Lary Crews
Creator of Background Acting LA

In addition, I worked under the specific guidance of James Wan, an Australian director who is perhaps best known for writing and directing the Saw feature and Saw 3 and executive producing all of the Saw sequel films. He also directed 2007′s Dead Silence and Death Sentence starring Kevin Bacon.
(This means I am finally TWO degrees from Kevin Bacon.)
The film got an A- review by Owen Gleiberman on April 05, 2011 in Entertainment Weekly.
In addition, among nearly 11,000 readers of Rotten Tomatoes, the film rates nearly an 80% favorable rating.

In three weeks of release, Insidious has made $36-million dollars.

In its first week of release, Insidious was in third place behind Source Code and Hop, with $17,356,588 in ticket sales.
I’ll tell you more about my experiences making the film in coming days.

Granted, they charge a fee to register and a monthly charge, but casting services are generally not scams because they’re usually staffed with people who worked in big casting companies in LA, people with industry networking connections, and they’re there to help you get booked.
Unless you simply cannot afford one, we recommend calling services. Many professional background actors successfully use them. These companies act as personal managers that assist you in the process of getting hired. They can keep track of your work schedules, provide your information to the casting offices and accept your work calls while you are busy on the set working.

The idea of a calling or booking service is to provide bookable, reliable, around the clock background talent to casting directors. The casting director can then call one place to get many actors, but will only have to deal with the service and not each actor independently. We recommend you choose carefully which company you hire. Ask other background actors who they use. Most management companies will charge between $50 to $70 dollars a month; basically one day’s wages for a non-union background actor.
However, it can easily be worth the expense since most of us spend more than that in cell phone charges just calling in to the casting offices every day trying to get hired. If you want to work on a regular basis, a calling service is a good investment. Most calling services are generally connected to at least a dozen of the casting directors in the area. Sure, you can register at a dozen casting companies yourself and call each of their casting lines every day yourself, but you’ll be out about $300 in registration fees and be spending at least two hours a day on the phone. But, what do you do on those days that you are booked? Cell phone use is not permitted on set and is discouraged in extras holding.

That’s where calling services more than earn their keep.
Your calling service is on your side. These people are background actor-friendly and are there to help you get booked. They only make money if you get booked.
Most calling services require you be registered with Central Casting as Central gets the majority of the bookings from productions.
In fact, directly across the street from Central is the calling service we use and recommend:Extras Management Registration at Extras Management, at noon every weekday, is simple, straightforward and no appointment is necessary.

Three words of advice: BE ON TIME!
After all, one of the things required of background actors it to BE ON TIME.

Because both Central Casting and Extras Management are on a short, semi-industrial street in Burbank, parking is really a problem. We recommend you park a block or so away and then walk to their location.
Extras Management is at the top of a flight of stairs and there is no door knob, so just push the door to enter. Inside, a nice receptionist will lead you to a room with a bunch of folding chairs and professional photo lights and a bland background cloth. First, you fill out a form. (Unless you are smart enough to download and print it from their website and fill it out in advance, which we recommend.)
On the form that asks you to list existing wardrobe, make sure you ACTUALLY HAVE whatever you claim to have. Why? Because when, for example, you get a Tuesday afternoon call for a Wednesday shoot, you won’t have time to rent a tux.
Although the website mentions bringing a couple different looks with you to the registration, few people do. It’s best to take photos of yourself – from waist to head – in your various costumes and bring them in on a disc or send them via Email to photos@extrasmngt.com. There is no extra charge for this.
After you are walked through filling out the forms and your questions are answered, you are sent to the front desk to pay the fee.

It’s $75 plus $10 for 18-54 year olds. That covers the generic photo they take of you. It’s $60+$10 if you are over 55.) After that, you can pay your monthly fee ($75 or $60) on the 15th of each month by phone with credit card, or with one of several other payment methods. After you pay on registration day, you are brought back into the room and they take a photo of you. Note: If you are not booked at all during a 30 day period, you do not pay. If you are booked only a few times in a month, the fee is prorated down. If you suggest Extras Management to a friend and they register, you get a month free.

Also, if you are registered with Central Casting as you ought to be, you should TELL Central that you are booked by EM. Actually, since you are already parked, it’s easiest just to cross the street after your EM registration, walk into Central Casting and sign in on the EM clipboard on the ledge by the interior windows. Warning: where it requests the phone number on the form, list Extras Management’s phone number (818-972-94740), not yours.

