photo taken from website.
K – Believe it or not you too can possibly be in a movie! Every now and then, Hollywood comes to the DC/Baltimore area and films. Some of the recent series that are filmed here (mostly Baltimore, even though it’s supposed to portray DC) are “House of Cards” with Kevin Spacey and “Veep” with Julia Louis Dreyfuss. Some of the movies filmed here include “National Treasure,” “Game Change,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”
Almost anyone can be an extra. You don’t have to be a seasoned actor, have a headshot, resume or be union – in fact, extras are usually non-union. Usually all you need is a recent photo graph and to be available for an entire day. And, not only that, you will get paid and fed! It’s not much, but it can be fun.
A few things to know about being an extra. You usually have to arrive on set early – around 6 a.m. You have to be able to get yourself wherever they need you – be it Baltimore, DC, Richmond, etc. and you cannot be late. You also have to have whatever outfit they asked you to wear along with the other options – maybe different colours, sleeve lengths, etc. the casting agency will tell you. You must be “ready,” which means for women, have your make-up and hair ready and men, be shaved and ready to go as well. There will be a lot of waiting so bring a book or something to do while waiting. It is possible that you may wait for three hours or more and be on set for only 20 minutes. You could be there for 12 hours or more depending on what’s going on. If you leave before you are released, you will not get paid and may ruin your chances to be an extra again.
Big “don’ts”:
1. Do not try to talk to the actors during filming
2. Do not take photos, let alone tweet, Facebook, etc. anything while you are on set. You will be told what you can and cannot do while there and this will be one of them.
Being an extra can be a lot of fun. You get to meet interesting people, see how filming is done and sometimes see great actors at work.
If you would like to be an extra you can go to the casting agents site and follow their directions in how to submit yourself.
Casting agents:
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