East Midlands

Whatever your age, appearance or acting ability you could find a part as an extra in a movie or prime time TV drama.

Whether it is as a soldier in a cast of thousands, someone lying on a hospital  trolley in Casualty, or the third dead woman in The Bill, there's a role for every type of extra.  

One of the biggest extra agencies in the country is based in the East Midlands. 

Since Ricky Gervais parodied the life of the lowly extra with his hit show - Extras - they’ve been inundated with requests for work.

Inside Out asked actor Des Coleman to delve into the world of extras. This is his guide to how he got started in acting and his top tips for aspiring film and TV extras.

All the world's a stage

In my eyes extras or Supporting Artist - SAs - as they prefer to be called are the invisible stars of film and television.

Des Coleman - extra advice.

If they do their job correctly, you'll never know they're there and yet without them the production simply wouldn't work.

Think about it… if the person in the back of shot doesn't react or is too exuberant, they pull focus away from the story the director would like to tell.

In one way SA work is for everyone - all creeds, all types. But in another way it's not for everyone.

Being prepared to stand for hours in the cold, the wind and the rain just to see the nape of your neck on the edge of shot does take a rather unique person.

All walks of life

Extra work still attracts souls from all walks of life.

Some yearn for that big break but not everyone is a hopeful wannabee.

The career SA views it as a profession in its own right with a work ethic and a code.

Some supporting artists have attended drama school.

Could you be the next David Tennant?

That's how I got started although I was always told, "Never become an SA if you want to be considered a serious actor - casting directors and producers never look beyond the supporting artist veneer."

We've all heard the horror stories… "An SA should stay in the background.

"Never speak to an actor or look one in the eye."

Yet in nearly 20 years in this industry spanning Stage, Screen and Film, I've never found any truth in that attitude.

Supporting artists

What I do remember is what one SA said to me when I joined my first soap opera cast.

I bounced onto the set full of life, chatting to everyone passing the coffee around, grinning from ear.

Lights, camera, action - extras!

He said, 'I'm not an actor you don't have to do this'. I said, 'It doesn't matter'.

He replied, 'We'll see if you still talk to us when your character hits the screen.'

To this day his words still resonate deep.

But I firmly believe that within the industry we are all artists… directors, producers, actors… and we all need each others support to be able to create.

In essence those two words sum up the whole profession for indeed we are all supporting artists.