Why Your Booked Dates Are SO Important
Picture this: you’ve been booked for a role in the next blockbuster hit.
Production loved you, and have requested to book you specifically!
But wait…
Uh oh. Those dates you agreed to had totally slipped your mind and you’ve now double-booked?!
Might not sound like a huge deal – but in the realm of TV and Film Extra work, it can actually be quite catastrophic.
So, grab that handy calendar. Here’s why those booked dates are so important…
Continuity
Continuity refers to the consistency of details in a scene or storyline.
It means ensuring that props, costumes, actions, and settings remain the same throughout filming – and this includes Extras
Extras play a crucial role in maintaining continuity by providing consistent background action from one shot to another.
In other words – you can’t be there in one take, and miraculously vanish from the next.
This means that even if you’re now only available for just some of the dates you’ve agreed to, but not all, it can take you out of contention for the role completely.
Productions spend a lot of money making sure to pay eagle-eyed attention to these details – in fact – there’s even an on-set Continuity department hired specifically for this!
Other Artistes
Remember: production hand pick every single supporting artist on screen. No one is just ‘a face in the crowd’.
Not only does pulling out of work disrupt things on the UVE casting side, it also affects all of our other SAs who are keen to secure paid work.
An opportunity that has come your way rather could have gone to a keen Artiste had they been given the same shot!
Long story short, last minute cancellations impact a whole chain of people from other Artistes all the way to ADs and production crew.
Big TV shows and feature films can have hundreds of Extras on set every day – it’s normally a very busy schedule – so small changes set off a domino effect that can have a big impact on lots of other people involved.
That’s why it’s so important that when you tell us you’re free, we’re able to trust you!
Future Work
When you take part in SA work, you start building up a professional reputation.
We know it doesn’t always feel like work when you’re having fun on set, but remember that you’re there to do a job.
Just like in any other type of employment, the reputation you build will follow you.
Making a name for yourself as an ‘unreliable’ by bailing on dates that you committed to will travel between production crews, and sadly impact the types of opportunities that make themselves available to you in future.
Any no one wants that!
Q. What if an Emergency Comes Up?
We do understand; life is full of surprises.
If your availability suddenly changes and you are booked on an upcoming production, we need to let the production know immediately so we can begin the process of finding your replacement.
Call us straight away to let one of the team know!
Q. How Do I Notify You About an Emergency?
You should always call us, either on our Office line (0345 0090 344) during office hours, or on our 24-hour emergency number.
Our emergency contact number (07903747452) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you’re unable to get through, please call again until you are able to speak to our ‘on call’ team member.
We do not accept texts or emails as acceptable because they can easily be missed, sometimes they don’t arrive (i.e. if they fail spam filters) and there is no way for you to know that we are aware. If you call and are unable to get through, please continue to call until you speak to a member of the team.
Head back to the Uni-versal Extras blog to catch up on even more Artiste content?