Extras Management is the best at what they do.

We recommend them.

Contact Information

Office Address
Extras Management
207 S. Flower Street
Burbank, CA 91502
Phone and Registration Info
Office: 818-972-9474 Registration Info: 818-530-5242
E-mail info@ExtrasMngt.com

Directions to their Office:
The office is located in Burbank at 207 So. Flower St., 2nd Floor, between Olive and Alameda. From the 5 freeway, exit Alameda East and then turn left onto S. Flower. Thomas Guide coordinates are 563-H1.

Who the hell am I and what am I doing here trying To LIVE and ACT in LA?

The cruel paradox of being an actor in LA is that I work in a fickle, money-obsessed industry, yet success comes from my being sensitive, vulnerable and opening up my soul before the camera.

The downside to the emotional element of acting is depression, anxiety, stage fright, creative blocks, narcissistic disorders, substance abuse and all the other ills to which our profession is heir. What hurts us as actors is the feeling that we have to create something, which comes from our narcissistic need to be affirmed. Many actors like me are insecure as a result of a troubled childhood, and we often draw on our painful background to intensify our performances. But we run the risk of getting trapped in our pain, fearing that if we escape our past we will lose our creative spark. However, living in the past casts a long shadow over the present. Quite a conundrum, no?

The key, I have found, is to immerse myself in my character as deeply as I can and then withdraw.

I strive to remain sensitive, while shutting out negativity. For me, my ingrained sense of situational humor has been my savior. That, and the intense love and support of my wife, Lori. She believes in me and my eventual success even more than I do. While I often swim in a moat of self-loathing, she’s always standing on that drawbridge, declaring, “You are a wonderful person.”
However, even success in Hollywood brings perils, given that it often comes in a flash, from one big hit rather than from building gradually. Suddenly you’re hot and everyone wants to be seen with you. Life becomes divorced from reality. It is very hard for someone like that to connect with how they became successful. They either feel like a fake or feel like a star and both can cause difficulty.

My solution to dealing with fame is simple: I’ve already had fame in other arenas (four million-selling books, thirty-five roles in regional theater, years touring as a musician) and I know that fame is here today and gone at the end of the week. So, I keep my head up, welcome any opportunity to act for the camera and steadfastly seek a moderate living at the craft I love.

Fame? I just don’t care.

The cliche to end all in Hollywood is “It’s all about the work.” However, that’s where it’s at for me. I do a half-dozen student films each year because I love the process of creating a movie, no matter how short or low-budget. I make myself available for character roles and even background acting on episodic television and feature film alike 24/7 because there is nothing I would rather do than be on set, any set. I am honest enough to admit that I spent years alone in darkened theaters and before an ever-more dazzling array of TV sets dreaming of being in the very business I am now happily a part of. Damn! I’m one of the luckiest guys on the planet!

Hollywood, the land of make-believe, will probably always produce tormented characters dazzled by the lights and the siren song of fame. I love Hollywood but I am long past the torment and dazzle. I love the damned work!

Many working actors began their careers as background actors:

• Ben Affleck and Matt Damon served as extras during the Fenway Park scenes in Field of Dreams.
• Brad Pitt was an extra in Less Than Zero.
• Bruce Willis appeared as an extra in the last courtroom scene in the film The Verdict.
• John Wayne appeared as an extra in a number of silent films during the 1920s.
• Brian Cox (pictured at right) was an extra in various episodes of The Prisoner.
• Clint Eastwood worked as an uncredited extra in a number of movies in the 1950s before becoming a star in the late 60s.
• Dennis Hopper worked as an extra before starring in Rebel Without A Cause.
• David Niven appeared as a Central Casting extra in many Hollywood films before going on to become a leading man.
• Patrick Macnee was an extra in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
• Terry-Thomas was an extra in many British films before becoming a star.
• Michael Caine and Oliver Reed both acted as extras in British films of the late 1950s.
• Dave Clark was an extra in the Judy Garland film I Could Go On Singing.
• Pattie Boyd appeared as an extra in The Beatles‘ film A Hard Day’s Night.
• Phil Collins was also an extra in A Hard Day’s Night.
• David Bowie was an extra in The Virgin Soldiers.
• Bob Hoskins was an extra in the Frankie Howerd film Up the Front.
• Robin Askwith was an extra in an episode of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).
• Dick Cavett was an extra in The Phil Silvers Show (Bilko).
• Adam Brody was an extra in American Pie 2 before gaining a long-term role as Seth Cohen on The O. C..
• Jackie Chan was an extra in Bruce Lee‘s Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon. Jackie Chan was still a teenager at the time of filming.
• Sylvester Stallone was an extra in Woody Allen’s Bananas (1971) as a subway thug, in the Jane Fonda psychological thriller Klute (1971) as an extra dancer in a club, and in the Jack Lemmon vehicle The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975) as a tough youth.
• James Michael Tyler (pictured at left) began his career in the TV sit-com Friends as an extra behind the bar at Central Perk. His role then grew into the character ‘Gunther’.
• Heath Ledger was an extra in the Australian film, Clowning Around.
• Cuba Gooding Jr. was an extra in Coming to America as a customer in the barber shop.
• Jean Harlow was an extra in several silent films during the late 1920′s.
• Norma Shearer worked as an extra in New York during 1919 and 1920.
• Mary Astor was an extra in silent films in the early 1920s, mostly westerns.
• Renee Zellweger was an extra on Dazed and Confused. She played one of the hazed freshmen girls.
• Robbie Williams was an extra in Eastenders.
• Megan Fox was an extra in Bad Boys 2. She was a dancer in an early club scene.

