Set & Crew

Junior artiste

Also called JA, Background artist, Extra

What is junior artiste in film production?

A junior artiste is the term used across Indian film and television for a background performer — the crowd, villagers, passers-by or police in a scene. Junior artistes are usually booked in numbers through a coordinator or agent rather than individually, and are paid per head for each call they work.

The practical difference from hiring crew is that the production orders a count, not people: 'twenty villagers, 6 am'. How many actually arrive, how many are still on set at wrap, and how many the coordinator bills for are three separate numbers, and reconciling them is where a regional shoot most often overpays.

Rates, overtime and allowances such as night bata are commonly set by the coordinator's card or by an association agreement, and vary by state, language industry and the kind of artiste — a featured junior with a line is usually paid more than crowd. Treat any single figure as local.

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Paying junior artistes per head that worked

Reviewed 2026-09-30

Related terms

Bata: Bata is the daily allowance paid on Indian film sets on top of a wage, originally for food and travel. Night bata is the extra allowance paid for working a night shoot. It is usually a fixed amount per person per day rather than a share of pay, and is budgeted separately from wages.
Call sheet: A call sheet is the document issued the day before each shooting day telling everyone where to be, when, and what is being shot. It carries individual call times, the scene list, the location and its parking, weather, sunrise and sunset, hospital details, and department-specific notes.
Call time: A call time is the time an individual is required to be present and ready to work — not the time they should arrive. Call times differ by department and by person: hair and makeup are called before the cast they are preparing, who are called before the crew shooting them.
Wrap: Wrap is the end of shooting. Called at the end of a day it releases the crew and starts the turnaround clock; called on a location it means the unit is finished there; called as picture wrap it marks the end of principal photography for a performer or for the production.