to holding with clean, dry, and untreated hair (no gel, spray, or dyes).

Since it’s a period piece, the hair department will handle your look. The same with make-up.

14. Wardrobe

Any clothing or ‘looks’ that you bring with you should be neatly folded. For business attire, many extras use a garment bag. For shoes and casual clothing, an overnight bag or a carry-on suitcase should suffice.

The wardrobe department is often placed in holding. Here is where you will show the looks you were asked to provide. You will also need your voucher in the event that you will be given something to wear.

Any and all articles, from a scarf to a sports jacket will require your voucher. The wardrobe is often the biggest wildcard of the shoot. I’ve had days where they were completely satisfied and others where they dressed me from head-to-toe, despite hauling a bundle of clothes.

Don’t get defensive if the wardrobe people don’t care for the items that you brought. Most will appreciate your options and effort but are under pressure to do their job.

Film and television are visual mediums. All the looks, including set design and wardrobe, are huge. Everything that is performed on a production set is done before the camera. Nothing else matters outside the sound and visuals that are captured.

The wardrobe’s function is to provide production with the looks and color schemes that must be met. To make sure every background actor on set meets these palette and material demands.

Do your best with the costume notes in the booking email. A bit nervous on my first shoot, I blew my earnings on a shopping spree. That said, I continue to enjoy those clothes both on set and for my personal use.

99.9% of the time and possibly never, you won’t need to make an out-of-pocket purchase. If so, buy something that you like, need, and will use.

The wardrobe people are pros and hired for a reason. So are we. It’s our job to help the production achieve the look they are seeking and demand.

Most wardrobe personnel I’ve worked with are satisfied with a solid and professional effort. It shows that you care and are thoughtful. Once they see that, they’re happy to fill in the blanks and accent your look.

When you’re wrapped for the day, you’ll go to holding and visit the wardrobe table to return your borrowed items. Ask for hangers and do your best to give their clothing back in a decent fashion.

Don’t toss them about as if they’re dirty laundry headed for the hamper. Wardrobe’s job is to care for these items and have them ready for the next shoot and background actor. Once your items are all accounted for, they’ll return your voucher.

In the event of a previous fitting, you won’t need to bring much. However, you will still be expected to surrender your voucher.

Most are set up in larger dressing room areas. You will give the wardrobe person your check-in number, name, and voucher. If there’s room at your area or station, they’ll let you enter and begin to change.

They will also give you a wardrobe number. Since check-in numbers change on a daily basis, your wardrobe number often won’t and makes life easier for everyone.

You’ll find your plastic bag or an onion-type bag with your shoes. Stapled to your plastic bag will be the photo in costume from the day of your fitting, name, and wardrobe number. To the left of the bag will be your costume.

Feel free to park your stuff there. I usually do, since it’s where I’ll be going to change out of costume once we wrap for the day.

When you do wrap, hang everything up as neatly as possible. Return the shoes to the bag you found them in.

Once your costume is hanging in its correct fashion, a wardrobe person will give you a card or a ticket. That piece of paper will then be handed to the person manning the wardrobe table in return for your voucher.

15. Hair and Make-Up

‘Hair and Make-Up’ are two distinct departments that are linked in lingo and succession. Despite your visit to hair during the fitting, you will be asked to sit in one of their chairs on the shooting date.

Women should expect some primping and hairspray to a complete and redesigned look. It’s somewhere on this spectrum, depending upon the type of production and role you were hired to portray.

Men might receive trims and touch-ups. The hair person may also brush, blow-dry, and add a touch of gel for the achieved look.

Make it a point to read the notes in your booking email. They will often ask and remind you how to appear on set.

Many and most modern-day shoots request their background actors to arrive hair and make-up ready. For men, this often includes being clean-shaven and their hair already styled.

As discussed earlier, period pieces may ask that you arrive with dry and untreated hair, as well as little or no make-up.

Always get a picture of your hairstyle. These folks will be styling countless extras over the course of the shoot. It’s also likely you’ll get a different stylist. Again, it’s all about efficiency and expediency — there’s a production crew waiting on set and anxious to get busy.

Once you’ve been cleared by the folks in hair, you’ll visit the make-up department. For men, it’s usually pretty quick. Most times it’s a glance. Sometimes blush and rouge, but very little.

For women, it’s a little to a bit more and expected. In my experience, women spend more time on hair and make-up. Since often the case, they’re a priority and will be taken to the front of the lines.

