The (very) long road to semi-stardom
Date: 06.07.2018 | Posted by Phillip Tolley |
After 30 years working as a supporting ariste (on and off - although more off than on) I have decided to start this blog talking about the work pitfalls and highlights.
The information provided is generally for past productions rather than current or future plans.This is due to the limitations of the non-disclosire agreements we sign up to on most productions. These non-disclosure agreements are designed to prevent plot leaks, costume and set picture leaks and unofficial cast information. The more expensive the film generally the tighter the security.
To help reduce the chance of leaked footage or unauthorised cast photos mobile phones are generally banned from set and sometime even from the holding areas off set.
For Mission Impossible 6 all phones had security labels placed over the cameras while on Jurassic World 2 phones were taken off supporting artistes when they registered for the day and looked uptill the days filming had finished.
Limited information about films in production can still be found at http://www.imdb.com
Getting Started
Date: 106/07/2018 | Posted by Phillip Tolley |
The idea of my doing Supporting Artiste work came at the suggestion of my then singing teacher who was already working in that field and who thought it would be good for me, as I was, and remain somewhat of an introvert.
At that time (1987) Supporting Artistes were still called Extras - now they are Background Artistes or Supporting Artistes. In those days you also needed to be a member of Equity to be an Extra so there were fewer of us around.
30 years later there is no longer a closed shop which means that there are now approx 50K registered supporting artistes fighting it out for limited places. My first apperances were in the 2nd series of a new hopsital drama called ' Casualty' (1987) and in a horror mini series initally called 'Gor' but later remaned 'First Born' (1988).
The first stage on the ladder is to register with an Agent. Some agents charge a fee for you to go on their books while others deduct the 'book fee' from your first pay packets. While you have an agent, or agents, you remain self employed. In addition to the 'book fee' the agent also deducts their commission from any earnings. It is always important to consider these deductions plus travel and accommodation costs (if applicable) when deciding if a potential fiming job is worth it.
When you are a professional supporting artiste, meaning that you are registered self employed and listed with the inland Revenue, then the potential profit of filming is paramount. If you are a hobbyist or part time supporting artiste (or SA), then sometimes the calibre of the film or stars will influence your decision even if it means making a loss. Certaining appearing in a James Bond or Mission Impossible film has enough pull for most SA's to accept this work as a loss leader.
Can you rise from SA to proper Actor. In the end it depends on talent and luck. There are many SAs who consider themselves Actors already (Inflated ego's are common in the some SAs). Background Artistes who have become well known actors include Brad Pitt, Channing Tatum, David Niven, Renee Zellwegger, Matt Damon, Syvester Stallon, Megan Fox, Michael Caine and Bruce Willis
