Casting Extras
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You may think that nothing at all goes into casting extras,
well, you're wrong. The work that goes into casting extras
is sometimes just as challenging and involved as the work
that goes into casting the principals. Remember that extras
are an integral part of the production even though they
may appear far in the back round of many scenes. Casting
extras means taking in to account the setting of the scenes
being shot, 
whether there need to be people skating, biking,
skiing, swimming, drinking beers, smoking cigarettes, etc.
The person casting extras needs to fill the screen with people who look like they are from the place where the story takes place, that the extras they are casting are the appropriate age for the action and location of the scene, and many other things. Sometimes they may spend hours searching for just a couple of people who fit the appropriate look for a certain shoot.
Even though these few extras may have no lines, and no more direction than walking casually past the camera in the fore or back round of the scene, the person casting them has to make sure that they flow smoothly and do not stick out like a sore thumb. This takes skill, an eye for detail, and sometimes, a lot of patience. There is definitely more to casting extras than throwing a bunch of random actresses and actors together under a tent and saying "here ya go". There is actually somewhat of a science to it.
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