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Background actor skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

Aaron Todd Douglas,

Tim Threlfall

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical background actor skills. We ranked the top skills for background actors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 18.1% of background actor resumes contained production assistants as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a background actor needs to be successful in the workplace.

10 background actor skills for your resume and career

1. Production Assistants

A production assistant (PA) is a person who works on television, movie, or theatre sets to support the producer. They get the cast, crew, and set ready for each day's shoot and communicate instructions from the director to the cast. A production assistant should have a degree in film production.

Here's how background actors use production assistants:

Reported to set on call time and followed cues of production assistants and director during production.
Performed with other background actors * Obeyed commands from Production Assistants

2. CSI

CSI stands for crime scene investigator. This position is responsible for processing the evidence gathered at the scene of a crime, such as fingerprints, fibers, and any DNA found on site. Crime scene investigators only manage the extraction of evidence and are not responsible for any scientific analysis performed on the evidence.

Here's how background actors use csi:

Appeared at various film sets, including Grey's Anatomy, CSI, and Stand Off.

3. TV Show

Here's how background actors use tv show:

Background acting for Network cable TV shows Taking direction from leads to show acting skills.
Background Extra work for various TV shows filmed in Hawaii.

4. ABC

ABC commonly stands for the American Broadcasting Company. It is an American commercial television broadcast network and the flagship property of Walt Disney. It is also a part of the Disney General Entertainment Content. ABC was founded on October 12th, 1943. The company's headquarters is based in New York.

Here's how background actors use abc:

Divorce Court, FOX Network Miss Guided, ABC Network
Promoted branding to press via live television interviews on NBC, ABC, Fox News & live radio.

5. Body Movements

Here's how background actors use body movements:

Played varied parts in motion picture productions Interpret serious or comics role by gesture, and body movement to entertain or inform
Harmonize body movements to rhythm of musical accompaniment.

6. Feature Film

A feature film is a film with a playing time long enough to be deemed the main or the soul movie to fill a program. The term feature film was first used for the main, full-length film in a cinema program that included a short film and sometimes a newsreel. The notion of how long a feature film should be varies according to time and place but most feature films are between 75 and 210 minutes long.

Here's how background actors use feature film:

Performed as a professional artist in feature films and on television; solo and ensemble appearances.
Featured as a background actor in several locally-produced feature films such as Ted 2, Clear History

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7. Sag-Aftra

Here's how background actors use sag-aftra:

Appeared in several TV shows as well as commercials as SAG-AFTRA performer.
Work in production field SAG-AFTRA member

8. Film Production

Here's how background actors use film production:

Observed professional modern film production techniques.
Worked on several film productions including Mad Men, Vegas, Masters of Sex and Jersey Boys

9. Facial Expressions

Here's how background actors use facial expressions:

Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using bodymovements, facial expressions, and gestures.

10. NYC

NYC stands for New York City.

Here's how background actors use nyc:

Work independently under contract for major agents/producers based out of the NYC & LA areas.
Traveled the world working and living in NYC, Europe and Asia.

What skills help Background Actors find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on background actor resumes?

Aaron Todd Douglas

Director, University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program, University of Minnesota

The skills that stand out most are collaboration, problem-solving, concentration, and communication. Not only do our people develop the ability to collaborate with technical specialists (such as sound and lighting designers and technicians) as well as their own counterparts, but they can construct and deliver compelling narratives that communicate volumes quickly and efficiently. They are task-oriented and dogged in their pursuit of conscientious solutions that serve the collective good. They possess analysis and research skills with the necessary focus and follow-through to implement plans of action. Time management and people management skills are also critical in a theatrical production and the classroom.

With the confines of the pandemic and the rise of virtual communication and production, audio and visual technical skills complement most practitioners' skill sets. While it isn't necessarily a requisite, a working familiarity with technology is crucial. Nearly all Universities work with some Learning Management System such as Canvas or Blackboard. Instructors and students should also be versed in the basics like Office Suite, Pages, Adobe, etc., to create and edit scripts and other documents.

The attributes that distinguish the most successful Theatre Instructor applicants include a range of applicable professional experience, an advanced degree, and previous teaching experience. The standouts are personable, knowledgeable, and can identify with students from various backgrounds. A demonstrated commitment to lifelong learning and continued professional development is always a plus

What background actor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Tim Threlfall

Head of MDT, Professor, Brigham Young University

Right now, I am guessing that television/film work will return faster and stronger than live theatre. Just go to Netflix or Amazon Prime and see the myriad television shows that are being produced. You can hardly even count them! Every network needs content, and the demand for actors is going to be strong, especially as they make up for lost time during the pandemic when not a lot of shows were in production.
For TV/film work, look to New York as much as LA. Look to Atlanta and Chicago and Vancouver BC. The film and television industry is everywhere right now. Many of our alum have agents in three to five different areas of the country.

What type of skills will young background actors need?

Jamie Cheatham

Head of Acting, Marquette University

The skillset of theatre artists entering the workforce shortly will not change too much. A solid foundation in the craft of theatre, whether in performance, design, or tech, remains rooted in our art form. While theatre does evolve, good theatre education comes with it. Since this spring, the real difference will be that much of the current work that is continuing in theatre has shifted to online formats. Auditions have often involved video submissions. These will likely become much more of an industry-standard, along with video callbacks and interviews. As classes continue to move online, so too do these online skills. So, the Covid-19 shut-down result has led, quite naturally, to the new set of skills that graduates will need. In particular, performers will have to pay a bit more attention to their home video production values, including adequate lighting, composition, and adjusting the scale of their work to the medium.

Do you want to know more?

List of background actor skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a background actor resume and required skills for a background actor to have include:

Production Assistants
CSI
TV Show
ABC

Body Movements
Feature Film
Sag-Aftra
Film Production

Facial Expressions
NYC

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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Background Actor Skills

Updated January 8, 2025

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