Toronto Film Extras

Toronto Film Extras Agency has booked thousands of performers on more than 150 major productions over the last six years for commercials, film and television. These productions were shot in various locations across Ontario, including: GTA, Hamilton, Oshawa, Niagara Falls,etc. Toronto is a major player in the Film and TV industry in North America with established infrastructure that allows year-round shooting and we have been instrumental in providing productions with enthusiastic, professional and talented performers.

Here are just some of the current and past productions from 2011 to date that hired our performers:

MOVIES/ FEATURE FILMS/ MAJOR MOTION PICTURES: 

• 12 Dates of Christmas - Stars: Amy Smart, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Jayne Eastwood 
• An Enemy - Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Melanie Laurent and Isabella Rossellini
• An Officer and a Murderer - Stars: Gary Cole, Laura Harris and Nahanni Johnstone
• Antiviral - Stars: Kurt Russell: Malcolm McDowell, Sarah Gadon and Douglas Smith 
• The Best Man 2: Holiday - Stars: Harold Perrineau, Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan, Eddie Cibrian
  

Become a Background Performer in Toronto’s Film Industry

I have had a lot of people ask me about this topic in the past several months, so I thought I would lay it all out in this blog to give you the ins and outs of becoming a background performer in Toronto’s film industry. So here it is.

When you watch a film or television show and the action takes place in a public setting, there is likely to be people moving in and around the environment in which the scene takes place. These are background performers (AKA extras), and they help create the world of the public atmosphere. It is a real job in the film industry and there are many people who make their entire incomes from bouncing from set to set doing whatever tasks in the background that are asked of them.

There is good money in being a background performer when the film industry is booming and in high demand (like Toronto is right now). However, this demand fluctuates throughout the year. Toronto’s busiest filming season is undoubtedly the summer and autumn months. It is during these months that an individual can generate a healthy living from background alone. Winter and spring tend to have less demand for background performers and thus the bookings become fewer and further between.

If you are thinking about becoming a background performer it is useful to become acquainted with what is currently in production. The ACTRA website provides a fairly up-to-date resource of what is filming in Toronto at any given time. That list can be found at:

How to get paid to watch Netflix

Baking bagels at 5 a.m. may have been the worst job Jordan Canning ever had. She also tried worked at a catering company but quit after just two shifts.

The filmmaker, instead of food, has a passion for the screen. Already she’s made a few shorts, some music videos and is now working on a feature film.

To continue producing, though, Canning has to pull in some extra income. None of those jobs – including some at the Toronto International Film Festival and writing reviews for a local newspaper — have been quite as cushy as her current part-time gig as a Netflix film tagger.

Every week, Canning receives a list of movies and TV shows. Usually there are about five, ranging from Quebecois preschool shows to crazy violent Sci-Fi flicks.

She watches each with a spreadsheet open on her laptop and notes every detail imaginable in the film. Does it end tragically or have a happy one? Was there a high squirm factor? What about the use of curse words?

How to Be a Movie Extra in Toronto

Few jobs are as exciting or glamorous as being an actor, but most people are not willing to take the risk. Everyone has the chance to be in a movie as an extra. Small roles could lead you to be discovered by someone in the entertainment business. Because movies and television shows are shot in Toronto throughout the year, there are multiple opportunities to watch a show in production or be a part of it. Increase your chances of being selected as an extra by following these suggestions.

Instructions
1      Practice being in front of a video camera. If you are not comfortable on camera, you could be let go as a movie extra. If you see room for improvement and are serious about wanting to become a movie extra, take some acting classes. Don’t come to a movie set unprepared.

2      Know what’s filming. Current movies being shot in Toronto usually have press releases and need to be registered with the city of Toronto before filming. Many sites are available online that compile this information into a list. Some movies that have been filmed in Toronto in the past include Hairspray, Saw II and III, Chicago, and Resident Evil.

3      Sign up with an agent or casting director to maximize your chances of being in a movie. Movie directors dislike loiterers distracting them while they film a scene. Avoid hanging around movie scenes; it will not help you get work as an extra.

4      Have the “right look” for the production being filmed. If necessary, get a haircut or buy a wig. The production crew won’t hesitate to pull you into the shoot if you are well-groomed and dressed appropriately.

5     Prepare for a long wait. Movie extras and aspiring movie extras sometimes have to wait around for hours between takes or while a set is tweaked. Be prepared for the cold weather of Toronto. Bring a book or something to entertain yourself during the downtime. More than half the time you won’t be shooting.

