Extras for Commercials

Commercials need to keep the viewers attention. Just watching and listening to one person for two minutes or so can quickly become boring, and viewers simply switch off, ignoring the advert and its message.

The more variety there is, the more likely people will keep watching. It doesn’t mean using several presenters – just some actively involved peope in the background. This is where our Rent a Crowd services come in useful.

Having a group of people in the background adds interest, atmosphere and can make a setting like a pub, restaurant or shop seem instantly busy.

Chris Kamara and TalkSPORT

We were asked to help out with a commercial being shot in a Green King pub. Chris Kamara and TalkSport had just signed a partnership with Green King, one of the biggest pub, hotel and restaurant companies in the UK.

The media were fascinated. There were countless photoshoots and press statements as the football season drew near. Everyone wanted to talk to them.

After all, football pundit star Chris Kamara was a popular figure. Numerous public appearances were set up, as well as a decision to film a promotional video within a Greene King Pub.

Envisage to the rescue

Pubs are busy places, and it was important that the video should reflect that fact. But you cannot film a commercial during normal pub opening hours – people come and go, they are not prepared to wait while a shot is made or repeat an action time and time again.

The answer was to hire a group of extras who would provide the necessary crowd scenes.

We searched our files, and created a mixed group of 10 people, male and female. Their task was to take on the role of football fans, excitedly enjoying a pre-match drink. They would also pretend to watch an England football match, showing all the emotions and actions common to fans following a national team.

We only had to wait for the client to decide on the pub – which might be in Leeds or Sheffield.

When the day dawned, our crowd turned up exactly on time, and played their roles to perfection. They provided everything that the client had requested.

The secret of our success

We were fully organised and had the perfect crowd for the job.

We are flexible. We know from experience that dates, times and venues can change at the last minute. We prepare for that so that we can fit in with any final alterations.

We make sure that our crowd of extras are fully briefed and know their job. Every extra we supply is experienced, trained and aware of all the client’s requirements. We always ask for a provisional storyboard so that we can tell the extras what they are likely to do, and when. They are prepared and can practice emotions, actions in advance.

We are reliable. Our extras always turn up on cue and are ready for work. We know that last minute changes can occur, but we always have a plan B ready to be brought into action. It may be that the pub is flooded out overnight and filming has to take place elsewhere, or there is a power cut causing a delay in filming. We can cope, and adjust as needed. Such reliability and responsiveness is why we are so popular with film companies.

Want to a hire a crowd?

Just give us a ring or email us. We will happily discuss all the arrangements and get you the perfect extras.