Working as a background actor or extra in Vancouver

Working as a background actor or extra in a TV series or movie can be a very exciting experience for anyone who is new to acting and thinking of moving to Vancouver.

Being an extra or background is a great way to know what it’s like to be on set and see if this is what you want to do.

Some people even make a career doing BG work, especially if they live in cities which are production centers like L.A, New York or where I now live, which is Vancouver.

Why being a BG

As some of you may know, I moved to Vancouver almost 3 years ago, and people have been asking me what I do for a living or what I have worked on these years that I have been in this city.

When I arrived, the first job I got was as a hostess at a restaurant called Edible Canada, but unfortunately, due to the pandemic, this place closed forever.

By the way, working in a restaurant is a good idea if you want to be an actor as it gives you the flexibility to go to castings and work as a background actor in Vancouver.

And in that interim, I did some freelance hosting jobs for internal videos and some social media stuff before I got to school.

But once I started university, I needed a job that was flexible and where I could have the possibility to choose the schedules.

Because every term my school schedules changed, and that is how I decided working as a background in Vancouver.

Hollywood North

In Vancouver working as an extra is called “Background” or BG. And it is something very common and relatively simple to start doing.

First things first, if you don’t know, Vancouver is considered one of the most important cities in the film industry.

Both in Vancouver and in Toronto, endless movies and series have been recorded for many years, it is not known as “Hollywood North” for nothing.

Vancouver has many advantages when it comes to location and I understand that it is much cheaper to shoot here than in some other US cities.

Some of the movies that come to mind that have been filmed in Vancouver are, for example:

The Twilight Saga, X-Men, Smallville, Night at the Museum, The Neverending Story! I watched that one recently and I was excited to recognize the Gastown steamclock haha.

Jumaji one of my favorites, other series like Once Upon A Time, The Flash (where I worked, by the way) 😉 and much more.

If you come to visit, it is very likely that at least one day you will run into some recording in progress either in the city of Vancouver or its surroundings.

 

What do you need to be extra?

Background agency or Principal actor

So what do you need to be an extra/ BG here in Vancouver? Unlike Mexico, where I was also an actress in commercials and on some extra occasions in movies, here you need to have a different agency for each thing.

What do I mean by that? For example, if you want to be an actor or actress, you need an agency for “Principal”, this same agency can also be your “BG” or background agency, but you could not have another agency.

On the other hand, you can have an agency for BG and commercials and another agency for Principal.

In Mexico you can have several agencies at the same time that represent you and literally the one that gives you the call or the job first is the one that you put in and takes its commission. But here it’s different.

How to get a BG agency (background)

And how do I get an agency? Well, first of all before your search, it is important that you have a few things ready.

Headshots

You need to have professional photos, the famous “headshots”.

Generally, these photos have a flat or blurred background where the features of the actor can be seen, and where they only focus on the face. It is worth investing in some good “headshots”. Since it is your cover letter as an actor and extra.

Background Agency

Once you have some good “headshots” ready you can start looking for a BG agency, here is the link to a page where the most popular ones appear and that are not fraud or anything like that.

Once you are inside that agency, the safest thing is that they will start asking you for more informal photos with different outfits, to see you as multifaceted as possible.

Get some with a formal suit, with a costume, something more colorful, etc.

And of course it is important to keep your headshot updated in case you have a radical makeover or something like that.

Principal Agency

Now to be an actor or actress, things change, you also need some good “Headshots”, but you need an acting reel.

So if you have already worked as an actor in the past, then put together some of the things you already have, but if you don’t have much material in English, the best option is to start volunteering, perhaps in films for students or people who are just starting out.

They may not have the budget to pay you, but in exchange they’ll give you your scenes,which you can use on your reel.

And that way it is much easier to find a good Principal agency, already with a well-armed portfolio and your reel with experience.

Why be an Extra/BG

Now, I’m more into BG because I just graduated from school and the reality is that I like it a lot. It is a job that pays well, is very easy and so much fun.

 

It does require you to spend many hours, but the more hours, the more money, and you can organize your calendar depending on your school or other work schedules.

One of the cons is that sometimes it takes them a little long to pay you, between a couple of weeks and sometimes even a month, but the good news is that they also pay you to go to the COVID tests and if the calls are a bit far away sometimes there are people who offer to share his car in exchange for paying half gas or something like that.

Salary

The payment is usually the minimum wage and overtime is paid, if you work more than 8 hours. Working as background or extra in Vancouver does have it’s perks.

Call hours

Sometimes the confirmation of the call is not 100% certain, in some cases you will be notified  in advance, but most of the times the final calls and location info will be sent to you the night before.

Production times can change and can start very early or run very late, so don’t be surprised if you end up working a 12 hour session (sometimes 16 hours). See it on the bright side, the more hours, the more money.

Registration area

The place you check in is usually a holding area called a “holding” located in the Crew Park and you may be shuttled to the actual filming location if it’s far away. But many times is walking distance.

What documents to bring

Always have your SIN number, official photo ID and any other necessary paperwork handy. Have a couple of photocopies of each document.

Give yourself adequate time to get there in case there is traffic or you are delayed. Always keep good communication with your agent in case of any delay since they can notify you, but this is only in case of an emergency, always try to be on time.

Food

Meals are provided during breaks, however, there is always an area called “crafty” where there are snacks and drinks all the time.

Another important thing, sometimes you have to be careful not to confuse which area to eat, since in occasions they divide the food from the normal extras to union BG’s, and they are quite picky with that.

 

While you don’t need a lot of acting experience, it is important that you follow the rules, be on time, and come with a good attitude. This will depend on whether they keep calling you or not.

Break a leg!

 

Travel: One day trip to Whistler from Vancouver