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My POV
Brian A. Wilson
Don't Just Write Movies, Be In One!
"Back to One: How to make good money as a Hollywood Extra"
"Movie Extra Work for Rocket Scientists"
by Cullen Chambers
If you're tired of being chained to your keyboard, get off your duff and go act in a movie.
That's the best way I know to get an inside look at the creative process of which you're a part. Stick your beak into the movie (or TV or video or music video) production process and you'll gain a new understanding of your role as a writer and the importance of your script.
Either of these two books should be all you need to land a gig on a set as an extra. No, you don't have to be union to do it.
"Back to One" is an older edition with a cover price of $20, but available cheaper at used book stores. I used its information to get several gigs as an extra. One was working with the immortal Corey Feldman. On another, the company tried to stiff me for payment, and I was able to use the book's legal advice section to win a settlement through the State of California for more than $1200!
Needless to say, I'm a fan of the man's book.
"Movie Extra Work" is an updated version, presented in a handy spiral-bound format. It's pricier, but has the most current info and a bit more of it.
Both tell you everything you need to know to land work and make a good accounting of yourself on set. It covers rates of pay, how to find agencies, places to avoid, marketing yourself and a hundred other useful topics.
While the book is most useful if you're in LA, the principles apply no matter where you live. Productions shoot all over creation, after all.
Sure, the typical pay for an extra (if anything) can run $40-80 a day. But hey, look at it as getting paid to be on a set, making contacts and learning your craft. You don't have to do it all day every day, but even a few experiences with background work can help shape your understanding of Hollywood and the production process.
And it beats flippin' burgers.
Check it out.
Keep writing.
BW
LA
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