Guys, this is a money talk so I don't want to feed you with plenty of stories. I will give a brief
background then reel out some numbers so we can talk. First, I feel insulted when you call me an "Extra" like some mere shadow you brought to complete your numbers? When will they realize that those "Extra" are the reason your lead isn't looking stupid yet? ( anyway, I will talk about this on a later date).
In Nollywood where unprofessionalism is enthroned above anything else, you would expect the learned big figures to know and do better... but that rarely happens! You want to produce a low budget movie with over 50 extras? You want to eat your cake and have it? A piece of quick advice to all Nollywood producers out there; If your extras are happy on your set during production, they will be your first customers, biggest and widest hypemen and marketers. Always remember this.
Now let's look at some numbers:
It cost roughly N35,000 (Almost $100) to purchase an AGN form today. One would expect that same body to regulate activities of these notorious producers who pay Extras between N0 to N3,000 ($0 to $cool for an entire days job! Not to compare Hollywood with our dear industry, but hey, an extra earns minimum $8 every hour he's on set for the lowest budget movies, and as high as $30 for normal budget movies. I will give credit to some Nollywood filmmakers who have tried to increase that pay to N5,000 per day ($14) recently but I also want to let them know that I have received many reports about how their Production Managers and 3rd party talent agents rip off our struggling actors and eventually return them back to N3,000 or N2,500 per day and sometimes nothing at all!
Some of us are fully aware of the intrigues of the Nigerian entertainment industry. So we need your opinion on what should be an IDEAL WAGE FOR A BACKGROUND ACTOR in Nollywood. Drop your opinions in the comment box let's make it trend.
Source: https://vhfilm..com/2019/07/how-much-should-producers-pay-extras-in.html

Who is a background actor? What do they do?

Cacawa2:
Who is a background actor? What do they do?

They are same as Extras, or better put... the waka pass kinda role. But sometimes it is even much more defined.