First, after the van deposits you at the set, find the “extras wrangler” aka the “handler” aka the “production assistant stuck with the extras” aka the “AD” or assistant director. In other words, find the person who is responsible for you and to whom you are responsible as long as you are on the set.
On one show, it was a guy named Moose. On another, a young man named Patrick. On yet another, a young woman named Cola. A sign that they could be the one is the ear plug in their ear attached to a walkie talkie on their belt. Of course, many crew members are thus equipped. So, the best thing to do is ASK. “Who do I sign in with?”

At or about the appointed call time, your handler – let’s call him Craig – will hand out vouchers to you and the rest of the extras. On a small shoot, this takes a few minutes. On a big shoot, like the Heroes episode I did or The Office, the extras will be lined up alphabetically by call times and the process will go on for a half hour or more.

Hang on to the voucher. It is the most important thing you will receive today. Without it, you do not get paid. The only exception to the “hanging on to it” part: if wardrobe doesn’t like the wardrobe you brought with you and issues you something to wear, they will take your voucher to assure return of the items. Same goes for any props issued you. In other words, any time production gives YOU something they want returned, you give them the voucher for the time being. When the shoot is done, you return the clothes or prop or whatever and they return the voucher. Make sure you get your copy of the signed and approved voucher before you leave the set and keep it until you get your check.

About wardrobe: always bring at least two changes in addition to what you are wearing. Often, wardrobe people simply approve what I am wearing and that’s fine but I always give them some choices. Bring the wardrobe items on hangers until you can afford to bring a garment bag like the bi-fold Eddie Bauer bag I use (pictured). (By the way, I did not pay $70 for it; I found it at a yard sale for $5.)
A secret that will help make life easier: before you are asked to see the wardrobe people, OPEN your garment bag and take out the clothes on their hangers. That way, you will not waste time. On a Raising the Bar shoot once, I watched a guy try to unzip his bag and extract his clothes while the wardrobe person and everyone else stood waiting, impatiently. Think ahead. Don’t wear freaky styles, bright colors, stripes or white or black or red, unless specifically asked to do so. Wear what they have asked you to wear and you’ll be fine.
Check in with the wardrobe people when asked to do so and tell them if you have been assigned to do anything specific or handle a prop. As an example, on the HEROES shoot, I was a professor and I carried a clipboard as a prop. That was my idea and they approved it. But they must be TOLD about it. Never change your wardrobe once approved unless asked to do so.

My friend, veteran New York background actor Wendy Callard-Booz, points out the importance of having having as many “looks” as you can on your website or when you email your picture and resume. Casting directors, God bless them, see about a million faces a day, and THEY GO BY LOOKS. Get a picture of you in every possible outfit you can dream up — business suit, evening dress, homeless, blue collar, housewife…etc., etc.) up on that site! If casting people are looking for lawyer types, and what you’ve got up is a casual look, they just won’t be able to see you at all. Snapshots will do just fine (don’t spend money for one shot of you in a suit, for heaven’s sake)…in fact, many casting calls in NY specifically state “Send a recent snapshot.”
The more looks, the more jobs!”

How right you are, Wendy!

