Bostons the New Hollywood.

Okay I guys. I'm sure you've heard that madddddd movies are being made in Boston since the Massachusetts Film Coalition lifted the taxes and what not... I was walking to Back Bay station this weekend and Copley was SHUT DOWWWn cuz they were filming! My point is... this is a real good time to be an extra... There are a few ways of going about this... you can go to yourdigitalclass.com and find out how to get your self hooked up with casting directors.. and i mean u have to pay a one time fee but its worth it because they do all of the busy work for you and just call you with the where and when... or you can read the following article and get yourself put out there...

Richard DeAgazio, retired president of Boston Capital Securities, has worked as an extra over the years, as well as playing an Italian diplomat in "The Pink Panther 2" and a janitor for "Paul Blart: Mall Cop." His advice on navigating the casting system:

Check the Massachusetts Film Office's website (mafilm.org) for a list of the casting companies working around Boston, and get your profile into their databases.

Some casting offices offer classes. "Take one if you can. They know you and then can find the perfect opportunities for you," DeAgazio said.

An agent isn't necessary, but can be helpful.

Go to an open casting call. Meet people. "And don't be afraid to volunteer for a film or work on something really small," DeAgazio said. "You'll find that you'll learn a lot about how these things are made."

The going rate for extras is $112 for non-union and $130 for union members for an eight-hour shoot. First thing you learn: There are no eight-hour days. There is overtime, and extras are fed. (Hot meals for union; cold sandwiches for non-union.)

There can be "bumps" to the pay for such things as use of a car (could be $100 or more), supplying your own clothes (say formal wear for a wedding scene), bringing along your dog (if asked), smoking in a scene ($14), and working in bad weather. If the director misses a meal break there's a meal penalty, paid by the amount of minutes the break time is missed.

"Some non-union extras could make more than $250 a day on a shoot," said DeAgazio. "Do that math. If you worked the system, you could make $50,000 in a year."

CAROL BEGGY