Extra Casting

Megan Fox shows acting chops filming 'Friends with Kids' while casting call for children goes out

Megan Fox may finally be taken as a serious actor in "Friends with Kids"
Creative Commons

Primetime Emmy winner Lucy Barzun Donnelly is currently executive producing the indie film "Friends with Kids" in New York. Donnelly owns Locomotive, the company behind the HBO film "Grey Gardens". "Gardens" was nominated for 17 Primetime Emmy Awards and won multiple categories, in addition to winning several Golden Globe awards. Next up for Locomotive is the feature film "Mommy & Me" which will star Meryl Streep and Tina Fey.

The multi-talented Jennifer Westfeldt, who played the role of "Lauren Stone" as a series regular on ABC's "Notes from the Underbelly," is directing from a script that she wrote herself. Westfeldt also co-stars along with her long-time boyfriend Jon Hamm of "Mad Men" fame.

Rounding out the cast is Saturday Night Live cast member Kristen Wiig and Adam Scott, who played the role of Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series "Party Down" for which he received a Primetime Emmy nod, and the 24 year old two time Teen Choice Award winner Megan Fox. Sources working on the set of "Friends with Kids" have said that Megan Fox has been showing some serious acting skills while filming scenes with Jon Hamm. "Megan has obviously taken a huge step forward talent wise with this role, no surprise since she has been training in drama and dance since age five".

The extras casting director for the film in New York is currently casting the following for background roles:

• Babies and Kids
• Both Boys and Girls
• Newborns
• Children up to five years of age
• Caucasian twins and triplets especially needed
• Both union and non-union kids are needed

To have your baby kid(s) or baby(s) considered for this film, please go to the casting directors photo and contact information upload page and register:

Barbara McNamara Friends with Kids Child Casting

There is no fee or charges to sign up. You can also email a current snapshot of your kid(s) or baby(s), along with their age, union status, sex, ethnicity, and your contact information to:

talent@barbmcasting.com

Put "Friends with Kids Child Submission" in the SUBJECT line of your email.

Shooting runs through mid-February in NYC.

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:

Bernard Telsey
Telsey & Company
311 W 43rd Street
10th Floor
New York, NY 10036

Extras Casting

New York

Barbara McNamara
Friends with Kids Casting
249 West 34th Street
Suite 500
New York, NY 10001

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.

Cinetic Media
555 W. 25th Street
4th Floor
New York, NY 10001

Icarus Productions
1450 Broadway
34th Floor
New York, NY 10018

Locomotive
96 Morton Street
Suite 2A
New York, NY 10014

Producers: Lucy Barzun Donnelly, Jon Hamm, Mike Nichols, Jake Kasdan, John Sloss

Director: Jennifer Westfeldt

Starring:

Jon Hamm
Jennifer Westfeldt
Megan Fox
Adam Scott
Kristen Wiig
Ed Burns

Story:

A couple of thirty-something best friends observe the toll that having kids has taken on the couples they know, so they resolve to bypass the stress by having a child and then dating other people. Scott and Westfeldt are playing the lead couple Jason Fryman and Jen Keller. Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm play Missy and Ben, another couple. Megan Fox plays a love interest of Adam Scott after she begins to date him.

Warner Bros. Pictures casting extras for 'The Lucky One' starring Zach Efron

Taylor Schilling plays Beth Clayton in "The Lucky One"
Creative Commons/Grand Central Publishing

The romantic drama feature film "The Lucky One" starring Zac Efron is currently filming in the New Orleans, Louisiana area and extras are needed to film scenes for a few days in mid-December, 2010. The principal actors have been cast out of the Los Angeles casting office.

In "The Lucky One," Zac Efron is playing a U.S. Marine Sergeant named Logan Thibault who comes home from the war in Iraq after serving 3 tours of duty to find the mystery woman whose picture he carries around as a good luck charm. "The Lucky One" is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. Also co-starring are Taylor Schilling (NBC's "Mercy") and Blythe Danner (“Meet the Parents,” “Meet the Fockers”).

Academy Award® nominated Scott Hicks is directing from a screenplay adopted by Will Fetters and Doug McGrath. The production team includes Denise Di Novi and Alison Greenspan of Di Novi Pictures, Kevin McCormick of Langley Park Pictures, and Kerry Heysen and Ravi D. Mehta will Executive produce for Warner Bros. Pictures.

Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute the film along with Village Roadshow Pictures, an Australian production company. Village Roadshow's films are co-produced in partnership with Warner Bros. and it's releases are distributed in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Greece by Roadshow Films.

"The Lucky One" is scheduled for a 2012 release.

The extras casting director in New Orleans, Louisiana is currently seeking the following:

● Men
● Women
● Children
● All Ages
● Must be Middle Eastern
● Must be available to work on December 17, 18, and 21, 2010
● Must be located in the New Orleans or surrounding communities.

If you are interested and fit the criteria, please send a recent color snapshot, phone number and email address to:

talazaccasting@gmail.com

Please put "Middle Eastern" in the subject line.

Principal Actor Casting

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

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

Los Angeles:

Ronna Kress Casting
333 S. Beverly Drive
Suite 109
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Extras Casting

New Orleans:

Wendy Talazac
Talazac Casting
128 S. Olympia Street
New Orleans, LA 70119
talazaccasting@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.

Warner Bros. Pictures
4000 Warner Blvd
Burbank, CA 91522-0001

Riverboat Productions, LLC
The Lucky One Production Office
800 Richard Street
3rd Floor
New Orleans, LA 70130

Village Roadshow Pictures
100 N. Crescent Drive
Suite 323
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Di Novi Pictures
720 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 300
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Langley Park Pictures
4000 Warner Blvd.
Building 144
Burbank, CA 91522

Producers: Denise Di Novi, Alison Greenspan, Kevin McCormick, Scott Hicks

Director: Scott Hicks

Starring:

Zac Efron
Blythe Danner
Taylor Schilling

Story:

When U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of duty in Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim, but when no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket. Soon Thibault experiences a sudden streak of luck—winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat that kills two of his closest buddies. Only his best friend seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph - his lucky charm. Back home in Colorado, Thibault can’t seem to get the photo - and the woman in it - out of his mind. Believing that she somehow holds the key to his destiny, he
sets out on a journey across the country to find her, never expecting the strong but vulnerable woman he encounters in Hampton, North Carolina — Beth Clayton, a divorced mother with a young son—to-be the girl he’s been waiting his whole life to meet.

TBS open casting call in Portland for series pilot "Brain Trust"

Lindy Booth will play Professor Monica Ashton in "Brain Trust"
Creative Commons

The new TBS 1-hour comedic detective series pilot titled "Brain Trust" is now in production in the Portland, Oregon area and the film's extras casting will be holding an open casting call for local people interested in working on the show as background. The series regulars for this series are cast out of Los Angeles.

Dean Devlin will produce and direct under the banner of his production company, Electric Entertainment. Devlin has co-written and produced some of the most successful feature films of all time. He co-wrote and produced Stargate, Godzilla and Independence Day - which grossed over $800 million worldwide. Just prior to forming Electric Entertainment Devlin produced the Mel Gibson period drama, The Patriot, which was nominated for three Academy Awards.

Electric Entertainment founding partner Marc Roskin will co-produce along with Marco Schnabel, John Rogers, and Kearie Peak. Roskin produced Electric’s $60 million dollar World War I aviation action-thriller Flyboys starring James Franco, Martin Henderson, and Jean Reno, released by MGM. He also served as producer on New Line’s release of Cellular, starring Kim Basinger and Jason Statham.

The producers made the decision to re-write this pilot for Portland. The original script for "Brain Trust" had set the pilot in Washington D.C. Electric Entertainment also produces the Portland based series "Leverage".

The "Brain Trust" plot centers around a detective whose life hits the skids after he inadvertently ends his partner’s career, gets some unorthodox help on a homicide case from three gifted super-intelligent Professors from a private research organization.

Extras casting director is casting over 700 real people to be extras in the show but has urgent needs to specifically cast 250 of the following types:

● Male or Female.
● Athletic types who work our on a regular basis.
● Must be comfortable on camera in workout attire.● Must be over 18.
● Must be located in the greater Portland, Oregon area.

Shooting begins December 8, 2010. Extras cast for these scenes will work 1 or 2 nights Friday December 10, and Saturday December 11, 2010. The show is under AFTRA contract, however non-union people are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Open Casting Call Details

Where:

Extras Only
633 Northwest 16th Avenue
Portland, OR 97209
Click Here for directions.

