Background Casting: What to Wear and Bring to Set

Your clothes help the scene look right, so start with the wardrobe note. Casting usually emails wardrobe guidelines the evening before, and the Open Call may have a note too. Pack to match what they say, then add a few items that keep you comfortable through a long day. A good bag makes a bigger difference than most people expect.

Read the wardrobe note

Some Open Calls include a wardrobe note, which may ask for a color, a style, or a time period. Follow the note as closely as you can, and read the email again when it arrives. If it is unclear, reach out to casting or check your booking details before the day. Guessing is risky because you cannot easily fix it once you are on set.

Bring options

Plan to bring about 3 looks, and sometimes 3 to 5. The wardrobe team picks your outfit from what you bring, so you will not want to hear "that will not work" with nothing else in your bag. A garment bag or a clean bag with hangers keeps clothes from wrinkling on the way.

Keep the clothes plain. Choose solid colors, with no busy patterns and no logos or brands. If you are not sure what the note means, avoid bright white as well, which can look harsh on camera. Iron or steam your clothes the day before so they look neat when you arrive.

Period looks

For a period piece, the production may provide the costume and fit you first. Casting sends instructions ahead of time, so read them. For a 1950s show, for example, expect no visible tattoos, no highlights, and no long acrylic nails.

Do not cut your hair or shave your beard before the shoot unless casting says to. The hair department may want to style it for the period.

Wardrobe fittings

Some productions fit you before the shoot day. Fittings can be 1 to 2 weeks before, the day before, or the morning of the shoot. A fitting before the day is paid, usually as a "quarter check," which is 2 hours of pay on a $150/12 rate. A fitting on the morning of the shoot day does not get extra pay. Casting tells you the details when you are booked.

At a fitting or at check-in, the wardrobe team may ask you to change, add a layer, or leave something out. Be polite and follow their direction, even if you liked your first outfit best. They know what the camera needs. Productions ask for exact sizes in advance so they can plan, so keep your sizes up to date in your Profile.

At wrap, return any wardrobe you were given before you check out.

What to leave at home

Leave valuables at home, such as expensive watches or jewelry. Holding often has a security guard, but people come and go, so do not bring anything you would hate to lose. Skip loud or large jewelry that the camera might catch. Do not wear shoes you have not worn all day before. A long day on your feet will find out new shoes quickly.

Weather and comfort items

Dress for the weather on outdoor scenes. Bring a jacket for cold and a rain jacket for rain. Holding is usually indoors or in a heated or cooled tent, but you may spend time outside when the scene is shot. Wear shoes you can stand in for hours. Some people bring a second pair of comfortable shoes to change into between takes. The guide to weather, night shoots, and long waits covers cold, heat, and overnight days in more detail.

A small kit of useful items

Pack a bag you can carry easily, and put these things in it:

• The clothes casting asked for
• A book or something quiet to do
• Your phone, headphones, and a charger or small battery pack
• A snack and a bottle of water
• Any medicine you need during the day
• A driver's license and Social Security card, or a passport, for check-in paperwork
• A small notebook and pen for your call time, address, and notes

Lunch is about 6 hours after the crew call. Background is often called earlier than the crew, so you may go 7 hours without eating. A snack covers the gap. The production's snack table is called craft services, and what it offers varies by show. If you have special food needs, bring your own.

Keep your list of details where you can reach it, so you do not need to dig for it.

For the call time and how check-in works, read the guide to call times and long days. For a view of the whole day, read the shoot day guide. Pack your bag the night before, then open the Open Call once more and read the wardrobe note again.