By Robin Schroeter
You get a message from an agency: “Featured role, foreign, 30s, shoot Thursday. Available?”
Before you type “yes”, you should know exactly what “featured” means. In Thailand, the role type on a brief tells you how much you will be seen, how much you will be paid, and whether this job helps or hurts your future bookings.
1. Extra (background)
What it is: You are part of the world. Walking in the street behind the lead, sitting in a restaurant, cheering in a crowd. You are usually not recognisable and you don’t speak.
What it’s good for: Learning how a set works. Hitting marks, waiting, resetting, repeating the same action twenty times. If you have never been on a set, a few days as an extra teach you more than any book.
The catch: It does not build your career. Don’t stay here longer than you need to.
2. Featured extra / featured role
What it is: You are recognisable on screen, but you are not the main character. The girlfriend in the background of a car ad. The doctor who hands over a clipboard. Sometimes a line, often none.
What it’s good for: Paid work, real camera time, and footage you might be able to use in a reel.
The catch: In commercials, being clearly visible for one brand can block you from working for its competitors. Ask about this before you accept (see “conflicts” below).
3. Principal / lead
What it is: The story is about you. You are the dad, the customer, the hero of the ad. In films and series, this means a speaking role with real scenes.
What it’s good for: The best pay, the best footage, and the bookings that build a reputation with casting directors.
The catch: You usually go through a casting and often a callback, and the client has the final say. You need to be prepared, professional and consistent with your photos.
How pay usually works
Every job is different, and rates change, so I won’t put numbers in a public article. What you need to understand is the structure:
- Day rate: what you are paid for the shoot day itself. Ask how many hours a “day” is.
- Overtime: what happens if the shoot runs long. On some jobs it is paid, on others it is included. Know before you go.
- Buyout / usage: for commercials, the fee for the client to use your face: which media (online, TV, outdoor), which countries, and for how long. A one-year buyout for Asia is worth far more than three months online in Thailand.
- Agency commission: the agency takes a percentage. Ask whether the rate you were quoted is before or after commission.
- Payment terms: in Thailand, payment can take weeks or even months after the shoot. Ask when you will be paid.
- Tax: withholding tax is often deducted. Your Thai Tax ID makes this smoother.
The questions to ask before you say yes
- What is the role type: extra, featured or principal?
- What is the rate, and is it before or after commission?
- How long is the day, and how is overtime handled?
- What is the usage: media, territory and duration?
- Are there any conflicts (competing brands I can’t work for)?
- When will I be paid?
Asking these questions doesn’t make you difficult. It makes you a professional. The agencies I trust most actually prefer actors who ask, because those actors don’t cause problems later.
The bottom line
Do extra work to learn the set. Chase featured work to build footage and relationships. Train so you are ready when the principal role comes. And never accept a job without knowing what you are agreeing to.
Want the actual numbers?
The Acting Handbook to Thailand includes standard pay rates, how buyouts work and what to ask your agency, written from inside Bangkok’s casting rooms.