Foreign political scientists, coming to Russian television as experts, receive a fee. We are not talking about all foreign specialists, but about the most familiar ones on the screen.
Most often, perhaps, the American journalist Michael Bohm appears as a “whipping boy” on Russian TV.
His monthly income from visiting Russian talk shows, as the source said, can reach one million rubles. He receives this money in accordance with the concluded exclusive contract for a certain rate, writes Komsomolskaya Pravda.
“For some it’s a job. Ukrainians do not come without paying,” a source told the publication.
For example, Ukrainian political scientist Vyacheslav Kovtun is the “most expensive” broadcast guest among his compatriots, since “his monthly earnings from all shows and channels range from 500 to 700 thousand rubles.”
“Sometimes up to a million a month. Everything is official - they draw up an agreement, pay taxes,” the kp.ru source quotes.
Another highly paid political scientist from Poland, Jakub Koreyba, can often be seen on television. However, he visits Moscow much less often than Kovtun and therefore earns less than 500 thousand rubles a month from a talk show.
All these experts, as a rule, defend the position of their homeland, often resorting to insulting Russia. For this they are often driven out of the studios of Russian talk shows.
Recently, the host of the “Meeting Place” program Andrei Norkin won the approval of viewers after he kicked out of the NTV studio a Ukrainian political scientist who had insulted Russia. Kirill Klimchuk called Russia a “gopnik country” due to the fact that the “aggressor state” does not comply with the Minsk agreements.
A month before this incident, those present on the set of the “Let Them Talk” program on Channel One took up arms against Ukrainian political scientist Dmitry Suvorov. He allowed himself to speak unethically about the death of former Verkhovna Rada deputy Irina Berezhnaya, for which host Dmitry Borisov kicked him out of the studio.
At the end of December last year, the filming of the political talk show “Time will Tell” on the same Channel One ended in scandal.
Then, Ukrainian political scientist Vadim Tryukhan pointedly refused to stand up after announcing a minute of silence for the victims of the Tu-154 plane crash that crashed over the Black Sea. Senator Franz Klintsevich, who was present at the shooting, did not tolerate Trukhan’s behavior and kicked him out of the studio.
Andrei Malakhov's show “Let Them Talk” is one of the most popular on Russian television. Previously, it was published in a similar format, but under different names - “The Big Wash” and “Five Evenings.” Viewers witness touching stories, scandals and quarrels. We decided to find out what tricks the creators of the program resort to in order to achieve such a high rating.
The executive producer of documentary television projects, Natalya (not her real name), worked for some time next to the pavilion where the “Let Them Talk” program was filmed. For more than a year, the woman watched the process of creating the show and concluded that only an unprincipled person who is ready to lie, deceive and persuade (not without compensation, of course) the heroes to come to the program can work there.
“An ordinary citizen can be offered 15 thousand to begin with (this is in addition to paid travel and accommodation). Rubles, of course. If he doesn’t agree, the rates will rise. Not to say that the editors were wasting money. 50 thousand - this is if the story is completely “chic”. Most potential heroes, if they are from the provinces, fall for the very opportunity to see Moscow, get on television - it turns out to be a free excursion,” Natalya said in an interview.
Celebrities receive more serious amounts. For example, the American actress Lindsay Lohan, who had a scandal with her Russian boyfriend, was lured to Moscow with a fee of 600,000 rubles, according to press reports. However, she did not come to the broadcast, so Malakhov had to go to her hotel to interview her.
The family of Diana Shurygina received about 200,000 rubles for five programs. Moreover, contracts are concluded with the heroes of all talk shows, implying non-participation in other television projects.
Smaller stars are paid around 100,000 rubles. “Prokhor Chaliapin, who had two scandalous affairs in a row, at one time turned out to be a kind of business: he gets married, then gets divorced, then starts a new one. The ratings are good, everyone is happy,” added Natalya.
