TF2 Casting Call Report

The Arizona Daily Star has provided a set report that includes the plans for the recent casting call that was reported about here recently.

The report verified that Transformers 2 production will be Tucson International Airport on October 6th. Between security and the airport size, it’s going to be difficult to determine exactly where they are going to be without a great deal of luck or inside knowledge of the exact location (which I don't have).

The event announcement called for people to dress like airport travelers of all types, so the line was filled with suits, cowboy hats, college sweat shirts, and for the most enterprising, luggage. The room buzzed with excited chatter for a day that was more cattle call than casting call.

A pair of married couples, Eric and Betsy Souza and their friends Eric and Michelle Jakoby, heeded the call of their pal, self-described fifth wheel Dane Snyder, who read about the casting call online.

Eric Jakoby, a 26-year-old fireman, was pumped. He still has his childhood collection of Transformers toys.

"We're here because there's nothing better to do in Tucson," one of them said, making all of the others crack up.

Thirty spots ahead of that group in line stood Ismael Soqui and his wife, Talitha Villalobos. Villalobos, a 22-year-old homemaker, wanted another taste of the movies after popping up as an extra in the 1996 Kris Kristofferson-starring TV film "Blue Rodeo," which was shot Downtown.

"I heard you talking about it on the radio," Soqui said, referring to my weekly guest slot on 92.1 KFMA's "The Frank Show." "So I told her, 'Let's do it.' "

Eric Impraim, a 26-year-old former Star employee with a fledgling acting career, showed up with his 21-year-old brother, Francis. Eric said he was hoping for a little boost for his career. Francis isn't an actor, but he thought it would be fun to check out the set of a blockbuster. He looked around with a confident smile, and after evaluating his chances, he said, "I try to keep a positive attitude."

Virginia Love, a 74-year-old retired teacher, drove 26 miles from Sun City Vistoso in Oro Valley. Her grandchildren, ages 4, 8 and 12, are "Transformers" nuts.
"I've always wanted to do this," she said.

Waiting in line for two hours really helped us all get into character. It's what those of us in showbiz refer to as "the method." I focused and slipped into the zone. I truly became a person standing around at an airport.

When it finally came time for me and my line mates to step into the casting room, we hushed in unison. This wasn't so much "Transformers 2" as it was "Terminator 2" — Judgement Day. We were handed numbered placards along with slips of paper that asked our names, ages, weights and measurements.

I don't mean to sound cocky here, but I absolutely nailed that audition. I brought forth an animalistic rawness reminiscent of Marlon Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire." I was so amazing that after standing by the wall for three seconds, posing for a head shot with placard No. 267, the casting director had seen enough. (Those who followed had similarly short auditions. Most likely because the powers that be treated them as mere formalities in lieu of my formidable showing.)

As if not to dash the fragile hopes of the others, the casting lady gave us a blanket "don't call us — we'll call you" message. If DreamWorks wants us in the film, they'll ring us up. She said extras will get $8 an hour for the first eight hours, followed by time and a half for any additional hours.

I was mildly offended at the low pay, but after talking it over with my agent — OK, just mumbling silently to myself — I decided to accept. That is, I will decide to accept as soon as they call me. And surely they will. After all, what would the movie be without No. 267?

Good luck and have fun for those that where chosen as extras.

Casting Call, White Sands Mini Update

Two brief updates about Transformers 2 production from site readers. The first is about the casting call in Arizona where Chris reports that its for a one day shoot to be held possibly on the 6th, but since production is a day behind it might be the 7th. The extras, which will be needed for 8-12 hours, will be cast as TSA agents and airport travelers.

In addition there will be a shoot at The Boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, AZ (not sure if extras are going there). The Boneyard or The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) is a reference to where military aircraft go after being taken out of service. Lots of planes, Michael Bay, and Transformers...makes you wonder if a lot of boom is planned.

Tomorrow is expected to be the last day Transformers 2 production will be at Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands. Apparently on that day military ID holders can visit the set but might want to verify that before just showing up.

As for where Transformers 2 is shooting between White Sands and The Boneyard, your guess is as good as mine. Thanks to Chris and Tamara for their information.

Arizona Casting Call Saturday

The Arizona Daily Star is reporting that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is holding an open casting call for extras.

Think you can hang with Shia and generate good onscreen chemistry with Megatron? Then you'll want to hit Desert Diamond Casino Hotel, 7350 S. Nogales Highway, at 9 a.m. Saturday, when they're holding a casting call for the "Transformers" sequel. Shooting starts in early October. The filmmakers are looking for "airport travelers." Only those ages 18 and over will be accepted, and prospective extras are advised to bring a pen and their social security number.

Good luck to those that can go.

Casting Call At Holloman

The Air Force Times reports that on August 15th Dreamworks held a casting call at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico for extras. All told about 300 airmen showed up for the casting call. Exactly when Transformers 2 production comes to the base is unknown but it was used before in Transformers as part of the Blackout attack sequence.

“About 200 people will be hired as extras to portray military members,” Maryellen Aviano, extras casting coordinator for DreamWorks Pictures, said in an Air Force news release.

