Act Acting » Acting Agents » Ungoing extra argument

Ungoing extra argument

Question:

This is a little snotty but why don’t you bow down and worship him. That’s what it appears to me you guys do to Ed. …. I have respect for Ed. I just think you and he are wrong when it comes to extras…..

I hope nobody puts me on a pedestal, Michael.  I am simply somone who has made a living from acting for twenty-five years.  There are not many of us, frankly.  As you may know, over 85% of the member of SAG earn less than $4,000 per year, not enough to qualify for insurance coverage.  I’ve not only qualified for insurance coverage for twenty-five years, but I’ve earned a pretty good pension.  If I never work another day as an actor, I’ll make more in retirement than most actors make working. And I’ve passed along my knowledge about the business in a couple of books, one of which is now a required text at the NYU Tisch School of Drama, and in my professional acting classes.  Heather Locklear ("Melrose Place") and Teri Hatcher ("Lois and Clark") are two of my students, among many others whose faces you would recognize immediately. I hate it when people want to argue with me about the value of doing extra work.  I am not elitist about it, nor do I think extra work is anything other than an honorable activity.  My problem arises when extras want to equate what they do with the art of acting.  It just is not so, and I think SAG made a TERRIBLE mistake when it took in the Screen Extras Guild, with its ranks of professional extras. Anyway….. Ed Hooks

Response:

Michael Bresnahan wrote This is a little snotty but why don’t you bow down and worship him. That’s

what it appears to me you guys do to Ed. So if I disagree with someone you have put on pedastal, I  all of a sudden have to check myself, not. First, yes, you’re right it is snotty.  Second,  I don’t worship Ed.  I just think he geniunely tries to be helpfully to younger actors.  I don’t believe in putting people on pedalstals.  I also don’t believe someone should be called a snob, as Ed was, just because a person disagrees.  We’re all adults here.  Do we have to stoop to name calling. Once again there are extras and then there are background (performers or actors or artists).

I whole heartedly agree with you.  However, it’s rare that either paves the way to fortune and fame.  I think the odds might compare to getting hit by lighting twice in your lifetime. My advice has helped those who want to work background. I know the ins and

outs and share with those who ask me. If it was up to you guys there would be no background left on the face of the earth. I’m glad your advice has helped people.  However, the question in the original post was about using background to breakthru to a career in film and television.  Not to make a career of background.  If I’ve  confused things my humble apologies.  But, I don’t think we have to be melodramatic in saying I or Ed Hooks wants to eliminate background or extra performers.  That’s just nonsense and you know it.  It’s just that background has it’s time and place. It ain’t gonna make you rich, but it can buy you a nice dinner, speaking from a non-union perspective.  If you have the time and patience for such things, by all means do it.  However, I wouldn’t skip an audition to do extra work. Jenn Miley 1-212-462-9267 www.buzznyc.com/actors/res.miley.jenn.html

Response:

:      Usually, I don’t put my two cents into these arguments, but here we go. : I’m assuming that we all know the argument so I won’t post and repost what has : been posted and reposted over and over again. I want to make a new statement regarding extras and resumes’ – as a casting director, I have seen hundreds of resumes and have called in a lot of actors for auditions, and really there is one thing that URKS me to no end!  And that is to list the extra roles and LEAD, PRINCIPAL, FEATURED, etc.  I would ask the person about the part [sometimes because I knew the show well [I do mostly television] and after a couple of minutes talking, I pointedly ask if it had any speaking parts and low and behold, I have an extra trying to pass off as a speaking part. Now, I dont mean to come down on extras, as I was once one [in the 80's] and I was told to list the roles in the above fashion, but now as a casting director – I find that advice is RUBBISH.  Do not do it! You won’t get the part!   Unless you did something extra [no pun intended] special, dont list it as anything other than the truth. BTW, the above advice does NOT apply to stand-in players [but list yourself correctly] Thank you. David http://www.alh.tj/casting

Response:

I think all of the twenty -some actors should pretty much be ashamed of themselves.

just a small side-note. you speak of respect in your post, but that gross generalization clearly lacks respect for those "twenty-somethings" of us that read and respond here. Maura K Phipps http://members.aol.com/mop418/main.htm "Everyone sees what you appear to be, few feel who you are" -Machiavelli

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – JENMILEY wrote in article Extra roles are looked at as dirt.  I’ve had directors tell me so, agents tell me so, and the only valuable thing I learned by being an extra was that it doesn’t matter who is passing by the camera. I agree with many of the things that have been said on both sides of this argument, including the quote above.  Sure, being an extra can be both demeaning and a lot of work, and it doesn’t have much to do with acting. But let’s face it, it’s nice to be paid for something other than sitting in front of a computer all day.  A couple of months ago, I was a featured extra on a commercial (SAG job); it paid over $400 for, what? a few hours of mainly sitting around waiting to be called.  Plus soup and sandwiches at craft services, and a hell of a nice dinner. It ain’t gonna make me rich, but it paid the mortgage that month.

