Why Background?

Background Acting can be more than a means to an end.

There are those (usually young actors) who believe the only conceivable reason one would choose to be a background actor is to claw one’s way up the ladder into being a “real actor.”
However, about a hundred of us here in Los Angeles have chosen to be professional background actors as a career, not just as a stepping stone to fame. We actually enjoy our work for its own sake and we thrive in an environment that brings no fame but much satisfaction.

Some actors say background work is not “acting.”

Actually, when you’re doing it right, background acting is an extremely specialized form of acting that not everyone can learn. It is full of nuance and sense memory and attitude without the benefit of speech, focus or close-up. Theater actors have a particularly difficult time learning background acting because of the major differences in style.

 

Others say, “Well, you can do some background acting but don’t put it on your resume.”

Why not? I have always put my background acting roles on my resume because I am a professional background actor and this is what I do. I’m not claiming ownership of the films in which I worked, for Christ’s sake, I am simply listing my jobs; which is what a resume is all about.

Some whine, “Non-union background gets fed last. Everyone else eats first – production, cast, crew.”

Duh. You think they feed the Secret Service before The President? Background actors eat last for a practical reason; others need to return from lunch first to keep the production running on schedule. Principals, hair and make-up eat first, because the actors need to get retouched and back into wardrobe before they can return to the set. The crew needs to eat, because they have lots of work to do to get ready for the next scene. Background actors only need to walk onto set and act. Naturally, we are the last to eat.

The reason I was awarded a contract to write my 2010 book, Background Acting: The Book, was that my pitch was something quite ordinary but original; the idea of treating background acting as a reputable profession and sharing the skills and attitude necessary to be good at it. I chose to be a background actor and I love what I do. Background acting is not my stepping stone; it is my raison d’être.

Think of the advantages of a career as a professional background actor:

• You are on set and on screen and you’re part of the skilled team that makes the product.
• You are paid, fed and respected.
• No professional head shots needed.
• No reel necessary.
• You do not need to learn lines, pay a manager or agent or take expensive classes.
• The success of the production does not rest on your shoulders.
• You don’t need to participate in publicity photo shoots, promotions or red carpet events.
• You don’t get bad reviews, dodge paparazzi or have your every move analyzed by idiots.
• You don’t spend years clawing your way to the top where others strive to bring you down.

 

Thank you Pop Candy!

I big hello and thank you to Pop Candy at USA Today!

After slaving away in admittedly undeserved obscurity since January 2009, this blog suddenly got thousands of new page views one day in November 2009 thanks to a casual mention from Whitney Matheson, author of that cool Internet site called Pop Candy (on USA Today) which is regularly “Unwrapping pop culture’s hip and hidden treasures”

Whitney Matheson’s blog, Pop Candy, delves into the television, movies, comic books and music that fuel popular culture, with an eye for the unique and unknown. Editor & Publisher and Mediaweek awarded Pop Candy an EPpy award for the Best Entertainment Blog in 2008.

Matheson digs for the undiscovered, underrated and unexplored, and invites readers to share in the conversation, and connect to the virtual community based around Pop Candy.

What a difference a mention on Pop Candy has made for the Background Acting blog!

Our page views explode thanks to Pop Candy.

4 ways to get booked in 2010

Four ways to get more background acting jobs in 2010.

Granted, Hollywood closes down during the Christian and Jewish holidays (i.e. November 20-January 5) but, once things crank up again in 2010, here are some ways to increase the amount of work you can get as a background actor.

A great wardrobe:

Men with tuxedos and women with evening wear are in demand for weddings, prom, banquets, cocktail parties and other black tie affairs, common staples of feature films and television episodes. Other wardrobe items that’ll get you booked more often are upscale night club attire and torn and tattered homeless clothes.

A bookable car:

Frequently, productions hire background actors with filmable cars when shooting outdoor scenes or on locations where the street can be seen on camera. For instance, one show shot on a sound stage with real windows in Studio City, CA books people with cars to drive in circles around the stage to give the impression it’s a real street. Because the camera reacts badly to red, white or black, those color cars are not welcome but if you are booked with your car you will get a bump, meaning more money.

Your own props:

Productions often shoot scenes in which background actors need to interact with props. For example, beach scenes require surfboards, bikes, Frisbees, coolers and such. Airport scenes require carry-on luggage, spectator sports sometimes need extras to have cameras, binoculars and such. Usually, the prop – camera, laptop, cell phone – does not have to actually work. If you have your own props, you make more money.

Current photos:

When background actor casting directors hire you, they expect you to walk in the door looking exactly like the photo from which they selected you.
Keep your pictures as current as possible. Since you are a background actor, you do NOT need photos done professionally. Simply buy or borrow a digital camera, find a white background, and snap away.
Personally, I update my pictures about every two weeks. In the case of Central Casting and some other casting agencies, it’s even easier. You just call first, make arrangements to come in, and they take your updated photo.

