Day player: What It Means in Filmmaking
By Muhammad Wisal and Muhammad Ali / 2 min read
A day player is an actor hired by the day, usually for a small speaking role that shoots in one or a few days, rather than on a weekly or run-of-show contract.
What does day player mean?
Most films have a handful of parts that appear in only one or two scenes: the doctor who delivers the news, the cop at the roadblock, the clerk who hands over the keys. Hiring those actors for a full week would waste money, so they are booked per day. In SAG-AFTRA terms, this is a day performer, as opposed to a weekly performer. Background actors (extras) are a separate category, since they do not usually speak lines.
The term is also used for crew. A production might bring in day players such as an extra grip, a second camera operator or a makeup artist for a big crowd day. Rates, overtime and conditions for day players vary by union agreement and country, so check the relevant agreement or agree terms in a deal memo.
Day players matter most in scheduling. Every extra day an actor is booked costs money, so 1st ADs try to group all of a day player's scenes onto as few days as possible. If two scenes with the same day player land on days 2 and 9, that actor may be paid for holds in between, depending on the deal.
Example of a day player on a schedule
Here is a row from a day out of days for a short called "Checkpoint", where the character of BORDER GUARD appears in one scene.
| Cast # | Character | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LEILANI | SW | W | W | WF |
| 6 | BORDER GUARD | SWF |
SWF means the actor starts, works and finishes on the same day. That is the ideal for a day player. In Lowerated, the day out of days is generated from your schedule with each actor's work days and costs worked out, so you can see what a scheduling change does to day player costs.
Related terms
- Hold day: a paid day when an actor is booked but not working.
- Background actor: a non-speaking performer, booked separately.
- Deal memo and day out of days, both linked above.
FAQ
Is a day player a small role?
Usually. The term describes how the actor is booked, but in practice it covers smaller roles that shoot in a few days.
How should I treat day players on set?
Send them their sides and call time early, introduce them to the director, and get them on camera quickly. They often arrive with little context about the film.
