Hire extras for commercials and branded video
To hire extras for a commercial on ShootModel, enter your shoot date, city and hours and pick the Extras talent type. You see verified adult background actors who are free that day, with the full rate for your hours. Book a few from the results or send one shoot request to many, and pay through the platform with the agreement, release and usage license generated for each booking.
Background actors for the spots you actually shoot
A commercial lives or dies on the frame behind the lead. Empty cafes, thin crowds and stiff passers-by make a polished product look staged. Extras fix that, and they only work if they show up on time, wear what you asked for and repeat the same movement every take.
ShootModel is built for US brands, agencies, producers and in-house video teams with a shoot date and a budget. You filter by date, city and hours, compare listed rates and book, instead of posting a casting call and waiting on replies. It does not run auditions or supply a set coordinator. If the scene needs a speaking role, use the hire actors page, and if the whole video is shot around a crowd or party, see music video models and extras.
Pick the background cast from the scene, not the headcount
Booking lengths below are common options, not promises about how long your shoot takes. Your shot list, setups and location moves set the real hours.
Restaurant or cafe
- Background needed
- Diners, a barista, passers-by
- Typical booking
- Half day
- What to check
- Wardrobe that avoids logos, calm table behavior
Retail or grocery
- Background needed
- Shoppers, a cashier, queue
- Typical booking
- Half day or full day
- What to check
- Comfort being on camera for repeated passes
Office or workplace
- Background needed
- Coworkers at desks and in meetings
- Typical booking
- Half day
- What to check
- Business wardrobe, silent reactions
Sports, gym or outdoor
- Background needed
- Friends, runners, spectators
- Typical booking
- Full day
- What to check
- Fitness level, weather readiness
Street or lifestyle
- Background needed
- Pedestrians, commuters, neighbors
- Typical booking
- Half day or full day
- What to check
- Variety of ages and looks, continuity between takes
Event or launch
- Background needed
- Guests, audience, a crowd
- Typical booking
- Full day
- What to check
- Energy on cue, willingness to stay in position
Models and hand talent are different bookings. For a hero face use commercial models, and for product close ups see hand models.
Book extras for your commercial in four steps
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01
Search with the date and working hours
Open the search above, enter the city, shoot date and the hours you can shoot, then choose Extras. Results show who is free that date with the listed rate for those hours, so you skip people who cannot make the day.
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02
Shortlist for variety and continuity
Commercial backgrounds usually need a mix of ages, builds and styles that matches your audience. Check profiles for the range you need, and confirm the same people can stay through the full call so wardrobe and positions match from take to take.
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03
Select the usage
Choose where the spot will run: your website, social, paid social, connected TV or broadcast. Pick the territory and duration. Background talent is usually covered by a narrower buyout than a lead, but the booking records exactly what you chose. The usage rights guide explains each option.
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04
Confirm and send the call sheet
Use instant booking where enabled, or send a request the extra answers within 24 hours. For requests, your card is charged only on acceptance. Put the call time, address, parking and wardrobe notes in the booking chat the day before.
How much does it cost to hire extras for a commercial?
Each extra on ShootModel sets their own hourly, half day and day rates. There is no single commercial extras rate: city, booked hours and usage all change the quote. You compare the listed rate for your hours, add the usage buyout, and see the total before you confirm.
The booker pays the listed rate plus the usage buyout. ShootModel takes its 15% platform fee from the talent payout, so nothing is added on top at checkout. Payment is held until the shoot. The model rates guide explains booking lengths and how hours are counted.
Costs to plan around the booking
- 01Meals and water on a full day
- 02Wardrobe changes, if you supply wardrobe
- 03Overtime if the shot list runs long
- 04Parking or travel where agreed
- 05Extended usage if the spot later moves into broadcast or paid media
Multiply the number of extras by the hours you will really need them. Calling twenty people for a full day when only eight appear in the opening shot is the most common way a background budget gets blown.
Call time, wardrobe and the holding area
Extras spend more time waiting than working, so the logistics decide whether they are fresh when you roll. Send the exact call time, address, parking, the name of the person who signs people in and a rough wrap time. Say whether meals are provided.
For wardrobe, ask for two or three options in solid colors and no visible logos, unless your brand wants a specific look. Tell people to bring them clean and pressed. Give the holding area seats, water, shade or heat and a spot for bags. A calm holding area is what keeps energy up for the final setup.
Release and usage for background talent
Anyone recognizable in a commercial needs a signed release, background included. Each booking generates the agreement, release and usage license with the terms you select, so you can show a client or a platform proof of consent. The model release form guide explains what a release covers.
Plan uses before the shoot. A spot made for social that is later bought for broadcast needs the right usage, and extending afterward means going back to each person. ShootModel talent are verified adults, so scenes with minors need separate paperwork.
Union note
ShootModel bookings are direct non-union bookings unless the talent and producer arrange otherwise. If your commercial falls under a SAG-AFTRA agreement, check the current commercials contract on sagaftra.org and handle compliance directly. Platform documents do not replace that process.
Where to find extras for a commercial
Extras casting agency
- How you book
- Send a brief, the agency proposes people
- Paperwork and rights
- Agency terms and vouchers
- Where it works well
- Large crowds, union commercials
Casting call sites
- How you book
- Post a breakdown, review submissions
- Paperwork and rights
- Producer prepares contracts and releases
- Where it works well
- Searches with time to review
Friends and employees
- How you book
- Ask around
- Paperwork and rights
- Informal, easy to forget releases
- Where it works well
- Tiny budgets, a few people
ShootModel
- How you book
- Filter available adults by date, city and hours
- Paperwork and rights
- Agreement, release and usage license generated at booking
- Where it works well
- Paid shoots with a fixed date
For a deeper look at the casting site route, read the Backstage alternatives guide.
FAQ
01How do I hire extras for a commercial?
Select your city, shoot date, hours and the Extras type on ShootModel, then book the people who are free at the listed rates. For a crowd, send one shoot request to many extras at once. Choose the usage for where the commercial runs and confirm with the total shown upfront.
02How much do extras get paid in commercials?
Pay depends on the market, the hours and the usage. On ShootModel each extra sets an hourly, half day and day rate, and you see the total for your hours before you book. Union commercials follow separate contract rates, which you confirm with SAG-AFTRA. We do not quote a single national figure.
03Do extras in a commercial need to sign a release?
Yes, get a signed release from every recognizable person before filming. A ShootModel booking generates the release with the agreement and usage license. Select the media, territory and duration you need so a later broadcast or paid ad buy does not leave gaps.
04How many extras do I need for a commercial?
Count only the people who appear on camera in each setup, and book them for the setups they work in. Most commercial scenes need a handful to a few dozen. Group scenes by location, so you can call smaller groups for fewer hours.
05Can I hire extras for a commercial in Los Angeles or New York?
Yes, search your city and shoot date to see extras who are free. The deepest US pools are in Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta, and you can start from the Los Angeles or New York pages. Confirm parking and call time with each person.
06What happens if an extra does not show up?
Confirm call times in the booking chat the day before, and keep a small buffer of backup bookings for scenes that cannot work with a gap. If talent is a no-show after call time, the booking is refunded in full and no payout is made.
Put your commercial cast on the calendar
Search your confirmed shoot date, review profiles against your call sheet and book the extras whose availability, rates and usage terms fit.
Your next shoot, booked today
Pick a date, a city and a budget. See who is free and book in one step.