Casting calls

[Roman Alexander]

Anyone have suggestions on protocol and sites for posting casting calls? We will be looking to cast for student shorts and a SAG low budget modified feature, and would appreciate the benefit of your experience. All projects to be shot on 35mm film. Thank you.

[Gordon Highland]

Near lunch time is often a good time to hold them if you're doing speed auditions, as actors can often more easily break away from their day jobs then. Don't expect them to have any insight into your material; just use it to get a feel for their camera charisma or natural abilities.

 

One thing I've found is that "actors" often have difficulty playing a scene any different than they've already decided and rehearsed in their heads, and when you ask for an alternate approach, they still give you the same thing no matter what. These are people you do not want. Change their direction and see how they respond. And for god's sake, don't give them lame direction like "more energy" or "more intensity." They need specific goals. Another thing actors struggle with (especially stage vs. non) is the ability to project either less or more volume when needed without altering their performance.

[Emre Safak]

Too right! I immediately cross off the ones that are stuck in a line reading.

[Mark Allen]

If you're in Los Angeles, put your casting notice in Backstage West and you'll get thousands of responses.

 

Try getting the word out through managers especially for leads. These actors won't alwayss be searching backstage west as they have a manager.

 

You can post your sides on showfax - a service which will allow actors to have sides faxed to them. You can post them online as well. Put directions to the casting studio or office available by fax and online as well or you will spend a LOT of time on the phone giving directions.

 

After you have gone through all the submissions, call agents of the actors you want (or the actors themselves at times) and assign a time. "We'd like Joe Ator to come in on Tuesday at 12:30pm - will that work?" If it doesn't, they'll say so. But if you try to let them pick times, you'll never get anything done.

 

Schedule one actor every 5 minutes (assuming the material isn't long). Not every actor will show up allowing you time to catch up if anything gets slow.

 

Don't spend 10 minutes trying to coax a performance out of an actor. That's what the call back is for. First auditions are for seeing them in person and seeing their energy.

 

Do not on a first audition give a ton of sides - just enough. Be respectful of the actor's time in that they need to memorize all that stuff and good actors will work it as well. Never give actors 10 pages if you're only going to use 5. Try to keep it down to 2 if you can - even for leads. Add more for a callback. It works out better - they can perform it memorized the first time and when you decide it is narrowing down to them, you can give them more sides and it will be worth their time.

 

There are some thoughts.