Background actors are concerned Coronavirus COVID-19 film guidelines could potentially destroy their acting careers.
One of the best ways to get started in the film industry is arguably getting a job as a background actor. The position requires little to no acting experience and gives aspiring actors, filmmakers, and producers the opportunity to see what it is like to work on a production. However, due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 guidelines, movie and TV extras could become a thing of the past replaced with CGI and smaller scenes.
Many guilds including SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and the Cinematographers Guild released rules planned to protect their guild members from infection. However, many of the guidelines suggest guidelines that say to reduce background extras and increase production expenses to hire background actors.
In Los Angeles, the LA County Department of Public Health released guidelines for movies and TV shows saying that the “cast must be as silent as possible to avoid spreading droplets through talking.” Moreover, “Large crowd scenes should be avoided,” which is bad news for background actors who make at around $100 per day.
Sande Alessi is the extras casting director from many hit movies including the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘Argo’. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she says, “Nobody wants what I’m selling,” she says. “Nobody wants human beings.”
Background coordinator Lisa Marie Boiko says it is “physically impossible” to abide by the new social distancing rules.
“How do you do that in a [transportation] van—bring one passenger per trip?” Boiko asks. “I work with groups of 50 background actors or more. The holding areas we use are not very big. Renting out a hangar to spread them out will cost a lot more money.”
In addition, CGI is on track to replace background extras. David Conley, an executive producer at Weta Digital, argues CGI can create “bespoke, realistic characters at any scale and at any level of detail”.
In relevant news, Georgia released its TV and movie production guidelines, which includes eliminating “open calls” and asking for greater distance between actors. Extras and background actors may be “severely reduced”. Staff is asked to keep a record of interactions between actors so the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19 can be tracked.
Meanwhile, Pinewood Atlanta Studios president and CEO Frank Patterson said his 700-acre Fayetteville studio is resuming production. Patterson told “Morning Edition” Pinewood should resume production by this Fall.
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