FAQ
If you can’t find the answer to your question and wish to contact us, choose: CONTACT.
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Common questions
• How old do you have to be to become an extra?
• When is the next edition of the extras catalogue due for release?
• Are particular clothes required to be an extra?
• Will I need to pay for my own transportation to Extras.co.uk jobs?
• Is there a minimum age to be an extra?
• How will I be contacted?
• Is there a screen test or interview ?
• How much is an extra paid?
• Can anyone become an extra?
• Do you need any training as an actor to become an extra?
• How often do you get jobs as an extra?
• What is the fee for being a member?
• What about the unions?
• Paypal payment not registered?
• Can children register as extras?
Technical questions
• I never received an email confirming that I have registered
• I am using a Hotmail address and never received a confirmation email.
• I am having problems uploading my picture!
• What do I do if I no longer wish to be a member?
• I clicked on the link in the “confirmation email” but still cannot log in?
• I would like to change my password or user name.
• I’ve changed my e-mail address and can’t remember my password.
• Can I post a photograph to you?
• Forgotten your password or user name?
• I don’t have a digital photograph. What shall I do?
• Terminate membership
• Trying to change my pictures but the old ones keep coming back
Common questions
• How old do you have to be to become an extra?
You can be any age from one month to one hundred years old! If you are under 18 years old, consent will be required from a parent or guardian, and certain regulations apply concerning how you are allowed to work.
• When is the next edition of the extras catalogue due for release?
Only members who have paid the annual membership fee will be included in the talent directory.
Only members who have a good quality headshot and up-to-date contact information will be included in the directory.
The directory will be distributed free to prod companies and casting directors
The next edition of the extras catalogue is due for release preliminary September 09. Have in mind that the majority of jobs are booked through the website and not through the catalogue.
• Are particular clothes required to be an extra?
Before a job takes place, you will usually be informed if you need to bring a particular type of clothing. It is best to avoid clothes with large flower designs, or small chequered or thin-striped patterns as these tend to “bleed” on screen. It may be beneficial to bring an extra set of clothes to a job when working as an extra.
• Will I need to pay for my own transportation to Extras.co.uk jobs?
Generally as an extra you will be required to pay for your own transport. Some production companies will sometimes pay for your journey, particularly if you have a more prominent role in the production
• Is there a minimum age to be an extra?
No, but parental consent and parental accompaniment may be required for under 16's.
• How will I be contacted?
Usually the person in charge of casting will contact you by telephone or e-mail. It is very important therefore that your contact details are up-to-date on your online profile.
• Is there a screen test or interview ?
Generally not for extras work, but an audition may be the requirement of a more substantial role.
• How much is an extra paid?
Normally extras work does include payment! Current rates range from £60 to £80 per day. Overtime, if applicable is paid at approximately £10 per hour. These rates may vary. You should ask the Casting Director before agreeing to work. There may be some productions (especially college productions, music video production) which may ask you to work voluntarily.
• Can anyone become an extra?
Yes, anyone can be an extra! If you are under 18 years old, consent will be required from a parent or guardian, and certain regulations apply concerning how you are allowed to work.
• Do you need any training as an actor to become an extra?
No training is required, but it is often an advantage to have some acting/performance experience. This does not necessarily have to be professional acting experience; even a role in a local amateur production can be invaluable! It is not generally a requirement of extras work, however.
• How often do you get jobs as an extra?
Extras.co.uk helps many people get exciting extra jobs every year. It is difficult to predict how often work will be offered to individual members, but we will endeavour to promote our extras to ensure that as many people as possible will be hired for extras work! Here are a few general tips that you can do to increase your chances of success:
* Use good photographs that reflect who you are! It is a good idea to use a professional photographer. Our service allows you to have three different photographs on your profile, and it is a good suggestion to vary these with perhaps a full-length photo, and then two different headshots. If YOU were a casting director, what sort of photograph would encourage you to hire an extra? Remember that photographs taken outside will have a different lightness, to those taken in a studio, so this is another method of perhaps varying your photos.
* Being a member of the audience for a TV show and meeting other extras can result in valuable hints and a greater knowledge of the business. Extras jobs can take place all over the UK, but many jobs are located in and around London. If you do not live near London, but will consider travelling to a job, your chances will increase considerably.
• What is the fee for being a member?
- Membership fee £15 for 6 months, £25 for 12 months.
- To make a payment, simply register and follow the instructions. You can make the payment at a later date if you wish to, but you will not gain the full benefits of the Extras.co.uk service.
- As soon as we have received your payment you will be able to view full information on the latest castings, and submit your CV to jobs that interest you.
• What about the unions?
There are two unions that look after the interests of extras (Supporting Artistes): the FAA and Equity.
Nowadays you do not have to belong to any union to work as an extra. Unions are important however as they protect your pay and your rights when you work. Without the unions extras would quite possibly be encouraged to work longer hours for less money!
More information visit www.equity.org.uk and www.bectu.org.uk
• Paypal payment not registered?
If you pay with Paypal your payment will be registered within 12 hours.
• Can children register as extras?
You can be any age from one month to one hundred years old! If your children are under 18 years old, consent will be required from you (a parent or guardian), and certain regulations apply concerning how they are allowed to work.
