Richard DeAgazio, retired president of Boston Capital Securities, has worked as an extra over the years, as well as playing an Italian diplomat in "The Pink Panther 2" and a janitor for "Paul Blart: Mall Cop." His advice on navigating the casting system:
Check the Massachusetts Film Office's website (mafilm.org) for a list of the casting companies working around Boston, and get your profile into their databases.
Some casting offices offer classes. "Take one if you can. They know you and then can find the perfect opportunities for you," DeAgazio said.
An agent isn't necessary, but can be helpful.
Go to an open casting call. Meet people. "And don't be afraid to volunteer for a film or work on something really small," DeAgazio said. "You'll find that you'll learn a lot about how these things are made."
The going rate for extras is $112 for non-union and $130 for union members for an eight-hour shoot. First thing you learn: There are no eight-hour days. There is overtime, and extras are fed. (Hot meals for union; cold sandwiches for non-union.)
There can be "bumps" to the pay for such things as use of a car (could be $100 or more), supplying your own clothes (say formal wear for a wedding scene), bringing along your dog (if asked), smoking in a scene ($14), and working in bad weather. If the director misses a meal break there's a meal penalty, paid by the amount of minutes the break time is missed.
"Some non-union extras could make more than $250 a day on a shoot," said DeAgazio. "Do that math. If you worked the system, you could make $50,000 in a year."
CAROL BEGGY