Airmen were more than happy to spend off-duty time in front of a camera.

“The thrill of knowing I may be in a movie outweighs the possibility of having to work long hours on a movie set,” said Airman 1st Class Karla Jimenez, 49th Civil Engineer Squadron.

TF2 At Edwards This Weekend?

According to Nanobyte, Transformers 2 is expected to shoot at Edwards Air Force Base on July 10th and 11th. The source also indicated there is an extras casting call for military personnel for the shoot. Edwards was used for the last movie and it was pretty much confirmed to be in the sequel, it’s just not known exactly when or for what purpose. As far as strike concerns, so far no SAG strike call has gone out so it’s possible to go in and shoot the scenes without concern if it’s only for a few days. I guess time will tell.

Update:
Optibotimus.com found a listing on lacasting.com (that requires membership to see) that lists a search for extras for July. Maybe related, maybe not. Thanks to Riah for the link.

Project Name: Transformers 2
Project Type: Film & TV
Format:
Rate/Compensation:

Message:
Looking for extras to work sometime in July to play Egyptian/Jordanian solders. Must have short hair.

Role Role Type Gender/Age/Ethnicities Description/Note
Transformers 2 Background Male / 20 to 40 / All Ethnicities, AfricanAm, Am-Indian, Asian, Caucasian, East-Ind, Hispanic, MidEastern, Mixed, PacificIsland To work sometime in July to play Egyptian/Jordanian solders. Must have short hair.

Princeton Open Casting Call

HeeryCasting has posted up a notice asking for submissions of college age extras for scenes being shot in Princeton, NJ for the shoot starting next week. The details of who, what, when, and where are probably provided to those that get chosen.

TRANSFORMERS 2 EXTRAS:
Needed are union and Non-Union background men and women, ages 18-24 - must LOOK COLLEGE AGE, all ethnicities, for scenes set in Princeton NJ. Shooting will take place in June 2008.

No acting experience necessary; both SAG and non-union talent will be considered. All roles are paid positions.

Please submit a CURRENT picture of yourself to:

tr2princeton@gmail.com
Your photo must be in .jpg format.

NO phone calls please.

TFII Needs A String Quartet

A unusual casting call has appeared on Heery Casting where they are seeking a string quartet for shooting in Philadelphia during the week of the 16th. The usual why, what, where etc are left those that get chosen from submitting their picture and resumes to them.

STRING QUARTET needed

We are looking for an experienced string quartet for a scene in the Dreamworks production of "Transformers 2".

The scene will shoot during the week of June 16, it will pay SAG scale (we will give SAG waivers if need be)

Please e-mail pictures/resumes of the group to : tr2philadelphia@gmail.com , be sure to include all contact info and list names with which instruments you each play. Put "String Quartet" in the subject line.

No Phone calls please.

(source)

2nd Chance Open Casting Call in PA

Heery Casting has announced a second chance to try out as background actors for shooting taking place in Philadelphia, PA and Princeton, NJ in June. Note that background actors means your silent scenary behind the action and probably will not have lines. As always, make sure you read the below instructions to express your interest to trying out. As far as the details of who, exactly when and where, I assume that will be revealed to the lucky few that are chosen to play a part in the movie.

If you missed the open call for TRANSFORMERS 2, you may still submit a picture.

Needed are union and Non-Union background men and women, ages 18-70, all ethnicities, for scenes set in Philadelphia PA, and Princeton NJ. Shooting will take place in June 2008.

College age men and women are especially needed. No acting experience necessary; both SAG and non-union talent will be considered. All roles are paid positions.

Please submit a CURRENT picture of yourself to: tr2philadelphia@gmail.com
Your photo must be in .jpg format.
If your headshot is older than one year, do NOT send it. Instead, send a recent snapshot - that has you alone in the picture – a close-up is preferred (no party pictures holding a beer…)
Your picture must be attached as a “.jpeg” file.
Be sure to include all contact information, height and weight and SAG number (if you have one) in the body of the e-mail.

Please state if you are available for Philadelphia and/or Princeton.
NO phone calls please.

(source)

PA Audition Report

From Seibertron.com, "Delicon" is a report of the experience that he and his wife had auditioning for Transformers today. Basically it comes down to waiting in line, getting a picture taken and then sent home. Course its for background performers so the goal is to look good enough but not distract from the foreground events so a picture is probably all they really need (course that begs the question of why require people to show up at all).

Hey guys, just wanted to pass this along. My wife and I along with fellow Seibertron member "Prime Evil" attended the Tf2 casting call at the Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia yesterday.

The rules were as follows, they took SAG members from 10-11 and non-union "actors" (pretty much anyone else) from 11 to 3.

We got in line about 10:40 am or so. There was already a massive line at that time. They had us fill out info sheets, mainly asking us questions like height/weight and clothing sizes, whether we were students and a few other things. The student question was likely because they had put emphasis on needing college aged actors.

After about a 45-50 minute wait in line, we finally got to the door, only to be told "You're done."

