AUDITIONS - HOW DO THEY COME ABOUT?



The audition. The opportunity that all actors seek. That chance to stand in front of a casting director and demonstrate talent. To present why he should be the one to land that part. In a business filled with thousands of hopeful actors all wanting a shot at those auditions, how is it that a casting director makes their choices as to who will be seen? It begins with the actor’s agent and/or manager. That is one of their jobs: to pitch or sell their clients to casting directors. To convince casting that the talent they want to send over is someone who will do a good job. But how do talent agents and managers find out about these jobs in the first place? Is it a ‘who you know’ sort of thing? Are the auditions posted on the internet? Is it by word of mouth? Well, there is some truth in all the above. In some cases, casting directors may want to work with only a select few agents of managers and will simply pick up the phone and tell them what they are looking for. This may result in immediate auditions or it may only be an invitation for the agent or manager to submit appropriate photos for casting to consider. But for the majority of movie, television and commercial projects going on, there are casting services which provide this information to the show business community.

Internet Casting

The industry currently utilizes three internet casting sites. Each site is dedicated to a particular part of the casting process. They are full service sites. Each actor is given a user name and password for his account. Once on board, an actor can utilize the many tools which are offered. This includes a complete actor’s profile, acting and personality video reels, up and down loading of photos, updating resumes, access to scripts and many other features. Each site has their own procedures for use, cost of joining, etc. Please take a look at their web sites for more information. Your agent and/or manager can help you with any questions.

BREAKDOWN SERVICES - breakdownexpress.com - although some commercial and print projects are offered, this site is primarily used for the casting of feature films, television shows, internet films, series documentaries, independent and short films.

LA CASTING - lacasting.com - this site is for the casting of commercials and/or print jobs.

CASTING FRONTIER - castingfrontier.com - mostly commercials and/or print jobs.

Casting directors use these sites by posting descriptions of the jobs they are working on and the type of talent needed to fill the roles. Talent representatives access these sites throughout the day and submit their clients photos and resumes from their own data base within each site.

The industry standard for photos is color. Most actors have several color photos posted on each casting site showing a variety of 'looks' - hairstyles, wardrobe changes, etc. Having multiple photos posted allows the talent representative more choices in deciding which photo is exactly right for each submission. This can be helpful when you think that on an average commercial job, the casting director may receive several thousand pictures to consider. Having a photo which is more specifically in tune with what the casting director is looking for helps the actor’s chances of being chosen to come in for an audition. Of course, photos are not the only things a casting director considers. But it is the most important place to begin. Also, posting photos showing an actor’s specific sports skills or other talents could come in handy. Say for example, a casting director is looking for 14 to 16 year old males, all ethnicity's, who are good basketball players. Now, rather than just having a nice smiling head shot, the actor could have a photo of himself wearing a basketball uniform while twirling a basketball on his fingertips. A photo like that may give the actor just a little edge over someone else to get called in for an audition. Obviously, the actor cannot post dozens of photos showing every little trick and sport that he can perform, so it’s important to just pick one or two skills the actors feels he is particularly good at. Discuss photo options with your representative. They will guide you as to the best kind of photos to post.

If the actor's agent or manager believes they have the appropriate talent for a project, they will 'select' that actor's photo from their data base to be seen by the casting director. Attached to the photo is information about the actor, including resume, special skills, languages, training and access to the actor's other photos. Casting is often very specific about only submitting those with strong credits, or those who have carried lead roles, or have performed numerous times in front of live audiences. The casting notice may state, “submit only your very, very best”, or, “submit those with strong stage credits”.

These are the guide lines your talent representatives use in deciding who to submit. They do of course, ‘stretch’ these requirements at times, submitting people who may not fit the breakdown exactly, but with other factors considered could be a good candidate for the job.

Your agent or manager will then submit a photo and resume via the internet. Sometimes the casting director will also request, or even prefer, a ‘hard copy’ of the actor’s photo and resume. Those who do will state so in the casting notice and this is usually delivered via a messenger service.

After receiving the thousands of submission that pour in, the casting director and their assistants will then decide who they wish to bring in for a reading. Sometimes a follow up call, or ‘pitch’, from the agent or manager is done to further promote their clients to casting.

If the actor is represented by a good, well respected agent and/or manager, the odds are sometimes better that he or she will be given more opportunities for auditions. Casting directors do not like to waste a lot of time. They prefer to work with people who have consistently sent them good talent over the years.

