July 2011

Summit Entertainment open casting call for 'I, Alex Cross' in Cleveland, OH

"I, Alex Cross" is expected to be ready for release in Fall 2012.

AB Media Publishing, LLC

Summit Entertainment is set to begin filming 'I, Alex Cross' on August 8th in Cleveland, and then move to Detroit from September, 2011 through October 3rd, 2011. There will be an open casting call on July 23 in Cleveland for featured extras, general background extras, photo doubles, and stand ins for the film's stars. The production is expected to hire more than 1,700 cast members and extras in the Cleveland area.

Directors Guild of America winner Rob Cohen will direct "I, Alex Cross," which is based the novel of the same name by James Patterson. Kerry Williamson wrote the adapted screenplay and Marc Moss rewrote it. QED partners Bill Block and Paul Hanson will produce along with Leopoldo Gout and Steve Bowen, who spearhead Patterson's film endeavors.

Tyler Perry, 41, well known for his "Madea" films and hits such as "Why Did I Get Married?," rarely appears in films that he has not written or directed. Perry will open the Cross stories to future sequels. There are 16 Cross novels by Patterson, and the 17th, "Kill Alex Cross," is slated to be published in November, 2011.

Open Casting Call Details

Here is what the casting directors are seeking:

• Stand-ins for and photo doubles for all major actors.
- Tyler Perry
- Matthew Fox
- Ed Burns
- Jean Reno
• People who can play police officers and SWAT Team members.
• Crime scene techs.
• Detectives.
• Body Guards.
• Extremely beautiful "Hot" females.
• Restaurant patrons.
• Funeral attendees.
• Everyday people.
• Any ethnicity welcome for background positions.

Where:

Hyatt Place in Independence
6025 Jefferson Drive
Independence, OH 44131
Click Here for directions.

When:

Saturday, July 23, 2011
10:00am - 5:00pm

These are fully paid positions. You photo will be taken by a professional photographer at the open casting call. Be prepared to fill out a form with your physical stats, all clothing sizes, contact information, and city where you are located.

Principal Actor Casting

See the post titled Headshot and Resume Information regarding how to submit for acting roles.

Please submit photos and resumes by mail only.
No phone calls or personal drop-offs.

Los Angeles:

Ronna Kress
Leslie Woo
"I, Alex Cross"
333 S. Beverly Drive
Suite 109
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Detroit & Cleveland:

Dayna Polehanki
Detroit Casting Company
"I, Alex Cross"
628 East Parent Ave
Royal Oak, MI 48067

Extras Casting

Detroit & Cleveland:

Kathy Remski
Real Style
"I, Alex Cross" Extras
1030 North Crooks Road
Suite C
Clawson MI 48017

Production Companies:

Do NOT send photos and resumes to the production companies, as they will most likely end up being thrown away. They do not cast the films, rather they hire casting directors who sort through the thousands of submissions.

IAC Productions, LLC
3 American Road
Suite 12
Cleveland, OH 44144

QED International
1800 N Highland Avenue
5th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Summit Entertainment, LLC
1630 Stewart Street
Suite 120
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Producers:

Bill Block
Paul Hanson
Leopoldo Gout
James Patterson
Steve Bowen

Director: Rob Cohen

Starring:

Tyler Perry - Dr. Alex Cross
Matthew Fox - Michael Sullivan
Jean Reno - Giles Jospin
Jessalyn Wanlim - Paramita Megawati
Ed Burns - Tommy Kane
Yara Shahidi - Janelle
Sayeed Shahidi - Damon

Story:

Crusading Detective/Psychologist Alex Cross (Tyler Perry) meets his match against the psychotic, mob hit man, Matthew Sullivan (Mathew Fox) aka The Butcher. As Cross investigates the hit man's gruesome murders, Sullivan decides to send him a deadly message by murdering his wife in cold blood. Now enraged, Cross vows to hunt down the killer if it's the last thing he does. However, Sullivan is a serial killing mastermind and continues to evade Cross while pushing him to an ethical breaking point as a cop and father. As Cross closes in on the killer, he discovers evidence that points to the unimaginable - a revelation that could change everything. With unstoppable action, and unforeseeable twists, this suspenseful action thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat. Ed Burns will play the role of Tommy Kane, Alex Cross's partner.

Open casting call for Warner Bros. Pictures film 'Argo' in Los Angeles

Warner Bros. Pictures "Argo" open casting call announced.

AB Media Publishing, LLC

The feature film "Argo," will begin filming in August, 2011 and the extras casting director will be holding an open casting call at the end of July in Los Angeles. They are seeking thousands of Iranian/Persian men and women between the ages of 18-75 years old.

