corey fan and extra wanabee
big haim fan here, looking to see where I can send an application to be an extra on this film, anyone close to the filming or know what other locations will be used???
Are you in the immediate are where they are filming it? If not, your chances of being an extra in it are slim. It's very last minute, and getting there would be your responsibility. Just to give you an idea of how last minute it can be, I worked on a film yesterday as background and the 3 PM call time wasn't set until about noon.
sharethanks kickin, I have family in Toronto so was just curious. Yeah I know what you mean about last minute. I was in National Treasure 2. I was originally an extra, then a stand in and then finally they changed it again and I became an extra. I've always wanted to be in movies and doing that small part created a monster. I absolutely loved it and everything about it. I didn't care that I was on set for three long days for only 5 seconds of screen time, I loved it and keep on dreaming of doing more. What movie were you on Sunday?
shareThat's great. Keep doing it when and if you can. Pursue local movies too if you want to do more. You may find small independant and student films you can do for the experience. I can relate to what you're saying. I found out about a movie looking for extras almost 2 years ago and thought it would be a cool one time thing. I ended up working as an extra 5 days and loved the experience. Then another came up and another and another. Now I'm looking back at having done about 10 major productions and some principle roles in a few local independant films. The one I mentioned last week is called The Surrogates. Bruce Willis is in it. I've done 2 days on that one.
The biggest thing is being close to where they are filming and being able to realistically get there with little notice. You can travel some distance to get there of course. I know a few who have travelled all the way to New York from the Boston area to work background. But the majority of time I'd say people are closer than that.
i agree hollowood is very last minute!!
i did pirates of the caribbean 3 back in '06 they called booked, planed and had me out to the islands like 3 days before shooting. they were writeing scenes the night before and day of and some times during the same scene..
hi we want you can you be here in like ummnn an hour thanks... yea no problem let me call work tell them i quit and ill be right there...
fly you out tuesday, wednesday you do paperwork, wardrobe and testing, shooting thursday
and i know of other instances where people have been called for extra work dead smack in the middle of shoot "yea hi in mr. doe there? hi mr. doe are you still interested in X production?? yes good how quick can you get to X location???? okay good get here ASAP we'll be waiting...."
the other rule of thumb "what will go wrong can, does and absolutely will go wrong"
Yeah things do come up the day of where they need people as last minute as that. Some people who are booked to come simply don't show and it leaves them short. The worst part is the casting office is who gets the most flack for that even though it's the individual's fault. That's another reason why they want to be confident you'll get to set and be on time. It's their reputation too and you're representing them in a way. But yeah I've seen calls for people needed immediately while they are in the middle shooting. I've seen people show up like that too. I've shown up before after having just been booked 2 hours before, waiting for directions and flying to set. The more versatile you are, the better. Things can change on a dime and there's a lot of improvising. I've had to go to another set in the evening the day after they called me for a wardrobe fitting in a trailer so I could work a couple of days later. It's all fun though of course. The last minute stuff can be a rush. No pun intended.
shareyea but its great pay, make good friends adnd even longer memories plus it looks damn good on the resume and the best part your haveing fun and learning.
i went to film schooli learned more in 1 day on set actually working then i did in the entire 4 years of film school... by the end of my 3 week shoot i was ready to do another shoot and feel confident about it... nothing is better then practical work with a real production
I agree that it makes for good memories and you have the opportunity to meet some great people while getting paid to be there. That's definately how I see it too. I don't know about background work being really good for a resume though unless it's for other background work. If it's for an acting resume I'd leave it off. I think it's more of a negative than a positive if you have it on a resume you're using to get auditions.
share[deleted]
Well hopefully you're in an area where they film some movies or shows. That's the first thing. If you are, then you need to find the local casting offices who handle the extras casting. There could be one or there could be more than one. For example, in the Boston area there are 3 that handle just about all the extras casting for the state and Rhode Island. Then you should get on their email lists which they should have since most information is supplied electronically. Submit a headshot via mail and email if they accept it that way too. If you don't have a headshot a decent photo that is just you and shows how you currently normally look should be fine.
If a project comes up sometimes there is an open call to attend. You basically just go, give them a hard copy photo and fill out a contact sheet. Or sometimes you can send an email with a photo and your info. Then you wait. You won't get called until they need you specifically. If your look is good for a specific scene then they'll call or email and see if you can work. They may check availability ahead of time without booking you but either way, they won't contact you until there is a specific date they can use you. They look for all types usually so anyone can do it. There's no gurantee you'll be called but I've worked background on like 10 major productions in the past couple of years. I just got called today to do some body double work for a tv show tomorrow actually. That's how last minute it can be and typically is. You may receive a call the day before they want to use you. If you can make it that's great, if you can't or don't get back to them in a short time, they move on to calling someone else. Expect the days to be long and you need to be available the entire day and/or evening. A typical day is 12-15 hours from my experience. I think it's a lot of fun though. You can learn a lot about the process and behind the scenes, meet some great people and see some stars. Last year I was on set and Kate Bosworth sat down at lunch where I was sitting. Then a month later I was standing next to Katherine Heigl outside doing a scene on another movie. It's wild!
If you have anymore questions or need anymore help I will try to do my best. Feel free to reply or send me a private message.