It wasn't just us, they told pretty much everyone that. They did mark letters on every sheet, mine and my wife's read "OT" while Prime Evil's were "PE." However, we were supposed to bring a snapshot along. My wife and I accidentally left ours behind when we were rushing to get on the train so they took us inside to snap some new pictures.

Inside, it was almost a ghost town. Interesting to note that the staff members on the inside were actually complaining that more people weren't sent inside.

The picture process was pretty simple, they wrote our names on a big white sheet and made us hold it next to our bodies while they snapped the photo. They told my wife to make sure that she held it so her Bumbleee shirt fully got in the picture.

After that was done, we were done. We haven't heard anything back yet and honestly I'm not holding my breath but it was a unique experience.

Washington DC Open Casting Call

Heery Casting has announced a casting call for the Washington DC area for SAG members and non members to work as background for a museum scene in early June.

The details:

Heery Casting is looking for SAG background talent adults and SAG or NON-UNION children for the new Dreamworks feature film, Transformers 2, directed by Michael Bay.

Needed are SAG background men and women age 7-65, and SAG or Non-UNION boys and girls, ages 7-18, all ethnicities, for a scene set in a museum in Washington DC. Shooting will take place in the beginning of June 2008.

If interested and available, please e-mail a picture/resume to Tr2washington@gmail.com

Be sure to include all contact information and SAG number (if any).

No Phone calls please

(source)

Philadelphia Open Casting Call For TF II

Leery Casting strikes again, this time with an annoucement for an open casting (ie for SAG and non SAG members) for men and woman of all ages on May 31, at Bullies bar from 10 to 3pm.

The details:

TRANSFORMERS 2 OPEN CALL
Heery Casting is having an OPEN CALL for background talent for the new Dreamworks feature film, “Transformers 2”, directed by Michael Bay.

Needed are union and Non-Union background men and women, ages 18-70, all ethnicities, for scenes set in Philadelphia PA, and Princeton NJ. Shooting will take place in June 2008.

The open call will be held on Saturday, May 31 at “BULLIES” bar at the SPECTRUM in South Philadelphia (at 3600 S. Broad St. Phila PA 19148) Enter parking from the Broad St. gate only- mention “Transformers casting” for free parking)
Enter “BULLIES” from the exterior entrance, on the South side of the Spectrum.

Casting professionals will be seeing:
SAG actors from 10AM- 11AM (please bring your union card for admission)
Non-union men and women from 11AM to 3PM

College age men and women are especially needed. No acting experience necessary; both SAG and non-union talent will be considered. All roles are paid positions. Please bring a snapshot.

For more information, please go to: www.heerycasting.com

NO phone calls please.

(source)

TFII Calling All Asians for a Casting Call

Transformers II production has sent out a casting call for Asian talent to film in the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania area starting in June.

The details from Heery Casting:

We are looking for Asian talent for the new Dreamworks feature film, "Transformers 2", directed by Michael Bay.

Needed are Asian men and women, boys and girls, ages 7-65, for a scene set in a fictional Chinese city. Shooting will take place in the Bethlehem PA area, in the beginning of June 2008.

No acting experience necessary; both SAG and non-union talent will be considered. All roles are paid positions.

In addition to "real" people, we are also looking for any Asian talent with a military background.

If interested and available, please e-mail a picture to: Tr2bethlehem@gmail.com

Be sure to include all contact information, union status (if any) and state military experience, if any.

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.
May 14 2008

A fictional Chinese city in Bethlehem? Interesting. This also seems to indicate that the June 2nd production will probably start at or near the city. (source)

Transformers II Recruiting Air Force Personnel

According to the Air Force Times, the production company for Transformers II is seeking Air Force airmen as extras for the movie. Those that volunteer have to be available for projected dates during the summer and must take leave.

The full article and details:

Want to have a role in the next “Transformers” movie?

The Air Force is looking for airmen to appear as extras this summer in the sequel to 2007’s “Transformers.”

The production company wants to use service members as much as possible and is forming two teams.

Projected dates for the Shanghai Team are June 2-4 and July 22-25. Projected dates for the Forrest Team are June 16-17, June 23, Aug. 22 and Sept. 15-16. Volunteers must be available for all the dates the team is scheduled to shoot.

Military volunteers must take leave, fill out an off-duty employment form and provide two head-and-shoulders photos of front and side views, according to Senior Master Sgt. Vincent Aragona, an Air Force liaison for the movie. Additionally, volunteers need to be familiar with weapons and ground combat operations.

While airmen anywhere can apply, Aragona said airmen who live outside the Los Angeles area will have to provide their own transportation to Southern California and lodging there. Once filming starts, lodging, meals and transportation to movie sites outside of Los Angeles will be provided by the production company.

E-mail contact information, photos and team preference to: Vincent.aragona@afnews.af.mil and Vincent.aragona@losangeles.af.mil. For more information, call Senior Master Sgt Vincent Aragona at (310) 235-7532.

Portions of the first “Transformers” were filmed at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., and Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The movie featured real and computer-generated F-22A Raptors, MH-53 Pave Lows and CV-22 Ospreys.