It is worth saying that the “Let Them Talk” program has been criticized more than once by the public. Thus, the well-known actor Alexey Serebryakov publicly criticized the show:
“This program most clearly demonstrates to us that, it turns out, putting up for sale someone else’s pain, tears, troubles, digging through dirty laundry in full view of the whole country without any moral right today is called the simple word “format.” Or rather, a format that brings good money. The degree of cynicism is simply beyond belief<…>And what do you want?! Of course this will be in demand! Toilet paper, for example, will always be in greater demand than Dostoevsky's manuscripts! And stupid reality shows, in which participants endlessly sort things out and sleep with everyone, will a priori have a higher rating than a Tarkovsky film.”
Recently, more and more stars appear in the studio of scandalous talk shows, where in front of millions of viewers they discuss family problems or share frank stories from their lives. The reason for this is very simple: money. For an open conversation or provocative behavior, the program producers offer a considerable sum. The investment will be fully justified, since the show will receive high ratings, and the loud statements of the artists will be quoted by other media, while mentioning the name of the same program.
The journalist managed to find out for what amount Nikita Dzhigurda, Diana Shurygina, Zhanna Friske’s father and many others would agree to tell their story to the whole country. The most cunning was the shocking Dzhigurda. For the story about the divorce from Marina Anisina and about the will Lyudmila Bratash the outrageous showman was paid up to 600 thousand rubles for one appearance in a talk show. However, this was not enough for him. The day before, Dmitry Shepelev invited Dzhigurda to his show on Channel One “Actually”. First Nikita Borisovich agreed to come to the program for 400 thousand (they say that the artist is having hard times), but then suddenly named a new amount - a million rubles. How the team's producers reacted to this is still unknown.
Nikita Dzhigurda and Marina Anisina
Diana Shurygina
The notorious star of the talk show “Let Them Talk” Diana Shurygina earns much less. For participating in several episodes of Andrei Malakhov’s program, 18-year-old Shurygina earned about 300 thousand rubles. The same amount was paid to Zhanna Friske’s father - Vladimir Borisovich for filming the program “Secret for a Million” on NTV. Before the resonant story of her divorce from 82-year-old Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, Vitalina Tsymbalyuk-Romanovskaya agreed to become the heroine of the program for 100 thousand rubles. Now Dzhigarkhanyan’s young wife will probably raise the price tag several times.
There is a category of celebrities who do not scare producers with large sums. Thus, socialite Lena Lenina asks for only 60 thousand rubles for participating in a talk show. Nikolai Karachentsov’s wife Lyudmila Porgina agrees to 50 thousand. However, it is most likely that in light of recent events (last week it became known that Karachentsov was diagnosed with a malignant tumor. - Editor's note) Porgina increased the amount of her fee.
The maximum amount of fees for stars on popular talk shows also became known: “Let Them Talk” with Dmitry Borisov (Channel One) - 800 thousand rubles, “Andrey Malakhov. Live" ("Russia 1") - 700 thousand rubles, "Secret for a Million" with Lera Kudryavtseva (NTV) - 600 thousand rubles, "Actually" with Dmitry Shepelev (Channel One) - 400 thousand rubles, KP reports »
Family of Zhanna Friske
Armen Dzhigarkhanyan and Vitalina Tsymbalyuk-Romanovskaya
Nikolai Karachentsov and Lyudmila Porgina
The unprecedented frankness of the heroes of such programs is ensured by impressive fees.
Graphics: Alexey Stefanov
Scandalous daytime talk shows are already popular, and now even more so - because of the noise on another channel. With the arrival of autumn, a new television season began and programs began to compete for viewers. The team of each talk show strives to find a hot topic and lure more interesting characters into the studio. In pursuit of ratings, channels are ready to spend money: it turns out that not only television workers receive money for filming, but also almost everyone you see on the screen! Remember: both ordinary Russians and pop stars openly tell their stories to the whole country, largely because they receive a lot of money for it. And we found out exactly who and how many.