Nothing ruins your career faster than old photos that don’t look like you actually look.

Scam sandwich

Movie extras should never pay a fee to work.

There are more scams in Los Angeles than there are background actors and many of them prey on would-be background actors. About once a week, I get an Email or a phone call from some outfit offering me an extras spot in a feature film for a fee of $5 for every day I work or 10% of all the gigs they get me.

Don’t ever pay to be an extra.

They pay you. If they ask you for money upfront, don’t do it (unless they are a reputable CASTING SERVICE, which is not the same thing. While these practices aren’t illegal, they’re still scams because there’s no reason to pay for what is actually free. Background actors do not need to hire an agent or pay commissions to find work. The idea of paying a 5% finders fee or a 10% commission should raise a red flag for any legitimate background actor.

The online classified ad site Craigslist is a popular source for information on audition and casting notices. But again, unscrupulous people often use the service to post phony scams and offers. Case in point: I spotted an ad on Craigslist recently which read:

Extras needed for commercials, music videos, feature films, and audiences for shows. Call to make an appointment 323-468-7365. All ages, all ethnicities, no exp. necc., no fee’s(sic)!”

In spite of their misspelling of the word “fees,” I gave them a call. They invited me in for an audition and said they would take just 10% of any work they got me. Fine, except they were going to go about it the same way I would; by contacting Central Casting. You can register with Central Casting directly for just $25 for two years. Yourself.

You see an ad in the L.A. Times from what sounds like a reputable casting outfit. In the ad, they claim that they are looking for new talent and new faces. All you have to do is go to their office for an interview and you will have a chance to be a background actor and maybe become a star.

Reputable casting directors don’t have to put ads in the paper. They are already inundated with people who want to be extras; they don’t need to go looking for them.

My suggestion? All you need to do is:

• register with Central Casting ($25 one time fee) to help you get background acting gigs and…
• register with a calling service to make getting booked much easier. They call all the casting directors on your behalf.

AB=BA (be aware)

You should be aware of what you’re getting into with AB Casting Inc. and Joseph Guinan Entertainment.

AB Casting is a perfectly legal but shabby company that makes its money from charging upfront fees to cast actors and background actors in porn films and low-budget extreme fighter films. The Los Angeles Better Business Bureau rates the company with an F.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with paying a $25 to $40 onetime photo fee when you register with a casting company, most all the competent casting firms charge such fees. These legitimate firms are casting major motion pictures and television shows.
However, AB Casting charges an up-front $150 fee to “represent” you and add you to their database, from which they claim to exclusively choose actors and extras for their productions.

First

Legitimate agents, managers and casting directors do not charge a fee to cast you. (The photo fees at casting companies are exactly that; for taking your photo and posting it on their website and in their files.)

Second

The productions for which Guinan casts are mostly porn and low-budget cage-fighting films.
Guinan’s IMDB page lists a Cinemax series, Zane’s Sex Chronicles (2008), and such productions as: King of the Cage, Cage Free, Devil Dogs, Duel of Legends, Vampiro, Death of Evil, Hell’s Chain, Death Calls and Death Warrior and a dozen porn films; most with a budget of $1-million or less and starring Hector Echavarria or Damian Chapa.

If you’re thinking…

“Well, I can’t be too proud to work in porn or straight-to-video productions,” consider this testimony of a working actor, we’ll call “Chuck:”

“I was a member of AB Casting. I joined them seeking more avenues for work. I was already registered with Central Casting and Jeff Olan. In the four months I was signed with AP, I never got a call for work, even though I worked constantly for Central and Olan. I made a real effort, submitting myself for every project AB Casting had. I finally called to find out why I’d never been cast. I was told I had to attend his seminar to “learn the ropes”! Learn the ropes? I’d been acting since 1980.
I took his seminar. All Mr. Guinan talked about was himself.
I was finally called to be a “featured extra” in what Guinan called a “major film” being directed by Damian Chapa.
I drove up into the hills of Hollywood to the “Mansion” where the filming was to take place. A large RV housed the crew, makup and wardrobe. A one-story house with a fenced back yard was the mansion. Turned out the entire “major film” was being shot on a small handheld video camera. No 35mm cameras or Redcam, just one guy holding a camcorder, a couple grips, and that was it. They didn’t feed us after a full eight hours and then paid us only fifty bucks for our time.”

While Guinan and his people are not actually breaking the law and there is a demonstrated audience for the films they make, I suggest you think it over before joining “AB Casting.” At least be aware of what you are getting into. BTW, if you choose to audition for a role in a Guinan film and you are not a member of AB Casting, in his own words, “We will see that you never become a member of AB Casting.”

If you really want to work as an extra or featured extra and possibly get more exciting work – go with Central Casting, Jeff Olan or Bill Dance; all reputable agencies.