If you are an extra, there are several things that are very helpful for the work on the set. Due to the fact that much of the hard work relevant to an extra is waiting, take all the stuff with you to kill time or which makes the stay on the set more pleasant. Stuff it inside a back pack and off you go with the right preparation for an relaxed working day as an extra! For that reason, listed below are stuff that might be useful for an extra:
Outfit: A superb tactic for clothing on the set is the onion method. This is extremely true in case you are on an outside shoot. Wear a couple of layers of clothing (e.g. T-shirt, shirt, cardigan sweater and then a daily street jacket) to respond to different weather conditions. Bear in mind a thin rain jacket in case of rain.
Heating pads: Primarily in the winter this is very helpful. These are small plastic packages which were previously "charged" in a warm water bath. Arrived on a cold location, activate subtle warmer simply by bending over a metallic plate inside the bag - it is getting warm inside the pocket really fast. The pillow together with the stuffing is completely harmless while the pad can get hot to 50 degrees Celsius. It costs round 3 € each. Gloves are the ideal idea as a supplement and / or alternative.
Music: Ipod for music, audio books or podcasts, that one could hear throughout the breaks of the shooting.
Reading: Being an extra you have enough time for newspapers, magazines or books. Food: Take some fruits, sandwiches and something to drink for yourself to the set. Coffee and tea are usually served by the production company on location.
Notebook / Smartphone: Electronic devices for internet reading, music, videos and maybe even a small game. Turn them off when you are filming!
Comfortable shoes: If possible, wear comfortable shoes, due to the fact that extras almost always have to wait on the film sets a lot. The style of the footwear always rely on what role you play being an extra. So a policeman will rarely have the chance to appear with sneakers in the image. For such a role normally the shoes are supplied by the production company.
Garment bag: If you must bring your own clothes for your personal role (e.g. a dark outfit for the shooting of an night event), it makes sense to wear the clothing just on the set. Occasionally you will be asked to bring diverse outfit styles (in this instance suits) to the set, to try out what best suits the role. For the transportation of your clothing a garment bag works best.
Pens and paper: A pencil and some paper might be very useful on the film set. You hear something about a new casting company from another extra. Just write it down!
List of things to do: In most cases you will be waiting for the next shot at the set. Therefore why don´t you use the free time efficiently. For instance it could be useful to have a collection of contacts that you already planned to call. Now it s time to work through this call to do list. Only call if this is allowed on the movie set.
Foldable Stool: There is not always a place to sit on a filmset. Most especially when you discover yourself as an extra on an outdoor shoot. For that reason a foldable chair can be very convenient for you.
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