Heroes of the plots
Often, the film crew travels to the regions to record stories, which are then shown on the screen in the studio (for example, you need to interview the neighbors of the hero, who will then come to the studio). No one will tell you sometimes unpleasant things for free. It’s another thing to “dump your neighbor” for a couple of tens of thousands of rubles.
Heroes in the studio
Some heroes agree to come for free (but they are paid for travel to Moscow and back, hotel accommodation, food): most often they are interested in publicity and a solution to their problem. For example, people who lost their homes in a fire, or a girl who dreams of proving her relationship with a star or being cured of anorexia.
But sometimes a person refuses to go because he is an anti-hero and he doesn’t want to embarrass himself on air. For example, this is a man who does not recognize his child. And without this guy the program will be boring! 50 - 70 thousand rubles (a colossal amount for many and a penny for television) solves the problem. People are greedy - that’s what provides the television crew with the necessary degree of scandal.
According to our sources, Anastasia Volochkova’s driver, who was persuaded to come to the Let Them Talk studio for 50 thousand rubles. The veteran, who transferred the apartment to his young wife and left his son with nothing, was paid 70 thousand. Rowdy Alexander Orlov, who beat up an NTV correspondent on Airborne Forces Day live, according to his words, was offered 100 thousand (although the show never got around to being recorded). Herself (now to Dmitry Shepelev in his show “Actually”). But because the family needs to be fed.
Show business stars and their relatives have higher prices. So, Danko’s wife received 150 thousand rubles for revelations about relationships in the family (we’ll tell you more about this). Nikita Dzhigurda and Marina Anisina, who periodically quarrel and then make up, are paid 500 thousand rubles for one program (which the actor himself wrote about on social networks). Nikita admitted that he once bargained for as much as 600 thousand and worked it out in full, staging a fiery performance on air. The father of one artist agreed to tell how he abandoned his son as a child and did not pay child support, and now he expects reciprocity, for 200 thousand rubles.
Experts
Psychologists, nutritionists, lawyers and other people who comment on the problem in the studio often agree to broadcast for free - for the sake of PR. But some intractable but interesting people are still paid - from 30 to 50 thousand rubles. Of course, they are brought to the shooting and taken back by taxi, and provided with a make-up artist and hairdresser if necessary.
Extras
The studio audience gets the least. On the other hand, they see everything first and without cuts. For example, the country was still guessing, but they already knew that Dmitry Borisov.
Leading
How much does the “king of the booth” earn? In a recent interview with the Kommersant newspaper, Andrei Malakhov did not argue with the journalist, who named the presenter’s annual income when he hosted “Let Them Talk” on Channel One - $1 million (57 million rubles, or 4.75 million rubles in month). According to Andrey, at his new job his income is “comparable.” It’s hard for you and me to believe, but this is not much - considering that, for example, Olga Buzova receives an average of 50 million rubles a year for running “House-2”.
Become a TV star, hear the cherished “Lights, camera, motor!”, sign autographs at meetings with fans and pose for the paparazzi on the red carpet. Everyone has a chance to participate in the filming of a movie, series, TV show, video clip or advertisement.
How to get into the crowd scene, is the work of the spectator and actor of crowd scenes adequately paid, and can a few seconds in the background become a springboard for an acting career? We figured out these issues, and at the same time talked with regular participants in crowd scenes about their work and impressions.
You can sign up for some major TV projects as a guest directly on their official website. This is how, for example, viewers are recruited for the filming of the Channel One show “Evening Urgant” - http://urgantshow.ru/form (follow the link you will find a viewer form, by filling out which you will receive confirmation and details about the filming time by email).
But experienced actors do not recommend using groups on social networks for employment:
“Extras and filming groups” on VKontakte – you can’t trust them. Offers came, I went through castings, getting into different roles (not just extras), but in most cases it was a “scam”, they say: “Sorry, you are suitable for us, but you have to pay for us to cast you.” There is no point in searching on VKontakte, only through film studios or knowledgeable people,” says acting college student Danila.
