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Applying for Movie Extra, Need Advice

Professor SnugglesworthProfessor Snugglesworth Registered User regular
edited October 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
So a casting agency is making a stop at my local area this weekend, looking to cast hundreds of extras for some upcoming movie starring Al Pacino (ooh) and Adam Sandler (eh). It's called Jack & Jill, and it's filming in November.

The newspaper ad says they're looking for "upscale looking" people, which I guess means mildly attractive/dressed, and it pays $100 for a 10 hour shoot. All it says to bring is a 3x5 photo and dress in upscale casual cruise wear.

Now, I do consider myself reasonably attractive enough, so I want to try and get chosen here, and am looking for advice for anyone who might have had similar experience, or is just knowledgeable about this sort of thing.

But I also wanted to take things further and ask advice on how to potentially get "noticed" by the execs. Now, I'm not going to say I can act circles around the best of them; any kind of theater experience I had was in a high school elective, and I was too painfully shy to actually appear on stage.

But I think most of us have had that big Hollywood dream, and what better place to get recognized? Assuming I get to be one of lucky hundred to make it as an extra, what can I do to make myself stand out, maybe have somebody approach me for a more significant role in a future movie?

Professor Snugglesworth on

Posts

  • Dropping LoadsDropping Loads Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Honestly, you probably wont get much of a chance to talk to them. They'll look at large groups of people, then select about 10% more than they actually need. Then if you screw up once, you're gone. In this case screwing up can be basically anything, but essentially means doing things to get yourself noticed. Being an extra means filling up space, and that's about it. Sorry to burst your bubble, but think about it. You're getting $10 an hour. What are the actors getting, the lighting guys, the director, the cameramen? Re-shooting a scene because an hourly employee was hamming it up is very expensive. There is absolutely zero patience for extras. You are a paid human sheep.

    That said, it's fun to see how a movie actually gets made, get to hang around the set, and see a few stars at work. I totally think it's worth doing once, and I think you'll have more fun if you have a more realistic idea of what's up.

    Dropping Loads on
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  • starmanbrandstarmanbrand Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Seconding. You're a prop to make the set more realistic. Maybe you'll get lucky and you'll get to shake pacino's hand or something.

    starmanbrand on
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  • Professor SnugglesworthProfessor Snugglesworth Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Well, I wasn't referring to doing something I wasn't told to do during the filming; I mean during those off-camera moments, perhaps during an interview process.

    Professor Snugglesworth on
  • Dropping LoadsDropping Loads Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Well, I wasn't referring to doing something I wasn't told to do during the filming; I mean during those off-camera moments, perhaps during an interview process.

    That's actually included in the "screwing up" category. Most of the time you will literally be herded from scene to scene, and taken to a break room when they don't need you. Trying to chat someone up during that time = a distraction = money lost = you're gone. There will be hundreds of extras. If every person tried to use that as their "edge", it would be impossible to manage the film. The people in charge of extras are used to this and will keep you herded pretty tightly.

    The best you can really hope for is to do exactly what they tell you, and maybe you'll end up close enough to the camera that you would actually be recognizable in the film, which is something to show off to your friends. It's extremely unlikely that they'd even pull out a random extra for a speaking line, as I think those roles would have to be filled by SAG members. Since they are paying you as an extra, your name doesn't have to appear in the credits either.

    Again, it can be a fun thing to do, but prepare to be disillusioned.

    Edit: The interview is just to see what you look like, really, and it will likely be 20 people at a time. If you try to show off your awesome acting chops, they'll just think that you might cause a problem later, and they'll pass you over.

    Dropping Loads on
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  • Professor SnugglesworthProfessor Snugglesworth Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Okay, gotcha.

    For the record though, has there ever been a case of someone starting out as an extra, and actually being picked up as an actor by an exec or whoever watching said scene?

    Based on what I've heard, it seems most people get "discovered" based on looks alone, particularly when being filmed.

    Professor Snugglesworth on
  • The Green Eyed MonsterThe Green Eyed Monster i blame hip hop Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Okay, gotcha.

    For the record though, has there ever been a case of someone starting out as an extra, and actually being picked up as an actor by an exec or whoever watching said scene?

    Based on what I've heard, it seems most people get "discovered" based on looks alone, particularly when being filmed.
    This has never happened. Being an extra is just being a warm body. They care about the look you'll bring to the background of a shot, nothing else.

    If you want to become famous and/or get paid for acting, I recommend moving to LA and getting in touch with professional casting agencies.

    The Green Eyed Monster on
  • RikushixRikushix VancouverRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Okay, gotcha.

    For the record though, has there ever been a case of someone starting out as an extra, and actually being picked up as an actor by an exec or whoever watching said scene?

    Based on what I've heard, it seems most people get "discovered" based on looks alone, particularly when being filmed.

    I don't think that's ever happened to a current star; bit acting, yes, extra, no. There are plenty of rags to riches stories out there of modern day actors who have started out acting in the tiniest of tiny roles before getting "noticed" by someone high up. But I can't think of an actor whose career skyrocketed after he was noticed as an extra. Maybe if they were really, really good looking - this could happen a lot more in the fashion industry.

