So I got cast in my first real commercial for Monday and I don't know what to expect. I am an extra so i don't have a principal role. I have done a commercial before but it was for my school so all i had to sign was a talent release form. This is a national spot and I want to be as professional as possible. Do i have to sign anything in particular? Bring anything? Any help would be terrific! Im freaking out just a little bit haha.

Trich you have nothing to fear just be on time , professional, network, and have fun. Commercials are usually fun some are longs days, and some are short and sweet. The only thing you have to sign is the form to get paid. lol !! All you have to bring is what wardrobe told you to bring. Other than that HAVE FUN !!! Even though it maybe background you can always learn something. You can learn a lot from watching the principal actors act.

quote:

Originally posted by Trichactress:
So I got cast in my first real commercial for Monday and I don't know what to expect. I am an extra so i don't have a principal role. I have done a commercial before but it was for my school so all i had to sign was a talent release form. This is a national spot and I want to be as professional as possible. Do i have to sign anything in particular? Bring anything? Any help would be terrific! Im freaking out just a little bit haha.

Don't wear a hat.
If it obscures part of your face you have less of a chance of an upgrade

Congratulations on your first commercial, Trich!

A few more thoughts:

--Remember to bring a drivers licence and your Social Security card, or a passport. They'll need that to process your paperwork.

--Bring a really good book, or something you're working on. More than anyone else on the set, Background actors are the ones for whom the phrase "hurry up and wait" was invented. There are often long hours of sitting around waiting to work. Be prepared to fill them.

--I don't know how to put this gently, so I won't. Some background actors are weird. Sometimes, people who spend a lot of time waiting around, and then spend a lot of time feeling like set dressing start to find ways to make themselves feel more important or interesting by promoting their off-set lives, agendas, products, religions or businesses, or simply by creating tension, just so it feels like something is happening.

On the other hand, I've met some very cool people who were doing background work. (As a principal, I always try to connect with background folks if I can, because I know they might feel bored or like no one notices their work.)

Hang out with the cool ones. Don't get caught up with the weird ones.

--Don't do things to stand out on camera. They don't like that.

--Have fun! And don't be nervous. When you're doing background work, as long as you keep a low profile, there's not much danger of messing up.

Let us know how it goes, will you?

HAHA thanks for all the advice. I just got done shooting it and it was a BLAST!! It ended up being a short day (7:30-12) but hey thats ok I'm not complaining! It was a weird experience because i live in a small town (for school) and it was really weird seeing the whole street taken up by trucks and an RV. There were about 6 of us extras so we got a chance to be on camera. Everyone was really cool. Some people weren't so nice but hey what can you expect. I didn't get too much info about when it will air or anything but the paper i signed said it will be on for a year. Is there a way to find out and to get a copy or is there really no way of either of those things happening? Thanks again!

Hey trich,

How did you get involved in the extra for this commercial? I live in dc and want to start doing some extra work.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Kostroff:

--I don't know how to put this gently, so I won't. Some background actors are weird. Sometimes, people who spend a lot of time waiting around, and then spend a lot of time feeling like set dressing start to find ways to make themselves feel more important or interesting by promoting their off-set lives, agendas, products, religions or businesses, or simply by creating tension, just so it feels like something is happening.


Hang out with the cool ones. Don't get caught up with the weird ones.

Boy are you correct on this one! I've met more nutcases and just plain deluded people in extras holding than anywhere else in LA! Doing too much extra work kills your spirit after awhile and some people don't handle it well.

It's funny: many times I've had nice converations with people and get to the point where I feel comfortable around them. Then, all of a sudden, they push their cult or religion on me. Kaballah, freemasonry, scientology, christianity, you name it. It gets very awkward.

Other times, many extras act as if they know everything about how to make it in show business. If they did, they wouldn't be doing extra work like you. So take anything another extra says with a grain of salt.

The weirdest of all are the old vets who "spec," meaning they are not booked on the job but try to show up and get on anyway. If you need motivation to keep your time doing extra work short, take a look at these folks and picture yourself in 20 years!

I just wanted to pop in and say congrats!!!

my only advice would be to keep your eyes open and soak up as much info about the project as you can.

Thanks everyone!!

Matthew: I just sent in a picture to a casting office in phoenix. I don't live there but they have a certain headshot section for other areas of the state and call if they feel you fit a certain role. They are really nice, professional and legit. I didn't pay them anything to be in their database (Or pay them anything at all).

I am excited for some future projects! It is very different from theatre but it is also very fun.