Academy Award winner Ben Affleck will direct "Argo" from an adapted screenplay written by Chris Terrio. The film is based on "How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue American from Tehran," an article that Joshuah Bearman wrote in the April 2007 issue of Wired magazine. Affleck will also star in the movie, playing the role of Tony Mendez, the real-life CIA operative who came up with the idea of an elaborate ruse the CIA ran during the Iran hostage crisis.

George Clooney and Grant Heslov's production company, Smoke House, is producing along with David Klawans. Nina Wolarsky will executive produce for Smoke House. Chay Carter, who has worked as Ben Affleck's assistant on several films, will co-executive produce.

Open Casting Call Details

• Males and Females, 18-17 yrs. Iranian/Persian.
• Men should show up with grown out hair, mustaches and beards.
• Women should show up without make-up.
• No prior experience working as an extra is necessary.
• Bring a recent color snapshot of yourself.
• Bring valid ID.
• These are fully paid positions.

Where:

Sande Alessi Casting
Registration Office
13731 Ventura Blvd
Top Floor
Sherman Oaks 91423
Click Here for directions.

When:

Saturday July 30, 2011 - 10:00am to 4:00pm
Sunday July 31, 2011 - 10:00am to 4:00pm

Shooting on "Argo" will run from late August, 2011 through October, 2011 in Los Angeles. There may be additional extras casting overseas as there is location scouting taking place in Scouting locations in Sofia, Bulgaria. The overseas filming would take place in November, 2011.

Principal Actor Casting

See the post titled Headshot and Resume Information regarding how to submit for acting roles.

Please submit photos and resumes by mail only.
No phone calls or personal drop-offs.

Lora Kennedy
Executive VP Features Casting
Warner Bros. Pictures
4000 Warner Blvd
Burbank, CA 91522

Note: Lora Kennedy is doing studio level casting ONLY. Name star actors are being cast through talent agents. Additional casting director information will be posted here as it becomes available.

Extras Casting

Los Angeles:

Kristan Berona
Sande Alessi Casting
13731 Ventura Blvd
Top Floor
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

Production Companies:

Do NOT send photos and resumes to the production companies, as they will most likely end up being thrown away. They do not cast the films, rather they hire casting directors who sort through the thousands of submissions.

Warner Bros. Pictures
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522

Smoke House
12001 Ventura Place
Suite 200
Studio City, CA 91604

Stage 16 Pictures
11999 San Vicente Blvd.
Suite 215
Los Angeles, CA 90049

Producers:

George Clooney
Grant Heslov
David Klawans

Director: Ben Affleck

Starring: Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Bryan Cranston

Story:

An adaptation of Joshuah Bearman's Wired magazine article “How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran”, revolving around the Tehran hostage crisis. The story centers on how, during the occupation of the American embassy by Iranians in 1979, a rescue effort was mounted by the CIA and the Canadian government to extract six U.S. diplomats.The CIA used Tony Mendez (Affleck), a disguise expert and concocted a scenario that involved the six being a Hollywood crew scouting a movie titled Argo. Under those disguises, they were able to flee the country. Alan Arkin will play Hollywood producer Lester Siegel, an O.S.S. veteran described as equal parts bookie and rabbi. Based on Joshua Bearman's 2007 Wired article.

Major feature film 'The Paperboy' casting children and adults in New Orleans

Lee Daniels Entertainment and Nu Image / Millennium Films are beginning production on the feature film "The Paperboy" in the New Orleans, LA area and the extras casting director is seeking male and female children and adults to work on the film as featured extras and general background extras. Shooting begins August 1st, 2011 and runs through the end of September, 2011.

Two-time Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels will direct "The Paperboy" from an adapted screenplay that he wrote himself. The film is based on the best-selling novel by Pete Dexter, and tells the story of Ward James, a respected journalist and his brother Jack, a college dropout, investigating the possible wrongful conviction of a death row inmate who was convicted of killing the town’s sheriff.

"The Paperboy" has an outstanding cast that includes Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack, and Grammy Award winning musician Maxwell Rivera. Cusack and Kidman replaced Tobey Maguire and Sofia Vergara due to scheduling conflicts. This film will give Zac Efron a great chance to prove himself as an adult lead actor.