Life bursts with interesting but dangerous characters. Since Hollywood is life enlarged, blended and diminished, it’s the same in the film industry. As children, we meet the bully, the brat, and the goody-goody, among others. Later, at work, we tolerate the pretty, popular gossip at the producer’s office simply because she’s – well – pretty and popular. Or we side with the director, the bully, just to win his favor. It’s not that we want to; we have no choice.

However, on the job among the other extras in holding, we professional background actors do have a choice. As an adult with free choice, I refuse to put up with toxic background actors who taint whomever they touch. I realize it could be said I am watering down the rich, party-like atmosphere of the film set (sarcasm intended) but I firmly believe making movies is a skilled mission not just a chance to hang out. To advance my lengthy background acting career, I learned, early on, to avoid nine lethal, toxic personality types:

Nine Toxic Background Actors To Avoid

1. The Queen

The queen is easy to spot.

• I did two days on The Office. She was on Glee three times and the assistant director told her she was “as good as the lead girl.”
• I got a solid ten seconds of face time on Cold Case. She was in three whole scenes and the director thanked her personally for her work.

You get the idea. The Queen delights in making other people feel less important by bragging about her own life, be her boasts true or not. No matter whether you’re talking about a TV episode, boob job or an iPhone app; hers is better. She’s personally afraid of being perceived as small, weak, or insignificant and her power plays give her a feeling of satisfaction and superiority.
Don’t play her game. Just say, “Wow. That’s great!” and walk away.

While working on Men of a Certain Age last fall, I encountered a typical Queen, holding forth to a small gaggle of enthralled newbies, and she tried to drag me into her net with, “The gang at Central Casting has me on speed-dial, I work so much.” To which I replied, “Wow! So YOU’RE the one!”

2. The Gossip

• “She slept with a gaffer thinking that would land her an under five. What a dingbat!”

Sound familiar? It’s The Gossip. She’s hard for some to resist because she tells a good story. However, hanging with The Gossip is a bad idea. Why? Where do you think she gets her story ideas? Okay, maybe gossip is human nature. But on set or in holding, avoid associating with The Gossip at all costs. Film and television casts and crews are tightly knit, deeply emotional groups of professionals who look out for one another. Eventually, the rumors and hateful words will come back to haunt The Gossip and you don’t want to be anywhere near when that happens.

3. The Entertainer

• “How tall is a sound recordist? I don’t know either. I’ve never seen one standing up.”

Follow the bursts of laughter to one corner of extras holding and you’ll find a background actor who wants to be bumped up to stardom so badly he tries to entertain everyone around him in holding. Instead, he’s stealing your attention and – when the extras handler rushes in to find four extras to bump up to the jury – you will miss out because you’re focused on the entertainer. Don’t do it. Pay attention to the man or woman who brought you to the dance; your wrangler.

4. The King

The King is constantly telling you about himself and his accomplishments. Most of his sentences begin with “I” and he stars in every story he tells. His boring conversations are one-sided. He’s usually surrounded by young, pretty, vapid female extras. Remember, this character doesn’t really care about you or your life. He doesn’t need you there. He is self-absorbed. Leave him to spend time with his favorite person; himself.

5. The Drama Queen

• Drama makes for good entertainment but background actors are not hired to entertain each other.

The Drama Queen lives to put on a good show. She makes a big production of absolutely nothing to attract attention. She often offers a certain amount of temporary amusement. However, she is not worth the waste of your time. You’re missing nothing by walking away; she is really only moved by her own affairs.

6. The Expert

• The most common and dangerous toxic person in background holding is The Expert.

The expert is the one who says, at 8:05am, “We’ll be out of here by 5:15pm. Guaranteed.” He’ll notice a few drops of rain and proclaim, “We’ll be getting a water bump.” He’s the first to complain about craft services, or bellyache that the portable toilets are too far away. Guess what? He doesn’t know a goddamned thing. He’s been on a few sets so he thinks he’s been on all sets. Not true. Just walk away. This guy won’t help your career or your experience as a background actor one bit.

7. The Sleeper

Hard to believe this could be true, but some background actors actually sleep on the job. Oh sure, they’re sleeping in holding and claim they can wake up and be alert, talented and on set in a heartbeat, but they are wrong. Background acting is a job. You don’t sleep on the job. Aside from how sleeping screws up your chances for bumps, sleeping in holding show a complete disrespect for the job. I visit Central Casting at least once a month. I have seen the hundreds of aspiring extras who register there EVERY weekday. Ask them. They’d be glad to change places with you and they promise to stay awake! Stay away from this idiot. Stay alert and eager and you will get special treatment. Productions don’t hire people to sleep on their sets; they could get people to do that for free.

