An Extra's Guide To #SetLife

With 19 years experience as a Supporting Artist with appearances on Hollyoaks, Emmerdale, Happy Valley and No Offence as well as a worldwide photographic campaign for Castrol Vectron, David Leung gives us the lowdown on what life on set is really like.

As soon as I get details of a job, I check out the location on Google Maps and make sure I know where I will be going. I look out for the ‘base’ when I get there. This means things like large trailers that act as mobile offices, changing rooms, a trailer for make up and wardrobe, an outdoor catering truck (nicknamed the chuck wagon), a double decker bus and a mobile toilet (nicknamed the honey wagon). 

Before setting off on the day of a job, I will check my phone to see I still have the call details, then check my bag, which I would have packed the night before according to the wardrobe brief which can sometimes be quite ambiguous. For someone who is on his or her first job, this can be rather daunting. They can usually be spotted arriving with a large suitcase and a number of bags with their entire wardrobe inside!

After arriving I will make my way to the double decker bus, where the other SA's will be gathered. This will be our greenroom/dining room/changing room/ and it is where you will spend most of the day. They will also hand out release forms for us to fill in, which will be handed back at the end of the day so that we can get paid. 

Once the forms have been completed then it's time for breakfast, with the smell of bacon wafting through the air. Make up department will be next to show up so that they can check whether you are suitably groomed. For example, when playing the role of a police officer, men need to be cleaned shaven and women need to have their hair tied up in a bun. It pays to come prepared or you might find yourself having to hack off your beard with a razor!

We will then be asked to stay at the unit base until we are needed on set. Waiting plays a big part in being an SA so I always make sure I’m ready. I make sure my phone is fully charged and bring a book.  Chatting with other SAs also passes the time. Most people are approachable and easy going and it helps if there are other SAs there who you know from previous jobs together. For anyone who is on their first job, this can be quite intimidating so I always try to make an effort to make newbies feel at ease.

A runner is usually sent to come and escort us all to set when we are needed. For anyone who hasn't been on a film set before, it can seem quite chaotic with lots of people running around, setting up equipment, cables everywhere, lights, camera and a 1st AD giving orders to everyone.

We will be then handed over to the 3rd AD, who will be responsible for us on set. It is their job to position the SAs in the scene and to give us instructions for what to do when they start to shoot. Most of the time it be will quite simple things like "walk from point A to point B" or "pick up that file and take it to that person over there." Sometimes you might be asked to speak during a scene. This is a big deal amongst SAs and you are allowed to feel a bit smug for the rest of the day! 

Just before the camera starts rolling wardrobe will be making sure your tie is straight your shirt tucked in and to give you a once over with the lint brush.  Make up will also turn up to apply some powder and a coat of hairspray if you are close to the camera. They don’t actually say ‘Lights, camera, action!’ like in the movies. In reality it’s more like ‘Sound, camera set and action! Wait cut – move that to left. You’ve missed your cue!’

Filming a scene can be quite laborious, especially if several different camera angles are going to be shot. This means that you will have to do the same thing numerous times and all the time to be mindful of keeping up continuity. For instance, if you were holding something in your right hand, you’ll have to remember to use the same hand when they shoot the same scene from a different position. Failing to do so will cause big problems for the editor!

Your job as an SA is to bring realism to a scene without distracting attention from the main actors. In a restaurant scene we might have to chat or look at menus or make conversation on the bus. The only difference is this all has to be done without sound so we mime the conversation – which can be a little strange and sometimes awkward! This is so that the sound engineer can get a clear recording of the dialogue from the actors free from background noise.

At lunch cast and crew eat first so that they can get back on set first. After we eat, minds start wandering as people ask about what time we will be wrapping for the day and SAs might ask for an ‘ETW’ (estimated time of wrap). When 'wrap' is finally called, everyone is excited to get going but the crew will still need to do a ‘wild track.’ A wild track is a recording of sound effects for the scene we have just shot, like plates and glasses clinking in a pub and people chatting in the background. We will start chatting at normal level, rattle cutlery on plates, walk around, maybe get up out of a chair, this will go on for about a minute. 

As another days filming draws to an end, people who were given any clothes to wear by wardrobe will be hurriedly getting changed back into their own and the runner will be frantically trying to get everyone's release forms before you leave. SAs are now free to go home and wait for the next call for another job. 

I still get a buzz when I step onto a set, even after all these years – nineteen! - as an SA: The places I've been, the experiences I've had, I wouldn't swap them for anything. I feel honoured and privileged to have been part of so many projects and for some of the famous people I have met. However, the thing that makes being an SA so enjoyable, for me anyway, is the other SAs. We are like a small community, a band of brothers and sisters. I have met some great people over the years that have remained friends to this day.  So if you have some spare time then maybe a job as an SA might be for you: Give it go, you never know, you might see yourself on telly!