Working as an extra has never been a very glamorous job. You are not quite an actor, you’re not a stage hand, your easily replaceable, and if you are lucky someone might see the back of your head while the main character passes you on a subway. At the same time it is an excellent time to learn. Look around the set and you will be surprised what you can learn. I was fortunate enough to recently be an extra for my buddy’s short film, “Wine and Cheese.” Check out their site if you like.
I’ve been an extra before so standing around and waiting was nothing new to me. What was new was seeing my friend direct (they grow up so fast) and a being part of a small close group of young professionals working their butts off. This gave me the opportunity to talk with everyone, get their take on their role and find out why they do certain things on set.
Lessons
Ever wonder each defining role on set?
I have and so I asked. I got first hand experience to learn what exactly does an Assistant Director (I always thought they brought coffee). This can be further from the truth. This is the person that makes sure the production is running smoothly on set. He is the loud voice for the director allowing the direct do what they need to do, mainly DIRECT. My favorite was Director of Photography. He is in charge on how each shot looks. Each person stuck with their role for the day and worked their hardest on it.
How do I get a better outside shot?
Tired of the bland shot every time you see a sidewalk? Well, why not wet the whole thing. It’s a set trick that brings contrast to the shot. These were a few of the tricks I learned that I can apply to my films one day.
Network
I have always pondered if I should bite the bullet and go to film school. The pluses would be that I would learn everything quickly and it will be fun. The cons are that its expensive, and I’ve heard (not through the grapevine) that many do not find it useful.
If only there was someone to talk to about it. Eureka! The whole crew is currently attending film school. Let’s talk to
Um.. Line?
them. What I got out of it was that most of the students are there for the connections. Hollywood is truly about who you know. So get to know people. Film school is good to have on your resume but if you want to be that lead director or writer there is a lot of hard work needed to be done outside of school. Film school is just a stepping stone but it’s not all to end all about film. So go if you can afford it, and if not figure out another way.
Overall, being on set was a lot of fun. Great crew, cast and everything in between. But if you get the opportunity to be on set then take the chance and use it to learn and network. It also doesn’t hurt to know your way around a set so make sure you take the opportunity when you can.
