Hundreds of people of all ages, shapes and sizes came to Oamaru yesterday in a bid to be part of The Hobbit movie being filmed by Peter Jackson... to be one of about 200 extras needed for filming scenes in the Twizel-Lake Pukaki area during November and December.

The casting call was also for "towns people" - men and women aged 30 to 80 years with character faces and men with beards. All shapes, sizes and ethnicities were welcome. That brought out some real characters, especially men of all shapes, sizes and colours of beards, some unkempt through to others plaited and trimmed. Some women dressed in Victorian clothes to enhance their chances of being selected.

They were warned the work was intermittent and often last-minute, work days were "long, changeable" and "patience and flexibility" was essential.