I have had my share of appearing in feature films as an extra and getting paid for it. However, it has gotten to the point that I want to actually utilize my gifts and talents in acting. I have decided not to continue to do extra work and instead have started submitting for actual roles. I just appeared in a supporting role in an independent feature. It was great. I have also been selected in a supporting role for another film. It seems that things are really shaping up now because of these new credits; I am getting called specifically for lead and supporting roles. The only thing is that these films are “deferred pay” with credit. I still need financial backing to sustain myself in this industry and everyday life. Did I make the right choice?

I remember an extra-turned-actor friend of mine advising someone in your position as follows: “Do you want to be a working actor or a working extra?” So, you seem to have made the choice to jump from the ranks of the working extra to the working (albeit for free, at this point) actor. Congratulations!

Now, about that need for money. I think, by having chosen to shift from extra work to acting work, that you have already left that “survival job.” It may be time to find another, until your acting gigs start paying.

Very few actors find that they can work as an extra while pursuing an acting career. Sure, there are tales of the extra who got pulled aside by the AD and bumped up to a supporting role, but those are few and far between. It is far more likely to become known as an extra and only ever viewed as “background” by those who look elsewhere to hire actors for the speaking roles. In fact, most projects employ two casting directors: principals casting and extras casting. There just isn’t a lot of overlap in those worlds, from the production side of things.

So, if you have essentially quit your survival job, you will need to find something else that is both flexible and well-paying enough to allow for all of the intricacies of the actor’s life. Actors have successfully survived doing everything from temp work to academic tutoring, from bartending to messenger service work, and from babysitting to computer repair. An excellent book on the subject of survival jobs is titled exactly that: Survival Jobs: 154 Ways To Make Money While Pursuing Your Dreams by Deborah Jacobson.

As for those lovely deferred-pay acting jobs you’re now getting (Again, congratulations!), that’s typical. Much of the work actors do as they build their resumés and demo reels is done in exchange for tape and the credit itself. The combination of those new credits and your continued training will pay off not only by making you a better actor but also by helping you build relationships. Remember, the filmmaker for whom you did a favor by working for free could be tomorrow’s big studio darling and you’ll have made an impression by having been talented and professional on his set.

You’re absolutely headed in the right direction. Each new role should be bigger and better. Each project should be more high-profile and impressive. And as you build your resumé and demo reel, you’re also building relationships. Just make sure you end up choosing a survival job that gives you the flexibility you need to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves as you continue to become more in-demand as an actor. Good luck! Keep me posted on what you end up doing!

Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!

Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/000129.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.