Naturally, the bulk of the offers on all these sites apply only to Muscovites, since filming takes place at Moscow television studios or in metropolitan clubs, and ends very late. There are fewer, but still quite a lot of offers for extras in St. Petersburg; in other cities of Russia, filming is carried out much less frequently and they rarely recruit extras there.
Are actors in crowd scenes paid for their work?
Price tags for participation in crowd scenes of films or TV series vary from 600 to 1000 rubles, less often they offer large sums (as a rule, they pay more than a thousand for playing a passing role with a line).
You can also earn extra money by participating in the filming of television shows - both as guests on talk shows and as spectators in the hall. Here they pay from 150 to 600 rubles, rarely offering larger amounts. Rates are approximately the same for participation in the filming of music videos and commercials.
To participate in paid filming, as a rule, it is necessary to undergo at least an absentee casting - based on a photo, and also to exactly meet all the parameters presented by the employer (height, clothing and shoe size, hair length and color, type of appearance, nationality, and so on).
Such castings are held infrequently; more and more often they are now limited to simply selecting people based on photos via e-mail and Internet forums.
“The requirements for extras are not as high as for episodic actors and leading actors, but you still always need to give 100% - in case they notice you, one of the directors likes you. Although some extras perform poorly because they believe that this is not a role. And at the same time, such actors are still waiting for grandiose roles! Even if you have a small role, you need to play it in such a way that everyone remembers it!” – Mikhail tells us about his experience of participating in the filming of the detective series “Maryina Roshcha”, “Trace” and others.
Although there are many paid vacancies in this area, according to the reviews of all the extras, earning a living with such work is incredibly difficult, if not almost impossible. The filming process requires constant full concentration from all actors, long waits, and precise execution of all the director’s instructions, and food and rest for extras are, as a rule, not provided.
“Extras at the Fashionable Sentence are given 500 unfortunate rubles for 12 hours of filming. Many grandparents living nearby were in the studio during this time without proper food precisely because of this money,” Diana about the filming of the “Fashionable Verdict” program for Channel One.
“Those who spent time filming two programs were paid 300 rubles. On the set I met people who make only this living. They are seasoned, to some extent “friends” in Ostankino, they are known by sight by the organizers - impartial women who gather people for filming and call them to inform them about the time of the next filming,” - Marina about the filming of the program “Closed Screening” for Channel One .
“It’s stupid to do this for money. Only perhaps out of love for art or a desire for dubious fame,” - Anastasia about filming the film “Tsar”.
“Many of my friends manage to fully support themselves on such earnings. True, I’m not one of them,” Victoria about filming in the youth television series “Club”, “Daddy’s Daughters”, “Don’t Be Born Beautiful” and others.
Extras: who are all these people and why are they here?
“Then some kind of movement began, and the organizers began to gather a column of people. My friend and I fell into it. But then a whisper ran through the column: “They won’t take us!” They won’t take this column!” Somehow, my friend and I instantly met two other girls, grabbed hands and ran to the end of that moving column. For some reason no one stopped us. And we passed quietly. The next day at school everyone admired us, because many really didn’t make it to the shooting. And good. They would die there like we did,” Sofia about the filming of the film “Shadowboxing.”
Who plays all these restaurant visitors, spectators at concerts, silent waiters, postmen, taxi drivers, salesmen, and just passers-by on the streets? The most ordinary people, most often students, not necessarily from theater universities, and retirees. Films and TV series constantly require extras, and therefore getting to the set is not a difficult task. However, it’s worth immediately taking into account that, as a rule, this is a full-time job - from the very morning until 10–11 pm, and therefore, working 5/2 full time or studying full-time, it’s not so easy to find an opportunity to participate in filming - it's simple.
– By what criteria are they selected? I ask a man in a bright orange shirt and blue tie.
- Yes, whoever you like, whoever suits the color. Like decorations, each artist has a specific color.