When:

Monday, December 6, 2011
12:00pm - 2:00pm
5:00pm - 7:00pm

Extras Casting

Portland:

If you can't make it to the open casting call, you may also register online at the Extras Only website below.

Danny Stoltz
Extras Only
633 Northwest 16th Avenue
Portland, OR 97209
www.extrasonly.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:

Principal actor casting has been completed.

Barbara Stordahl
Angela Terry
121 W. Lexington Drive
Suite 410
Glendale, CA 91203
braintrustcasting@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.

Electric Entertainment
940 N. Highland Avenue
Suite A
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Brain Trust Production Office
14911 SE 82nd Drive
Clackamas, OR 90028

Turner Broadcasting Systems (Distributor)
14 North Tower
Atlanta, GA 30303

Producers: Dean Devlin, Marc Roskin, Marco Schnabel, John Rogers, Kearie Peak

Writer: Marco Schnabel

Director: Dean Devlin

Starring:

D.B. Sweeney - Detective Billy Doyle
Michael Urie - Professor Franklin Gordon
Jed Rees - Professor Nelson Kirby
Lindy Booth - Professor Monica Ashton

Story:

About Detective Billy Doyle (D.B. Sweeney), whose career and life have hit rock bottom after he accidentally ends his partner’s career. Doyle’s life gets turned around, however, when a recent murder case gets unexpected and unconventional help from three gifted super-intelligent Professors from a research facility called "Logos Think Tank". If Doyle can survive the chaos and keep these new partners in line, they just may be the antidote to resurrect his career and, ultimately, his life.

Universal Pictures Ben Stiller action comedy 'Tower Heist' casting call in New York

Tea Leoni plays an FBI agent in "Tower Heist"
Creative Commons

The extras casting director for the feature film "Tower Heist" is seeking people in the New York City area to work on the movie as background on December 4th and 5th, 2010 in a parade scene. The film stars Ben Stiller, Tea Leoni, Eddie Murphy Casey Affleck, and Matthew Broderick. The release date for the film has been scheduled for November 4, 2011.

The production will be filming a recreation of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and need people to portray Parade Spectators and Vendors. The scenes will be all day exterior shoots in Manhattan which will be be matching work for both Saturday AND Sunday, December 4th and 5th, so it is very important that all extras be available BOTH days of filming.

The casting director is seeking both SAG and non-union extras. Non-union pay rate is $101.50 for 11 hours plus overtime. A typical day of filming usually lasts 10 to 12 hours long. You must be available all day with no conflicts, and remain on set for the entire shoot each day.

Those interested please submit ALL of the following:

● Current, clear color photo. Non-professional snapshot.
● Full Name.
● Age and date of birth.
● All contact information.
● Height and weight.
● Specify if you are an SAG member or Non-Union.

Email to:

tower@gwcnyc.com

You MUST put “Parade Goer Avail 12/4+12/5" in the SUBJECT LINE of your email to be considered.

You are required to be at least 18 years old and legally able to work in the United States in order to work on this film. If you do not have ID that proves you are legally able to work, you will be turned away.

Acceptable Identification:

● Drivers License/State ID AND Social Security Card
● US Passport
● Work Visa
● Green Card.

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:

Kathleen Chopin
Tower Heist Casting
12 W. 32nd Street
Suite 12
New York, NY 10001

Extras Casting

New York:

Grant Wilfley Casting
123 West 18 Street
8th Floor
New York, NY 10011
tower@gwcnyc.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.

Universal Pictures
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608

Imagine Entertainment
9465 Wilshire Blvd.
7th Floor
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Heist Productions LLC
1619 Broadway
11th Floor
New York, NY 10019

Rat Entertainment
100 Universal City Plaza
Bungalow 5196
Universal City, CA 91608

Producers: Brian Grazer, Kim Roth, Karen Kehela

Director: Brett Ratner

Starring:

Ben Stiller
Tea Leoni
Eddie Murphy
Casey Affleck
Matthew Broderick
Dave Chappelle
Gabourey Sidibe
Alan Alda

Story:

Ben Stiller plays Josh Kovaks, the devoted building supervisor at The Towers, an upscale New York City condo complex, catering to the needs of the wealthy residents who call The Towers home. Josh spearheads a heist after learning that he and his fellow employees have been bilked out of their pensions and life savings in a Ponzi scheme by the pretentiously self-serving Arthur Shaw, the billionaire Wall Street titan who lives in the building's penthouse.

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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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