David Graham

Over the years, I have acted in a number of things, from short films to theatre productions, to music videos, to TV series and even to feature films.
 
That sounds much better than it is. The short films were local amateur projects, some even of my own making; the theatre productions were local and small-scale; the music videos were also local and small-scale; and the TV series was extra work, as was the feature film.

All the same, it sounds very cool saying the latter sentence. In terms of the experiences, the majority have been great ones, and a lot of fun, and I would highly recommend acting, whether it be in local projects or as an extra in a TV series of feature film.
 
But let’s be honest, what everybody wants to be in is a top TV series or a feature film; the crazy thing is, everybody can be in a top TV series or a feature film. This is because you don’t have to be skilled in acting to be an extra; anybody can do it, and I mean literally anybody.

For example, on the popular detective series Vera, for one scene, I literally just had to walk across a road. Of course, that means that your shining moment of glory will most likely be of the blink and you’ve missed it kind, but not always.
 
Take the popular detective series George Gently. I am in the last ever episode, and I get a solid close-up. If you ever watch the last episode, you literally cannot miss me. I am also seen briefly at other points throughout the episode, and you can even see my face in the pictures on the police board.
 
To say the least, seeing yourself on TV is very cool. Though I will say that for that very short clip of me, it was an entire day and night’s work, and not a well-paid one at that. It was also exceptionally cold that night, and I am pretty certain the second director was afraid - perhaps rightly - that due to how inappropriately dressed I was for the freezing conditions in the costume I had been given, the production was at risk of being brought to a grinding halt if I got hypothermia.
 
Fortunately, I did not get hypothermia. But for the entire evening, which continued until the early hours of the morning, there was much fuss about making sure that, between takes, I stood in front of the burning oil canisters, which were part of the set.
 
In terms of the scene itself, it was a protest scene and I, along with the other extras, spent the whole night protesting, which involved waving a sign above our heads and later on cheering on the lead protester. There was also a bit of violence, which saw me having to repeatedly stop the fall of one of the lead actors after he was pushed into the crowd. I must have caught him no less than twenty times.
 
It was definitely a fun experience, even just to see how TV shows are made, and let me tell you, it is crazy how much goes into making even just one short scene. I swear, if you think you have an idea of the amount that might go into it, until you see it up close, you don’t. From location managers, to production managers, to catering, to security, to make-up, and the list goes on and on before we even get to the actors and TV crew.

For feature films, it even more crazy how much goes into it. Take Hollywood feature film The Current War, which I was an extra in. The sheer size of the production crew was beyond belief; it truly was industrial level. Though I have to say, despite feature film paying a lot better, being an extra on a TV show was more fun, it was also a far more human experience.
 
The majority of the time on the Hollywood feature, I found myself sitting in a tent along with the other extras doing nothing, and one day, I did nothing but sit in a tent. That meant a forty-minute drive to the location to sit in a tent all day - no wonder they pay people well.
 
Regardless, for anyone who loves the world of film and TV, being an extra is an extremely fun experience, so if you ever hear of a film or TV series shooting near you, it may be worth having a go at being an extra. You won’t regret it - though you may get wet and cold!