Below the stars : how the labor of working actors and extras shapes media production

Despite their considerable presence in Hollywood, extras and working actors have received scant attention within film and media studies as significant contributors to the history of the industry. Looking not to the stars but to these supporting players in film, television, and, recently, streaming programming, __Below the Stars__ highlights such actors as precarious laborers whose work as freelancers has critically shaped the entertainment industry throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. By addressing ordinary actors as a labor force, Kate Fortmueller proposes a media industry history that positions underrepresented and quotidian experiences as the structural elements of the culture and business of Hollywood. Resisting a top-down assessment, Fortmueller explores the wrangling of labor unions and guilds that advocated for collective action for everyday actors and helped shape professional norms. She pulls from archival research, in-person interviews, and firsthand observation to examine a history that cuts across industry boundaries and situates actors as a labor group at the center of industrial and technological upheavals, with lasting implications for race, gender, and labor relations in Hollywood. "Despite their considerable presence in Hollywood, background actors and extras have received little attention within film and media studies as significant contributors to the history of Hollywood. Below the Stars examines a history of actors that looks not to the stars, but to these supporting players of film and television sets. Kate Fortmueller highlights such actors as precarious laborers whose work as freelancers has critically shaped the entertainment industry across multiple media throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. By addressing ordinary actors as a labor force, Fortmueller proposes a media industry history that can speak to underrepresented and quotidian experiences as the structural elements of the industry over those of well-known stars, directors, producers, or studios"-- Provided by publisher An examination of the critical influence of working actors and actors' labor unions on industrial structures and practices in Hollywood, including film, television, and streaming.