The life of Ruby Jiao, a Chinese student in Melbourne, is far more colorful than most people imagine.
While studying business, she dabbled in a field like no other in her spare time: show business.
Since last November, Ruby has started a special part-time job as an extra, and has participated in four filming events so far, as well as participating in the recording of variety shows as an audience member of the "atmosphere group".
In her mind, this job is said to be part-time, but it is more like a hobby.
After attending a few trainings, Ruby felt the charm of acting: "When I trained...... People will be more focused, immersed in the performance, and less in the eyes of the unexpected world. ”
"I feel like there's that kind of strong flow in the process that makes me feel more at ease. ”
What is the experience of "chasing dreams in the entertainment industry" in Australia?
Ruby's part-time experience as a student has been varied, including delivering food, working as a waitress at a racetrack, handing out flyers, and volunteering.
By chance, Ruby came into contact with the group performance industry.
At first, just out of curiosity and interest, she participated in the filming of several commercials. Unexpectedly, this attempt made her discover a whole new world.
Talking about her experience in group acting, Ruby said that these jobs are mainly to play various roles in commercials, such as supermarket customers, bus passengers, etc., and each shoot has a different experience.
She recalls her first shoot: "It took about five or six hours, but in fact it was probably an hour for each person to shoot, and most of the time was waiting. ”
"People will 'touch the fish' when they are resting. When we were waiting in the supermarket, some friends would take out some fruits in the fruit area, and everyone would 'guess how much this thing weighed', and then weigh it together. ”
And a recent group performance job is a "large group scene", which requires filming a large group of people to "jump together".
"I have to shoot from all angles and all positions, and there is no waiting for this one, just jumping all the time. ”
"It still depends on the needs of the crew, and then it could be a few different situations. It's all fun. ”
It is difficult to stabilize income, and you need to be cautious when entering the industry
Although the work content is relatively easy and fun, as a part-time job, being a group performer does not make a steady income.
Ruby revealed that the average group performer can be paid between $30 and $40.
However, if the job is found through an intermediary, a 10% to 15% intermediary fee may be deducted from it.
She pointed out that joining an agency could potentially get more performances, but there would be an annual fee and the cost of taking a profile photo, which could be around $500 in total.
But at present, Ruby's total income from part-time acting has not been able to earn back this series of expenses.
In addition, the group performance opportunities themselves are extremely unstable, and the filming locations are sometimes far away, which requires a certain amount of time and cost.
Therefore, for friends who are interested in doing group performances, she suggests that everyone think clearly before acting.
"So I think this matter may have to be thought about dialectically, that is, it depends on what everyone values more, whether it is to say whether it can make money, or whether it wants to experience this kind of life. ”
In addition, she cautioned that it is important to do your due diligence before deciding to accept any opportunity.
"Everyone still has to pay attention to distinguishing information, as well as paying attention to their personal safety, even if it is the demand released by the intermediary, it is still best to be vigilant. ”
Have fun and enjoy an unforgettable experience of life
Despite the precariousness of the job and the lack of opportunities, Ruby still enjoys it.
Out of her interest in acting, she also participated in several related trainings and workshops: "For example, learning to act as a clown, as well as borrowing a position, and improvisation...... I don't think I thought about it that much, but I thought it was fun, and I wanted to experience it, and of course it was great to be able to apply what I learned in practice. ”
For Ruby, group performances are "a more interesting life experience", and as a job, "the cost performance is okay", most of the time is easy and not tired, and you can meet interesting people and things.
At the same time, while participating in acting-related training, she also forgot all the worries and pressures around her while she was engrossed in the role, and reached a state of self-forgetfulness.
This "flow" experience made Ruby feel more happy and satisfied than ever.
"When you go to the training, you will also learn some skills, and in that process, everyone will be more focused and immersed in the performance. ”
"I think in this process, it's just that kind of strong flow, which makes me more comfortable. ”