Extra Casting

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.

Sony Pictures film 'I Hate You, Dad' open casting calls in Massachusetts

Important update 6-26-2011: The extras casting directors for "I Hate You Dad" in Boston are having a difficult time finding a sufficient amount of SAG members in the area. If you are a Screen Actors Guild member and live within driving distance of the Boston area, please fill out the following form if you would like to work on the film:

"I Hate You Dad" Boston SAG Members Registration Form

The upcoming Sony Pictures feature film "I Hate You, Dad" is holding open casting calls in the Massachusetts cities of Boston and Hyannis Port. The film's extras casting directors are seeking thousands of people to work as general background extras. There will also be some small speaking roles being cast. All ages and types are needed.

The films stars include Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, James Caan, Vanilla Ice and Leighton Meester. The picture is about a cantankerous father who moves in with his son and his son's gold-digger fiancee just before the son is to get married. The father and fiancee quickly become terribly embroiled in conflict.

Sean Anders and John Morris are directing from a script originally written by TV comedy writer David Caspe, who recently signed a two year production deal with Sony Pictures Television. Caspe is creator/head writer on the upcoming Sony Pictures Television TV series "Happy Endings," which premiers April 13, 2011 on ABC. "Wanderlust" writers David Wain and Ken Marino were brought in to rewrite the "I Hate You, Dad" script.

Adam Sandler, Heather Parry, and Jack Giarraputo will produce under the banner of their company Happy Madison Productions. The company's production office is located in the Judy Garland building on the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City, CA, Barry Bernardi and director John Morris will executive produce.

Casting director Kristan Berona made the following statement - "I need everything from grade-school kids to gang-bangers. There’s not one category of person that’s not on my list, I kid you not." Massachusetts filming on "I Hate You, Dad" runs from June 6, 2011 and will last for approximately 2 months. The scheduled release date is June 15, 2012.

Open Casting Call Details

• All types and ages are needed.
• Any ethnicity.
• Children should be 11 years of age and older.
• Adults 18 years of age through senior citizens.
• Absolutely no previous experience needed.

Boston

Saturday May 21st, 2011 - 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Sunday May 22nd, 2011 - 2:00pm to 8:00pm
Carson Place
180 Mount Vernon Street
Boston, MA 02125
Click Here for directions.

Cape Cod

Saturday May 28th, 2011 - 10:00am to 4:00pm
Sunday May 29th, 2011 - 10:00am to 4:00pm
Barnstable High School
744 West Main Street
Hyannis Port, MA 02601
Click Here for directions.

• Please bring a current 3"x5" color snapshot.
• Photo does not need to be professional.
• Please do not bring headshots.
• No experience needed.

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:

Rachel Tenner
"I Hate You, Dad" Casting
5933 W. Slauson Avenue
Suite 2107
Culver City, CA 90230

Extras Casting

Massachusetts:

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.

Happy Madison
10202 West Washington Blvd.
Judy Garland Bldg.
Culver City, CA 90232

Columbia Pictures
10202 W. Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232

Producers: Jack Giarraputo, Adam Sandler, John Morris, Heather Parry, Adam Sandler

Directors: Sean Anders, John Morris

Starring:

Adam Sandler - Donny
Andy Samberg - Todd
Leighton Meester - Stacy
James Caan - Marvin
Vanilla Ice - Himself

Story:

At 13 years old, Donny Levine, had knocked up his beautiful 27 year old teacher. After she was sent to prison, Donny was left to raise their son Han Solo on his own which he did terribly. Now 40, Donny (Adam Sandler) is a used hot tub salesman, and he's looking at possibly doing three years in prison for failing to pay his taxes. Donny must seek out adult Han, who is now well-to-do, being a hedge fund manager for help. Unfortunately, Han - who changed his name to Todd (Andy Samberg) hates him so much he tells people that his parents are dead. Leighton Meester will play Todd's fiancée Stacey. She's really just after his money, but he's so whipped it takes Donny to expose her sham. She's aggressive and demanding and gets worse as the wedding progressively degenerates.

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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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