Extra Casting

Warner Bros. Pictures feature film 'Contagion' holding open casting calls

Kate Winslet will play CDC Dr. Erin Mears
Warner Bros. Pictures

Warner Bros. Pictures is currently in production on the feature film "Contagion" in Illinois and the film's extras casting directors are seeking Chicago area people to work as general background performers. There will be three open casting calls taking place in November, 2010. Shooting on the film will also be taking place in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Dubai, Japan, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, Brazil, Russia, and Malaysia.

Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh will helm the project, and he will also co-produce with Oscar Nominees Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher, along with Gregory Jacobs. Scott Z. Burns has penned the screenplay. Burns also wrote the screenplays to the Warner Bros. Matt Damon films "The Bourne Ultimatum," and "The Informant!".

Carmen Cuba is casting the principal actors for the film. Cuba is no stranger to working on Steven Soderbergh projects, as she has cast the films "Erin Brockovich", "Bubble", "The Girlfriend Experience", "The Informant!" and the recently completed "Butter" and "Haywire" - all of which Soderbergh directed. Carmen Cuba has found non-actors to portray fictionalized characters in Soderbergh’s fictionalized stories “Bubble” and “The Girlfriend Experience”, and little-known talent to play leading roles in "The Informant!".

Shooting on Contagion will run through January 11, 2010. The film's release date is October 21, 2011.

Chicago Open Casting Call Details

The casting directors are seeking adult men and women, ages 25 and above, all shapes, sizes, types and ethnicities. Previous experience in not required, and the job includes pay and meals.

Where:

Contegon Production Office, Chicago
The Keres Corporation
2630 W. Bradley Place
Chicago, IL 60611
Off Addison and Talman.
Click Here for directions.

When:

Tuesday November 16, 2011
Wednesday November 17, 2010
Saturday November 20, 2010

Please bring a pen and a small recent photo of yourself. If you have previously attended an open call for "Contagion", there is no need to show up for this new casting call. For more information, call (312) 283-1061.

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

Double Feature Films
9320 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 210
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Participant Media
335 N. Maple Drive
Suite 245
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Extension
765 54 21st Street
New York, NY 10011

October Pictures LTD
G/F 58A Leighton Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong

The Keres Corporation
846 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Building A, Suite 214
Los Angeles, CA 90038

The Keres Corporation
2630 W. Bradley Place
Chicago, IL 60618

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:

Carmen Cuba
846 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Building A, Suite 213
Hollywood, CA 90038

Chicago:

Shelby Cherniet
Amy C. Newbold
Simon Casting
1512 N. Fremont St
Suite 204
Chicago, IL 60622

Extras Casting (All U.S. Locations):

Rich King Casting
Cross Roads of the World
6671 Sunset Blvd.
Suite 1597
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Registration Information: (323) 993-0186

Producers:

Steven Soderbergh
Michael Shamberg
Stacey Sher
Gregory Jacobs

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Starring:

Matt Damon
Jude Law
Kate Winslet
Gwyneth Paltrow
Laurence Fishburne
Marion Cotillard

Story:

An action-thriller with multiple plotlines, that takes place in a worst case scenario of a deadly virus. We first meet Gwyneth Paltrow's character, Beth Emhoff, as she flies back from a business trip, along with a casino worker in Hong Kong, Li Fai (Josie Ho), and a Ukranian supermodel in London, Irina Modelskova. Almost immediately, all three are struck down by a mysterious ailment — Li Fai meets a particularly messy end in downtown Hong Kong after hallucinating in the streets. Beth's husband Thomas (Damon) is forced to care for his wife, and soon his step-son, as her condition worsens. The virus spreads, first through the Emhoff's native Minneapolis — and very plausible through the unsanitary public school system where kids readily share infections as it is — and then to Chicago, and the rest of the U.S. The story opens on Thanksgiving weekend, almost the worst possible time a virus could break out, considering the amount of travel going on (airplanes being practically an incubator for common cold spreading), and, as one character puts it, "It's the biggest shopping weekend of the year." while simultaneously the virus, and the fear it causes, spreads through the world. As the infection begins to spread, we meet a collection of other characters around the world. Dr. Ellis Cheever (Fishburne), the head of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and his colleague Dr. Erin Mears (Winslet) are both battling to find a cure for the disease, the latter being sent to examine Emhoff at home in Minnesota, while European doctor Leonora Orantes (Cotillard), works for the World Health Organization, has a similar aim; heading to Hong Kong to investigate what appears to be the genesis spot of the breakout. Alan Krumwiede (Law), meanwhile, is a hungry, truth-seeking blogger with an unfortunate interest in conspiracy theories, who is responsible for spreading information about the disease, both true and false, around the world.

