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.
