Movie extras and the right equipment on the set

If you are an extra, there are several things that are very helpful for the work on the set. Due to the fact that much of the hard work relevant to an extra is waiting, take all the stuff with you to kill time or which makes the stay on the set more pleasant. Stuff it inside a back pack and off you go with the right preparation for an relaxed working day as an extra! For that reason, listed below are stuff that might be useful for an extra:

 Outfit: A superb tactic for clothing on the set is the onion method. This is extremely true in case you are on an outside shoot. Wear a couple of layers of clothing (e.g. T-shirt, shirt, cardigan sweater and then a daily street jacket) to respond to different weather conditions. Bear in mind a thin rain jacket in case of rain.

 Heating pads: Primarily in the winter this is very helpful. These are small plastic packages which were previously "charged" in a warm water bath. Arrived on a cold location, activate subtle warmer simply by bending over a metallic plate inside the bag - it is getting warm inside the pocket really fast. The pillow together with the stuffing is completely harmless while the pad can get hot to 50 degrees Celsius. It costs round 3 € each. Gloves are the ideal idea as a supplement and / or alternative.

 Music: Ipod for music, audio books or podcasts, that one could hear throughout the breaks of the shooting.

 Reading: Being an extra you have enough time for newspapers, magazines or books. Food: Take some fruits, sandwiches and something to drink for yourself to the set. Coffee and tea are usually served by the production company on location.

 Notebook / Smartphone: Electronic devices for internet reading, music, videos and maybe even a small game. Turn them off when you are filming!

 Comfortable shoes: If possible, wear comfortable shoes, due to the fact that extras almost always have to wait on the film sets a lot. The style of the footwear always rely on what role you play being an extra. So a policeman will rarely have the chance to appear with sneakers in the image. For such a role normally the shoes are supplied by the production company.

 Garment bag: If you must bring your own clothes for your personal role (e.g. a dark outfit for the shooting of an night event), it makes sense to wear the clothing just on the set. Occasionally you will be asked to bring diverse outfit styles (in this instance suits) to the set, to try out what best suits the role. For the transportation of your clothing a garment bag works best.

 Pens and paper: A pencil and some paper might be very useful on the film set. You hear something about a new casting company from another extra. Just write it down!

 List of things to do: In most cases you will be waiting for the next shot at the set. Therefore why don´t you use the free time efficiently. For instance it could be useful to have a collection of contacts that you already planned to call. Now it s time to work through this call to do list. Only call if this is allowed on the movie set.

 Foldable Stool: There is not always a place to sit on a filmset. Most especially when you discover yourself as an extra on an outdoor shoot. For that reason a foldable chair can be very convenient for you.

More information: Komparse werden

Become a german film extra in good casting agencies

If you need to become an extra in a german movie or wish to act in a tv series, you will need to apply as an extra in a german casting agency. This is actually the normal way to get a job as an extra in this business. In Germany there are a number of agencies that provide actors and extras for movies or tv productions.

The agencies are quite often found in large german cities like Berlin, Hamburg or Munich, but also in smaller cities such as Hannover or Baden-Baden. You can find a very good overview on this topic on the german internet page "Komparse werden" (see below).

But how are you going to get the right casting bureau that suits for your requirements? This question is important, because there are beside the good agencies in Germany some businesses that aren't so serious. To discover the right agency you will have to ask the right questions.

Agencies with a registration at no cost are more serious than agencies that charge you for your inclusion in their extras database. It is a dirty trick by a few german agencies for making some more money with beginners in this job.

 An indication for a excellent casting agency are their film references. If the agency have worked for big movie productions before it is a good sign that this is a serious casting agency. Most of the serious companies present their film references on-line.

 A good indicator of a reputable agency is the imprint on the company website. An imprint ought to be on every german website.

 It is a sign for a dubious casting agency when the address of the imprint is a foreign address or is just a post office box address. The majority of the good german casting agencies are located in Germany and have a german adress.

 You can also find out other opinions about the casting agency. Just search the world wide web or ask other extras about the casting agency. This can be often a good strategy to get inside details about the company.

A good summary of the job field and with a lot of extra Information can be found on the german page www.komparsewerden.de.

Ways to become an extra inside of a german pic or on TV

Here in Germany there are a number companies that care about extras in films as well as TV-productions. Often, these companies call themselves extras casting agencies or agencies.

 These companies are the intermediaries between the extras and the film and television production companies. There are even some TV channels that occupy their own extras (for example the Hessische Rundfunk in Frankfurt). At all companies you must sign-up yourself to end up as an extra. Usually the rules for registration are the same, but in order to do absolutely nothing wrong, it is worth checking out the website of the agency or make a quick telephone call there.

 Mostly two images are required by the extras (full body and a portrait photo). Additionally you must fill out a sheet about yourself. Principal rule here: If possible, use up to date and pro images (eg through photographers). So do not use a fuzzy picture of your most recent vacation.

 You get the questionnaire page from the agency or you can get it on the website. It identifies the main facts about you: name, address, phone number occupation, etcetera. Also you must enter specific information about yourself here, which are significant for upcoming job extras: eg Body sizing (for costumes that will fit later), driver's licenses, languages ​​you speak, special skills that you can (eg dancing). That is also significant for the upcoming selection of extras, so that on the set every single extra fits exactly in his or her role. Certain questions are also in the paper: eg if you can imagine, to be naked while in front of the camera. If no, this is not a problem.

 If you have already worked as an actor, you may also list this in the document. But check ​​this only if you really have something to offer as an actor. Let it be, if you're shy and / or stutters regularly.

 When you have your documents sent to your agency, you have to wait. As soon as the agency has a requirement for you, they will call you. And please don't bother the agency with calls, mainly because they did not call you in the next days. If you're lucky, an agency calls you in the next couple of days and you will play your first extra role in your lifetime right before a camera.

A good summary of the job field and with a lot of extra Information can be found on the german page www.komparsewerden.de. There you can also find a lot of addresses of casting companies that are all over germany.