Please Do Not Call Me An EXTRA!
I’d like to start this blog entry today with a clarification. I’m NOT an EXTRA! WE are not EXTRAS! Please refrain from ever referring to us as such. Thank you.
As you can tell, this is a touchy subject with some of us. Don’t get me wrong. I’m fully aware that the term “extra” is often used to describe background talent. In fact, Ricky Gervais produced a very funny and successful HBO series about background talent; the name of the show, EXTRAS. However, let me take this opportunity to set the record straight. No matter what anyone tells you, we are NOT EXTRAS. The word extra connotes something superfluous, unnecessary really, just there as an addition. We are not superfluous. We are not extra baggage or extra actors on a set. We are absolutely necessary and in fact, in some cases, we are THE essential ingredient that makes a scene work. Can you image for example, the movie TITANIC, without the hundreds of background actors floating in the water screaming for their lives? I don’t think the sinking of the Titanic scene would have had the same effect if only Leo and Kate were holding on to the railing afraid as the ship sinks dramatically, into the ocean. Or even in WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, the famous scene when Meg Ryan fakes the orgasm. I don’t think it would have been half as funny without the background actors reacting to her moans of fake pleasure. Remember their faces and Billy Crystal’s embarrassment? Isn’t that what makes the scene work?
Therefore, please take the term EXTRAS out of your mind. We are background actors, talent, who help create authenticity. And as with all talent, there are good background actors and not so good, well actually, bad background talent. I’m sure you’re asking yourself, “How in the world can there be bad background actors? I mean, how hard is it to walk from point A to point B or mimic ordering a coffee or a conversation at a dinner table?”
Let me explain.
A few months ago I was booked on a very popular TV show. We were filming on location at a very exclusive outdoor restaurant. The scene called for the star of the show to have a brief but emotional conversation with another actor who was playing her father. The way the tables were set up the star and the other actor would be sitting in the center table flanked by tables of BGAs. I was positioned right behind the star, which was great because I knew I’d be on camera. I was given a “date” to sit at the table with me. Since we were supposed to be enjoying a scrumptious meal at this high end restaurant, they placed in front of us real food; an Italian Tiramsu dessert, coffee, and glasses filled with water. We were told by set design that we could eat the dessert because it was actually delicious and they had more pieces available if the scene dragged on. There is so much mimicking you can do in a dinner/restaurant scene without actually eating or drinking something. I said hello to my fake date. He seemed like a nice person. He had been doing background work for a long time, so I’m thinking, “Great, I got a pro, no problem, we got this.”
REHEARSAL
BACKGROUND…ACTION!
We’re sitting and I’m mimicking talking about the weather, (cold), the food, (delicious), the coffee (horrible), all the while my “date” is just smiling, fork in hand and starring over my head at…I have no clue! Look, I understand, we are not doing Shakespeare here but you gotta give me something to work with, at least look at me!
CUT!
As the Director and the Star talk over the scene, I ask the guy, “Why are you looking over my head? Did the AD give you an eye line?” He said, “No. I’m just looking at the ocean.” I ask, “Is there a reason you don’t want to look at me during the scene?” He says, “We’re just rehearsing, no big deal. I don’t want to get stale.”
Stale? Looking at me would get stale after a while? Okay, I’m not insulted.
Whatever. (Sound effect: Two snaps of the singer)
The Director and Star finish their powwow and are now ready to shoot.
PICTURE’S UP. (That’s what they say when they’ve finished rehearsing and are ready to shoot)
I look over at my scene partner, he’s smiling, fork in hand ready for the Director to yell, “Action!”
Okay, here we go.
BACKGROUND…ACTION!
We’re sitting, I’m mimicking talking about the how beautiful the restaurant is, I’m smiling, drinking some water, I try the Tiramisu (yeap, it is delicious), I pretend he said something funny, I laugh…CUT!
I’ve just described what I was doing during that take. Now I will describe what he was doing.
Sitting.
That’s it. No pretend conversation with me, no drinking the water, no trying the dessert, nothing. He did look at me this time, but THAT’S IT!
Again, you must be saying, “So what, let him sit there. You shouldn’t care what the other BGA does as long as you do your job.” Well, you see, I’m an actress, I believe in ACTING! Just because I’m background doesn’t mean I’m not mentally in the scene. Remember, it has to look authentic. Do you think a table of two people, one laughing, talking, eating and the other just sitting with a fork in his hand, like a deer caught in the headlights, looks authentic? Eventually, the other person has to move his hand, his head, something! I mean, you wouldn’t be frozen to your seat?
Just because we are background doesn’t mean that we don’t act authentic in a scene. That’s why we are called background actors, “actors” being the operative word. I do understand that sometimes as BGA you might not actually be in the shot. But if you are on the set and you are supposed to be doing some sort of action then follow through, don’t assume you won’t be on camera. That’s Basic Background Acting 101.
What else makes a good BGA or a bad one? The ability to understand continuity and the art of repetitiveness will make one BGA stand out from another.
Folks, a set is a busy, chaotic place; you have lighting people, gaffers, make up girls, wardrobe, Director, 1st Assistant Director, 2nd Assistant Director, camera men/women, etc. At any one time there could be at least 30 people on a set and that’s NOT including the actors. It can get crazy and the people in charge of BGA are usually the PA’s (production assistants). They are given the job of directing BGA where to walk, where to turn, where to stand from the 1st AD who gets his direction from the Director. In other words, it can get fairly confusing for the PA’s to keep up with where, when and how you should be doing your action in the scene. They really try their best but a good BGA knows, after the first few rehearsals, when in the scene they should be walking, where they are walking to, and how they should be doing their “business.” They don’t need to be told over and over. There needs to be continuity in a scene and things need to match. A good BGA keeps these things in mind. For example, if you are told to walk from the couch to the kitchen when a certain actor in the scenes says, “I’ll be right back” then it’s your job to listen for your cue during every take. Or if you have been getting up from a chair every time an actor makes a certain gesture in the scene then it’s your job to remember to repeat those exact actions every time.
Next time you watch a movie or TV show, you won't be watching the "extras", you'll be watching the background talent and the great job they are doing. Thank you.
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