| Casting Notice | |||||||||
| Project Name: | FEATURED BG | ||||||||
| Project Type: | |||||||||
| Format: | |||||||||
| Rate/Compensation: | |||||||||
| Message: UNION OR NON UNION_WOMAN ON SUBWAY - FLEX AVAIL THROUGH 5/15 **READ DESCRIPTION** -MUST BE COMFORTABLE SITTING WITH A MAN'S CROTCH NEAR YOUR FACE ON THE SUBWAY | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Thursday, April 16, 2015
There's gotta be a better way to be a featured Extra
Friday, April 10, 2015
Surgeon or burger flipper--you decide
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
I'm going to suck Bob into this business one way or another
If I were going to be in town during this shoot, I would have submitted me and my hubby for this one. The sleeping couple, not the other one........AS IF......
Having now lived through four very hot and sweaty NYC summers, we are experts at this role. Bob has said he could be persuaded to do a job if it called for a couple, which some of them do. I'm keeping my eye out and if the right one comes up at the right time, I'll submit. It would be so fun to do one together--something with a bit of edge would be ideal but I'd settle for pretty much any mundane scene if we could do it together.
| Role |
submit
| COUPLE - SLEEPING / Non-Union / Featured / Male or Female / All Ethnicities / 26-60 Two different roles for the couples in this film -one couple, sleeping in their underwear or seminaked, hot and sweaty night in the city -one couple, simulating intercourse Wardrobe: semi-nude (underwear) or completely nude Rate: 100 Nudity/Sexual Situations: Simulating intercourse while nude, for a classy film. Not extensive, just filmed from above. | ||
Monday, April 6, 2015
The Darker Side of Extra Work
While it's been a really good experience so far to be doing background work, a few things have been coming up that I find a bit disturbing On a couple of occasions now, I've been upfront and center witness to really creepy attempts of guys trying to pick up some of the women Extras. These men are just so cheesy or completely full of themselves. I cannot believe that men actually think their behavior is appealing to anyone, much less the women they are trying to pick up. It's so awkward because the chances are high these people are going to run into each other repeatedly, the background world just isn't that big. The women I've seen hit on are not very direct in telling these men to bug off and I think it is because it is such a small world. This one guy would just not SHUT UP about himself, even on set with the cameras rolling and the sound guy glaring at him. He was completely oblivious and just kept blabbing on and on about himself. I could not help telling him to keep quiet at least while the cameras were rolling--which he never did. I really wish someone from the set would have come up and told him explicitly to keep quiet or leave the set. I can get very punitive in my fantasies of how the world should work when people don't act responsibly, especially in a job that doesn't take much to do. It's not like production asks a lot from background actors--mainly show up on time with the right wardrobe, pay attention, keep quiet while on set, and enhance the scene as instructed. People who think they are beyond that just really tick me off.
I also heard on a bus ride out to the country club shoot for Sneaky Pete about jealous extras turning in other extras who may be getting special attention from principal actors. Because the production companies are very serious about not approaching principle actors, those who do can be fired or asked to leave the set and not be given any work for a while. Apparently, if an extra reports this behavior of another extra, the production company takes it very seriously. I can't help but think about my most recent interactions with some principle actors who approached me. It got me thinking for sure--really sad that people would resort to this level of pettiness.
I also have been overhearing a number of conversations between long timers complaining about all the new people coming into the background acting market. I can appreciate that it may make it harder for them to find work, but it also seems highly unreasonable to think there will not always be a steady stream of new comers.
Of course, that I've been within earshot of these last two conversations makes me a bit paranoid as to whether these remarks are directed at me as some kind of warning or something. In my rational mind, I don't think so, but in my irrational mind, I hear messages directed at me all the time.
I also heard on a bus ride out to the country club shoot for Sneaky Pete about jealous extras turning in other extras who may be getting special attention from principal actors. Because the production companies are very serious about not approaching principle actors, those who do can be fired or asked to leave the set and not be given any work for a while. Apparently, if an extra reports this behavior of another extra, the production company takes it very seriously. I can't help but think about my most recent interactions with some principle actors who approached me. It got me thinking for sure--really sad that people would resort to this level of pettiness.
I also have been overhearing a number of conversations between long timers complaining about all the new people coming into the background acting market. I can appreciate that it may make it harder for them to find work, but it also seems highly unreasonable to think there will not always be a steady stream of new comers.
Of course, that I've been within earshot of these last two conversations makes me a bit paranoid as to whether these remarks are directed at me as some kind of warning or something. In my rational mind, I don't think so, but in my irrational mind, I hear messages directed at me all the time.
A very good day today for Extra work
Today turned out to be a very good day after all with respect to my Extra work. There continues to be very little work notices. I applied to the few I could last week for today, Monday, and had not heard back from anyone. Was feeling a bit discouraged and had ruled out The Knick because they announced their fittings were for today. But at 4pm, I got an email saying I had been selected and could I come in for a fitting tomorrow, Tuesday. I was out running errands when I got the email and was so excited I rushed home because they needed a current picture of my hair for color and length to finalize my selection and schedule my fitting. For The Knick, women's hair has to be past shoulder length. I barely made it!! I had to take a selfie. That took me about 10 tries because I had to take it from the side and was guessing where to point the camera to get the right frame of my hair.
