Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- It's 6:30 a.m., and Paul Barlow is chatting with his friends over a breakfast buffet of eggs, bacon and fresh fruit.





Dressed in a dark gray blazer, Barlow waits to take his seat in the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center's auditorium for a special concert by the Dekalb Symphony Orchestra. But the musicians aren't playing for Barlow and his friends. They're playing for Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and the rest of the "Parental Guidance" cast.





Once the violins sound and the cameras start rolling, Barlow will merely fade into the background, along with the other 300 movie extras on set.





The 55-year-old first started working as an extra in November 2010 to provide for his family amid the downturn of his ad sales career. Since losing his job in April, he's become a staple on movie and TV sets around Georgia -- and he's not the only one.





Many of the "concertgoers" present at the shoot for "Parental Guidance," due out in November 2012, were between jobs, or looking for a fun way to make extra (pun intended) cash.





The recession definitely pushed some people into extra work, said Linda Burns, a commercial and independent film producer who leads a workshop called "How To Be an Extra and On Set Protocol." Burns said half the class is usually made up of recent graduates with a passion for acting, while the other 50% are "people who lost their jobs and love movies and TV."





"If you're not working at all," she said, "and if you don't qualify for unemployment ... you're going to make more money on set than you are in your house filling out job applications. There's so much downtime on set. It allows you time to read or look for those jobs online with your smartphone."





And while extra work makes a great supplemental income, Burns said treating it like a full time job -- as Barlow has for the past year -- might be financially challenging.





Movie extras in Georgia typically make between $58 and $101.50 for an 8- to 12-hour day. Compare that to the $140 an extra makes in Los Angeles or New York for the same 8 hours. Screen Actors Guild rates are higher than the non-union wages extras are entitled to in Georgia, casting director Bill Marinella said.





"If you're hiring somebody at minimum wage ... they might not show," he added. Extras are asked to drive to set, bring different outfits, and then pay to have those outfits dry-cleaned -- it would end up costing them money to be there, he said.





But beyond the commitment, Marinella said there's "little skill involved in being a movie extra. ... It's all based on a look, and then whatever skills you may have."





And Barlow certainly has a look.





Like the extra says, "My eyebrows are what's making me the money."





"He's just a character," Marinella said. "You can't help but look at him. He has an interesting face."





Marinella originally planned to use Barlow as a stand-in for Eugene Levy on "American Reunion," but despite the men's equally bushy brows, they weren't close enough in height. Instead, Barlow plays a caterer in the film, which will hit theaters in April 2012.





In addition to height, skin tone, hair color and, in some cases, eyebrows, movie extras need an appropriate wardrobe.





The orchestra scene for the Crystal- and Midler-starrer called for conservative, upscale dress -- hence Barlow's gray blazer and button-down shirt.





"I probably have about seven suits from being a salesman," Barlow said. "That's the number one thing you need as a guy my age. A guy in his 50s is always playing a businessman."





But a fancy suit isn't always a good thing.





"Extras run the risk of being seen in front of the camera when
What has pushed people into extra work? What are typical hours for a movie extra? How much can a extra make a day? How much do the movie extras typically make on an 8-12 hour day? What pushed some people into extra work, producer says?
recession 8- to 12-hour day. between $58 and $101.50 for an 8- to 12-hour between $58 and $101.50 The recession
question: What has pushed people into extra work?, answer: recession | question: What are typical hours for a movie extra?, answer: 8- to 12-hour day. | question: How much can a extra make a day?, answer: between $58 and $101.50 for an 8- to 12-hour | question: How much do the movie extras typically make on an 8-12 hour day?, answer: between $58 and $101.50 | question: What pushed some people into extra work, producer says?, answer: The recession