- No, what should I do? This is work! The camera is looking at you, you have to smile, laugh, make them laugh. You work for them! They turn on the soundtrack, the artist comes out, and you clap and smile, and then shout: “Happy New Year!” No one cares that you are not having fun at all. You have to be funny to THEM, otherwise, get out!”
“When I went there for the first time, I was very interested in the filming process itself, so I sat in the front row and watched more the work of the cameramen and lighting crews than what the director, Urgant and Gudkov were talking about. Although when Ivan appeared and somehow unexpectedly appeared above my head, I almost fell out of my chair,” Diana about the filming of the show “Evening Urgant” for Channel One.
“You gain valuable experience working with a camera: you learn to be natural, but at the same time attentive, focused on the task set by the director. This is not as easy as many people think; you need to get used to all this. And I was able to make a lot of acquaintances on the set; useful connections wouldn’t hurt!” – Mikhail about the experience of participating in the filming of detective television series “Maryina Roshcha”, “Trace” and others.
“Since I was going to film a TV show for the first time, I wanted to dispel a certain myth of show business for myself. To see how it’s all filmed, to see how much the audience I saw on the screen corresponds to the reality on the set, how interested the people nearby are in the show, how lively their reactions are. Well, and see Vanya Urgant, of course. The filming was a pleasant surprise: Vanya’s jokes are funny, and the live music from the group “Frukty” gives optimism, and the audience around is sincerely happy,” - Anastasia about the filming of the show “Evening Urgant” for Channel One.
Do expectations match reality?
“The studio looks like cardboard, frankly, it’s drawn out and boring, although the heroines of the program really look shocked, and Evelina Khromchenko looks very professional. But the most important disappointment: the voting for the best clothes is fictitious,” Diana about the filming of the show “Fashionable Verdict” for Channel One.
“I was left with such negativity from our world of cinema that, having no professional training, I went to work as a gymnast in the circus. If only it was further away. Although castings often interest me - as a means of self-test,” - Irina about filming the film “Above the Sky.”
“The first thing that caught our eye when we sat down in our seats were the screens above our heads, on which instructions for action appeared: “laughter,” “applause,” Tatyana about the filming of the “Evening Urgant” show on Channel One.
“We sat on some plastic benches, after which it was quite difficult to straighten up. Well, the main disappointment is that we went to the “Closed Screening” in the hope of watching a good movie, and at the same time listening to the opinions of critics and knowledgeable people. But it was not there. They showed us the film company's screensaver. Then there was a pause. And credits. Like, it’s time and honor to know, guys,” - Marina about the filming of the program “Closed Screening” for Channel One.
“I don’t get as much pleasure from filming TV series as I would have from filming feature films. According to rumors, in big cinema there is a completely different organization, everything is more serious, strict, large-scale, a very large film crew works. I would like to immerse myself in this atmosphere, working non-stop inspires me,” Mikhail about his experience of participating in the filming of the detective television series “Maryina Roshcha” and “Sled”.
What's difficult about being an extra?
Long waits, lack of proper food, the need to strictly follow the director's instructions. Many are also upset that actors in crowd scenes have almost no opportunity to communicate with famous partners on the set.
“They only showed us the credits, but we listened to three hours of philosophizing from the guests and the presenter. Filming of the first program has ended. As it turned out, the second program was supposed to be filmed next, which of course we were not warned about. We were angry and hungry, that’s why we blew ourselves up home...” - Marina about the filming of the program “Closed Screening” for Channel One.
“Sometimes they bring you to a shoot in the winter at ten in the morning, keep you until the metro closes, then you wait for a few more hours for your fee and no one thinks to add anything by taxi: “Why? The metro will open in an hour and a half,” Victoria about filming in the youth television series “Club”, “Daddy’s Daughters”, “Don’t Be Born Beautiful” and others.
“For extras, the instructions are to sit up straight, do not cross your legs and clap on command. You are a mannequin. You don’t have a special role, you should be there, but unnoticed and in the way the director needs. At first everything is interesting, you delve into the process, notice the details. After two hours it’s already difficult to sit still as needed,” Ksenia about filming the program “Let’s Get Married!” for Channel One.
