I wanna be a TV extra?

Question

How can I become an tv extra? where do i look? I hear that some people do call out's? where can i look for them! Please help!

Answer 1

I fell into this as a sideline when I lived in Paris. The first time was a fluke, a movie needed Anglophone people for a WWII movie they were doing and they recruited at my workplace, an international organisation.

I asked around, and I found out there was an entertainement newspaper. Now you would probably use some website that somebody else here should know about. They have ads from Extra Casting Agents.

To put your file with an Extra Casting Agent, you go and get photos taken on your own. A headshot and a full length photo. You have that printed on one 8X10 sheet with your physical attributes printed including your clothing sizes.

The clothing sizes are particularly important: I got a few jobs just because I fit the costumes they had--which were very normal, average sizes.

There's not even an audition. They just look at you and give you clothes to wear and send you to get your hair and makeup done.

I got a half dozen commericials and about 3 or 4 movie things. I never said a word, I was there to hold up clothes and be in the background. It paid about $200/day US back in the day (10 years ago). For some reason, I didn't have to have the French equivilent of the SAG card, and they always paid me in cash. One thing had something to do with the other.

You usually get a free haircut and great food too.

Most of the time, you sit around doing nothing, so most of the experienced people bring books, cards, chess sets and backgammon boards.

I've been able to see myself large enough on screen to recognise exactly once. In the last few minutes of a dodgy Comedy called "Near Mrs.", Judge Rheiholt is yelling out of the front door of the "US Embassy". I am the Marine standing in the background over his shoulder. Be sure to check out my exquisite left face exit to screen right.

It's my finest cinematic moment.

So.

1. Get photos taken, print as a one page portfolio with height weight, eye color blah blah and clothing sizes.

2. Identify Extra Casting Agents and Agencies.

3. Submit your photos and wait by phone.



Hope that helps.

Answer 2

Why do idiot kids who know nothing insist on answering questions here? Okay, so to answer your question, oncameratalent said a lot of good things as always. If you live in LA you can sign up with cenex in Burbank and Sande Alessi in Sherman Oaks. They are honest places and can give you a start. After you've done a few jobs you will have met people who do it all the time and they can steer you towards the right people. Be careful though. Some places are ripoffs. You shouldn't pay more than 20 or 30 bucks to sign up. If you don't live in LA every big city has a department of theater and film. Call them and ask when something is filming. They can likely lead you to the people you need to call. Being an extra can be fun. Be forewarned (this is only if you live in LA) the people who do it for a living are mostly a sorry lot. Don't become one of them.

Answer 3

You do NOT need an Agent to work as an Extra.
The Casting Diretors submit actors for Extra work on films.

Mail your headshot and acting resume, to the
Casting Directors in your city.

Include a note that says: Available for Extra Work.
Be sure you have your name
and telephone numer on your resume.

If they need extras, they may call you.

Answer 4

Just to let you know, to become a TV extra, you have to hire an agent because TV shows won't hire you just like that. Plus you have to be an experienced actor. Once you get your self an agent and take some lessons, you can look for auditions on the Internet or on community bulletin boards.

Answer 5

you dont need to audition for extra work, it is all cast by look. ask your question in the Great Britian forum also.

Answer 6

go to an agency. you'll find them in the phone book. Or go to the nearest college and find the drama dept. or video production. go to the nearest production(you can find that in the phone book also)company and work as a grip or gopher. you need to meet as many people in the business as you can! networking networking networking.

Answer 7

Join SAG (Screen Actor's Guild) and they will get you more pay and casting calls for about anything.

Answer 8

Anyone can be an extra in Film and Television.

Unlike actors, extras do NOT have agents who take a 10 percent commission. You simply register with extras casting companies and call in each day on their casting lines to get work. Unless you hire a "booking Service" for about $30 -$50 a month to "call-in" and get you the work. Of course these "calling or booking services" really do not "call-in" to get you the work, they simply know people at the extras casting companies and get lists of what they need, and act as "sub-casting agents". Think about it, why would the extras casting company individually call each and every person, when they can just call a "booking service" and say, "we need 120 people for a party scene". Then the "booking service" does all the work and calls each of their clients themselves! SAG is trying to regulate these companies at some point, but the fact remains that these services can get you much more work than you can on your own just calling in on the casting lines all day trying to get through the busy signals.

The Screen Actors Guild does have jurisdiction over backround actors, however, the contracts only require a small number of union extras to be hired for a given union production, and the rest of the extras are non-union. This is part of the contract that production companies sign with the union. There is a publication called "Extra Work for Brain Surgeons". It truly is the Bible of Extra work. I am NOT one to try to sell books for anyone. But I am in the know about this subject.

Central Casting in the biggest extras casting company, followed by Bill Dance Casting. You simply register with these places, and then you work. There is a huge amount of work for non-union extras, and just a small amount of union extra work. As a matter of fact, one can work every day as a non-union extra, but if you are a SAG member, it is much harder to get union extra jobs. This is because a given TV show for example, only has to hire 10 union extras, and the rest can be non-union. If you sign up with a "booking service" or "calling service" as they like to call themselves, you can literally work every day. But the pay is not much more than minimum wage for non-union, although overtime is usually the norm as well as "wardrobe allowance" and sometimes "mileage allowance". You also can get paid a small amount more for using your car, pet, or props in a scene. There are many SAG members secretly doing non-union extra work simply because there just is not enough union extra jobs to go around. And since the average annual income for a SAG member is less than $7,500 a year, tons of SAG members want to do union extra work, if not just for additional income, but to get or keep union medical benefits.

You must live in LA of course, get a "Thomas Guide" map book, and have a cell phone and a car. But if you do your homework, you literally can work every day, no matter your experience or looks. You can be young or old, tall or short, overweight or underweight, Mexican, Jewish, Black, White, Green, Purple, some one-armed dude, amputee, or whatever. There is plenty of work to go around, and Hollywood needs all types of people. You don't even need headshots or a resume, they take a digital photo when you register with all of those extras casting companies. Just stick with the legit companies. There is a nominal $25 or so fee to register. Even SAG member have to pay a "photo fee" to register.

So there it is.

Don't take bad advice. Just register with the big extras casting companies and follow the rules of working as a fim/tv extra. As I said, I am NOT out to sell that book, you can do some research and find out all you need, but be careful as there are tons of bottom-feeders scamming people who want to work in film/tv as extras.

If you are lucky, you can even become "SAG Eligible" from doing non-union extra work, but that is a whole other long story.

Here is a link to HollywoodOS (the company that publishes that book "Extra Work For Brain Surgeons").

http://hollywoodos.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=37&Itemid=80

Peace Out,

Alan

PS AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) has jurisdiction over Soaps and Sitcoms among other videotaped and radio broadcast productions. This is a whole different story, and anyone can walk into AFTRA and join for about $1,250

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Note to Big R below

"Cenex" has not existed for many many years. Central Casting used to own them as the "non-union" part of their company, but combined Cenex with Central Casting many many many moons ago.

And I totally agree with the "career" extras in LA. Quite the sorry lot for sure. But I did extra work for a bit when I started out, and I learned what it was like being on a film set at the studio, on location, big budget, low budget, commercials, and waiting in line for the cast-and-crew to eat first! Ha! But I got over stage fright pretty quick, and it motivated me to study, and become much more than a backround actor.