Become a TV/film extra... official MoneySavingExpert.com discussion

The_Miser

As a parallel you can register to be a film extra. Casting Collective is quoting plus/minus £100 per day (it depends on factors), a listing fee of £65 inc VAT (less if resident outside the southeast) is deducted from the first income and they charge 15%. My daughter has done it and enjoyed the experience

The_Miser

tonycottee wrote: »

Casting Collective is who I used too. It was for a one-off job in my local town. I'm not a paid member but get the odd job offer when they can't fill spaces. I found them quite easy to deal with.

Yes; you can register with them for a one-off (like you did) or alternatively to remain on their books for a year with the possibility of multiple calls. Note; they decide if they want you on their books or not.

Browntoa

Quite a lot of urgent casting calls across the country , Blackpool , Liverpool , London , Chichester , Manchester and many other areas. Some are general extras of both sexes , some are more specialised

https://www.castingcollective.co.uk/artistes/urgent-casting-calls#edinburgh

Early 2020 onwards

ziggycj

Looking into Casting Collective. I'd probably only be available 5-10 days a year (using annual leave) but they take £75 from your first job + 15%.

Is it worth it? Do you tend to earn more than the minimum or would I basically be doing the first day for free?

Do any of you who do agency work have full time jobs as well? I'd just be looking to make a bit extra but not something that would take over.

[Deleted User]

Hi guys,
Wanted to post this for anyone looking for some extra income.

I've been doing background/movie extra work for several years now and if you're looking for some extra easy cash whilst having a bit of fun then sign up to some of the agencies. Usually you just need a few photos and that's it.

You don't pay any fees to join, they take it from your first job (usually around £40)

Average pay is around £120 a day, on some shoots I've made £250, if you're on a shoot for weeks then it soon adds up.

Days can be long and boring which is perfect if you bring a book or taxes you need to complete.

Some people do it because they love seeing the actors or behind the scenes, I do it mainly for the money and am quite picky on what I choose i.e if they want people aged between 18-99 then you're going to feel like a cattle but there's a lot of intimate jobs where there's just several and it's awesome. 8 of us worked on a DC movie along with the stunt men and then we were CGI'd to become 1000s of soldiers.

I've spoken to Chewbacca, been in the Queen Vic in Eastenders (Phil is Phil in real Life) & been a stand-in for Aqua-man (They didn't use me though)

The main one's below probably cover 95% of movies.
Castingcollective
wegotpop
maddog2020

MalMonroe

Thank you, that sounds really interesting. Is it still possible to do that kind of work during the lockdown though?  I guess it may be better to wait until lockdown and tiers are over . . .  if they ever are! 

A couple of years ago one of my cousins was an extra on 'Doctors' on BBC1. We recorded the programme she was in and later sat down to watch. We spotted her as the programme started, she came out of the door of the GP surgery building and walked down the path. A whole 5 seconds. But she enjoyed it and was paid. It probably covered her agent's fee. She opened her own business not long afterwards and decided to put her acting career on the back burner.

Browntoa

Merged with the official existing thread

Browntoa

Urgent casting calls 

https://www.castingcollective.co.uk/artistes/urgent-casting-calls

[Deleted User]

MalMonroe said:

Thank you, that sounds really interesting. Is it still possible to do that kind of work during the lockdown though?  I guess it may be better to wait until lockdown and tiers are over . . .  if they ever are! 

A couple of years ago one of my cousins was an extra on 'Doctors' on BBC1. We recorded the programme she was in and later sat down to watch. We spotted her as the programme started, she came out of the door of the GP surgery building and walked down the path. A whole 5 seconds. But she enjoyed it and was paid. It probably covered her agent's fee. She opened her own business not long afterwards and decided to put her acting career on the back burner.

It seems a lot busier than usual actually. I think because there's so much money lost during lockdown they're trying to get productions underway ASAP. Currently they pay you to have a covid test which is great.
It's always funny seeing someone you know on TV, when watching movies I pay so much attention to the background you start noticing some funny things.

Browntoa

Loads of new "urgent casting calls" been added across the country . I think filming has restarted on a big scale as the networks are desperate for new content