A little “extra” advice

Since Hollywood culture came to form, the entertainment industry has evolved in many different ways. New York and California have been the hot spots to film movies and television shows.

Now, more and more places are being scooped up to film in. They are cheaper and offer untapped locations and talent to scout.

In recent years, Atlanta has been dubbed the “Hollywood of the South.”

While attending Georgia State or simply cohabiting the downtown area, people interested in pursuing entertainment careers can take advantage of what their neighborhood has to offer.

BEHIND THE SCENES: MEDIA CONGLOMERATES RIGHT HERE IN THE ATL

Atlanta has many companies based here that are well known in the entertainment business.

We have more than 300 recording studios statewide.

We have one of the most internationally known companies—Turner Broadcasting System—owned and created by Georgia native Ted Turner.

At Turner, TBS, Tent, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Sports, and CNN are housed and ran.

Another well known entertainment production is Tyler Perry Studios, run by the eponymous Tyler Perry himself.

However, no matter the experience or drive you put forth to break into Southern Hollywood’s shell, there is a quick and easy job that requires no prior skills or experience that will get you straight to a set.

IN THE CUT: BECOMING AN EXTRA

An extra is a role (cast in a film, television show, music video, etc.) that includes some physical requirements, but beyond that is designed to fill space. For example, while the actor is filming and giving dialogue, an extra would walk across a sidewalk in the background or open a door for one of the actors entering a shop.

Sophomore Hallie Huskins has worked on many well-known sets around Atlanta and has learned things that casting companies wouldn’t necessarily tell you.

“I started in high school over the summer because I didn’t have a job, and it sounded easy and fun,” Huskins said.

The most well known casting agencies in Atlanta are CL Casting, Tammy-Smith Extras, and Extras Casting Atlanta.

According to Huskins, the process of getting work at as an extra is reliant almost entirely on postings on Facebook.

“They will post things on their page like 18-25, able to pass a high school/college student, attached with a photo of you, selfies are fine,” Huskins said. “And then you send in a photo with physical descriptions of yourself and wait to get an email saying that you are an extra and where to go for the shoot.”

Some of them are as last minute as a post asking for extras for the very next day.

Huskins said the best thing about being an extra is to be on set and get the opportunity to see how things work.

“I had no idea how CGI worked,” Huskins said. “I’d ask questions and learn how they went about it. Everyone got to see how the cameras were used and if you were to ask a question to one of the crew members, they’d definitely answer.”

Once you receive the confirmation that you get an extras gig, you are given where to go and when. Even if you’ve worked with the same company multiple times, there is always a mountain of paper work.

Huskins had to sign many confidentiality agreements on the feature with Jack Black that she can’t name, however it is rumored to be an adaption of R.L Stine’s “Goosebumps.”

She said the pay is good, but it is dependent on the casting agency you are applying to extra for.

The worst set Huskins experienced was on fan-favorite “The Vampire Diaries.” The best? The set in April with Jack Black.

“I did it once and didn’t want to go back,” she said of the experience. “It was over the summer, very hot, and when they didn’t need us they left us in the heat, no food, and everyone was getting sunburned. One woman had this extravagant necklace on and got a burn in the shape of it on her neck.”

The Jack Black feature Huskins worked on in April had a much higher budget and it showed in how they could accommodate their extras. It was her best experience.

There were lots of food, with the ability to use their phones, laptops, given Red Bulls like candy, all in an air conditioned room waiting for their scene.

In contrast, conditions on “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” set were the exact opposite, with all of the extras relegated to a tent in the dead of winter, not allowed to use phones, and with nothing but one single heater.

Although Hawkins found being an extra fun and easy money, she had to eventually quit due to the hectic nature of her school schedule and the inconsistency of an extra’s schedule.

“The postings and notifications of when you work are so last minute, you wait to see what the crazy hours are and you might not even have been given a job,” Hawkins said. “I now work as a waitress and at least I know that I work tomorrow and when.”

A misconception about being casted as an extra? Many people think they are going to be discovered and risen to stardom.

Extras are not introduced to the big names or get much recognition from the production crew other than their marks and where to go when.

“It’s a shame. People I’ve spoken to have thought ‘Well I’m on TV! I’m going to be a star like Harrison Ford.’ But you are just a background piece to help the shoot look all the more real,” Hawkins said.

So why do it?

The experience alone is enough to be crossed off the bucket list for curious fans of film and television.

“I’d say do it for a summer to be able to say you’ve done it. You can learn how a set works and is generally run,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins learned things she never would have known without the experience of being on a set.

The audience you see in game shows, such as Atlanta filmed “Family Feud” which Hawkins attended, are all extras. They are told when to laugh, how to respond, and cut in editing to fit the feeling of the rest of the show.

Additionally, in that five minute scene you’ve scene where a character walks across a room, says a few lines, and leaves? It takes up to two days.

While being an extra might not be an easy access to the entertainment industry, being extras on a few sets is the sometimes the closest you’ll ever be able to get to get a feel for the industry with no prior experience or skills.

You get to point yourself out in something that lasts forever and decide if the life of being on a set is for you, no matter the budget.

CURRENTLY FILMING IN ATLANTA

• The Vampire Diaries (TV)
• The Walking Dead (TV)
• Ride Along 2 (Film)
• Constantine (TV)
• Insurgent (Film)
• The Originals (TV)
• Red Band Society (TV)
• Ant Man (Film)
• Captain America 3 (Film)
• National Lampoon’s Vacation Reboot (Film)