Go behind the scenes of Hollywood North

Want to work on the same film set as Michael Douglas, Mandy Moore or Meg Ryan? Interested in seeing first-hand how movies and TV shows are filmed?

If so, you might consider becoming a film extra. Thousands of people work as "background performers," as they are officially called, on the more than 200 movies and TV series shot each year in Toronto.

Working as an extra might mean playing a high-school student, a runner in a marathon or one of several thousand spectators at a baseball game.

And although the pay is low and the hours long and unpredictable, the work has its perks.

"You have a chance to meet other people, look at what goes on behind the scenes and see what it's really like," says 23-year-old Jeremy Durgana, a computer science student at York University. He started doing part-time extra work after he made a short film for a school project.

Toronto Movie Extra

Admit it, you’ve always wanted to be a movie star.  And with Toronto known as Hollywood North, here’s you chance to be discovered…as a Movie Extra

Renee Zwelleger as a Movie Extra in Dazed and Confused

Walking downtown, you’ve probably seen the TV and movie production crews and I’m sure you’ve tried to spot a celebrity. But somewhere behind the scenes lurking in the background are the Movie Extras. They are the blurry, unknown restaurant diners, fans in a stadium and sidewalk strollers. Every movie needs them, and no scene would be realistic without them. Enter my summer of unemployment when I became a Movie Extra.

It’s relatively easy to become an Extra in Toronto. I found an agency in the Classifieds of NOW magazine (or check out the ACTRA website) and went for my “interview” at their office on Yonge Street.  Pretty much all you need are some current photos, pay the admin fee (I paid $75), and I was on their books. Easy as that.  It requires no talent, all you need to do is show up on time and do what you’re told. There’s just no guarantees you’ll make it on  film, there’s very little  glamour, and the money is crap. Welcome to being an Extra.

Within a week, I got my first call to play a Reporter in a made for TV Disney movie. Then I was a bar patron in a Mathew Perry movie,  a hippie in a Kirsten Dunst movie and cast as a Cheerleader. Unfortunately I never made it on screen in any of these.

How to be a movie and TV extra in Toronto

Toronto is one of the best places to find a gig as an extra in a movie or TV show. From customers or staff in a restaurant, pedestrians on a street, onlookers at a crime scene, or even zombies in an apocalypse, Toronto offers plenty of opportunity for those not seeking a starring role. Background actors help add authenticity to a scene. While they never get the fame nor get to speak - beyond miming fake dialogue like "rhubarb, cauliflower, and cabbage" - those that do the work love it, because of its unpredictable nature and the opportunity to learn from industry pros and to network.

"If you want a job that has structure, this is not for you. You rarely get two days that are the same. It's not like going to the same nine-to-five job," says Cheryl St. James, who began background acting in 1998. Her portfolio includes TV's Bomb Girls, Murdoch Mysteries and The Rick Mercer Report - and the Oscar-winning film Chicago, in which she played a pedestrian - all shot in Toronto.

Are you extra Material?

 "We need a lot of different looks depending on the shows. We just started a horror movie for the summer, so for zombies you need a lot of interesting, 'charactery' people, but there are also shows like Mutant X where you need a lot of good-looking, model types."

-- Kyle Christie, talent booker at Y-H Acting Division

 "A lot of the work in our business depends on the kind of wardrobe you have -- if you've got an upscale business wardrobe and basically look good on set. The usual routine is one business, one casual outfit, depending on the time of year."

-- Karen Clifton of the Karen Clifton Agency

 "It always helps to have a professional extra, someone who understands how the whole film process works, is punctual, responsible, pays attention, and is there for the long haul."
-- Donna Dupere of Dupere Casting

How to Find a Talent Agent:

You can choose from dozens of talent agents and agencies, but not all are reputable. The Entertainment Industry Coalition (EIC) has developed a code of ethics specifying how they should operate. ACTRA Toronto (416-928-2278) publishes The Guide, a free booklet listing talent agents and casting directors who have signed on to the EIC code of ethics. Similar information is available on ACTRA's Web site at ww.actratoronto.com. AMIS (Acting Modelling Information Service) at www.amisontario.com publishes The Agents Book, which lists EIC-member agents and contains other information on acting and modelling. It costs $15 and is available at Theatrebooks and Theatre Ontario. AMIS also has a hotline (416-977-3832) listing the names of EIC-affiliated agents who are looking for new people.