8. The Slacker

Some background actors hold our profession in such low regard they simply show up, eat, drink and go home. They spend every moment on a hot set playing with their phones (something directors dislike intently) and give absolutely nothing to the project but their physical presence. I worked an episode of Men of a Certain Age with an ebullient fellow named Marvin Gaye and a slim, bitter Hispanic woman who never did mention her name. Marvin was assigned to be a car sales rep and the woman and I were assigned to be husband and wife. The Latina woman would have nothing to do with either of us when the camera was not rolling and gave absolutely no personality in the scenes, when filmed. She was just there for the paycheck and the craft services. You don’t need an amateur like that in your circle. Distance yourself from the posers.

9. The Fan

• In a three-decade background acting career, I’ve worked with everyone from Amy Adams to Steve Zahn. I held Ben Stiller in my arms when he was 8 months old, discussed I Love Lucy with Carol Burnett for an hour while waiting for a set-up and handed a package to Sharon Stone 14 times in Mexico City. Guess how many autographs I have. That’s right; Zero.

We background actors have a specific job to do. We’re are an important part of the overall production process. We are almost as important as the stars but not more important. We are not there to ask for autographs, score a photo or try to sneak into the star’s shot. We’re all professionals working in a most interesting business.
When you spot a background actor who is too starstruck to do their job, walk the other way.

So, your calling service calls and tells you that you’re booked for tomorrow on The Mentalist, shooting in Pasadena. Your work starts immediately after that phone call.
Generally, the only information you will be given in the initial call is a phone number to call (usually, they tell you to call it after 8pm) for more information, the name of the show and the call time if they know it. Not much to go on. But do not do what I did the first few times, doing Google searches to try to find out where the show usually shoots, for example. Both times, no matter what I turned up, the shoot was elsewhere.
Your Extras Management contact will either ask you to confirm during the call or – if you got an email or a message – ask you to call in and confirm. You must do this before 10pm.
After the appointed time, call the information number you were given, with pen and paper in hand, and write down as much as you can that first time. It will be a recording by a casting person, or assistant director or a production assistant. Some of them talk rapidly and sometimes they are a bit hard to understand. That’s why you will call the number back several more times.

Basically, the recording will say something like this:

Hi. You’ve reached the information line for the Mentalist shoot tomorrow, Monday, July 27th, in downtown Pasadena. As of now, call time for my non-union extras is 6am, union extras at 6:30am and stand ins at 7am. Costumes, for my patrons at the Italian restaurant, you will need to wear upscale casual wear, no reds, whites or blacks. Women, wear a skirt and blouse combination or pantsuits. Men, earth tone slacks and short-sleeved shirts. Remember, no logos on any clothing and please bring at least two alternatives with you. For my passersby on the street scene, casual clothes for summer in Southern California but no cutoffs or baggy pants. No logos, reds whites or blacks. Be sure and call the change line at 818.555.2983 tonight to make sure the call times have not been changed and call again in the morning just to make sure. We are shooting at the Carlito Place Restaurant on Orange Grove Ave. Exact address is 3968 Orange Grove Ave. Pasadena. From the five, take the 134…. (directions are given from various locations.)

It’s a lot to digest, which is why I call the recording as often as I need to, making sure I have all the information. Remember, this is your job and you should strive to do it well.

It is important that you decide for sure what route you will take in the morning. If you are taking a bus, strive to get as direct a route as you can by using Google Transit, which is now an integral part of Google Maps, Google Earth, and Google Maps for Mobile. Google Transit integrates Metro transit data to provide complete itineraries using origin and destination points, date and time of travel. You can use place names as starting or ending locations instead of addresses. You can also turn on street views to get a 360 degree tour of the stops and route in advance. Google® Transit functionality is now available for the Apple iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile S60, and other Java-enabled phones. How do you access the Google® Transit trip planning tool? Go to maps.google.com, click on Get Directions, and then select “By pubic transit” from the drop down menu.
If you are driving, I also recommend Google Maps, although any of the online mapping services will probably work. Remember, that Los Angeles traffic is world-famous for being the Ninth Concentric Circle of Hell. To that end, I nearly always map a surface street route instead of the interstates.

One of the most important skills a background actor can possess is the ability to be on time (read: early) for the call.

