Beginner's Guide to becoming an extra.
Life as a film extra.
Find out where recent films such as Matchpoint and Pride & Prejudice were shot.
London Film Locations.
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Fleeting fame: the real extras
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A ticket to fame and fortune…
Extras, or ‘supporting artists', are generally the people you see in the background of television and film productions. Extras may be chatting at the back of the pub, caught up in the thrust of a major fight or even just walking down the pavement while the main actors are doing their acting thing.
… or just a free bacon sandwich?
Ricky Gervais, a popular comedian, has recently poked fun at the life of film extras. In his series, Extras, he plays an out of work actor who becomes an extra to help him find his big break. Most extras though are not budding thespians; they do it to rub shoulders with celebrities, and the money.
It is true that you don’t need to go to drama school to find work as an extra and you can be paid up to £100 a day for the work. Joanna from Glasgow has been an extra in a handful of shows. During her student days, Joanna appeared in the film There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble. She says ‘I only went along out of curiosity. We didn’t get paid but they gave us free bacon sandwiches and hot chocolate. Most of all, it was a great distraction from going to the library!’
However, if you have any other skills such as horse riding, fencing, dancing or acrobatics, you may make it as ‘a walk on part’. This means you will probably be featured prominently on screen, and not just as a face in the crowd.
Turning your home into Hollywood
You don’t need to appear on television yourself to get a glimpse of fame. It is becoming increasingly popular to offer your home as a film location.
Houses and flats in all the big UK cities are constantly used as sets for big film productions; from UK-based films such as Notting Hill through to the backstreets of Manchester being used as downtown New York in Jude Law’s version of Alfie.
Moreover, antique and memorabilia collectors, and vintage car enthusiasts, are regularly called upon to help provide authentic props for period dramas.
However, not everyone is happy to have their homes screened to millions worldwide. Sandra Smith had initially allowed her house in Bracknell, Surrey, to be used as Harry Potter’s home for the recent films. Sadly though, Mrs Smith grew so tired of Harry Potter fans continuously going up to her house and peering in through the front window that she decided to move.
Little Frank
April 2006
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