Here is what the casting director is seeking:

Featured Extras

Swamp people (description: inbreed, trailer trash)

• Pregnant Caucasian female, 30's, must be comfortable with partial nudity (topless).
• Caucasian female, 30's.
• 18 month old baby. Caucasian, male or female.
• 12 - 14 yr old boy, Caucasian
• Two 8 - 12 year old girls, Caucasian

General Background Extras

• Males, 30's - 40's prison types. Any ethnicity.
• Males, 40's - 50's physically fit. Any ethnicity.
• People who own cars from the 1960's - 1970's area.

If you fit any of the above descriptions, email a recent color snapshot along with your physical stats, clothing sizes, city where you live, and all contact information to the following:

paperboycasting@gmail.com

Please indicate in the subject which role you are submitting for. If submitting your vehicle, include make/model/color/year of vehicle in your email submission.

People who are experienced film crew members who would like to be considered for "The Paperboy" can submit a resume only to the following:

paperboy.resumes@gmail.com

Principal Actor Casting

See the post titled Headshot and Resume Information regarding how to submit for acting roles.

Please submit photos and resumes by mail only.
No phone calls or personal drop-offs.

Los Angeles:

Leah Daniels
"The Paperboy" Casting
11135 Weddington Street
Suite 113
North Hollywood, CA 91601

New York:

Billy Hopkins
Chrystie Street Casting
55 Chrystie Street
Suite 501
New York, NY 10002

New Orleans:

"The Paperboy" Casting
701 Edwards Avenue
Unit B
Elmwood, LA 70123

Extras Casting

New Orleans:

"The Paperboy" Extras Casting
701 Edwards Avenue
Unit B
Elmwood, LA 70123
paperboycasting@gmail.com

Production Companies:

Do NOT send photos and resumes to the production companies, as they will most likely end up being thrown away. They do not cast the films, rather they hire casting directors who sort through the thousands of submissions.

Lee Daniels Entertainment
315 W. 36th Street
Suite 1002
New York, NY 10014

Nu Image / Millennium Films
6423 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Producers:

Hilary Shor
Avi Lerner
Trevor Short
Danny Dimbort
Cassian Elwes
John Thompson
David Ben Arroya

Director:

Lee Daniels

Starring:

Matthew McConaughey
Zac Efron
Nicole Kidman
John Cusack
Maxwell Rivera

Story:

Jack James is the son of the Moat County Tribune's editor and publisher. While Jack's older brother, Ward, reports for the Miami Times, Jack has settled for a job delivering papers for the Tribune. But when Ward and his partner, evil dandy Yardley Acheman, come to Moat County to investigate the four-year-old murder of the local sheriff, Jack assists them in the inquiry. After a vicious beating by two sailors lands Ward in the intensive care unit, Yardley finishes the story without Ward and Jack, fabricating evidence to do so. Accompanying his traumatized brother Ward back to Miami, Jack takes a job as a copyboy at the Times. It isn't long, however, before Yardley's wrongdoing comes to light, generating more trouble for the Jameses.

20th Century Fox open casting call for 'Steel Town' extras in Pittsburgh

The feature film "Steel Town" is currently in production in Pittsburgh, PA and the casting directors are holding an open casting call for local people interested in working as extras on the film. "Steel Town" has been shooting scenes recently in downtown Pittsburgh and at the closed Miller Elementary School in the lower Hill District.

Daniel Barnz is directing from a screenplay that he write himself. The story is decribed as "a touching story" that follows "two mothers who team up to help make a difference at a local school." Mark Johnson, who is the Executive Governer of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is producing "Steel Town".

The shoot starts on June 22 and continues on Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th. No experience is necessary and all roles are paid. You must be able to fully commit to all three days.

Open Casting Call Details

Bring a recent color non-returnable snapshot to the casting call. You must be a legal United States resident to be considered.

Where:

Green Tree Radisson Hotel
101 Radisson Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15205
Click Here for directions.

When:

Saturday, July 9, 2011 - 9:00am to 8:00pm
Sunday, July 10, 2011 - 9:00am to 8:00pm

If you are unable to attend the casting call but still want to be an extra, you can email a recent color snapshot along with all clothing sizes, physical stats, and contact information to: castingpgh@gmail.com

Put STEEL TOWN EXTRAS in the subject line of oyour email.

Principal Actor Casting

See the post titled Headshot and Resume Information regarding how to submit for acting roles.

Please submit photos and resumes by mail only.
No phone calls or personal drop-offs.

New York:

Laura Rosenthal Casting
401 Broadway
Suite 711
New York, NY 10013

Pittsburgh:

Donna Belajac Casting
109 Market Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Extras Casting

Pittsburgh:

Donna Belajac Casting
109 Market Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
castingpgh@gmail.com

Production Companies:

Do NOT send photos and resumes to the production companies, as they will most likely end up being thrown away. They do not cast the films, rather they hire casting directors who sort through the thousands of submissions.