Technical questions
• I never received an email confirming that I have registered
If you have not received an e-mail from Extras.co.uk within 15 minutes of registering, please read the following:
1) Did you enter the correct e-mail address? If not, try registering again with the correct e-mail address. (Note that a different e-mail address will require a new user name.)
2) If you use a Hotmail, Yahoo, or Gmail address, our mail to you may have ended up in the junk E-mail folder. Please refer to your e-mail provider to resolve this issue, or check the guidelines listed beneath the next question, below.
3) If this does not solve your problem, it may be worth trying to register from another computer.
• I am using a Hotmail address and never received a confirmation email.
Hotmail uses a new spam filter that doesn’t just remove spam, but also e-mails from other web services, such as Extras.co.uk. The confirmation e-mail that you need to activate your account with Extras.co.uk may have been filtered as “junk e-mail”.
To resolve the problem:
• Look in the junk E-mail folder.
Locate the e-mail from Extras.co.uk and tick on the box to the left of the e-mail. Then select the “Not Junk” option. This will ensure that future e-mails from Extras.co.uk are able to arrive in your inbox successfully.
The problem can also be resolved by carrying out the following instructions:
1. Log in to www.hotmail.com
2. Click on the tab named “Mail”.
3. Click on “Options” in the upper right-hand corner of the page.
4. Click on “Junk E-mail Protection” in the list of options.
5. Click on “Safe List” in the new list of alternatives.
6. Enter “extras.co.uk “ in the box and click on “Add”.
We recommend this method as it will ensure future e-mails from Extras.co.uk arrive safely in your inbox.
• If you are still having difficulties, we would recommend using an alternative e-mail provider. We recommend Gmail.
NOTE: We firmly disapprove of spam e-mail, which is why we do not ask you to switch off the junk E-mail filter in Hotmail. The only e-mails sent from Extras.co.uk will be your confirmation e-mail, and important information regarding our service, and the work offered.
• I am having problems uploading my picture!
You need to save your picture as a JPEG image. You cannot use a space in the file name. If you cannot save your picture, there is likely to be something wrong with the format of the picture.
• What do I do if I no longer wish to be a member?
If you no longer wish to be a member of Extras.co.uk, go to "Contact" and select “Terminate membership” from the drop-down menu..
• I clicked on the link in the “confirmation email” but still cannot log in?
If you clicked on the link in the confirmation e-mail and your membership still haven’t been activated, do as follows:
Forward the confirmation e-mail to errandactivate@extras.co.uk
Do not send any message with the e-mail.
• I would like to change my password or user name.
You can change your password by choosing "Change password" after login in. It is not possible to change your username without re-registering.
• I’ve changed my e-mail address and can’t remember my password.
If you no longer have access to your old e-mail address, you will need to re-register with new details. E-mail us your old extras number and we will delete it.
• Can I post a photograph to you?
We cannot accept photographs through the post. Photographs must be uploaded digitally to your profile.
• Forgotten your password or user name?
Use the link "Forgotten?" on the first page, or simply click here: Send my password!
• I don’t have a digital photograph. What shall I do?
Register as an extra at Extras.co.uk by following the instructions. Ask your friends whether anyone has a digital camera or mobile with a camera. If your friends can’t help you, turn to a photo studio where they can help you take a digital photo. You can find one through Yell.com. Remember that good photographs will increase your chances to gain work as an extra.
• Terminate membership
If you would like to teminate your membership, click here: Terminate membership.
• Trying to change my pictures but the old ones keep coming back
Web browsers are lazy. Most use a storage place on your computer called a cache to stash copies of pages you have visited. Then, when you want to go back to the page, the browser pulls the page from the cache rather than getting the actual page from the actual website. This scheme is meant to speed your internet experience, but it can cause problems. Sometimes the cache will hold an old copy of a page, or even an error message.
To force the browser to get the real page, select "Reload" or "Refresh" from your browser's "toolbar" or the "View" menu. If this does not work, hold down the option key (Mac) or alt key (Windows) and then select "Reload" or "Refresh" again. If that still fails, you need to empty the cache. The procedure is different for each browser. In Internet Explorer: Select "Tools" from the menu bar. Click "Internet Options". Select the "General" tab. In the "Temporary Internet Files" area click "Delete Files". Click "Delete all offline content". Click "OK" In Mozilla and Netscape: From the "Edit" menu, select "Preferences". Click on the "Advanced" category and then click on "Cache". Click on "Clear Disk Cache" and "Clear Memory Cache". Close the "Preference" window, select "Network Preferences..." In Internet Explorer for Mac: Choose "Edit" from the menu at the top. Select "Preferences". From the table that opens select "Advanced". In the section named "Cache" click the button that says "Empty Now". In Mac Safari: In the upper left corner, click on "Safari". Choose "Empty Cache" from the drop down menu. If you still cannot see the image, are you sitting down?, it is probably because your ISP is cacheing the page! Yes, Internet Service Providers, notably AOL, will cache pages to speed up the browsing. If this is the case, the only thing you can do is wait a few hours or so until the cache is automaticlally dumped.
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