Demand for film extras in the Nizhny Novgorod region has tripled.

      28 August 2025 09:15

      [173]

      Culture and Leisure

      Demand for participation as extras in film projects in the Nizhny Novgorod region has increased more than threefold. Analysts at Avito reached this conclusion after studying the dynamics of the labor and services market in film production.

      The online service’s press office reported that interest in cinematography and video shooting services from January–July 2025 increased noticeably compared with the same period in 2024. Requests for extras rose especially sharply — they became more than three times as numerous.

      There was also a significant increase in demand for gaffers (lighting specialists): +115%, while the number of offers from performers grew by 127%. Leading the growth dynamics were dubbing actors — demand increased by 57%, and the number of listings — by 128%. In third place were sound engineer services: they are being sought 41% more often, and offers increased by 70%. At the same time, the average price for a number of jobs fell: pay for extras has halved, and filming is down 20%.

      Commenting on the situation, Alexander Semochkin, head of the "Business and Household Services" category on Avito Services, noted that after the first seven months of 2025 demand and supply in many segments showed multiple growth and this is not a matter of seasonality but a stable trend in which new content creators are emerging and more people want to take part in film processes.

      He emphasized: "Services related to the production of film and video content continue to gain popularity." According to Semochkin, "Russian cinema is becoming more accessible and in demand — both for viewers and for contractors working behind the scenes."

      The amount of remuneration in the film industry depends on the format of the project (feature film, series, commercial or online content), as well as on the scope and duration of the shoots. Income is also affected by a specialist’s experience and portfolio.

      According to Avito Jobs, the most noticeable increase in average offered salaries in film production was recorded in Moscow — +40%, where employers offer on average 98,403 rubles per month.

      In the Nizhny Novgorod region the highest average offers in January–July 2025 were for videographers — around 150,000 rubles per month. This is explained by the specialist’s key role: the visual result of a project depends on the quality of their shooting. A videographer needs professional skills in composition, lighting and camera movement, the ability to handle expensive equipment and post-production software; irregular hours, long shoots, business trips and high responsibility for preserving the director’s vision are also common.

      Roman Gubanov, head of development at Avito Jobs, added that the expansion in the number of shooting projects increases opportunities for professional growth and stimulates job-seeker activity. He noted that over the year responses to video editor vacancies nearly doubled (+83%), and responses to sound operator positions increased by half (+50%).

      According to Gubanov, the dynamics are visible not only in individual professions but across the industry as a whole, including regions: in the Omsk and Yaroslavl regions the number of candidate approaches to employers increased by more than double — by 122% and 118% respectively, and in Bashkortostan — by 56%. He stressed: "The increase in the number of shooting projects leads to expanded opportunities for professional development in this field," and also stated: "This confirms the positive development of the industry, including in the regions, and its attractiveness to specialists."

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