Boston Movie Extra

Ok...so we got the bad news this week that the studios in Plymouth lost it's funding. Ok that is bad but I have a feeling that it might turn around quicker than one is to think, but we will have to wait and see. Once the news got out... some people were acting as all of hope is lost...are you serious?!? have you not seen what has happened to the state in regards to the film business in the past 4 years?!!? We are not doing all that bad, the studios weren't here when the huge and current flow of films continue to overflow our NE area/market. If anyone out there remembers the distant past we would be lucky if we had a film here for over a week...for the YEAR! At that time the constant project that was going on was in the late 80's which was "Spencer For Hire". Now the studios I believe will happen, because I strongly believe that they have great focus on the future of this project and MA is very Hollywood friendly as of late. There is not only one investor ou...

For those that might remember, in the late 80's early 90's there was something called the Actor's Trade Show. It was held annually every spring at the tremont house across the Wang Center in Boston. At the trade show you had everything from casting agents, photographers, acting coaches, sag, you name it. So for 2 to 3 hours you would be submitting headshots to casting directors, networking with fellow actors and industry professionals and so much more! But all of the suddenly it stopped... I thought it was a genius idea because you can do everything in just one whim. So maybe with the resurgence of Hollywood in Boston, maybe the higher ups might consider doing it again. Just a suggestion :)

This is starting to become a big problem on set as of late. As we all know when we start a job we are specifically told no cameras, among other things. This happens prior to booking and we are reminded prior to the working day. We all know that because it is just given that we know what the rules are. Now the conterversey is people are snapping shots of actors while on set while we are working. That is a huge no-no, but even more so those people are taking those shots and putting them on facebook, myspace, and twitter, that's just not smart. This is because the people that hire you and tell you the specific rules on set are also "your friends" on these social networks and now you are caught "red-handed". So be smart..you know clearly when you are on set you are working and they (the film) are expecting you to act professional. Remember you represent yourself and more so the acting community of NE.

This has been going on for a very very very long time over 20 years that I know of personally and that is actors taking acting classes at specific locations to get a job from them. That is a myth to say the least, I am not saying not to take those classes but do not spend your money going there thinking that you will get a acting job from them guarenteed. Why I find this funny is that people get "pissed" because they spent $300 + to take acting classes from a particular casting director's agency and they did not get a JOB from them. Are you kidding me?!?! Take those classes if you like, they are very good but don't think they going to offer you a role on a silver plate. They might notice you and offer you an audition or two but the rest is up to you. Some people complain about the stupidest things..the bottom line is you are taking classes to extend and expand your craft,the rest is up to you. Think of it this way you own a business, you train yourself to get the ...

I just heard this morning of a person being thrown off set for suggesting something to the director of all people. Guys and gals we know what the rules are and we all obey them, but sometimes a first timer might get overly excited and do the unthinkable. To the person that was thrown off, let it be a lesson..I know these people(directors, actors,etc) are human but on sets these people are untouchable.

First of all glad to seeing most of you on current sets lately..glad you are enjoying this blog. I apologize that I haven't been too frequent with it, but I will do my best to inform you. The subject to today's blog is simple and apparently is becoming a problem on sets lately and that is people double booking themselves. Look...there are A LOT of jobs lately in this state and we should all be grateful that we have this great opportunity, so there is plenty to go around. But when people double book you give birth to two problems.. One. Your reputation to casting directors.. If you have a night shoot on one night and the next day you have booked yourself on another project with a call time of 5am and you are still working on that overnight..you got a problem. Most likely you will be sleep deprived and won't show or you simply can't because your on another set. This causes the casting agent to be short on their numbers and also makes them look bad. So guess who's n...

Ok. So here is the story Wicked Local an online news site for New England visted the set of Furry Vengeance last week. The reporter worked as an extra for a day and wrote his thoughts about it, now a lot of people that read it really go offended. But to be honest being in this business for almost 20 years and a lot of people that have worked on these sets for a long time would probably agree to most of the article. Look I know to some of you it might have offend you because it's how you make a living but if you read this and say that the article is not at least 50% true, then you have not been in this business for too long.. Many will say that background extras are the living aspect of the scene and I COMPLETELY agree. But to some of the higher ups on these sets (not all) we are nothing but filler. I have seen some crew members in my past 20 years treat background like crap, and no one deserves that. On the other hand there have been sets that all the crew has been FANTASTIC a...