Blue Productions
260 Alpha Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15238

20th Century Fox Film Corporation
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035

Walden Media
1888 Century Park East
14th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90067

Gran Via Productions
1888 Century Park East
14th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90067

Producers: Mark Johnson, Amanda Morgan Palmer

Writer/Director: Daniel Barnz

Starring:

Maggie Gyllenhaal
Viola Davis
Holly Hunter
Oscar Isaac
Rosie Perez

Story:

Two mothers from different backgrounds - Esther Rose a postal worker and Margaret Shannon a reporter - band together to take on a failing public school system and institute a charter school for children in the neighborhood, including their own.

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The aim of this blog is to help people who are interested in working as a union or non-union extra. I hope the information on this page can help you achieve your goal of working as a background actor in Film and Television. I post this information absolutely free of charge, and try to verify all details as much as possible. I hope my websites continue to help talent obtain employment in the entertainment industry.

Note: All content on third-party advertisers' websites is the sole responsibility of the respective website publisher(s)/owner(s).

What is a Background Actor?

A "Background Actor" or "Extra" is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, non-singing or non-dancing capacity, usually in the background.

War films and epic films often employ background actors in large numbers. Some films have featured hundreds or even thousands of paid background actors. Likewise, grand opera can involve many background actors appearing in spectacular productions.

On a film or television set, background actors are usually referred to as "Background Performers", "Background Artists" or simply "Background," while the term "Extra" is rarely used.

In a stage production, background actors are commonly referred to as "Supernumeraries". In opera and ballet, they are called either 'Extras' or 'Supers'.

SAG-AFTRA

The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is an American labor union representing over 150,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. The current organization is the result of the March 30, 2012 merger of the Screen Actor's Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

According to the SAG-AFTRA Mission Statement, the union seeks to: negotiate and enforce collective bargaining agreements that establish equitable levels of compensation, benefits, and working conditions for its performers; collect compensation for exploitation of recorded performances by its members, and provide protection against unauthorized use of those performances; and preserve and expand work opportunities for its members.

The Screen Actors Guild was founded in 1933 in an effort to eliminate exploitation of actors in Hollywood who were being forced into oppressive multi-year contracts with the major movie studios that did not include restrictions on work hours or minimum rest periods, and often had clauses that automatically renewed at the studios' discretion. These contracts were notorious for allowing the studios to dictate the public and private lives of the performers who signed them, and most did not have provisions to allow the performer to end the deal.

SAG-AFTRA is the primary performer's union in the United States. The union is affiliated with the AFL-CIO. SAG-AFTRA claims exclusive jurisdiction over motion picture as well as radio, television, Internet, and other new media. Internationally, SAG-AFTRA is affiliated with the International Federation of Actors.

How To Qualify For SAG-AFTRA Membership

A performer becomes eligible for SAG-AFTRA membership under one of the following two conditions:

1) Proof of Employment.

SAG-AFTRA membership is available to those who work in a position covered by a SAG-AFTRA (or AFTRA or SAG) collective bargaining agreement. Any person qualifying through work as a background actor must have completed three days of work as a background actor under a SAG-AFTRA (or AFTRA or SAG) collective bargaining agreement.

2) Employment Under an Affiliated Performers Union.

Performers may join SAG-AFTRA if the applicant is a paid-up member of an affiliated performers union (ACTRA, AEA, AGMA or AGVA) for a period of one year and has worked and been paid for at least once as a principal performer in that union’s jurisdiction.

All new members pay a one-time-only initiation fee, plus the first semiannual dues at the time of joining. The national initiation fee rate is currently $3000.00 (initiation fees may be lower in some states). Annual Base dues are $198.00. In addition, work dues are calculated at 1.575 percent of covered earnings up to $500,000.

Once you are a member, you must abide by the rules of membership, starting with Global Rule One and the No Contract/No Work Rule. And, whether you are a SAG-AFTRA member or not - NEVER accept work during a Union strike!

Becoming a SAG-AFTRA member is a very important milestone for every working professional talent in the entertainment industry. But you should not be in a rush to join unless you are absolutely certain that you are ready to compete for professional performing jobs. For actors, you should prepare yourself by studying acting and improv, doing live theatre, and perform in non-union on-camera productions in order to build your resume and gain extremely valuable experience.

How do I get three SAG-AFTRA background vouchers?

Excellent question; there truly isn’t a simple answer. The best way is to work as a non-union background actor as often as possible and do a great job, showing up on time and bringing the proper wardrobe.