New Regency Pictures film titled 'Now' seeking extras in Los Angeles

Amanda Seyfried will star alongside Justin Timberlake
Creative Commons

The feature film 'Now' formerly titled "I'm.Mortal" is currently in production and casting for extras is ongoing throughout filming. The project is being directed by Andrew Niccol and stars Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. The storyline follows a rebel from the ghetto (Timberlake) who is falsely accused of murdering a wealthy man for his time, and goes on the run with a beautiful hostage (Seyfried).

New Regency Pictures picked up the high-priority project last spring. Marc Abraham, Eric Newman, Thomas A. Bliss and Kristel Laiblin will also produce for Strike Entertainment. Twentieth Century Fox will distribute. Filming will continue through January 14, 2011 in Los Angeles.

Andrew Niccol also wrote and directed the films Gattaca, S1m0ne, and Lord of War. He also wrote and co-produced The Truman Show, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay in 1999 and won him a BAFTA award for Best Screenplay. His next project will be The Host, a film adapted from Stephenie Meyer's novel.

The extras casting director for this film, Carla Lewis, is currently hiring general extras in the Los Angeles area. She is specifically seeking people who are 18 to 24 years old but are "18 to-look-younger" types – specifically thin, tall, beautiful, males and females, all ethnicities – again, 18 to 24 years of age only. If you fit this description, email your full contact information and a recent color 3/4 length snapshot (please do not wear the color white in your photo) with your height, weight and current sizes. Men: Neck, Sleeve, Jacket, Waist, Inseam, Shoe; Ladies: Bust, Waist, Hip, Dress, Shoe to:

chqcasting@gmail.com

Or mail your full contact information and recent 5x7" 3/4 length color snapshot with all physical stats and clothing sizes written on the back of the photo to:

Carla Lewis
Andrew Niccol Film Extras
Headquarters Casting
3108 W. Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505

This is for potentially, A LOT OF WORK - MULTIPLE DAYS/WEEKS (SAG or Non-Union). This project will work on and off through January, 2011.

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.

New Regency Pictures
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Building 12
Los Angeles, CA 90035

Strike Entertainment
3000 W. Olympic Blvd.
Building 5
Suite 1250
Santa Monica, CA 90404

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

Now Production Office
9336 Washington Blvd.
Building K
Culver City, CA 90232

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.

Denise Chamian Casting
1438 N. Gower Street
Building 35
Suite 270
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Producers:

Marc Abraham
Eric Newman
Kristel Laiblin
Andrew Davis

Director: Andrew Niccol

Starring:

Justin Timberlake
Amanda Seyfried
Olivia Wilde
Cillian Murphy
Vincent Kartheiser
Collins Pennie

Story:

The story is set in the not-too-distant future where the aging gene has been switched off. To avoid overpopulation, time has become the currency and the way people pay for luxuries and necessities. The rich can live forever, while the rest try to negotiate for their immortality. The protagonist is a poor young man who comes into a fortune of time, though too late to help his mother from dying. He ends up on the run from a corrupt police force known as "time keepers."

Miley Cyrus feature film 'So Undercover' casting actors and extras

Miley Cyrus plays a private eye in 'So Undercover'
Creative Commons

The Hope Town Entertainment feature film "So Undercover" starring Miley Cyrus is currently casting for day player actors, extras, stand-ins, and photo doubles in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Miley's mother Tish Cyrus is President of Hope Town Entertainment, and her partner Jodi Zuckerman serves as producer for the company. The other production company involved in this project, Scarlet Fire Entertainment, is run by the producer/writer team of Allan Loeb and Steven Pearl. Loeb's recent credits include "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps", as well as the upcoming films "The Dilemma" and "Just Go with It".

Tom Vaughan , who is best known for "What Happens in Vegas" is directing. Vaughan, who is represented by CAA, most recently directed "Extraordinary Measures." Sari Knight and Mandy Sherman are in charge of casting the project out of Los Angeles. Ryan Glorioso is casting the actors in Louisiana, and his company, Glorioso Casting is in charge of casting the extras, stand-ins, and photo doubles in New Orleans.

