What is Screen Actors Guild definition of an Extra?

Answer 1

• Background performer: For years, SAG had the "three voucher rule". After collecting 3 valid union vouchers for three separate days of work, a background performer (an extra-actor) can become SAG-Eligible; however, employment must be confirmed with payroll data not vouchers. SAG productions require a minimum number of SAG members be employed as background performers before a producer is permitted to hire-2a non-union background performer in their production. For television productions, the minimum number of SAG background performers is 19, for commercials the minimum is 40, and for feature films, the minimum is 50. Often, due to the uniqueness of a role, or constraints on the numbers of available SAG performers or last-minute cancellations, those minimums are unable to be met. When this happens, film-producerare permitted to fill one or more of those union spots with non-union performers. The non-union performer chosen to fill the union spot is then issued a union extra voucherfor the day, and that non-union performer is entitled to all the same employee-benefitand pay that the union performer would have received under that voucher. The SAG-Eligible background performer may continue working in non-union productions and is not required to join the Guild before performing in another SAG production as a background performer.