Background Extras Casting: Call Times and How Long Days Run

A call time is when you need to be at the set, ready to go. It is not when filming starts. Your booking details give the call time, the address, and the place to check in, so read them when you accept a role and again the day before. After that, the best plan is to expect a long day and make room for it.

What a call time is

Your call time is the time you must arrive. Days often start early, sometimes at 5 or 6 in the morning. On a film set, "on time" means 15 minutes early, so plan to be there before the call time, not at it. Check-in takes time and parking may be farther than you think. If you are going to be late, let the production know as soon as you can. Do not wait for someone to ask where you are.

Set your alarm and your travel plan around that early arrival, then add extra minutes for traffic and a wrong turn. That small cushion is worth it.

Early calls often have breakfast from the production. A booking note may instead say to come having had breakfast, so read the note before you decide what to eat at home.

Arrival and check-in

Follow the location signs to find set. They are usually yellow, sometimes another color, with an arrow and the production name or a code name, and they point toward the parking area. Once you park, find the check-in spot your booking details list.

Check in with the assistant directors (the ADs). They take your name, and you fill out your start paperwork. That paperwork is called a voucher. It asks for your basic information, including your Social Security number, and it comes with 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 that state. More shows now use a digital voucher and a digital time card on your phone, and some ask you to finish the paperwork the day before, so read your booking details carefully.

After check-in, the usual order is wardrobe, then hair and makeup, then a lot of waiting, then on set, then wrap. Someone tells you where to wait. Many productions use holding for extras, the place where you sit until the crew needs you. It might be a big room, a gym, a tent with air conditioning, or, for a small group, a hotel meeting room. Stay close to it and wait for instructions.

Why days vary

Days are usually about 12 hours, sometimes more, and seldom less than 8. A scene may take longer than planned. Weather, lighting, equipment, or a problem with one actor can move the schedule, and the crew may shoot scenes in a different order than you expect. Sometimes you will get an updated call time or wrap time on the day, so keep your phone with you and check it when you get a break.

Some days feel slow because you spend a lot of time waiting. Others feel fast and busy. Both are normal. If your scenes are done early, you may get an early release. If you are in the remaining scenes, you may be held late.

For a second day, the ADs may give you the next call time on set. If they do not, the casting office that booked you sends it.

Meals and breaks

Lunch comes about 6 hours after the crew call. Background is often called earlier than the crew, so you may not eat for 7 hours. Bring a snack and water. There are no set break times besides lunch, because there is so much waiting. A snack table, called craft services, varies by show, so if you have special food needs, bring your own. A phone charger and a book make waiting easier.

Night shoots run from just before sunset to just before sunrise, and they can go several days in a row. Sleep during the day first. The guide to weather, night shoots, and long waits has more.

Wrap

Wrap is when the crew finishes filming for the day. Do not leave until the production tells you that you are released. Return any props to the prop department and any wardrobe you were given, and change back into your own clothes. Then check out with the same ADs you checked in with. If you are not sure your day is over, ask a crew member or an assistant director. Leaving early can cause trouble for you and for the production.

What the rate means

A rate such as $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. Hours after the 12th are paid at time and a half. Rates vary by production, and the Open Call shows the rate. The guide to getting paid and keeping records covers how pay works, including who pays you and when.

Plan your day

Do not make plans for the evening of a shoot day. Wrap time is hard to know until it happens, and a day that was meant to end at one time can easily run past it. When you accept a role, keep that day clear in your Calendar. Tap a day once to mark it available and twice to mark it unavailable. The Calendar saves by itself.

Arrange rides, childcare, and pets before the day, and tell the people who depend on you that you may be late. Your own record of your call time and your wrap time helps you later too, when you check your pay.

For the words you will hear on set, read the glossary of extras casting terms. For more ways to find roles close to home, read the guide to finding movie extras near you.

Next, open Open Calls and tap a role. Read the call time and any wrap details before you tap "Yes, I'm available."