There are numerous roles for high school age actors, and the extras casting directors interested in people over 18 years of age who can play younger. There is also a need for numerous general background of all ages and types.

If you are interested in working as an extra on "So Undercover" and are located in the NEW ORLEANS AREA ONLY, you can sign up on the following online extras registration form:

So Undercover Extras Registration

Filming on "So Undercover" begins in December, 2010.

Local Principal Actor Casting (New Orleans):

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.

Ryan Glorioso, CSA
So Undercover Casting
712 Milam Street
Suite 103
Shreveport, LA 71101

Extras Casting (New Orleans):

Jay deFelice
Kate Warren
So Undercover Extras
Glorioso Casting, Inc.
712 Milam Street
Suite 103
Shreveport, LA 71101

Principal Actor Casting (Los Angeles):

Sari Knight
Mandy Sherman
So Undercover Casting
4221 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 155
Los Angeles, CA 90010

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.

Bluefin Productions, LLC
824 Distributors Row
Harahan, LA 70123

Hope Town Entertainment
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Animation Blvd.
Suite 2C-Office 10
Burbank, CA 91521

Scarlet Fire Entertainment
561 28th Avenue
Venice, CA 90291

POV Productions
674 S. June Street
Los Angeles, CA 90005

Exclusive Media Group
9348 Civic Center Drive
Mezzanine Level
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Producers:

Steven Pearl
Allan Loeb
Tish Cyrus
Guy East
Nigel Sinclair
Jodi Zuckerman-Weiner

Director:

Tom Vaughan

Starring:

Miley Cyrus

Story:

About the hard-driving, straight-shooting private eye Molly Morris (Miley Cyrus), who takes an assignment from the FBI and goes undercover as a sorority girl at a college to solve a dangerous crime. Not normally a private eye to take on government issued cases, Molly accepts the job to help her father pay a debt to a bookie. Molly rides a motorcycle, carries a gun, is an expert at hand-to-hand combat. Molly’s love interest is named Nicholas and is "mysterious, motorcycle-riding, and rough around the edges". Even though Molly wants to stay focused on the case, she gives in a slightly to Nicholas’ charms, but she begins to suspect he’s the bad guy.

'Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon' casting extras in New York

Transformers 3 will hit theaters July 1, 2011
Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures feature film "Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon" is now in production and director Michael Bay is directing his third installment of the franchise, which is the sequel to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Grant Wilfley Casting is seeking actors who can portray the following for the upcoming feature film, "Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon."

• Arabic / Middle Eastern men and women with or without traditional Middle Eastern wardrobe.

• South Asian/ East Indian men and women with or without traditional Indian wardrobe.

• African men and women with or without traditional African wardrobe.

Please email a recent picture of yourself and contact information to:

Casting@gwcnyc.com

Write the role for which you are submitting in the subject line of your email.

Or mail submissions to :

GWCI, Transformers 3
123 West 18th Street
8th Floor
New York, NY 10011

Production Companies:

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

DW Studios Productions LLC
Raleigh Studios Playa Vista
5600 Campus Center Drive
Playa Vista, CA 90094

Paramount Pictures
5555 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Di Bonaventura Pictures
5555 Melrose Ave.
DeMille Building
2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Bay Films
631 Colorado Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Kurtzman/Orci
100 Universal City Plaza
Building 5171
Universal City, CA 91608

Principal Actor Casting (Los Angeles):

Principal actor casting has been completed.

Denise Chamian
"Transformers 3" Casting
c/o DW Studios Productions LLC
Raleigh Studios Playa Vista
5600 Campus Center Drive
Playa Vista, CA 90094

Director:

Michael Bay

Producers:

Lorenzo di Bonaventura
Tom DeSanto
Alex Kurtzman
Roberto Orci

Starring:

Shia LaBeouf
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Tyrese Gibson
Frances McDormand
John Malkovich
Ken Jeong

Story:

Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky in "Transformers 3". Peter Cullen also returns as the voice of Optimus Prime. This 3rd installment in the series "won’t be as robot-heavy and there will be fewer explosions, as the film gets more into the robot character. The last time (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) you kind of met a few of the robots. In "The Transformers 3: : Dark of the Moon" you’re gonna get a much cooler landscape" according to director Michael Bay.

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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.

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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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