Occasionally there will be an immediate need for a certain look or ability on the set and if you are in the right place at the right time you will be offered a SAG-AFTRA voucher. Sporadically a casting director will offer you a SAG-AFTRA voucher if they are unable to locate a SAG member who fits the requirements of the production company.

Demo Reel Information

An actors demo reel (or "demo tape") is a short compilation of clips from professional acting work on films, commercials, and television shows. It is usually no more than a few minutes in length.

A demo reel IS NOT the same as an "Audition Video". An Audition Video IS a homemade video that you make when casting directors are accepting audition video submissions.

It is NOT necessary to send in a demo reel when submitting for extra roles. Only submit a demo reel if the casting directors request it, or through an agent.

Extras Calling Services

There are companies that are termed "Calling Services" or "Booking Services" that charge fee(s) to obtain extra work for you. These Calling Services are not contracted by production companies as Casting Directors are, rather they are independent services that work for the individual extras that sign up for their service. The fee is usually on a monthly basis, however some use a per-job-booked fee structure also.

Most Extras Casting Directors use these calling services often, especially when they are casting large amounts of extras for a specific production. It is much easier and less time consuming to make one call to a Calling Service and tell them what they need than it is to call each and every extra individually.

Once an extra signs up for a Calling Service, they provide them with photos, clothing size forms, and contact information. Then it is simply a matter of letting the Calling Service know your availability. The booking service will submit their clients based on their availability to all of the extras Casting Directors, and the Casting Directors can book as many or as few of these extras and give the booking service the call times, wardrobe requirements, shooting location, etc., to forward along to their clients. It is then the responsibility of the Calling Service to provide the details to their extras and confirm the booking.

Extras who do not use a Calling Service must constantly call recorded casting lines that the extras casting directors set up, and then call a separate number if they fit exactly what is on the recorded line. The competition to get work this way is extremely fierce. It is a generally accepted reality that extras who use respected and legitimate Calling Services are booked far more frequently than those who try to do their own booking.

The fees that Calling Services charge range from around $45 - $75 per month depending on your union status, age, and the number of days that you are booked during the month. There also may be an initial registration fee that can be as low as $20 to over $100 if they require a first month fee and last month fee in addition to the registration fee.

Should I Do Extra Work For Acting Experience?

I personally feel that if a person does not have experience, doing extra work is a fantastic way to get used to being on a film or TV set. It gives you an idea of how things work and allows you to become comfortable on a set without risking "burning bridges" if you get nervous and a little stage fright.

I myself did extra work in the beginning of my career and it helped me tremendously. I had terrible stage fright, but I became very comfortable after doing background work for a while.

So the answer is yes, doing extra work will help you. It doesn't pay a whole lot, but the experience you get is valuable.

Acting is like any other job, the more training and experience a person has, the better chance of getting the job. But at the same time, we all have to start somewhere!

Types of Background Actors

General Background: Person of atmospheric business which includes the normal actions, gestures and facial expressions of the Background Actor’s assignment.

Special Ability: Background Actor specifically called and assigned to perform work requiring special skills such as tennis, golf, choreographed social dancing (including square dancing), swimming, skating, riding animals, driving livestock, non-professional singing (in groups of 16 or less), mouthing to playback in groups of 16 or less, professional or organized athletic sports (including officiating and running), amputees, driving which requires a special skill and a special license (such as truck driving but not cab driving), motorcycle driving, insert work, and practical card dealing.

Stand-In: Background Actor used as a substitute for another actor for purposes of focusing shots, setting lights, etc., but is not actually photographed. Stand-Ins may also be used as general background.

Photographic Double: Background Actor who is actually photographed as a substitute for another actor. A General Background Actor who is required to do photographic doubling shall receive the Special Ability rate.

Day Performer: A Performer who delivers a speech or a line of dialogue. A Background Actor must be upgraded to a Day Performer if directed to speak, except in the case of “omnies”.

Omnies: Any speech sounds used as general background noise rather than for its meaning. Atmospheric words such as indistinguishable background chatter in a party or restaurant scene.

Advice for Child Actors

1. Have fun and enjoy every performance.

2. Learn as much as possible from the professionals you work with.

3. Get your rest, and drink plenty of water!

4. Be respectful and do what you are asked to do to make the child wrangler's job easy.

5. Remember you are there to do a job.

6. Share the experience with your friends and family.

7. Visit as many places as you can.

8. Be thankful for the opportunity.

9. Use your down time to keep up with schoolwork.

10. Laugh, Laugh, Laugh.

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