I’m a background actor now?

I have always loved the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of any creative endeavors - film, theatre, art restoration, you name it. There is something mesmerizing about seeing a piece of art being created right before your eyes. The process can be imprecise, imperfect, messy, or tedious, but above all, magical. One item on my bucket-list was to be on a film set. Unfortunately I don’t know anyone in the film/TV industry who can bring me to a set so this bucket-list item remained unticked for the longest time.

Recently getting a response from a modeling agency not only boosted my confidence but also opened up my imagination. I started daydreaming about what it would be like to be a model or an actor. As I was researching the industry online, I came across Backstage, a popular website where casting calls for actors, models, crew, etc are posted. It didn’t take long before I found one background acting opportunity in a well-known TV series, which for confidentiality reasons shall remain unnamed. I submitted my application immediately since all that was required was some photos. I thought nothing of it afterwards until days later, I received an email from the assistant cast director asking me to confirm my availability. I was shocked and over-joyed. Does this mean I’ll get to see a set? I was so excited.

There were some covid-related regulations that made the process a little more complicated than usual but overall the communications leading up to the shoot were very professional and well-organized. The night before the shoot I drove up to New York and stayed with a friend. The next day I arrived on set at my call time at 11am with my hair and make-up already done and dressed in my first outfit.

After checking-in, all the background actors were asked to “see wardrobe” to make sure that our costumes conform to the vibe production was going for. I was immediately impressed by how much thought went into each set of costume, from the dress, to the shoes, to jewelry. I was wearing a dark velvet dress which I was told might look shiny and reflective on camera, so they provided me with another dress. I frankly did not think the crew would pay us extras much attention but instead, they inspected everyone from head-to-toe multiple times to make sure that nothing was out of place.

Then we were ushered to set, which was a bar. The second assistant director (AD) quickly began to fill the set by positioning the background actors into various locations of the bar in order to frame the actual scene. She was efficient and had a very cheerful disposition which made the atmosphere on set quite relaxed. After everyone was in position, the first AD appeared on set and made adjustments on position, movement, etc. It wasn’t until 2:30 that we were released to get lunch. We were all quite hungry by that point. After lunch we came back to set and started rehearsing.

The first AD was very impressive. She was brisk and no-nonsense and clearly has done this thousands of times before. No details, no matter how small and seemingly trivial to my amateurish eyes, escaped her. She had an exact vision of how the set should look and directed us accordingly. She put me in a narrow corridor through which one of the principal actors would later enter. Then she asked another background actor to ‘go stand next to this artist’. Did she just call me an artist? Oh yes please! I had no idea that us background actors were artists!

We kept on rehearsing over and over again until the first AD was happy with our timing and positions. Then we were released back to the holding area so that the principal actors could rehearse their scene. After about 30 minutes, we were ushered back to set to rehearse with the principal actors before shooting.

I recognized both of them immediately. I don’t know if I had expected some celebrity halo above their heads but they seemed ordinary in the best way possible. The actor closer to me introduced himself, shaking hands with us and treating us as colleagues. I was immediately taken by his politeness and gentle demeanor. Both of them rehearsed as though the camera was rolling. I’m sure that this kind of diligence and professionalism is one of the many reasons they are successful.

Since the scene was a dialogue between two people, the shots were the textbook near-, mid-, far-shots over the two actors’ shoulders, which meant that everything we did, we did it at least six times. I hand’t anticipated how long the shoot would be, or that I would be walking, I made the rookie mistake of wearing rather high heels. (I’m vain. What can I say…). by around 8pm, my feet were very unhappy with me. Lesson learnt…

Close to 9pm, we wrapped. That was a long day. But from chatting with crew between takes, I learnt it was not at all unusual for a two-page scene to take this long to shoot. In fact, everything went very smoothly today. Needless to say, I now have a newfound respect for TV making. When I wasn’t shooting, I was busy watching everything that was going on. The actors in the scene was but a small part of the operation. In the background, the camera operator, the assistance directors, director, production assistants, sound mixer, boom operator… everyone was busy at work in order to create this one scene that would translate into under a minute of TV time. After the wrap, the first AD thanked the background actors, the principals, and crew. We said our goodbyes and left.

I couldn’t have asked for a better first-time background acting experience. The set was professional, efficient, well-organized, and everyone I met was so patient and friendly. In addition to checking one item off my bucket-list, I also learnt some on set jargons. Ten points to your house if you can guess what “picture’s up” means!