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Local casting agent helps with A&E shoot
Terri Jo Neff
For the News-Sun
Mescal resident Dave Barr had a lot to be nervous about when he watched a recent episode of the History Channel series, Investigating History.
That's because Barr was the local casting agent for the show, and was himself cast as an extra.
The filming was done in February at Mescal Studios, with Emmy-award winner Bill Kurtis producing the piece.
The episode is called Wyatt Earp & the OK Corral, and dealt with Wyatt Earp's involvement in the infamous 1881 Tombstone gunfight.
Kurtis is a well-known journalist and narrator of many A&E and History Channel programs.
Barr's responsibility as local casting agent was to arrange for 20 old-west actors to audition for Kurtis' production team. All of Barr's actors were cast, but none knew who survived the editing process until the episode premiered nationally May 25.
'The hard part about being an extra is not knowing if you'll even show up on the screen," notes Barr, whose company Black Wolf Casting & Entertainment is available to help production companies filming in the area. "We were on the History Channel set 14 hours a day, for three days in row. But there was no guarantee of what scenes will be included in the final footage."
Several of the actors recommended by Barr did end up in the final footage. The same thing happened when Barr worked as a local casting agent for a commercial filmed by Entertainment Partners of Burbank, Calif.
A building at Mescal Studios was transformed into an old-time Ralphs Grocery store complete with fresh produce, wooden barrels, and sacks of flour.
Several of Barr's actors were hired as extras for the commercial. But the biggest surprise for Barr was that he got cast as a featured extra.
featured extra in a commercial is someone actively involved in the scene," explains Barr. "It can be a prominent speaking role or having a strong physical presence." In this case he was cast as a store clerk working for "Mr. Ralph" the founder of Ralphs Grocery.
A spokesman for Ralphs says that millions of Californians will see the commercial which starts airing soon. There is also interest in using Barr's character in future commercials and in-store promotions for Ralphs, a part of Kroger Inc., which also owns the Fry's supermarkets in Tucson.
"I enjoy the performing end as much as the production end," said Barr, who spent a lot of time on film sets as a child with his father, who was a stand-in for Lee Marvin. Barr has been involved in film production in various capacities over the years.
He became involved in casting a few years ago when a production crew needed help casting extras. In addition to film work, Barr sells movie memorabilia at a shop in Tucson.
There's a major benefit for a production team to use a local casting agent," explains Barr. "I only pass along actors who I know and who are reliable. It allows the producer and director to skip an all day cattle call, and have some confidence in the extras they cast."
Barr's Black Wolf Casting & Entertainment plans to be involved in future productions at Mescal Studios.
Right now, Barr is working as site caretaker at the Mescal set during the filming of the movie, Treasure of Seven Mummies.
VHS copies of the History Channel's recent Wyatt Earp episode are available online at HistoryChannel.com. Noted author and Tombstone-historian Ben T. Traywick is also featured in the show.
For the News-Sun
Mescal resident Dave Barr had a lot to be nervous about when he watched a recent episode of the History Channel series, Investigating History.
That's because Barr was the local casting agent for the show, and was himself cast as an extra.
The filming was done in February at Mescal Studios, with Emmy-award winner Bill Kurtis producing the piece.
The episode is called Wyatt Earp & the OK Corral, and dealt with Wyatt Earp's involvement in the infamous 1881 Tombstone gunfight.
Kurtis is a well-known journalist and narrator of many A&E and History Channel programs.
Barr's responsibility as local casting agent was to arrange for 20 old-west actors to audition for Kurtis' production team. All of Barr's actors were cast, but none knew who survived the editing process until the episode premiered nationally May 25.
'The hard part about being an extra is not knowing if you'll even show up on the screen," notes Barr, whose company Black Wolf Casting & Entertainment is available to help production companies filming in the area. "We were on the History Channel set 14 hours a day, for three days in row. But there was no guarantee of what scenes will be included in the final footage."
Several of the actors recommended by Barr did end up in the final footage. The same thing happened when Barr worked as a local casting agent for a commercial filmed by Entertainment Partners of Burbank, Calif.
A building at Mescal Studios was transformed into an old-time Ralphs Grocery store complete with fresh produce, wooden barrels, and sacks of flour.
Several of Barr's actors were hired as extras for the commercial. But the biggest surprise for Barr was that he got cast as a featured extra.
featured extra in a commercial is someone actively involved in the scene," explains Barr. "It can be a prominent speaking role or having a strong physical presence." In this case he was cast as a store clerk working for "Mr. Ralph" the founder of Ralphs Grocery.
A spokesman for Ralphs says that millions of Californians will see the commercial which starts airing soon. There is also interest in using Barr's character in future commercials and in-store promotions for Ralphs, a part of Kroger Inc., which also owns the Fry's supermarkets in Tucson.
"I enjoy the performing end as much as the production end," said Barr, who spent a lot of time on film sets as a child with his father, who was a stand-in for Lee Marvin. Barr has been involved in film production in various capacities over the years.
He became involved in casting a few years ago when a production crew needed help casting extras. In addition to film work, Barr sells movie memorabilia at a shop in Tucson.
There's a major benefit for a production team to use a local casting agent," explains Barr. "I only pass along actors who I know and who are reliable. It allows the producer and director to skip an all day cattle call, and have some confidence in the extras they cast."
Barr's Black Wolf Casting & Entertainment plans to be involved in future productions at Mescal Studios.
Right now, Barr is working as site caretaker at the Mescal set during the filming of the movie, Treasure of Seven Mummies.
VHS copies of the History Channel's recent Wyatt Earp episode are available online at HistoryChannel.com. Noted author and Tombstone-historian Ben T. Traywick is also featured in the show.
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