Extra! Extra!

Casting for Extras for The Highwayman

We are looking for a pool of about 100 extras for The Highwayman for the spring of 2010. First shoot date needing extras will be between April 18th and April 30th. Exact date coming soon.

NOTICE:

Extras will not be paid.
Extras need to provide their won costumes.
Extras will not be given screen credit, unless they are assigned a speaking line which bumps them up to cast status.
Extras will be given credit on the website.
Extras will be fed.

These are the scenes which need extras:

Tavern scenes (20-50)
Flashback of Malcolm's trial (20-30)
Will's job search with farmers, blacksmiths, carpenters, wainwrights and other potential employers (5-6)
Malcolm's hanging (20) (This scene might not be shot.)

DETAILS:
Tavern scenes - There are several tavern scenes. The first one involves bar fight. A later one will involve drunken singing of English drinking songs. We need 6-10 bar maids. We also need farmers, local crafts people, and travelers to be patrons in the tavern. There are two lines in the script which will be assigned to extras. Who will say those lines will be determined by availability on the shooting day, look, acting skill and other factors. Other lines could be created on shooting day. Some extras will be featured more than others. That will be determined on the shooting day. Stage fighting skills or drunken singing skills can be a plus.

Trial - No lines for extras in script. Extras may be asked to shout and be unruly but they also may be asked to mime such behavior silently depending on the audio needs of the movie. All ages and gender are well come. Job Search - This is a montage of scenes that will be cut together of Will asking people for work and being turned away. There are no lines in the script and I doubt any will be added but extras will be featured one by one. Skills at an old craft like blacksmithing, leatherworking saddlemaking, building furniture or weaving, or the ability mimic such would be a plus. Prefer men; would consider a female role if it was believable. Hanging - Similar to trial.

Costumes:

All extras are peasants. We have a few costumes for extras but not a lot. Extras should expect to bring their own costumes.

Male Peasant: The basic costume for a male peasant would be: knee breeches dark brown or black, over the knee stockings (off white, brown or black), ankle boot or loafers with a buckle on top, unbleached muslin peasant shirt, waistcoat (long vest) in earth tone colors (brown, yellow, muted oranges or greens, no reds or blues), long coat (optional), hat would either be a tricorne or floppy.

Female Peasant: Women would be a long skirt and peasant shirt and short bodice, or a one piece long dress of one color. Earth tone colors, solids or woven patterns, no prints.

Where to get costumes: Some of this stuff can be purchased locally. I bought most of the shoes we are using at Savers and Goodwill. Some other costume bits came from Flossy Magrews on Broadway. There are plenty of good patterns for the women's clothing at Joanns. A lot of the men's patterns are bad. The good ones seem to be the Pirates of the Caribbean costumes. PotC was a little before our time period and the American Revolution was a little after. But as one historian said, the upper class fashions changed every few years, the peasants wore close to the same thing for nearly a century. Costumes can also be purchased online. You can visit several website that sell such costumes from our lists of Resources links: highwaymanresources.html

Hair: Men also wore their hair long. If your hair is short you may need a wig or extensions. Disguises on Colfax and Reinkes on Prince St. in Littleton both have a lot of wigs. What you would want is either a colonial man's brown or black wig or any long woman's wig. Brush it back and tie the hair in a ponytail with string or leather.

Personal Grooming: Peasants were dirty. So you don't need the costumes to be clean and wrinkle free. Some distressing is good.