A Day in the Life of an Extra

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an extra on a movie-set? Thought about how glamorous it must be, getting treated like royalty by the film crew, enjoying top-class catering, rubbing shoulders with the stars?

Here’s the reality of the situation, as told by Robyn Bell, who’s film credits include “Junkie Number 2” in Trainspotting 2 and “Prostitute” in Tommy’s Honour.

A Day in the Life of an Extra -

4am: Wake up, drag yourself out of bed, make one of several cups of coffee you will be drinking throughout the day.

4:30am: Jump in the car and make your way to the set.

5am: Arrive on set, collect your chit (your filming contract, explains what the day entails and makes sure you get paid), get whisked off to wardrobe.

5:15am: Wardrobe, hair and makeup are applied. Transformation from regular person to “Prostitute” is complete.

5:30am: Breakfast. Get food from catering (which is usually very high quality) mingle with the crew, but usually not the cast, who are too good to spend time with the unwashed masses. If the cast do appear, avoid eye contact at all costs unless you want to be booted off the set and blacklisted forever.

6:00am – 12:00pm: Shooting. A lot of standing around, waiting to be used in a scene, if you are used at all. There’s time for some toilet breaks if needed, and if you’re lucky enough to be dressed up for the occasion, you’ll get a couple of handlers who help you get undressed and make sure you don’t damage any of the expensive clothing.

12:15pm: Lunch. You are starving at this point so it’s time to go and dive headfirst into the catering table and devour whatever is available. Remember to avoid eye contact with the stars while you eat, or security will beat you into the ground before throwing you out the backdoor.

1:00pm – 5:00pm: Shooting resumes. Even more standing about, a lot of times in the cold, in the mud and in the rain, waiting to see if you’ll actually be called upon. An assistant director might come and collect you and scream some directions at you, go stand here, look more hooker-ish etc.

5:15pm: Shooting is done. You are whisked back to wardrobe and stripped down. If you’ve managed to go the full day without making eye contact with one of the stars of the production, you’ll be paid for your troubles. Usually somewhere around £150 to £200, which isn’t bad for a day’s work.

5:45pm: Arrive home, and collapse into bed, satisfied with a hard day’s work, pretending to be a prostitute.