Background work is commonly referred to as extra work. It is an extremely important part of film making. Basically, background actors are the people who fill in a location. If its an exterior scene on the street, they are the people walking by. In a restaurant scene, they are the people at the other tables. They fill seats when the scene is in a stadium or theater. You get the idea.
These are non-speaking roles, but sometimes require reactions that align with the scene. For instance, if the background talent witnessed a car crash, they have to react accordingly. These jobs, for the most part do not move your career forward. So, should you submit to this kind of work? It depends.
New to acting?
If you are just starting out, I highly recommend getting this experience. For one, no experience is required. Which means you can start earning some money right away. Mind you, it will not be a lot of money, but there is a lot to be learned. Major television and films are always looking for background talent. So, by doing background work on these types of productions you get to see first hand how sets are run. If you are lucky enough, you can even see how the stars of the project work. This means, free acting lessons. Another perk is that you are fed really well and in most cases you can pack a to-go meal.
Non-union
If you are not a member of SAG-AFTRA(union that represents actors), when you do background work, you will be paid a flat rate. The rate is nothing to write home about. However, you want to do it for what you learn, not for the pay, and because from doing this work you can become eligible to join the union. For more on how to become eligible to join SAG-AFTRA click here.
Union
If you are a member of SAG-AFTRA, and do background work, there are many more perks. For instance, there is overtime pay if you work over a certain amount of hours, if lunch is not taken within a certain amount of time, you start accruing meal penalties. After a while these little perks do add up. It is difficult to find paid union work, so, you can use background work to reach the minimum amount of income to be eligible for SAG-AFTRA health benefits.
What to expect.
After you have been confirmed to work on a job, you will have to call in to get your call time. When you show up to set on time, you will check in and be shown where the background holding area is. This is where all the background talent wait until they are needed. The chances are that you will be sitting in this holding area for a long time. So bring things to do. Depending on the project you might get fitted for a costume. For instance, if you are part of a period piece, the wardrobe department will supply this attire. If the job is more contemporary, you will be asked to bring your own clothes. Just make sure that the clothes you bring don’t have any logo’s or visible text.
Once you are called on set, you will be instructed on what to do. You will have to do the same thing over and over again depending on how many takes they shoot. The various tasks you may be asked to do include: walking across frame, pantomiming having a conversation at a restaurant, acting as if you you are taking notes in a meeting, among other things.
You will be given a lunch break and there are plenty of snacks available to munch on throughout the day. Once the work day is over, you may be asked to return depending if they need more coverage of that scene you were part of. Sometimes you work one day on a film or television show or several days.The work is not guaranteed. Some television shows, like, “30 Rock,” required a good amount of background actors to be part of the “staff” on the show. So, there were some background actors that had full time steady work throughout that show. But those spots are few and far between. Be prepared to be working on many different projects and in many different parts of the city.
The hours can vary wildly from day to day. You may work one day for 12-14 hours and be needed again the next morning, not giving you much turn-around time. Or you may be asked to work during daylight hours one day and work all night the next. You are kept on standby much of the time, waiting to see if you get the call to work the following day.
The low hanging fruit.
The two major agencies that handle the casting of background actors are Grant Wilfley Casting in NY and Central Casting in LA. They will keep you busy if you are available. The bar of entry is not high. So, if you have invested in acting classes and dream of winning awards and everything that comes with that, be careful of not continuing to accept this type of work. By doing so, you no longer become available to go to auditions, and those you meet in the industry will see you only as a background actor.
If pursuing an acting career is what you want, I would recommend that after you have experienced background work, move on. It is just a stepping stone. Don’t stay there too long. There are some people who do background work full time, that are bitter and negative. You don’t want to get caught up in that. Also, none of the footage will help you build your demo reel. Make your money another way that has flexibility for you to attend auditions. You are useless to an agent or manager if you are not available.
If you are not interested in pursuing an acting career and like the idea of being part of the film-making process. Then by all means accept all the background work that comes your way. You might even see yourself on screen. Just know that you will not be credited for your work. Which means your name will not appear in the credits. On the brighter side, you can work your way up and eventually join the union and make a better wage with health benefits and a pension plan.