Busy Moviemaking Season Returns to Pittsburgh

For the last few years, spring and summer have been the busy times for movie shoots in the Pittsburgh region. This year has been no exception.

The big local movies here this spring include:

• Abduction - the Taylor Lautner movie, mostly shot here last summer, but returned for several days of reshoots in early May.
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower - the Emma Watson movie, written and directed by a Pittsburgh native, has been here for about a month and will continue to shoot in June
• Steel Town (formerly Still I Rise) - the Viola Davis/Maggie Gyllenhaal movie about educational controversies, will be shooting throughout June.

Steel Town is actively recruiting extras, especially kids. There are many classroom scenes, and many scenes of parents/community rallying to help support change coming to the school.

Much of a shooting day involves waiting around, so kids must be able to quietly amuse themselves, and must be able to take direction while on set. I'm honestly not sure what the pay rate is for kids, but they cannot
work as many hours as adults. Tips for Surviving as an Extra (applies to kids as well as to adults!).

To apply, E-mail name, phone number, photo and age to fourthrivercasting@yahoo.com

But, what many of us are particularly looking forward to is The Dark Knight Rises, AKA Batman. Directed by Christopher Nolan, it'll be one of the biggest movies ever shot in Pittsburgh. The 'burgh is only one stop on its international shooting tour, but I think it's going to be in Pittsburgh longer than anywhere else.

Abduction Extras Needed for 8/26 and 8/27

Abduction has been shooting in the area for about two months.
Their casting crew is looking for extras for late August, especially Thursday, August 26 and Friday, August 27.

To be considered for extra work, E-mail your photo to: abductionstadium@gmail.com,
along with your name, date of birth (need to be 18 to be considered) and your phone number.

Keep an eye on their Facebook page. Go to www.facebook.com and search on "Abduction Extras" to find their extra casting calls.

If you've never been an extra before, while there's a lot of "hurry-up and wait," it's a fascinating experience if you want to watch the craft of movie-making. And, you get paid!