Acting : Questions on being an extra by Dan LaRoy

I worked as an extra for about 2 years. It was a learning experience. Being on a set is the best way to learn the ropes. Unfortunately, it's difficult to get enough weekly gigs to make a living. You will have to get a second job that's flexible with your schedule. Also, you should consult with SAG about working as an extra. They have very specific rules. You may consider waiting until you get more experience. I suggest that you look into auditioning for short films. They're fun & you get IMDB credit, experience, & sometimes pay. Good luck, Dan. =)

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I have experience, just not in LA. Where I live you can't do it full time. I love being on set though. I was hoping it was possible to work everyday there. I would love to do that full time and take acting classes at night.

I worked as a non union extra in L.A. for about a year. I was able to work about 3 days a week, but getting a gig every single day was hard. I worked on one show that started in January, around pilot season, a new show, and it used a core group of us extras over and over again, as it was a show that had a newsroom and they wanted the same faces working the newsroom every episode. So that was fairly steady work usually at least once a week. Overall, you have to be very persistent and use the hotline or website, (back when I worked it was a phone hotline) to constantly search for work. Time consuming but good experience and you can work your way into sag doing it, again, if you're persistent. Central Casting is the biggest background casting agency around L.A. that I know of, and there are several other smaller ones that can book you for some work as well. They usually charge about a 20-30 dollar registration fee, but then you're all set and it's usually free to update your photos and such. Good luck!

thanks stephanie, 3 days a week isnt as much as i was hoping for. Do you think there is less work for SAG extras? or about the same? also do you get overtime a lot? here where i live we tend to go for 12 hours very frequently. I'm just hoping I can make a living doing it. I am SAG eligible though, so i'd make a bit more than a non union extra.

I was out there in '06, before the merger of SAG and AFTRA, so not sure if that has effected the amount of work in background for Sag people or not. The SAG peops I talked to back then said they could make a living doing it, and they had insurance as well. I think if you find an affordable place to live and don't live extravagantly you could get by doing it. It's usually a Mon-Fri gig for the TV shows, but other projects film on weekends where you might get some work. And if you register with more than one casting company the more opportunities you'll have. I usually worked around 12 hours, on a few rare occasions even more. If you use your car on the set you get paid a little extra as well, as in they use your car in the scene. One time I got more than 12 hours because they were using my car in a parking garage scene, even though they were done with me, so I got OT for just sitting around. You can also get work as a "seat filler" for shows that use live audiences. I got paid to work on some game shows and such just sitting and cheering on cue. I actually kinda miss all that, but I wanted to spend more time acting and building a reel/resume and BG just wasn't doing it for me. But def fun. With Central Casting you would get paid for 8 hours, even if you were wrapped after only 4 hours, at least when I was working as non union, probably the same for union peops. If you decide to go, good luck! And have fun. If you have any more questions let me know, I'd be glad to help as much as I can.

Hi there, My name is Joy Morris. I am someone who travels often to LA. I have traveled to and from Los Angeles for the past fourteen years working as a tv host and as an actress. To be honest with you everything is the same with the exception that the majority of the work has moved out of CA and has traveled to the East Coast. Don't get me wrong, there is still plenty of work but not nearly as much as there used to be. You could work as much extra work as you want to but I don't know that it would pay for all of your expenses to live there. A friend of mine owns a casting company in LA. Check out Jeff Olan Casting (http://jeffolancasting.com) and see what the requirements would be for you to get on his database. He is a great person! So hopefully you can get help from him. Also tell him I sent you. Another very good friend of mine is Alexia Robinson. She is one of the best acting coaches in CA. She now has a way to teach you via the internet. Check out http://smartactors.com You can learn a lot just from being on this site. You can also receive personal coaching via her site…..all coaching would come from the top acting coaches out there. I hope that this helps you and anyone else who reads this post. Have a great day! Joy Morris www.JoyEMorris.com

I would just like to add one more agency that's great at getting you BG gigs. I worked part time for Uncut Casting in L.A. & I booked a co-starring role on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 'White walls' video. That experience got the ball rolling for my acting career. I've since started taking acting lessens, acquired an agent, & completed 3 short films. I owe it all to Uncut Casting (Ben & Ryan too)! Once you get the acting bug, there's no cure! I wish you all the luck & success in your career. =)