Living in New York City as a student without a full time job is almost impossible. Because of this, I’ve had a lot of odd jobs. The weirdest one I’ve ever had is being an extra on film and television shows. I’ve been SAG since I was 16. I acted for the next two years, but stopped to attend to college to get a degree in marketing. I got a “regular job” while in undergrad, but ended up quitting cause my boss was an ass. I graduated two weeks after I quit and started applying to big kid jobs. But because being a millennial has a certain connotation and the economy sucks, no one would hire. I love shopping, like a lot, so I needed a job fast. Since I was a member of the union I decided I would become a background actor. I was desperate guys. Still am. But within 2 months, I booked a 10-week gig standing in for an award winning actress. After that, I was booking background gigs regularly. So what is it ACTUALLY like being a background actor? I’ve read all these articles about people who did one gig and tell their story. You really can’t get the full experience from one booking. Every set is different. Some love tattoos, some will fire you if you show up and don’t cover them. Some are very rule oriented, and some are very relaxed. It all depends on so many variables. So here is a basic rundown of what it is like to be a union background actor.
When you first arrive to wherever the production is that day, you report to holding. In holding it can range from just you, to 500+ people sitting in a room. It depends what scene they are filming that day. So let us say I’m are working a set with 200 background actors. I usually get there about 15 minutes early. I’ll take a seat in the middle and see who comes in. There really aren’t THAT many people who do background work in New York. Some days it seems like there are a million, but you really do get to know these people. Some BG actors stand out more than others. The ones that stand out, you want to avoid. When you’re on set, you want to let the PA’s know you’re chill, but also be invisible. You cannot be in the way at all. They will not hesitate to fire you. I was on a set once and 5 people got fired for the stupidest reasons. One time this lady was texting her friend but the lead actor though she taking his picture, so she got kicked off. And if that happens, say goodbye to working for that casting company ever again, or at least for a year. Basically what I’m saying is you don’t have to be friends with everyone on set. Keep your head down, and figure out what kind of set you’re on. Once you figure out what they are ok with, you can start opening up. But remember, NO SUDDEN MOVEMENTS
STEP TWO: GRAB AS MUCH FOOD AS POSSIBLE
Craft Services, or Crafty, has saved me. Being broke you realize how much money good food costs. Crafty usually has the most amazing snacks and drinks, and the catered lunches are AMAZING. I have a container filled with expensive tea courtesy of the crafty trucks. There is an endless supply of iced coffee on hot days and espressos all day every day. They have jars of Nutella, and one time, even had those pumpkin cashew things from Costco. I asked the guy working crafty if I could take the whole bag back to holding, and he laughed. Once he saw I was serious, he was kind enough to let me. On the flip side, I know someone who got fired because they were disrespectful to the people working for Craft Services. So if they don’t have Nutella on your set, don’t go complain to a PA. It will just piss them off and you’ll look like an idiot.
STEP THREE: SIT FOR 8 HOURS
When you are on set, you sit. A LOT. I was a stand in on a show and I would take a nap every day. One time, the Production Assistant came up and we had the door closed and lights off. We were sound asleep. Luckily we became friends with this PA, so he was cool about it, and kindly told us to check ourselves. Now that I’m in Grad School I bring my laptop and do homework while I wait. Others will watch movies or bring books. You have to have patience. There are really only a few expectations to this, and that’s if you’re featured, a stand in, or stunts. In that case, you usually have to be close to set
STEP FOUR: REHEARSALS/FILMING
Filming can suck, or it can be the most fun ever. On that stand in gig, I got to say the most horrible things in the world, and I loved it. Mostly because I would get in trouble if I didn’t. I got to say every bad word imaginable. It was an independent project and this writer went all out. It was the most fun I’ve ever had. There have also been days where I’ve gotten heat stroke and had to leave set because the conditions were horrible (yes, even us union get treated like shit sometimes). My favorite is when swarms of paparazzi come and you find pictures of you next to celebrities online. It’s also cool getting drunk with your favorite actors at wrap parties.
SO why am I telling you all this? Well, cause this job has changed me. It can sometimes be the worst job in the world. There are days when you are treated like cattle. However, the days that you get to act, make up for all it. I’ve played a drug addict, a raver, someone with mental health issues, among other things, and it’s made me appreciate my life. I’m broke as fuck, have over $120,000 in student debt, but I have hope now. Because of these experiences I was inspired to write my own work. I have a web series in production under my own production company, and the most supportive team in the world. And that supportive team I met through background work. So if you’re broke as fuck like me, consider doing BG work. Or don’t. I really don’t want more competition.
