What is the difference between extra and featured extra

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If you are seeking advice on booking systems, daily deal sites, best practices and lessons learned, feel free to contact me. This entry was posted in Auditions. Bookmark the permalink. April 20, at pm. Awesome Dave! Very clearly written! Easy to understand! I love reading these! Love, Mom. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:.

Email required Address never made public. Name required. Search for:. Create a free website or blog at WordPress. Follow Following. The term "featured extra" is used to describe actors that have specific roles rather than just blending into the background, although SAG doesn't use this term.

Featured extras stand out from the crowd. They may hand the actor a newspaper, pour him a cup of coffee, trip over a sidewalk and block the hero's way or catch a fly ball in a stadium. The featured actor's part is short and generally not repeated more than once during the film. While all types of people are hired as background actors, casting directors are often looking for a certain type for a featured extra role. Background actors, even those who would be considered featured extras, don't talk.

They may take part in crowd murmurings or general backdrop conversation, called "omnies. Also known as background artists, extras are the people walking on the street when the main character goes to work; the parents in the football stands; the anonymous members of the crowd at the beach. Want a job? Trucking, nursing and customer service workers are in demand. Some of these positions require training and certifications, but the training often can be done in as little as a few months and, sometimes, while on the job.

Being an extra requires no experience, no acting talent and no talking. So a good portion of your workday is likely to involve standing around the set waiting to be called. You can and should bring a book and be ready to socialize with your fellow background actors, Dean said. And if you have some sort of quiet and remote side hustle — writing, editing or being a virtual assistant , for example — you can do that while you wait. Side jobs for people who love food.

Union membership accounts for the bulk of the difference. And and hour days are common in this industry. Overtime is paid at 1. Moreover, SAG-AFTRA contracts demand that productions provide actors with meals or meal allowances and pay for mileage if the shoot is distant or lasts more than a set number of hours. For two reasons: First, not everyone can join the union. You need to have a certain number of acting credits to qualify. If you qualify for union membership, the other hurdle is cost.

It can be a foot in the door. However, being an extra is generally not a resume builder. And the last-minute nature of background jobs could hinder your ability to audition for more serious roles.