    Rikushix on
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  • VestyVesty Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Don't be surprised if they go over 10 hours. You may get over time if it goes longer. $100 a day is pretty standard. They shot a couple movies around here last summer and I worked some of them. Most of them were 12 hours.

    Take snacks(non messy bars are good) and a book (or ipod / hand held. Something that can turn off and be silenced quick). There will be a lot of down time. You'll get a lunch halfway through the shoot and that's about it. Usually extra call time is an hour or two before the rest of the crew / cast. On the movies I worked the lunch break tended to be 6ish hours after the crew call time, not extras. There will probably be a snack table through out the day, but often when not shooting you'll be confined to the set area and not the eating area so that they don't waste time trying to herd people back and forth. Also craft services for the cast and crew is going to be better than yours and it is a faux pas upon to eat their stuff (unless they specifically say you can).

    As far as building a report with the crew I think it depends on the movie and how long you're being an extra. If you're only there for one day to fill out a crowd scene then they're not going to care or talk to you much. PAs may but mostly because it is their job to wrangle you. If you're being an extra for weeks on end the crew will probably open up to you and chat during down time (at least from my experience from the one set last year). They're mostly really cool people.

    Mostly just do what you're told, relax and enjoy the process. If its a big crowd scene I could see them be more willing to easily dismiss someone but from my experience with smaller crowd scenes they were so concerned about continuity I don't recall anyone being dismissed. But then again no one was doing anything to cause it.

    Vesty on
  • ForkesForkes Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Yeah, talking to anyone who has any insight about you actually getting a job being more than an extra is a good way to not be an extra or anything.

    The advice about bringing a book or something to pass the time is a fantastic idea, the motto of any production is "Hurry up and wait".

    If you are seriously interested in getting more work this way, and even progressing past an extra to maybe having a few lines, you should look for an extra agency.

    They will, for a fee that is anything but moderate, act as a contact point between you and people seeking extras and the tiniest of parts in movies. Again, the start up fee can be pretty shitty, but they do work, and I know people who have moved onto commercials from using them.

    Forkes on
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  • Dr. FrenchensteinDr. Frenchenstein Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Wasn't Harrison Ford a carpenter or something on set when he got the Han Solo part? I think Mekhi Pfifer came out of nowhere to be in clockers as well. It's obviously HIGHLY unlikely in this day and age to get randomly discovered, but it's not impossible. Sounds like everyone has pretty good advice for a better avenue to stardom.

    Dr. Frenchenstein on
  • DeebaserDeebaser on my way to work in a suit and a tie Ahhhh...come on fucking guyRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Harrison Ford wasn't working a hammer on the set when he was discovered. He was an out of work actor who became a carpenter who worked on George Lucas's home.

    I have no idea who Mekhi Pfifer is.

    Deebaser on
  • vonPoonBurGervonPoonBurGer Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    But I also wanted to take things further and ask advice on how to potentially get "noticed" by the execs. Now, I'm not going to say I can act circles around the best of them; any kind of theater experience I had was in a high school elective, and I was too painfully shy to actually appear on stage.

    But I think most of us have had that big Hollywood dream, and what better place to get recognized? Assuming I get to be one of lucky hundred to make it as an extra, what can I do to make myself stand out, maybe have somebody approach me for a more significant role in a future movie?
    I don't want to be cruel, but this line of reasoning is very unrealistic. If you want to be an actor, you really need to practice it, like anything else. It's both a skill and an art form, and to become a successful actor you usually need a significant combination of time, hard work, talent and luck. Yes, there are lots of actors who got lucky breaks, maybe even some who got lucky breaks as extras. But almost all of those people were probably acting long before their "lucky break," and a lot of them were probably studying it as well. A lucky break by itself is almost certainly not enough to launch an acting career.

    vonPoonBurGer on
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  • TheFullMetalChickenTheFullMetalChicken Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    The only thing that I know of that comes close to what your talking about is Jamie Kennedy. He was and extra in a bunch of things just hanging out in the background then started doing start up, then on to films and TV, but he did that himself.

    My advice show up, shut up, do what they tell you, and you'll have a cool story to tell.

    TheFullMetalChicken on
  • AdusAdus Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    This reminds me of the It's Always Sunny episode where Dee gets an extra part in an M. Night movie as a corpse, but she wants to be noticed so bad she begins acting like a zombie, despite it not being a zombie movie.

    So I guess my advice here is if you're just supposed to be a corpse, don't act like a zombie.

    Adus on
  • Dr. FrenchensteinDr. Frenchenstein Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Deebaser wrote: »
    Harrison Ford wasn't working a hammer on the set when he was discovered. He was an out of work actor who became a carpenter who worked on George Lucas's home.

    I have no idea who Mekhi Pfifer is.

    He was in Clockers, Dawn of the Dead (remake) and a ton of other stuff. Spike Lee discovered him i believe (for Clockers).

    Dr. Frenchenstein on
  • CygnusZCygnusZ Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Okay, gotcha.

    For the record though, has there ever been a case of someone starting out as an extra, and actually being picked up as an actor by an exec or whoever watching said scene?

    Based on what I've heard, it seems most people get "discovered" based on looks alone, particularly when being filmed.

    I'm pretty sure that most actors were actually trying to be actors before they succeeded, even child actors.

    CygnusZ on
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