Berlin Film Extra

Finally, it's official, I am a working Berlin Film extra! (with one role to my name).

Backstory - Not long after we moved to Berlin, there were reports in local media that George Clooney was directing a film here (The Monuments Men). The reports went on to say that the film studio was holding an open casting for extras, because they needed about 3 to 5 thousand people! It sounded like an interesting opportunity so we registered on the company website an uploaded our own pictures (rather than attend the casting call in person).

Unfortunately nothing came of that, I had read a later report that they got all the extras they needed from the in-person castings.

With that filming over we didn't think much of our film career after that - until I was contacted in October for use as a film extra. This was for a Hollywood film called 'The Business Trip' and I was asked to play the role of a protester. When you are contacted you are asked if you are available on the days they stipulate - and in this case I was not available for all of them. I didn't here back from them after that :( On the day I wasn't available we were walking by Gendarmenmarkt and the filming was taking place there!!

I was contacted again in January to play a part in an international film called ELIXIR, as a guest at a fashion show. I said I was available and they replied saying that there was a rewrite and the number of extras required had been cut and I wasn't needed. Then they contacted me again and said if I was still available I was required again. I said yea, and then they told me they would get back to me with the details for the next day's shoot. 

They then rang at about 11pm that night to say there was another rewrite and they had abandoned the scene. They apologised profusely saying that they weren't always this disorganised and they hoped I would stay with the company. The person on the phone also said that I should go to their office to have professional photos taken (rather than my self taken shots) as their head of casting had decided they wanted in-house photos only from now on. A couple of weeks later we got an email asking us to come in for the photos.

The office was in Moabit, and not quite the glitzy place you might expect.

Inside we said who we were, and as we were already registered we didn't have to pay the usual 5 euro registration fee. We filled out a form and then waited to have our photos taken. We only waited about two minutes.

A walk through to the back room and a photographer was there ready to take our photos. Four quick photos and we were done in no time.

About three weeks later I was contacted again to be an extra in a international produced crime drama TV Film series thing with the working title 'The Team'. This time it all worked out (finally!). 

I had won the coveted role of extra playing: 'Guy walks past house'.

I was told to report to a production manager in Schöneberg somewhere, and thankfully the meeting time was a respectable 10:45am (not the super early 6am start the Elixir film wanted).

I arrived to see the production vans, reported to the production manager who told me to help myself to some catering and coffee and then wait in the extras bus.

This setting was pretty industrial and I couldn't see how I could be performing my role of 'Guy walks past house' here - but hey, movie magic eh?

In the bus were a couple of other extras and some other people associated with the filming. All up there were five of us as extras (2 guys 3 women), all playing the 'walking past house' role. We waited in the bus to be called and filled out our payment information - an extra gets paid 55 Euros for up to 10.5 hours work, and then there is some extra payment if you work over that time. I was expecting a lengthy day, but was hoping not 10 hours or more!

After a bit of a wait some people came in to check out the outfits we had brought. As an extra you are expected to bring 2-3 outfits and they were checking that we had appropriate 'winter' stuff. I had three outfits ready, but they were happy with what I was already wearing, the other guy had to change his jumper and that was 'wardrobe' completed. We then were asked to follow another guy as we walked out of this area, around the corner to a much more residential area. Here it made more sense how we could make the 'walks past house' part work.

In the street there were all kinds of production people and only two actors. The scene was these two actors having an argument - they would run out of the house and the guy would try to take the womans car. They would have an argument at the car and he would run away.

The five of us were met by a staging guy who positioned us around the street. The two older members of our group were placed together as a husband and wife, another girl across the street and I was placed with the other girl. We were each told marks of when to start walking. The couple were to start when they shouted 'action', the girl next to me would start walking when the guy ran out of the house, I would start when the woman chased after him, and the girl across the street would follow me.

They did this scene about 10 times, and each time 'action' was shouted, the five of us would also have to start walking (10 times!). Nothing changed in each of the takes other than where they placed the cameras. It was quite funny as they didn't always manage to block the street completely so there were other people muscling in on our 'walking past house' role, but overall we had clean takes.

It was so easy!

After less than an hour, and our 10 takes, the staging guy came over to tell us that it was over for the extras. We could go! I was so surprised that that was all we were needed for. 55 Euros each x 5 people for less than two hours work. Makes you realise why movies cost so much to make!

We all went back to our bus where we passed our payment forms back to the production manager and that was it...all over!

Not a bad pay day at all and a truly unique experience for me.

I fully expect to be hitting the big time now that the Berlin film industry has seen how well I can walk in a straight line (past a house!).