actors

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1. Save on food
   Budget properly for catering. The more so if your crew is underpaid. The more so, the longer the shoot is.
   Doesn’t cost much more, but does wonders for crew morale.
2. 16 hour days, 5 days a week
   Just because this film is the No.1 priority for you, doesn’t mean it is for everyone else on set. Not only does the crew have a right to a life as well, and not only do they need to be able to work on their next film, but overworking the crew makes you liable for accidents that may - and eventuall will - happen.
   If all these arguments don’t count: My experience is that 6 days with 16 hours are not more productive than 5 days with 10 hours.
3. Concentrate on the money shots
   While nice for marketing and your show-reel, the audience will only sit through your film if it is good in its entity, not just some scenes.
4. Who needs a DP - I can buy a camera instead?
   An experienced cameraman will free you to concentrate on telling the story by giving your actors good instructions. An experienced cameraman will speed up the production by knowing what to shoot, what will work visually, which lenses to use, which stock to use, and many more things that you have never heard of.

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Extras are the people in the background of a film that give life to a scene. A less-than-glamorous job (lots of waiting), they are usually directed by the assistant director.

Usually the extras are furnished with simple instructions like “Hey you in the grey shirt - walk from here to there. You with the cap, sit here, count til 10 and then get up. Don’t look into the camera!”. On some films, each extra gets his/her own role description, including a motivation.

In Wim Wender’s excellent film “Wings of Desire” you can see Peter Falk talk to extras.
And if you happen to see the Oscar nominated film “Elling”, you might even spot yours truly - on 3 occasions
Thanks to my iceland-based informer, I found out that the BBC has a new series named “Extras”, and here is a hilarious clip from it:

This is an actual message, posted on alt.movies.independent in Nov. 1998 (geesh; imagine, in 1998 I actually had time to read the alt. lists…)

Subject: IN SEARCH OF PEOPLE

We are trying to assemble a low budget independent film, and need the following:
1) Sound Editors/F/Xs
2) UPM (Unit Production Managers)
3) Camera Operators (may be covered)
4) Actors/Actresses
5) Grips

All of the tech crew must be able to act, and all of the actors must be able to do tech. Payment comes in the form of even cut of the earnings. Sound F/Xs do not have to be able to act, and the position may already be filled. We already have one actress, a director, assistant director, cinematographer, producer (me), and writer. Stage acting experience preferred. People who can bring their own camera strongly preferred. Probably lodging will be camping out in the Mojave desert for the duration of the film. This will not be great fun, but is a chance to put something on your resume.