Extras at Hengdian World Studios in East China's Zhejiang Province Photo: Li Hao/GT

Extras at Hengdian World Studios in East China's Zhejiang Province Photo: Li Hao/GT

 

Extras at Hengdian World Studios in East China's Zhejiang Province Photo: Li Hao/GT

Extras at Hengdian World Studios in East China's Zhejiang Province Photo: Li Hao/GT

Despite high temperatures reaching 38 C, dozens of people line up in front of the registration center at Hendian World Studios, China's equivalent to Hollywood, in East China's Zhejiang Province, to wait for training to become an extra. Some of them have come out of curiosity, while others hope it is the first stepping stone to achieving their dreams of becoming a star. 

Xia Haifeng, an elderly woman from Central China's Henan Province, was one of the people eagerly waiting. 

"I used to dream about being an actress when I was young, but I wasn't able to. Now that I've retired, I finally have the time to come here to pursue my dream," Xia excitedly told the Global Times. 

For some people, like 21-year-old Li Yongjie, this is the first time they have come to be an extra. Li told the Global Times that she hoped that this could lead to an eventual career in the industry. 

"If I can't make a living at this, I will end up leaving," she said.

Tough times



According to Xia, being an extra at Hengdian World Studios has three different levels. There are not many requirements for being a basic extra, which is the first level. These extras play the various background characters viewers see while watching a show. They do not have any lines and may only appear for several seconds on screen. Their basic job is to hang around in one place until the directors no longer need them. They earn 90 yuan ($13) for a 10-hour work day and can earn an extra 10 yuan for each hour of overtime. 

Due to the high temperatures this summer, some crews have increased this wage to 150 yuan a day.

"Being an extra is not easy. Most of the time, you are required to stay at a specific place, getting baked by ultraviolet light the entire day, while main characters are able to rest comfortably in a recreational vehicle and have a lot of staff looking after them," An Yang, a university student majoring in drama who came Hengdian to gain experience, told the Global Times.

Chen Jingtao, a former extra, told the Global Times that the costumes that extras wear are usually not clean and during the hotter months can sometimes carry very strong odors. 

He recalled that one of his companions fainted from heatstroke while wearing a heavy helmet and armor during a costume drama shoot.

"Time is money. Film crews do not want to waste their time cleaning costumes for unimportant extras," Chen explained.

The mid level is comprised of advanced extras who stand close to lead actors. 

Women must be at least 1.63 meters tall, while men can be no shorter than 1.78 meters. Attractive looks and good skin are also a must. These roles pull in 200-500 yuan a day. 

The next level are bit parts - credited roles with a few lines. Wages are dependant on the role, but usually start at 800 yuan.

A record number of 111 film crews are currently working on productions at the film base now that the Chinese mainland film and TV industry has resumed filming, which has led to a high demand for extras. 

"The maximum number of extra roles can reach 200 to 300 per day, while the number of mid-level roles and bit parts varies according the needs of various crews," an employee at the registration center told the Global Times.

Epidemic impact

Zhao Handan, an employee of the Hengdian World Studios, told the Global Times that in March, when the COVID-19 epidemic was still a major threat, 2,000 extras worked on productions, a huge drop from the 5,000 extras working in March of 2019. Since then, however, that number gradually grew to 8,000 people in May.

The COVID-19 outbreak naturally had an enormous impact on film production.

Most extras had returned to their hometown in January to spend the Chinese New Year holiday with their families and ended up having to stay there as the nation went on lockdown.

At the time, bit part actor Li Faguang was working on a period drama directed by Hong Kong director Wong Jing. The production stopped filming on January 27, the third day of the Chinese New Year due to the epidemic, and Li returned home, where he quarantined himself for 14 days. 

Li told the Global Times that some extras ended up staying behind at Hengdian World Studios because they were unable to buy a return train or plane ticket home since they lived in Central China's Hubei Province, where first COVID-19 cases were reported.

He returned to work in March as one of the first batch of extras returning to work. 

"Returning earlier meant I had more work, since most extras were still at home."

Working in Hengdian for three years now, Li has gone from being a basic extra to a bit player, while his family and friends have gradually changed their attitude from mocking him for "daydreaming" to respect him.
Newspaper headline: Dreams of stardom