Movie Extras Needed: Your First Day on Set

Your first day on a film set will probably feel strange. The place is busy, the crew already knows the routine, and nobody hands you a map. Nearly everyone feels this way the first time, including the people who look completely at home now. Everyone on set was new once, and a little planning takes most of the edge off.

Before the day

Read the Open Call and your booking details again the night before. Check the call time, the address, and the wardrobe note. Casting usually emails wardrobe guidelines the evening before, so look for that email too. Set two alarms. If you have never driven to the location, look at the route on a map and find out where people usually park.

Then keep a short list, on paper or in a note on your phone. Put down the call time, the address, the wardrobe note, and the name of any production contact in your booking details. Pack the clothes casting asked for, water, a snack, a phone charger, headphones, and a book. A day on set has a lot of waiting in it, and a charged phone and something quiet to read make the waiting easy.

Pack your ID as well. Bring a driver's license and your Social Security card, or bring a passport. You will need them for the paperwork when you check in.

Look at your list once before you leave the house and once more when you park. When nerves hit, you will not need to hold every detail in your head.

How the day runs

Most days follow the same order. You check in with the assistant directors (the ADs) and do your paperwork. Then you go to wardrobe, where the costume team looks at your clothes, and after that to hair and makeup. Then comes a lot of waiting. Eventually you go on set, and later the day wraps.

Expect an early start. Some calls are at 5 or 6 in the morning. Many early calls include breakfast from the production, but a booking note may say "come having had breakfast," so read the note before you decide to skip eating at home. Days usually run about 12 hours, sometimes longer, and seldom shorter than 8. Do not plan anything for the evening.

Arrival

Arrive early. On a set, "on time" means 15 minutes early. Parking can take longer than you expect, and check-in sometimes has a line.

If you are not sure where to go, follow the location signs. They are usually yellow, though they can be another color, and they carry an arrow and the production name or a code name. They point you toward the parking area. Walk in calmly, find the bathroom, and find a place to put your bag.

Check in with the ADs, who run the schedule. You will fill out your start paperwork, called a voucher. It asks for your basic information, including your Social Security number, and it comes with a W-4 tax form. Some productions now use a digital voucher and a digital time card on your phone, and some ask you to finish the paperwork the day before. If the state has a film tax incentive, you may also fill out a form that shows you live in that state.

After that, you will probably be pointed to holding, the space where extras wait until they are needed. Stay there unless someone asks you to go somewhere else. Wandering around a location can put you in the way of a shot, and the crew may need to find you quickly. Put your phone on silent before you sit down. Do not bring valuables. There is often a security guard, but people come and go.

Meeting others

Some of the people around you will have done this many times, and some will be just as new as you are. Most are glad to say hello. "Hi, I'm new to this" is a fine thing to say, and experienced extras often have good tips about where to sit and how the day tends to go.

Keep conversations quiet and short while the crew is busy. Listen a lot during the first hour. You will pick up the rhythm of the day faster by watching than by asking everything at once. For the basic rules of set manners, read the guide to set etiquette and the holding area.

What to say

If you do not know where to go or what is happening, ask an assistant director. Part of their job is telling people where to be. Walk up, say your name, say you are an extra and new to the set, and ask your question. If they give you a direction you do not quite follow, say it back in your own words so they can correct you. That takes five seconds and saves a lot of confusion.

You will hear words you do not know. "Background action" is your cue to start moving, and "cut" means the take is over. The plain-English guide to set words explains the rest.

Save questions about pay or future roles for a break, or ask the production after the day. During a take, stay quiet and still.

If you make a mistake

Every extra makes a small mistake on a first day. You might step into the wrong spot or miss a cue, and the crew will usually reset and run the scene again, which is a normal part of making a film. If something goes wrong, stop, wait for direction, and say something short like "Sorry, I'll watch my spot." Then be ready for the next take. The embarrassment fades much faster than you think, usually when the next take starts.

After the day

At wrap, return any props to the prop department and any wardrobe you were given. Change back into your own clothes. Then check out with the same ADs you checked in with, and check that you are free to leave before you go. If you work a second day, the ADs may give you the next call time on set. If they do not, the casting office that booked you will send it.

At home, write down the production name, your call time, when you left, and anything the crew told you. The production pays extras through a payroll company, so your own record of the day helps you check your payment later. The guide to getting paid and keeping records shows what to keep.

Eat something real and rest. Then think about what you would change next time. Most people pick one small thing, such as bringing a sweater or a longer book, and that is how a first day turns into a comfortable second day.

For more habits that help on any shoot, read the guide to habits that get extras asked back. When you are ready for your next day on set, open Open Calls and look for a role that fits your Calendar.