Movie Extra Opportunities: Is the Pay Worth Your Time?

Before you reply to a role, add up the whole day and your costs, then compare that with the pay rate in the Open Call. Rates vary by production, and the Open Call shows the rate for that role. Extra roles do not promise income, and what a role is worth depends on your time, your travel, and what else you could do with the day.

Count the whole day

The Open Call shows the dates, the pay rate, and the location. It does not always show how long you will be there. A day on set is usually about 12 hours, sometimes more, and seldom less than 8. You arrive early (on time means 15 minutes early), check in, do paperwork, go through wardrobe and hair and makeup, then wait a lot before you are on set.

Count the day from the moment you leave home to the moment you get back. Include the drive, the waiting, and a long wrap. Lunch comes about 6 hours after the crew call, and background is often called earlier than the crew, so you may go 7 hours without a meal. That is why a snack matters.

What a rate like $150/12 means

Rates are often written as a dollar amount and a number of hours. A rate of $150/12 means $150 guaranteed for a day of up to 12 hours. If you are released after 8 hours, you still get the $150.

The rate already includes 4 hours of overtime, because overtime is usually figured after 8 hours in a day. Hours after the 12th are paid at time and a half. So a long day does not shrink your pay, and a short one does not either. What changes is how much of your day the pay covers.

Typical day rates

Rates vary by production, so treat these as typical ranges on MyCastingFile, not promises.

• General extras: about $100 to $150 a day.
• Featured extras: about $150 to $350, depending on the skill needed.
• Stand-ins: about $175 to $200. Photo doubles are usually paid the same as stand-ins.

There is usually extra pay for working with your car, bringing your pet, special wardrobe, and similar requests. Casting tells you the amount when you are hired.

A fitting is paid too, usually as a "quarter check," which is 2 hours of pay on a $150/12 rate. A fitting on the morning of the shoot day does not get extra pay.

How you get paid

Extras are usually paid by a payroll company, which is the employer of record. That means your W-2 comes from the payroll company. Pay usually arrives by mailed check, sometimes by direct deposit, in 2 to 4 weeks. Plan around that gap.

Some small independent productions pay differently, for example as 1099 income or in cash. Ask the casting company if the Open Call does not say. You pay nothing to apply or to be booked, so a request for money is a warning sign. How to spot a casting scam covers it.

Add travel and other costs

Extras are usually hired locally, so travel is usually not paid. Count gas, tolls, and food. Parking is paid when the production sends you to a paid lot or garage, so read the parking note in the Open Call. If you need to buy something for the wardrobe notes, count that too.

A longer drive also costs you time at both ends of the day. Getting to set and back goes through the practical side of travel.

Other value

Money is not the only reason people take extra roles. You might enjoy seeing how a production works, spending a day with other people, or being in a scene of a film you like. If you take a role mainly for the experience, that is a reasonable choice, as long as you know the pay and costs going in. If you are counting on the money, look at the numbers more carefully, and keep in mind that nothing guarantees you will be asked back.

Paperwork and what to bring

Your first day starts with a voucher, which holds your basic information, including your Social Security number, plus a W-4. Bring a driver's license and Social Security card, or a passport. In a state with a film tax incentive, you may also fill out a form that shows you are a resident of the state. More shows now use digital vouchers and digital time cards on your phone, and some ask you to finish the paperwork the day before. Keep a note of your call time and your release time, so you can check your pay when it arrives.

A note on unions

Union rules depend on where you are and what kind of production it is. SAG-AFTRA covers background under its theatrical contract only in certain zones. In other areas, background on union films is non-union, and union members may also work background there. Commercial contracts are different, and they cover a set number of extras. Check SAG-AFTRA for the current rules.

Say yes or no

Take the pay, subtract your costs, and compare what is left with the hours you counted. If the role makes sense, tap "Yes, I'm available" and put the dates on your Calendar. If it does not, skip it. Never pay to apply for a role. MyCastingFile is free to join, free to see Open Calls, free to reply, and free to get booked.

Your next step

Open the next role that catches your eye and work through these steps on paper. For a wider look at what extra roles involve, read the guide to movie extra roles and the guide to movie extra casting.