Attitude towards extras in the acting workshop
Working as an extra for many is a great start to an acting career. True, there are cases when actors have a disdainful attitude towards extras. What is this connected with? With their own behavior.
“Walking as passers-by for pennies, standing in the background—deserves respect. But there are also such mass actors who, by incredible chance, received small cameos and begin to pretend to be stars,” Rinat, a professional actor.
“We fed him and that’s okay. Whether you are cold or uncomfortable, no one cares. You are not actors, you are extras. You are easily replaceable and not important in the frame. If one girl or boy left or didn’t come, then the missing people are sometimes recruited directly from people passing by - you don’t even have to pay money to them,” Veronica, actress of crowd scenes.
Witness what is left behind the scenes!
Everyone knows that they often shoot dozens of takes of the same scene, getting different reactions from the actors, choosing the right light, creating the right emotions... Seeing all these episodes and finding out what was left behind the scenes is another privilege of being an extra.
“It was in Anapa on the set of Yeralash. It sounded “Camera, motor, let’s start!” and the guys - “children's camp campers” began to fight with pillows. The director of the camp came, whose role was played by the famous artist Anatoly Zhuravlev. When he began to say his line, a pillow flew at him and landed on the safit. The soffit fell on Zhuravlev - this was not planned. Although he did not receive any serious bruises, filming stopped for that day, since he refused to continue filming...” - episode writer Mikhail about the filming of the television magazine “Yeralash”.
“The presenters, especially Guzeev, were encouraging. She hilariously screws up takes and talks with the director about absolutely everyday topics, for example, discussing with him who will go where on vacation,” Ksenia about filming the program “Let’s Get Married!” for Channel One.
Steps on the actor's career ladder
Many actors begin their careers by participating in the filming of films, TV series and commercials as extras. This is what this whole pyramid looks like:
Extras– participants in staged crowd scenes are, as a rule, non-professional actors.
Statistician- an individual member of the crowd.
Episode- an actor performing a separate small role, perhaps with text, but his hero is not a significant character in the film or series.
Often: episodic actors are recruited for filming series. For example, distant relatives of the main and secondary characters who appear in only one episode are episodic roles, waiters in a new restaurant or random companions are episodic characters, any random characters who appear in only one episode are episodic characters.
Supporting heroes– permanent characters in a film or series who play a significant role in the development of the plot, appear on screen repeatedly, have a film background, their images are worked out in detail by the screenwriters.
Often: stars of the first magnitude play supporting roles, because often secondary characters have a specific character, their images are bright and memorable. Prestigious film awards, including the Oscar, are awarded for the performance of supporting roles.
the main role- the pinnacle of the actor’s career.
Can working as an extra be a step on the path to fame?
Leonardo DiCaprio began his career by playing episodic roles in the TV series Roseanne and The New Adventures of Lassie, and then received a larger role in another soap opera, Santa Barbara.
Orlando Bloom began his career with episodic roles in the television series “Accident.” It is worth noting that Bloom by this time had an acting education.
With a 15-second appearance in the film, “Fire Service” began her career and Julia Roberts, who played tiny roles in little-known films for several years before she was able to attract the attention of producers and achieve at least supporting roles.
Keira Knightley Since childhood, she has acted as an extra, participated in many TV shows and received episodic roles in TV series.
Sergey Bezrukov He first appeared in films as a street child in the film “Stalin's Funeral”; his name is not listed in the credits. Only after repeatedly participating in filming as an actor in crowd scenes did Bezrukov begin to receive offers to play supporting roles.
Movies about movies? Yes!
The life story of an unemployed actor named Andy Millman, who all his life dreamed of breaking into big cinema, but so far only achieved a place in the crowd, is told by series "Extras". All those who want to learn more about the life of extras actors and look at all the vicissitudes of this profession from the outside are recommended to watch this series!