I'm so excited about this shoot. I'll work background as an immigrant fresh off the boat!! The show is a period piece set in 1900.I love that show--it's one of the top shows on my list to work on. I have my fitting tomorrow and work next Monday. If Clive Owen talks to me, I might just faint! I really really hope he is on set when I am there. Would love to see him live. So curious to see what they will dress me in for the immigrant look. Pics to follow. I hear from other Extras that the director, Steven Soderbergh, is a very precise and discriminating director who does not particularly like background actors. So it'll be interesting to actually be on set.
Additionally, turns out last week, despite there being few job offers for background work, I did manage to squeak into an evening job last Friday night on the new show Happyish. I was the last Extra to be hired for that job. Very close call. We did an evening shoot in The Bronx in a huge wholesale warehouse for restaurant supplies. They made part of it up to look like an Ikea--very convincing. I was a shopper there and had a short scene with Kathryrn Hahn, the lead actress in that show. I love her--she was so funny in Parks and Recreation and really great in Girls. She's been in a number of other TV shows and she is always a joy to watch. I know we are never supposed to approach the principal actors but I just couldn't help myself. After we wrapped, she was walking right by me and I just blurted out "I love you" and she was very nice about it and told me that was a sweet thing to say.
I'm so excited about this shoot. I'll work background as an immigrant fresh off the boat!! The show is a period piece set in 1900.I love that show--it's one of the top shows on my list to work on. I have my fitting tomorrow and work next Monday. If Clive Owen talks to me, I might just faint! I really really hope he is on set when I am there. Would love to see him live. So curious to see what they will dress me in for the immigrant look. Pics to follow. I hear from other Extras that the director, Steven Soderbergh, is a very precise and discriminating director who does not particularly like background actors. So it'll be interesting to actually be on set.
Additionally, turns out last week, despite there being few job offers for background work, I did manage to squeak into an evening job last Friday night on the new show Happyish. I was the last Extra to be hired for that job. Very close call. We did an evening shoot in The Bronx in a huge wholesale warehouse for restaurant supplies. They made part of it up to look like an Ikea--very convincing. I was a shopper there and had a short scene with Kathryrn Hahn, the lead actress in that show. I love her--she was so funny in Parks and Recreation and really great in Girls. She's been in a number of other TV shows and she is always a joy to watch. I know we are never supposed to approach the principal actors but I just couldn't help myself. After we wrapped, she was walking right by me and I just blurted out "I love you" and she was very nice about it and told me that was a sweet thing to say.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
The ultimate in literal CASTING job notices!!
| This is so great because this casting notice is about actually making a mold casting of you. How much more literal can you get for a casting notice! I would have totally submitted for this if they were looking for my age and body type. Gotta love the diversity of opportunities in this line of work. Casting Notice | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Name: | Studio EIS - Kaiser Permanente | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Type: | Other | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rate/Compensation: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Message: PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THEM DIRECTLY. SUBMIT HERE AND WE WILL CONTACT YOU IF INTERESTED. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Drought in Extra Land
This week has been a tough week for getting Extra work. I worked on Monday and then nothing for the rest of the week. Had been submitted for a couple of commercials but nothing came through. There were so few job notices that went out this week. I would guess maybe about 20% of what had been coming out over the last few weeks. I can only imagine the fierce competition for those few jobs. I'm guessing the dearth of work is for a couple of reasons: 1) lots of TV shows are finishing up their filming for the season. I was on a couple of finale episodes for different shows and other extras were telling about other shows that were now done filming. So there's that and then it's Holy Week this week and lots of businesses close for Good Friday and/or Passover. It may be that filming productions also do that. It's a little spooky to have so few work notices going out. It makes me very grateful that I do not depend on this work for any living wage/income. I feel for people who do depend on this work for their livelihood. I submitted for the few jobs that were a match for me, which was only about 1/3 of how many I would have normally submitted for. Before the slump, I would have heard back for a booking on at least one to three of those jobs but this week was ZILCH, NADA, NOTHING for Tuesday, Thursday or Friday. Trying not to take it personally but this NO response makes me feel like I have cooties or something....
Had not really appreciated there would be seasonal fluctuations in this business. The longer I'm in it the more I'm learning how all this works. My understanding from word on the street is that late Spring and Summer get very busy with movie filming. So busy that people are working 14 to 15 hour days, day after day after day. It can get pretty brutal but apparently that's the money making season. Depending on the movie, the work can be quite risky. I joined a FB group called New York Background Artists, and one post described injuries people acquired while doing background work for NOAH and Spiderman II. Along with the injuries, it's a prime time to earn waivers--the golden ticket to meeting criteria for earning a SAG card. I'm really hoping to work on at least two or three movies over the next few months.
Hoping the slump doesn't last too long, if only for those people who are dependent on this work.
Had not really appreciated there would be seasonal fluctuations in this business. The longer I'm in it the more I'm learning how all this works. My understanding from word on the street is that late Spring and Summer get very busy with movie filming. So busy that people are working 14 to 15 hour days, day after day after day. It can get pretty brutal but apparently that's the money making season. Depending on the movie, the work can be quite risky. I joined a FB group called New York Background Artists, and one post described injuries people acquired while doing background work for NOAH and Spiderman II. Along with the injuries, it's a prime time to earn waivers--the golden ticket to meeting criteria for earning a SAG card. I'm really hoping to work on at least two or three movies over the next few months.
Hoping the slump doesn't last too long, if only for those people who are dependent on this work.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)