Gaining an understanding of how the audition selection process works should help clarify why it is important for the actor to take an active part in their own careers. Build those resumes, get that experience, get some training, do student films.....do those things suggested. If the actor wants to audition for national commercials and good roles in movies and television, he has to give his agent or manager something to help convince casting directors that he is talented enough to be seen.

Agents and managers are usually very truthful about how talented their clients are. They should know their client’s strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else. Trying to squeeze someone in who is not ready for a particular audition can be harmful. The young actor especially may have a terrible experience and the casting director may not trust that agent or manager’s judgment in the future. Or they may be very reluctant to see that actor for future roles.

Most audition notices are received by the talent representative and then sent to the actor via e-mail; or a notice may be sent in a text message to your cell phone informing you to check your e-mail account. How you receive these notices is determined by you once you set up an account with the three casting sites. Included in the casting notice is the name of the project, the role the actor is reading for, time of audition, wardrobe suggested, location and if there are any lines or script for the actor to learn ahead of time. It is the actor’s job to let their agent or manager know that they have received the notice and will be at the audition. This should be done as soon as possible. The agent may also call their client to be sure they have received the casting notice.

In most cases the agent or manager will receive the notice a day ahead of time. This will give you time to prepare your schedule and decide on wardrobe and to study lines. But this is not always the case, especially when things are very busy. It is normal to receive a call around 11 A.M. for an audition later that same day. Always be prepared. Don't leave things to chance or guesswork. Auditioning is what all the preparation has been leading up to.

The majority of auditions take place Monday through Friday. Weekend auditions do happen, but not frequently. For kids and teens, the auditions are scheduled for after school hours.


KEEPING FOCUSED AT AN AUDITION


There can be many distractions when at an audition. From a noisy waiting rooms to angry casting directors. But this is where the actor has to come through. This is what all of the work is for.

One problem that many actors of all ages make during an audition is blindly following the lead or tone set by the casting director. Here’s an example:

Let’s say the audition scene calls for strong emotion and a lot of physical animation. But once the reading begins, the casting director reads his or her lines in a flat monotone manner, does not challenge the actor and does not offer any sense of urgency or timeliness to the reading. A smart actor will pick up on this right away and will carry on with full emotions and action blazing away. In other words, the smart actor is not influenced by the lack of involvement on the casting directors part. It’s an easy trap to fall into, especially for the younger actor and especially if not experienced. But a trap that has to be avoided.

The actor’s job is to leave the best impression he or she can. It is out of the actor’s hands after that. Make them think twice about giving that role to someone else or at least keep you in mind for other roles or other projects. The point is, if an actor runs into the ‘uninvolved’ casting director, then it falls completely on the shoulders of the actor to STAY IN CHARACTER, CONTINUE THE SCENE AS IF YOU ARE STANDING ON A SOUND STAGE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS AND READING WITH JACK NICHOLSON....or Bugs Bunny or Godzilla. Someone really important.

Another example. The actor is required often to read lines with another actor who is auditioning for another part in the film or commercial. As it sometimes turns out, the other actor may have little talent - bad improvisation skills, unfocused, poor reading, etc. Once again, do not be thrown off when confronted with this situation. Stay in character, keep moving forward, remain focused. Your audition will only be affected if you allow yourself to be thrown off.

There are some acting classes where this is practiced. The acting coach will often use a monotone voice or appear to be confused when working individually with the actor. It is good practice and something you might want to try at home. The message here is simple: do not be thrown off by other activities going on in the audition room - telephones ringing, people talking in the back of the room, radios playing, someone stepping into the room unannounced or the uninvolved casting director.

The actor’s time in the audition room belongs to the actor. Make the best of it. Take the time and use it wisely.


CATTLE CALLS

 Cattle calls are mostly a thing of the past and not something to worry about. That's not to say you won't attend some auditions which are quite crowded. And you will have the occasional long wait. But strict union rules on the amount of time an actor can spend at a commercial audition without being paid limits how many people may be called at once.

An "open call" is what it says: open to the public. Attending one of these auditions is a real shot in the dark. Hundreds and sometimes thousands of would-be actors for miles around can, and do, show up. Open calls are sometimes used as a promotional gimmick to bring attention to a project. In most cases, they are a waste of time and not seriously considered by agents.