@persnicketypictur: Why did movies stop doing this? I’m talking about the BIT PART. Small roles, often lasting a single scene, or a single line even The roles might be small but the moments they get are big. They’re front and centre. They’re kind of fucking magic. I was talking with a production designer friend and she was lamenting how the characters in so many movies these days consist almost exclusively of a binary where you’re either a lead actor. Or you’re an extra. When you go to watch older movies, all the way up until about the 2010s, there’s this feeling of a world bigger than the frame, it keeps going after credits role, And I think one of the main contributors to this is what is known as “The Bit Part”, small roles sometimes called “Dayplayers” that would typically be brought in for a joke, or a single humorous, or dramatic interaction with the lead as they go on their journey. With bit parts we got so many great moments including “She doesn’t even go here” from mean girls… in fact Mean Girls is so thoroughly filled with bit parts, I’d argue it’s one of the main reasons that movie has held such staying power. Unfortunately, the reason why we see these types of roles less and less is money. When you give an extra performer lines, you have to pay them more, and so penny-pinching business-types do not like this at all, especially for lines or moments that might no “drive the plot forward” so the only time you’ll see a featured extra is usually for expositional moments: a person sitting at a computer saying “He took a turn on 5th, take a right here and you can catch him” etc. I hope we can change this trend back to the way it was, and there are still a few movies that keep this tradition alive, Barbie was filled with these moments, and a movie like Fury road give us the iconic flamethrowing guitar man. So when you see those moments, those characters, cherish them, champion them, they’re part of the fabric of the pictures, as much as any movie star. #Movies #cinema #filmmaking #actors #meangirls

Stipiocic Miocic :

Hollywood sucks now

Biff :

They still do them, but it's almost always a cameo now

iloveteethisitweird? :

what about bloopers with the credits rolls

Bobo 💃🏻 :

I think also the loss of the 18-22 episode seasons has reduced the amount of small roles available for up and coming talent 🥺

Angela :

movies just don't take risks anymore. it affects so many things.

Spicyscum730 :

I’ll always remember those random pirate dudes from pirates of the Caribbean those guys were always so funny

Darcyworthetc :

Bests roles for up and coming actors too!

Entity :

It stretches back even further. Shakespeare used them quite a bit in his plays

Steffie Davis :

10 things I hate about you is filled with bit parts and background gags and it’s AMAZING

motoandjesus :

How long have people quoted “ello poppet” from that movie….

Mika... :

that's why it feels like everything doesn't have a breather

Indabcd :

“Small” people stopped mattering. Writers, CGI artists. Movies don’t even have extras anymore.

Clownhole :

Coenn brothers are the masters of bit parts, so many perfect one scene wonders

siksikaitsitapi :

get the executives out of the writers room.

L A U R E N

Or if there is a bit part, it’s just a way to sneak in a huge celebrity

user4569596015617 :

It adds to world building

Erin 💚 :

You,Me, and Tuscany had bit parts in the winery scene and it was so funny.

Jamie :

Are we gonna dress the Mike Leigh in the room? King of bit parts

triggrhippi :

the middle ground is drying up, in the same way class disparity is disappearing the middle class. it's extremely hard to make it now as a "jobbing actor". you're either a main actor signing deals, or an extra working minium wage. even well known actors have talked about how work is drying up and contracts aren't as lucrative as they once were, lesser knowns are certainly doing it tough.

alter :

Penny pinching for cheap and affordable things while they waste millions on needless tech, casting choices or solving effortlessly avoidable problems they themselves created. It hasn't just impacted day players, it's impacting everything in film, tv, games, and almost every industry on the planet

drabberbus7824 :

Yo Spiderman, are you okay?

tenagzzz :

They gave all the bit lines to the main characters and imo, I roll my eyes every time. It's so corny and not in a good way.

K8ii Yo :

“It’s not my fault I have a heavy flow and a wide set vagina”

computerpluh :

no money for bit players to make the world feel alive, but there's always room in the budget for a cameo that rips you straight out of the movie 🙃

Girl With Questions :

Because Holloywood sucks, executives are bottom-line focused so creativity is out the window, and now we have the added struggle of fighting against AI slop.