what an extra should know

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film enthusiasts weekly public castings for extras what an extra should know production companies extra management	important information for extras According to the criteria set by the film company we select a certain number of You from our data bank. We call You up and ask You wether You are ready, willing and able to be an extra on a certain date. The day before Your assignment we call You to finalise Your booking, tell You where and when to meet up with the film-team and what the requirements for clothing and props are. If You unexpectedly can't make it You can also send a friend as a substitute. If Your have been booked for a certain day, You should be at the meeting point on time, in the required clothes with the props (i.e. suit case, snow board) You agreed to bring along. You are usually booked for a period of up to 10 hours. Should You happen to oversleep, suddenly fall ill, should Your car disintegrate on Your way to the set or Your wife go into labour (we’ve heard stranger things) and should You not be able to find a substitute at such short notice please contact us at the earliest opportunity (best to store our phone number in Your mobile). You will be missing on set and we have to find a replacement for You as soon as possible. Every extra has to sign a work contract with us. The contract defines: 1. which film company and which film You will be an extra for 2. Your fee 3. that You are transferring Your picture and sound rights to us. These rights are then transferred to the respective film company by us. If a certain number of extras is booked there will be an extra manager on set, who is responsible for You. He is the first person for You to contact, when You arrive at the set. If there is no extra manager on set You will have to contact the unit manager. If You have been booked for only 5 hours there is usually no catering for You, even if there is catering for actors and staff. For extras booked for up to 10 hours there usually is a catering, but this also depends on the film production’s budget. That is why we would advise You to bring a snack and something to drink with You. Meals are served according to the shooting schedule and not according to time; which means You might get lunch at 4 p.m. Moreover, meals are served to cast and crew in the following order: 1. technical staff 2. director, actors, and the rest of the crew 3. extras This is not a discrimination but an organisational necessity. The technical staff has to get back to the set as soon as possible to prepare the next shot. Actors have to have their make-up and hairstyle refreshed and might have to change into different clothes. And so, the most important people on set, the extras, are last in line. When You are on location there might be long periods of waiting. For an extra waiting means being on call! Stay where the extra manager or the unit manager last sent You, because that is where he will come looking for You, when You are needed again. If You are shooting on a skiing venue You can’t take off to go skiing or snowboarding on You own. If You have an accident no insurance willcover it! Instead, take a book or game with You and enjoy the time off! Or use the time to make new acquaintances among the other extras. You wouldn’t be the first to find the love of Your life on a film set! :-) For 10 hours on set the fee for an extra is usually€ 45.00 to € 50.00 depending on the individual production. This goes to show that being an extra is not a job but a calling! You can collect Your fee two days later. Please give us a day to cut through all the red tape. If You have the time, You can pick up You fee at our office, Leopoldstrasse 34, 2^nd floor, in 6020 Innsbruck, every day from 2 to 5 p.m. If You want, we can also transfer the money to Your bank account. If so please don’t forget to give us Your bank code and account number on You working contract. And now : Have a good time!