Living in New York City as a Student without a full time job is almost impossible. Because of this, I’ve had a lot of odd jobs. The weirdest one I’ve ever had is being an extra on film and television shows. I’ve been SAG since I was 16. I acted for the next two years, but stopped to attend to college to get a degree in marketing. I got a “regular job” while in undergrad, but ended up quitting cause my boss was an ass. I graduated two weeks after I quit and started applying to big kid jobs. But because being a millennial has a certain connotation and the economy sucks, no one would hire. I love shopping, like a lot, so I needed a job fast. Since I was a member of the union I decided I would become a background actor. I was desperate guys. Still am. But within 2 months, I booked a 10-week gig standing in for an award winning actress. After that, I was booking background gigs regularly. So what is it ACTUALLY like being a background actor? I’ve read all these articles about people who did one gig and tell their story. You really can’t get the full experience from one booking. Every set is different. Some love tattoos, some will fire you if you show up and don’t cover them. Some are very rule oriented, and some are very relaxed. It all depends on so many variables. So here is a basic rundown of what it is like to be a union background actor.
When you first arrive to wherever the production is that day, you report to holding. In holding it can range from just you, to 500+ people sitting in a room. It depends what scene they are filming that day. So let us say I’m are working a set with 200 background actors. I usually get there about 15 minutes early. I’ll take a seat in the middle and see who comes in. There really aren’t THAT many people who do background work in New York. Some days it seems like there are a million, but you really do get to know these people. Some BG actors stand out more than others. The ones that stand out, you want to avoid. When you’re on set, you want to let the PA’s know you’re chill, but also be invisible. You cannot be in the way at all. They will not hesitate to fire you. I was on a set once and 5 people got fired for the stupidest reasons. One time this lady was texting her friend but the lead actor though she taking his picture, so she got kicked off. And if that happens, say goodbye to working for that casting company ever again, or at least for a year. Basically what I’m saying is you don’t have to be friends with everyone on set. Keep your head down, and figure out what kind of set you’re on. Once you figure out what they are ok with, you can start opening up. But remember, NO SUDDEN MOVEMENTS
STEP TWO: GRAB AS MUCH FOOD AS POSSIBLE
Craft Services, or Crafty, has saved me. Being broke you realize how much money good food costs. Crafty usually has the most amazing snacks and drinks, and the catered lunches are AMAZING. I have a container filled with expensive tea courtesy of the crafty trucks. There is an endless supply of iced coffee on hot days and espressos all day every day. They have jars of Nutella, and one time, even had those pumpkin cashew things from Costco. I asked the guy working crafty if I could take the whole bag back to holding, and he laughed. Once he saw I was serious, he was kind enough to let me. On the flip side, I know someone who got fired because they were disrespectful to the people working for Craft Services. So if they don’t have Nutella on your set, don’t go complain to a PA. It will just piss them off and you’ll look like an idiot.
STEP THREE: SIT FOR 8 HOURS
When you are on set, you sit. A LOT. I was a stand in on a show and I would take a nap every day. One time, the Production Assistant came up and we had the door closed and lights off. We were sound asleep. Luckily we became friends with this PA, so he was cool about it, and kindly told us to check ourselves. Now that I’m in Grad School I bring my laptop and do homework while I wait. Others will watch movies or bring books. You have to have patience. There are really only a few expectations to this, and that’s if you’re featured, a stand in, or stunts. In that case, you usually have to be close to set
STEP FOUR: REHEARSALS/FILMING
Filming can suck, or it can be the most fun ever. On that stand in gig, I got to say the most horrible things in the world, and I loved it. Mostly because I would get in trouble if I didn’t. I got to say every bad word imaginable. It was an independent project and this writer went all out. It was the most fun I’ve ever had. There have also been days where I’ve gotten heat stroke and had to leave set because the conditions were horrible (yes, even us union get treated like shit sometimes). My favorite is when swarms of paparazzi come and you find pictures of you next to celebrities online. It’s also cool getting drunk with your favorite actors at wrap parties.
so why am I telling you all this? Well, cause this job has changed me. It can sometimes be the worst job in the world. There are days when you are treated like cattle. However, the days that you get to act, make up for all it. I’ve played a drug addict, a raver, someone with mental health issues, among other things, and it’s made me appreciate my life. I’m broke as fuck, have over $120,000 in student debt, but I have hope now. Because of these experiences I was inspired to write my own work. I have a web series in production under my own production company, and the most supportive team in the world. And that supportive team I met through background work. So if you’re broke as fuck like me, consider doing BG work. Or don’t. I really don’t want more competition.
