Articles On set
Check-In Paperwork for Extras: Vouchers, W-4s, and ID
When you arrive on set, you check in with the assistant directors, called ADs, and fill out paperwork before anything else happens. The main form is the voucher, and it comes with a W-4. Bring a driver's license and Social Security card, or a passport, and the process goes quickly.
This page covers each form, the ID to bring, and the newer digital versions. For the full order of a shoot day, read Being an Extra in a Movie: A Shoot Day From Start to Finish.
The voucher
The voucher is the start paperwork. It holds your basic information, including your Social Security number. It is how the production knows who you are and how to pay you.
Read each line before you write. If a line is unclear, ask the ADs or the production. Write clearly.
The W-4
A W-4 comes with the voucher. It is the standard tax form that an employer asks for. The production's payroll company needs it before it can pay you.
MyCastingFile cannot give tax advice. If you have a question about how to fill it out, ask the production or a tax professional.
A state resident form
In a state with a film tax incentive, you may also fill out a form that shows you are a resident of that state. You will not see this form in every state. If you are handed one, answer it truthfully and ask the ADs if you do not understand a question.
This is one reason productions hire locally. Movie Extras Needed Near Me: Why Productions Hire Local explains more.
The ID to bring
Bring one of these:
- a driver's license and your Social Security card
- a passport
Put them in your bag the night before. A set is not a good place to learn that your card is at home. If you are missing something, tell the ADs right away and ask what they need from you.
Digital vouchers and time cards
More shows now use digital vouchers and digital time cards on your phone. You fill out the same kind of information, but on a screen. Charge your phone before you leave home and bring a charger, since you may use it for the form and for the time card all day.
Some productions ask you to finish the paperwork the day before. The booking details or an email from casting will say so. If you see that request, do it the day before and not on the drive in. You will start the day with less to do.
Checking in and out with the ADs
Check in with the ADs when you arrive. Tell them your name and fill out your forms. They know where you go next.
At the end of the day, check out with the same ADs you checked in with. Return any props to the prop department and any wardrobe you were given first. Your time card or voucher records your day, so check it before you leave.
After the day
Pay usually arrives from a payroll company in 2 to 4 weeks. Keep your own record of the date, the production, and your call and wrap times. Movie Extra Casting: Getting Paid and Keeping Records shows how, and What $150/12 Means: How Pay Rates for Extras Work explains the rate on your Open Call.
Before your next booking, put your ID in the bag you take to set and read the booking details for any note about paperwork the day before.
