What is extra work?
Extra work means playing the people who fill the background of a scene: passers-by on a street, diners in a restaurant, the crowd at an arena. An extra rarely speaks and is not the focus of the action, but extras are what make a scene believable.
It is also a way into the business. A few days on a set teach you the rhythm of a shoot, its etiquette and the patience it takes.
What productions look for
- People who are available on the shooting dates, sometimes on very short notice.
- Punctuality and reliability: a shooting day is expensive, and lateness is noticed right away.
- A look, an age and a style that fit the scene, often stated in the listing.
- Discretion and good listening, because you follow the crew’s directions without making noise.
How selection works
For background work, selection is most often done remotely: you are asked for a recent photo, your availability and a few practical details, such as your size for wardrobe. An in-person audition is rarer, and more common for a small role with lines.
If you are chosen, you receive a call sheet with your arrival time, the location and what to bring. Read it in full and answer quickly: productions fill their spots fast.
Where to find casting calls
Calls are scattered: Facebook groups, casting company websites, production pages, agencies. That is what makes the search exhausting, because you have to watch everything so as not to miss anything.
Castflow gathers these calls in one place. For now, the waitlist means you leave us your address: we write to you when spots open up. For the first steps, read our guide How to become an extra in Quebec.
Spotting a reliable call
- You are never asked to pay to be chosen.
- The listing names the production, the shooting date and the place, or explains why it cannot yet.
- The conditions (pay, duration, transport) are clear before you accept.
- You only hand over your social insurance number or banking details after receiving a proper contract.