Member of the Month – LIZ SAUL

Hundreds of production companies browse through our talent directory everyday in order to hire academy members for their productions. We feature a “Member of the Month” on this page to highlight our members success in finding work through our service. This month academy member Liz Saul tells us about her recent experience in BBC1’s Eastenders.

Was this your first experience of being an extra?

No, my first experience as a TV extra was actually at school. A production company for Channel 4 were filming some classroom scenes and asked if some of the kids could be used as extras.

Explain your day filming at Eastenders...

It was actually quite interesting - work as an extra involves a lot of sitting around but you always meet different people and there's lots to observe and you can always tuck a book in your bag just in case. We had to be on set by 8am and be ready for direction or given our costumes (in my case) and get ready. Then you are taken through to the set and there are rehearsals, then takes they shoot from different angles and you end up doing things several times or slightly differently.

One of my briefs was to go up to Ricky and Sam as they hugged and give them an evil look (as Sam was in prison there was not meant to be any huge physical contact)

How was it watching yourself back on TV?

Its a bit odd, a bit cringey but okay. That said, it reminds me to keep shedding the pounds!

What advice would you give for academy members who are looking for work as an extra?

It is good fun but if you are easily bored then it’s probably not for you. Be prepared for the sitting around. I view it as an opportunity to meet new people and gain new experience (no 2 days filming are ever the same) so there is always a positive. Try to be flexible, helpful and available too.

Thanks for letting us know about your experience Liz, keep up the good work (out of prison hopefully!)

If you’re one of the many academy members who receive work through our site, don’t forget to let us know what work you’ve been up to so we can feature you on this page in the future.