Those who read my posts regularly (2 people, I would imagine) know that I have been a background actor for decades and love what I do and do not aspire to stardom. However, I’d have to be crazy or very dull not to be making a continuing effort to move up to “under fives*,” character parts or the coveted “guest star” on The Mentalist, Criminal Minds or Medium that I dream of every night as I go to sleep.

To that end, we background actors throw ourselves into the ninth concentric circle of hell, also known as AUDITIONING.
In spite of responding to everything I find on Now Casting and Hollywood OS, my two favorite online casting clearinghouses, I hadn’t had an audition in several weeks so it was a great surprise to me when I landed two in one day, scheduled for Thursday, February 25, 2010. Then, I landed a third one for early Friday morning and – while walking from the parking garage at the corner of La Brea and Santa Monica Blvd to CAZT Studios for the second one on Thursday – I got the call scheduling a fourth one, for the next day; Friday.

Let me intersperse a little well-earned personal knowledge here: I have learned to audition for anything for which I am remotely right. Why? Because even the inevitable dead ends where you screw it up or they decide to “go a different direction” give you something you would not pay for if you could but you should: experience auditioning. So, I audition for student films, Internet webisodes, pilots, commercials as well as TV and film projects. Since I cannot afford, nor do I deserve an agent, I find them myself and I maintain my own schedule and follow-thru.

Audition #1 1:45pm Thursday Now Casting Burbank

I submitted for a part in William F. Reed’s fascinating web series project, Zomby Inc. which I was sent by my terrific friends at Now Casting. The role is a natural for me, Jack Striker, a recurring character described as “the new and improved (or so he thinks) Geraldo Rivera. He reads the news better than anyone before and way better than anyone in the future. Imagine Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute as the same person reading the news and you have an idea as to who Jack Striker really is.”
Since I spent 20 years early in my life as a broadcast journalist and TV anchor, I knew this guy. So, when I arrived for the audition early Thursday, I strode in to the audition room, all power and glory and bullshit and shook hands with the two young casting directors, saying, “Hi. I’m Jack Striker. But, then you knew that. Bet you still have your Jack Striker lunch boxes.” They laughed and never stopped smiling through two reads of the material and some improv.

Sure enough, by Sunday, I got my callback notice Email with the comment, “Congratulations! ‘There’s just something about that guy’ is the phrase we keep using. Nellie and I would very much like to invite you to call-backs… We liked what you brought to the audition and would like to see more.”

Audition #2 3:15pm Thursday CAZT Studios West Hollywood

An hour later, I sat among about 35 young good looking actors and actresses in the CAZT Studios waiting room (there were six productions being cast there that day) chatting with two talented actors in my age group about the business. This call was very mysterious. All I knew was that I was auditioning to play a high school principal and that the project was a TV pilot. After waiting about 45 minutes, I was called in, asked to do two lines twice, did so, and was thanked. Turned out the project is a TV remake of the 1950s game/reality show, Queen for a Day and I was auditioning to praise a contestant not yet chosen. Curious.

Audition #3 10:00am Friday Chapman University Orange

On Friday morning, I drove across on the 210 and down the 57 to Orange and Chapman University’s modern and beautiful Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. In the same room in which I’d had my first rehearsal for Breanna Wing’s wonderful little film, The Visitor, I read for three young men casting a student film called An Educator.
Frankly, I was underwhelmed by the one set, two-character, one scene script which basically involved a young educator arguing with an older educator about the latter’s inability to cope with new computerized learning methods. It was, at best, a warmed over debate in which neither side seemed very interested in the outcome. One risk you take in auditioning for student films is the frequency with which the scripts are really lame. I was in and out in 13 minutes. (After a 90-minute drive, by the way.)

Audition #4 2:00pm Friday USC Los Angeles

Three hours later, at the USC campus in downtown LA, I had the opportunity to audition for another project in which I really would like to be involved, Mitchell Golden’s fascinating SANDCASTLES : A MOCKUMENTARY. Basically, the short film is about a budding documentarian who follows the major players in the (fictional) Greater Los Angeles Sandcastle Showcase (GLASS).

The role for which I read was a lead character named Jack McKee. Recently divorced and trying way too hard to cover up his depression with false optimism, McKee abandoned his highly-paid job as an architect to join the sandcastle circuit, which has become an obsession. He’ll do anything to win his fifth trophy.

