Reader O' The Week: "Making The Most Of Your Time On The Set"

Will Sanders

Thanks for writing, Will. Sounds like you could gain a lot from this experience. I assume you're writing about "The Castle," which is a major Hollywood feature film, and you'll have access to the inside process that very few amateurs ever see, thanks to your long-term status on the picture.

Be a team player every day and do whatever you can to help out. Try not to be too eager, so that you don't come off as wet behind the ears, but people truly notice when you go the extra mile. Always show up to the set with a positive attitude, and behave like a professional actor (without getting full of yourself). You'd be surprised who'll talk you up to others when you're not around. The make-up and hair people have more access to other cast and crew members than you do and, believe me, they gossip. It's part of the fun that keeps the day-to-day work interesting.

If another extra starts acting unprofessionally or doesn't take the work seriously, distance yourself from that point on. You don't want to get lumped in with that guy. Your main contact will be the Assistant Director (AD) and/or the 2nd AD. Get to know her when she's not busy. AD's are incredibly busy at nearly all times (even lunch), but can be very friendly to good people if you're making their job easier.

The long-term background actors also have excellent opportunities to buddy up with lead and supporting actors, depending on how closely you work with them and how friendly they are. One of the long-term extras on a movie I worked on last year became fairly close with the other guys he worked with over the course of the shoot, and you can be sure they will remember him. He even got invited to cast and crew events that most extras would never even know about.

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