Visible tattoos are considered property of the tattoo artist, and the make-up department will likely cover them up. Unless you have written clearance, production considers them unlicensed and will not use them.

On prison locales and dystopian shoots, they might add tattoos, scars, and blood. On others, they might add facial hair (sideburns, beards, and mustaches).

People from hair, make-up, and wardrobe are often on set as well. Primping the talent in between takes and camera set-ups. If you require attention, they’ll apply it on the spot.

When you wrap for the day, you’ll need to visit the hair and make-up departments if they had to add anything like facial hair and tattoos. There’s a way to remove this stuff that preserves both the item(s) and your skin.

No self-removal, no problems. Visit the appropriate places on the way out and work as a team.

16. The Props Department

On the way from holding to the set, you’ll likely make a pit stop at the props department. A crew of folks who will accent your look and persona.

Shopping bags, briefcases, tablets. Cameras, employment IDs, clipboards, and other do-dads that make our TV Land less make-believe and more authentic.

If you’re playing law enforcement or a first responder, you will get your badge, buttons, and utility belts. (Due to strict New York State gun laws, fake firearms will be handed out and returned on the set).

You will be asked to surrender a form of ID and give these folks your check-in number for the use of production property. Your passport, driver’s license, or SAG card for union actors will suffice.

There’s nothing to be concerned about while parting with these articles. They’ll be kept in a secure spot accompanied by your check-in number. Since doing background, I have yet to witness or hear of anyone’s ID being misplaced.

Treat the props as if they’re your personal items — in essence, they are. Protect and take care of them.

When you’re leaving set for holding and check-out, you’ll make another stop at props. You’ll give the crew member your check-in number along with your borrowed item(s), and they’ll return your ID.

17. The Longest Work Days are Spent on Production Sets

Despite the lack of heavy lifting, workdays on production sets are marathons. Ten to fifteen-hour sessions are common. Another reason to pace yourself and forget that pastime called clock-watching.

Avoid making social plans on the days you are booked. You never know when they’ll end, and most PA’s will bristle when they’re badgered about it.

For every day that you wrap early or on time, you’ll be staying late. Production sets are known for their downtime. Background talent could go hours between scenes. I’ve spent entire days or most of them in holding. It happens.

Bring something to read. The long days are the hardest to get used to. Most traditional jobs keep daily schedules for time-in, breaks, lunch, and knocking off. Those who have experience running a business or ending their workdays when the phone stops ringing should make a smoother adjustment.

Productions are scheduled for nine-to-ten hours at a set rate. (Eight hours at an hourly wage, every hour after that, time-and-a-half). It’s impossible to gauge how long the days will be. Expect anywhere between six and twelve hours.

In the middle of sitting around (and often the case), you’ll get shocked into character. A change in the shooting schedule will have you up and running at a moment’s notice.

When PAs show up shouting like gunnery sergeants, understand the pressure they’re under. If they don’t get the needed extras to set on the double, it’s their bum on the line, not yours.

Practice relaxing. Why harbor anxiety over something you can’t control? Use this dead time to chill out or snag a catnap.

You might be booked the next day or successive days on other shoots. You won’t know these call-times until later on anyway. Conserve your energy for the needed rest and sleep that will best prepare and condition your body.

18. On Set and Waiting to Be Placed

Once on set a PA will figure out where to put you in the scene. Be patient and allow them to place you as they see fit and give you your direction.

There are times you may or may not be near the camera. You might not get to perform your direction if it’s a fast take. In other scenes, you won’t be needed at all. You might be asked to step off set or return to satellite holding.

It’s never personal and always out of your control. Since film and TV are visual mediums, everything is driven by optics. The color palettes of costume and set design. The race, gender, and age of the pooled background. These are the elements that drive the visual checks and balances of the scene.

For the doubters: You’ve been selected by production to be here. Yes, you’ve been hired by the casting agency. However, every person on set has been approved by production.

Once the casting agency fields the applicants, they sift through the ones who they feel production would like. The casting agency then forwards these headshots (yours included) to the production team.

It’s the production team (one or multiple bigwigs involved), not the casting agency who has the ultimate say. Of course, you want to work, contribute, and enjoy the feeling of being included. These are natural and human desires.

Relax while exhibiting patience and understanding. You’re not being ‘rejected’ and your time should come.

Here’s a common scenario on many sets: The extra who keeps getting ‘skipped over’ is finally placed. Low and behold, they’re next to a principal actor. Sometimes it’s worth the wait and pays off with screen time.