Dear David, CAN WE BE CLEAR:  The subject of this thread has been extra work for feature films…. most extra work for feature films is crowd work…. background work…. BODIES!.  It gets you a few bucks, and maybe a voucher toward your magic three to entitle yourself to a SAG card, which is WORTHLESS, unless you can support it with at the very least, a day player role.  Of course, that’s my humble and very prejudiced opinion. Ed has stated on this NG, and I have separately expressed that extra work in commercials is a separate category.  Oh, yeah…. local non-union commercials do hire dozens of wanna-be’s for a furniture or used car commercial…. at a $30-60 rate, whatever the local will accept or forgive. Your $400 for an extra in a SAG commercial was for a featured extra or reaction extra contract…. a DIFFERENT CATEGORY!  Read your damn contract.  And talk to your local. You launched into a dialogue for which you are clearly unprepared and misinformed.   A (SAG) actor who studies at my studio, TAS, did a national commercial last Monday at Denver’s City Park for the current "special extra rate"…. and the agent also negotiated a higher rate for for a possible upgrade.   So, David, don’t compare apples with oranges.  And do double-check your information, and please, also follow the thread. Break a leg, Bill — THE ACTING STUDIO http://gvtg.com/theactingstudio

Response:

Ed wrote "I hate it when people want to argue with me about the value of doing extra work.  I am not elitist about it, nor do I think extra work is anything other than an honorable activity.  My problem arises when extras want to equate what they do with the art of acting. " Why didn’t you say so to begin with? It seemed to me that you were condemning extra work at a total waste of time. I have to agree that those "professional extras" are not actors, but I still maintain that a little background work when one is beginning an acting career can be quite useful.  If you don’t agree with that, fine. "When I said ‘roll camera’, I didn’t mean it literally."

Response:

JENMILEY wrote in article Extra roles are looked at as dirt.  I’ve had directors tell me so, agents tell me so, and the only valuable thing I learned by being an extra was that it doesn’t matter who is passing by the camera.  

I agree with many of the things that have been said on both sides of this argument, including the quote above.  Sure, being an extra can be both demeaning and a lot of work, and it doesn’t have much to do with acting. But let’s face it, it’s nice to be paid for something other than sitting in front of a computer all day.  A couple of months ago, I was a featured extra on a commercial (SAG job); it paid over $400 for, what? a few hours of mainly sitting around waiting to be called.  Plus soup and sandwiches at craft services, and a hell of a nice dinner. It ain’t gonna make me rich, but it paid the mortgage that month. Am I going to put that extra work on my resume?  Hell, no.  But am I going to turn up my nose at that kind of money?  Are you nuts? David Heath

Response:

don’t like the answer you got, but that’s life.  Ed’s telling the truth.

Extra wrong, wrong, wrong roles are looked at as dirt.  I’ve had directors tell me so, agents tell me

so, and the only valuable thing I learned by being an extra was that it doesn’t matter who is passing by the camera.  Once, they even started pulling

people Try and get an inexperienced background performer to be in a 2 shot with the principal doing something special. They can’t deliver and that’s why they call me because they know I can and the directors appreciate it. They tell me that. Once again there are extras and then there are background (performers or actors or artists). I have a little joke I tell people when they ask me if I am an extra, I tell them I have never been extra for anything in my life. Ed had a point in another post he said he got 10 large for one line and the extra got $100. I want lines, I want the 10 grand.  Doing it my way, I’ll bet I will have more contracts at the end of the year than those beginners waiting for their agents to call. And with me never ever having stepped on a theaters stage. off the streets when they hadn’t even put me in yet (I had been there for eight hours).     The point is, people are on this board to help one another.  Ed and the others don’t have to answer a damn thing, but they do and I’m greatful for.

I This is a little snotty but why don’t you bow down and worship him. That’s what it appears to me you guys do to Ed. So if I disagree with someone you have put on pedastal, I  all of a sudden have to check myself, not. have gleaned quite a bit of wonderful advice.  So, check yourself and learn a little respect for people with a little bit more knowledge than you have.

Your I have respect for Ed. I just think you and he are wrong when it comes to extras. My advice has helped those who want to work background. I know the ins and outs and share with those who ask me. If it was up to you guys there would be no background left on the face of the earth. actors after all.  To suceed you’re going to have to develope thicker skins

If I ever develop a thick skin give me the rope I’d want to suicide. Michael Just feeling a little driven today

Response:

     Usually, I don’t put my two cents into these arguments, but here we go. I’m assuming that we all know the argument so I won’t post and repost what has been posted and reposted over and over again.      I think all of the twenty -some actors should pretty much be ashamed of themselves.  Being a twenty-some actor, I feel I have the right to say that. Ed Hooks and the other professionals on this newsgroup with years of experience were only trying to help you when they answered your questions.  Sorry if you don’t like the answer you got, but that’s life.  Ed’s telling the truth.  Extra roles are looked at as dirt.  I’ve had directors tell me so, agents tell me so, and the only valuable thing I learned by being an extra was that it doesn’t matter who is passing by the camera.  Once, they even started pulling people off the streets when they hadn’t even put me in yet (I had been there for eight hours).      The point is, people are on this board to help one another.  Ed and the others don’t have to answer a damn thing, but they do and I’m greatful for.  I have gleaned quite a bit of wonderful advice.  So, check yourself and learn a little respect for people with a little bit more knowledge than you have.  Your actors after all.  To suceed you’re going to have to develope thicker skins than you have now.      As a side note, Courtney Love became famous by marrying a musician which catapulted her own bands career, it had nothing to do with being an extra. Jenn Miley 1-212-462-9267 www.buzznyc.com/actors/res.miley.jenn.html

Response:

Related Posts

Leave a Reply