Posts Tagged ‘Extras Work’

Get Close to the Stars with TV Extras Work

Monday, June 20th, 2011

You might love finding out all the latest from the celebrity world and greatly admire some of the fantastic actors currently working in the industry. Indeed, if and when you are lucky enough to see such people in real life, rather than behind a television screen, you might feel a great sense of excitement.

In normal life, the chance of finding yourself in close proximity to the stars is fairly minimal. After all, such people tend to distance themselves from the general public so as to enjoy a little privacy.

However, there is a way in which you can rub shoulders with the rich and famous on a regular basis and that is by getting involved in extras work. Not only can you get paid for such endeavours, you also get to be in the vicinity of some of the best acting talents around.

But in order to get work of this kind, you need to attend the relevant extras casting calls and, if you know relatively little about the industry or do not have hours to spare doing research, this can be tricky. And each casting session you miss out on could be a wasted opportunity.

To avoid such disappointment, you might want to come here to Audition Now to make use of our text alert service. We know exactly how to keep abreast of the latest goings on and, as soon as we discover extras auditions that are relevant to you, we will let you know.

To make use of the provision, you must be 18 or over. £1.50 per text, with a max of 3 texts per week.

Extras Auditions Require A Little Extra Diligence

Monday, January 17th, 2011

Extras work, whether in TV, film or theatre has always been high coveted. At one end of the spectrum, many people of all ages, shapes and sizes simply enjoy extras work and the additional income it provides alongside other employment. It can be social, interesting and there might even be opportunities for them to rub shoulders with celebrities. At the other are actors across a broad age demographic who aspire to make full time careers of acting and for whom extras work can, in some cases, provide valuable networking opportunities, springboards to more work and increasingly prominent roles.

However, auditioning for extras work is not something to be undertaken in a slapdash manner, as doing so often results in unnecessary wasted time, effort and expense. This is because production teams casting for extras largely have specific criteria in mind dependent upon the programmes, films or theatre productions they are working on. They will be looking for certain attributes that can be pertinent to general appearance, gender, age and even skin colour. Hence, it is highly advisable for people seeking out extras work to be forearmed and forewarned, as places are as strongly contested, as with all acting opportunities.

We, at Audition Now, boast an expert team of researchers with relevant experience whose job it is to stay abreast of forthcoming extras auditions, their locations and what productions are looking for. This vital information is then passed on to our subscribers via our text alerts.

How to Find Acting Auditions

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

If you don’t have any experience in the field of acting, it may be hard for you to know where to start, or even how to find an audition so that you can try out. Here are some tips for finding acting auditions.

Try contacting local theatres directly. If you’re interested in being plays, this may well afford you opportunities to perform in small and large rolls—in both plays and musicals. Some local theatres produce multiple productions each season.

If you would rather be a TV actor, you may need to apply to an agency. Put together a good portfolio including a CV with any relevant information and education, as well as some good recent photos of you. Contact the agency and submit your portfolio for review. If you get called in for an interview you may well be on your way to some great auditions.

Don’t discount the chance to be an extra. Extras in movies often move on to much greater things. Sometimes when films are done locally, the producers will advertise for extras to show up for crowd scenes, street scenes, etc. Try your local newspaper and the Internet to find such opportunities.

Another way to find opportunities is to subscribe to an information service such as Audition Now. This company provides only the best audition information via text message (to those at least 18 years old, for £1.50 per text.) You can text them up to three times a week for opportunities in stage acting, TV acting, and modelling.

Acting Auditions on the Move

Friday, October 15th, 2010

When you are busy either rehearsing or in a run of performances, it can be difficult to keep tabs on the latest work opportunities for you, especially if you are working away from home. This is a potential problem for your career. Even if you have an agent and are happy with how they work for you, knowing what is coming up means you need to be in the loop, and if you are out of town you are in danger of getting out of touch.

Some actors take this so seriously they avoid work that takes them too far from their home patch, but that need not be the case for you. The key asset for an actor is to be in the know, and now there is a way of letting work take you anywhere without missing out on the next acting auditions or casting calls.

Here at Audition Now, we specialize in getting all the latest information about acting auditions, modelling opportunities or even extras auditions, to our subscribers as soon as it is known about. We text you direct to your mobile phone to give you all the latest details of upcoming acting opportunities, so that you can decide what you want to go for.

Remember that with our extensive network of industry-wide contacts across the UK, we are uniquely placed to know about all the significant work opportunities out there. You will be amongst the first to know, wherever you may be.

Extras Work And The Opportunities

Friday, August 27th, 2010

It would be a mistake to think that by doing extras work you will get your big break in the film industry. Long gone are the days when you could fill in as an extra and hope to become a star that way. As an extra you have very little contact with the movers and shakers in a production company; and the work won’t give you much opportunity to shine in front of the camera.

However, if your ambitions are more realistic then there are opportunities for you in doing extras work. For a start, there is the reasonable pay. It is true that you are expected to be on call all day on a shoot, and the day itself may start as early as six in the morning, and not finish till well into the evening; but you will be remunerated correspondingly, and at a basic rate of over £100 a day, enough regular work as an extra can see you through the lean times.

Also, though you may not be discovered as the next big star, conversations happen that can lead to more work, and not just as an extra. All acting work is temporary, and actors as well as directors are on the look-out for future possible colleagues. Take along your CV just in case the opportunity comes up.