19. Back on Your Ones, End Marks, and Other Cues

Background acting is full of repetitive motions, take after take. All this with a number of camera placements to get more coverage of the same actions. Oftentimes you’ll be directed to walk and cross until the cows come home. Sometimes in frigid conditions, others in oppressive heat and humidity.

I’ve listened to my share of extras moan about this as if they have a better understanding of the process. You know — solutions to get the coverage, speed things up, and call it a day.

Don’t get me started and make me laugh. There are times when you’ll see a director up against it. Their process will seem tedious and disorganized, but it’s out of your hands.

On most sets, the background actors will be directed by an AD (assistant director) or one of the PAs (production assistants) in charge of the background talent. As the scene is being set up, you’ll be placed and told what to do, where to walk, turn, pause, etc. This is your start mark or your ‘one’.

As the scene is ready to go, the principal actors will appear in their spots. Once the cameras start, you’ll hear ‘Rolling’. A slight pause, then, ‘Background’ — our cue to start. Seconds later, you’ll hear ‘Action’.

You’re in motion and the scene is being performed. Everyone involved from pre-production to production has brought us all to this moment. Countless people, hours of rehearsal, and years of expertise. Not to mention the financial investments in play and the global audience waiting in the wings.

There’s no need to dwell on these machinations during your scenes. It’s a reminder of how much energy and teamwork goes into film and TV production. All actors, costumes, and locations are present, and only present, through vision and collaboration.

Concentrate and make it count. Play your scene, do your walks and movements. Be yourself by being natural — casual and fluid.

Whether you’re mingling at a cocktail party or taking pictures at a press conference. Shopping, riding the train, or wandering through a museum. There’s no need for histrionics and self-attention to get on TV. Less is more. Organic wins the day and pleases production.

If they don’t like something, they’ll say so. Accept direction and incorporate the ideas you are given. Make them yours and have fun.

“Cut. Background, back to your ones”, a voice will shout. That’s when you return to your starting point to do it all over again. If sitting or standing still, pause, take a breath, and try not to shift from your position (if seated), or step away from your floor space (when standing).

Make it a point to get back to your one and ready to roll with a sense of purpose. There’s no need to bowl anyone over, just return. Many times you won’t be going right away due to technical pauses.

Since film and TV are collaborative efforts, there could be tweaks with the camera people, sound crew, or lighting team. The director might be convening with the show’s star on her dialogue and delivery. Her movements and cues. Remain professional — patient, quiet, and ready to go when they are.

As the scene is repeated, there will be additional camera set-ups. A crane, dolly, or Steadicam could be brought in. You might be taken from your original one and placed in another area to fill the scene.

Sometimes, you’ll be asked to go to your ‘end mark’. That’s the spot you were in when you heard ‘cut’. Your end-mark could be off-camera and you may or may not be needed for the next shot.

It’s here where a PA may direct you to perform a different action. This new direction may seem out of sequence, what the industry calls ‘continuity’. Again, it’s not your place to question production decisions.

It’s our job to carry out the background choreography. It’s also our job to listen to direction and deliver the results that the production seeks.

It’s likely you’ll be out-of-focus anyway, but the scene requires background movement. People crossing streets, walking their dogs, and other real-life stuff.

Background actors to splice and fuse pretended moments into real ones. To cross that bridge from make-believe to reality.

20. Seating and Couple Arrangements

Oftentimes you’ll be asked by the PAs to sit in holding with your partnered types. Shoppers, pedestrians, and commuters. Lawyers, police, and journalists. Since you’ll be in the same area of the set, it makes things easier and more expedient.

On other sets, you’ll be paired with an actor of the opposite sex. Cocktail parties, a restaurant scene, couples attending a gala event.

It’s up to the set designer to match characters, colors, and wardrobe. A pro who has been hired by their track record and expertise.

After tackling the visuals, there will be choreography to create. As for extras, you’ll be given direction. Subtle movements to create a realistic look and ambiance.

On certain period pieces, production will seek extras who are willing to smoke herbal cigarettes. There’s no obligation to do so since it’s up to you.

Each department involved with the production collaborates to bring every scene to life. The background actors in them, like everyday people — natural and convincing.

Remain quiet, alert, and ready to play your actions. These scenes have to be staged in order for production to start moving again. At this point, the principal actors are most likely on the set and ripe to perform.