Mockumentary is perhaps my favorite film form. I have worshiped at the shrine of Christopher Guest (Waiting for Guffman, Best In Show, A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration) for over a decade and studied with several experts in the field and – frankly – have a natural gift for the straight-faced improv the genre requires.

To prepare, I spent the half-hour before my audition sitting at a desk in the hallway writing down a series of improv hooks such as “I invented the Sandula, of course. You know, that special spatula that all sandcastle builders use.” “My wax-coated shorts to which sand does not adhere and my ultra wide-brimmed sun shade hat/umbrella called the McKee Shadebrella are very popular.” I also made notes about my brush with infamy when I was accused – in what the press referred to as Watergate 1999 – of mixing quick-drying cement with my sand and water and how it affected my career.

I spent about 20 minutes with Mitch and his camera and computer in which he interviewed me and I totally improvised my answers based on his notes and mine. I had a great time. From his inscrutable smile, I cannot guess whether he will cast me. But it was a great experience to exercise my mockumentary muscles once more.

So, two days, four parts – two of which I really hope I get – and now it’s back to checking my Email constantly and waiting for the phone to ring.

Bottom line: most casting directors and student filmmakers want you to do well. They’ll not judge you harshly; they simply want to find the perfect person for the role. One casting director confided in me, “The casting process is as exhausting and difficult for us as it is for the actors. We’re just waiting for the right person to walk in the room so we can all go home. I want to see an actor who is prepared,” she explained, “but not so over-rehearsed that they can’t take direction. And I am especially happy if they show up on time.”
I strive, when auditioning, to be relaxed, friendly and anything but needy. Seeming desperate is a sure way not to get a role. Casting directors already know I want them to hire me. That’s a given. I avoid unnecessary chit-chat and do not linger in the room after I read. I smile, thank them for the opportunity and make my exit. When it comes down to it, getting the job is 5% what you do, 10% what you look like, and 85% dumb luck.<

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The “Under Five” – This is a role where the actor has under five lines to speak.

Background Actors who learn the unspoken rules of Setiquette are more likely to succeed in the profession.

As background actors, we are always being observed. Someone is always watching.  Basically, it’s to your benefit to know how a set runs and who its players are.
The only reason movies and tv shows get made at all is because the set is run by certain rules. On a set, each department is its own little world. There are different specific jobs, of course, but each has boundaries in the quest to reach the same goal. The best thing to do is sit back, stay out of the way and observe. That’s how you’re going to learn the most. If you’re smart, you learn from every moment you spend on set.

YOU’LL LEARN:

• … that all the different departments, though separate, seem to know what everyone else is doing.
• … not to sit in certain chairs.
• … that charm and a little luck may get you bumped up.
• … to always say “Thank you” if someone is catering to your needs in any way.
• … not to take any of it for granted, because everyone in every department has worked hard to get there and will keep working hard to stay there.

The person you’ll deal with the most is the “extras wrangler,” who can be a production assistant, an assistant director or the person who lost the straw-drawing. They are responsible for you and you are responsible to them.

Malin Akerman and Katherine Heigl (27 Dresses)

Don’t ever consider anyone on set as beneath you. Many people working on a set aspire to be doing something else, which is why a wise background strives to be nice to everyone. That bearded gaffer could be a director by next year. That man pushing equipment around may finally sell the screenplay he’s been writing for the last five years. The industry is a small world and at least two thirds of jobs come from referrals. Your reputation matters and bad behavior can ruin your career. On set, be humble, helpful, honest and eager. Don’t be a threat to others. Take the work seriously and do your best.

Some universal Setiquette rules:

• Late is a four-letter word. Show up early for the call.
• Be polite to everyone. Use “please” and “thanks.”
• Let people do their job. Don’t bug them or get in their way.
• Be humble, interested in the work and eager to do it.
• Confused about your assignment?  Ask questions immediately.
• Watch what’s going on around you. Pay attention.
• Make your “wrangler” look good by doing your job.
• Don’t embarrass anyone. If you are smarter than the others, keep it to yourself.
• Listen very carefully before you jump to conclusions.
• Learn and use your “wrangler’s” name.
• Work hard and willingly and do NOT ask “when will we be done?”

“To be the best you can be in movies and television, you need to understand the work environment. Instead of sleeping with a director, actors should consider sleeping with a production assistant. You’ll learn much more about how things work on a set.” – Lary Crews (Note to readers who have lost their sense of irony: I am kidding. I do not recommend sleeping with anyone to get ahead in the business.)