Great opportunities for extras work come up with us at Audition Now, and we can text all the latest of them direct to your mobile phone so you don’t miss out.

Extras Work For The Trained Actor

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

When you are starting out as an actor, it can be an eye-opener, as well as a money-spinner, to do a bit of extras work.

Very often this is work that film and TV companies are happy to have untrained people do: as ‘background artistes’ the last thing that is wanted is for the real-life backdrop to a scene to pull focus from the main action in the foreground. Often non-actors are as adept as actors at being invisible.

Sometimes, however, it can be advantageous to have specialised skills. Not only does it help out the production company, but it can also bring you some extra money. This may be where a car needs to be driven in shot, or a small piece of dialogue has to be said. These are the most basic examples, but it can happen that particular stage skills that you have acquired in your training as an actor turn out to be useful on set.

Some actors make it a rule for themselves never to take on extras work. Others are less ‘hardline’. It can however be worth your while if you are starting out on your career, if only because it is an insight into the basics of working onscreen. At £100 or more a day, it is also one way to ‘keep the wolf from the door.’

At Audition Now we offer you access to all the latest opportunities to work as an extra, texting you direct to your mobile phone.

Making Acting Auditions Work For You

Friday, August 13th, 2010

If you are starting out on an acting career, you may be in some doubt about choosing which acting auditions to go to. There are many different types of work, from extras work for which you will be paid, but which may not be as fulfilling for you, through small-scale profit-share projects, up to one of the major theatre companies or even the West End.

The old maxim of the stage is that you judge projects by three tests. Whether they are interesting or fun, whether they bring you glory or fame, and whether they pay well. Traditionally, any project you consider should answer ‘yes’ to at least two of these tests. Therefore, it would be a mistake to reject out of hand the possibility of work on a small-scale project, and certainly you should try to get to audition for such work. After all, a long West End run can end up as stifling and tedious as a 9 to 5 office job, so even if it does offer financial security, it may not be the type of work you want to do.

You should keep your options open till after you have auditioned. You can learn a lot about the people and the credibility of a project in the audition itself.

Here at Audition Now we keep you up to date with all the latest acting auditions, texting you direct to your mobile phone, we help you access all the most varied and interesting stage, film and TV work on offer.

Opportunities For Extras Work

Friday, August 6th, 2010

If you want to break into doing extras work for film or television, the end of the summer is a good time to find out what opportunities there are for you.

No specialist skills are required for extras work, but there are important rules of working practice to bear in mind. Experience teaches you, for example, the value of allowing plenty of time to get to a day’s shooting. Often the day starts early, and it may well involve getting to out-of-the-way locations. You should plan your transport arrangements in advance, and make allowances for heavy traffic or adverse weather.

You will need to get used to sitting around not doing very much. Individual scenes (‘takes’) may not last more than thirty seconds, but a lot of preparation work goes into deciding camera angles, or supplementing the lighting, so recording to camera actually accounts for a small percentage of time use. For the rest of the time, you may be glad of an engrossing book.

When you are finally required to be filmed, don’t be disappointed if your appearance is for the briefest possible time. You must also remember to keep your contribution as unobtrusive as you can. Unless directed otherwise, your aim is to be seen but not noticed. Any ‘acting’ that pulls focus from the main characters in the scene should be avoided.

Finding extras work can be greatly facilitated for you by us at Audition Now. We seek out all the latest opportunities and text them direct to your mobile phone.

An Agent For Extras Work?

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

There are no particular advantages to having an agent if you are looking for extras work. Some people do, and some don’t: some even sign up with several agencies, in the hopes of making a career out of being an extra.

Usually agencies have a continuing working relationship with the major production companies, so they will have access to a lot of work opportunities: this is not unique to London, because other major cities in the UK have active production companies that need extras. Of course, London offers the widest choice.

An occasional problem is when agencies demand a fee to ‘represent’ you with a photo in their directory. There are plenty of dishonest operators who just want your money, so you need to check who it is you are dealing with. You could for example look up their entry in Contacts, to see how established the agency really is.

Even if the agency is established, you can still not be sure that they will look after you more than anyone else. Nor that they are the agency best placed for landing the next contract with a production company – to avoid the same bunch of extras on screen, production companies ring the changes on who they deal with.

If you want to work as an extra, here at Audition Now we offer you an excellent information service on the latest acting casting calls and work opportunities, without any of the complications you might come across through trying to set yourself up with an agent.

The Talent Needed For Extras Work

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

If you’re starting out in extras work, you may wonder what particular talents are required.

First, there is no need for any training. If you are needed to do anything that requires a particular skill, then it may be that you are contracted in a different way, and you are not simply classed as an extra.

On most occasions, people will not expect you to have distinguishing looks; you are a background artiste, which means that you are needed in the background of the shot, like wallpaper or scenery, so features that mark you out will be to your disadvantage. In period pieces, some particular facial features may appear anachronistic, although make-up can usually help looks blend with the period.

This means that your greatest value to the scene is your anonymity and the more you melt into the background, in both your looks and your movements, then the more you are likely to be wanted. In addition, film and TV companies want their extras to be responsive, cooperative, and polite to the others on set. Willingness counts for much; you will be remembered if you are someone who can help out in an unforeseen difficulty.

Reliability and punctuality are other key characteristics of the ‘talented’ extra – and patience, of course. Hanging around waiting is a large part of the job!

At Audition Now we can line you up for plenty of extras work, texting you opportunities direct to your mobile phone. Do you want to be an extra?