Tips for Talent: Think Like a Casting Director
Casting is a process I’ve written about previously and can often present challenges for talent who are unsure of how to approach different opportunities. To better understand the process and take action to improve your chances of landing the job you want, it’s important to think like a casting director.
A casting director takes great care in crafting a casting notice that will give you the information you need to know if you are right for this gig and/or available based on the specs given. It also tells you what the casting director needs. Your first job in securing the audition is to give the casting director what they ask for in the casting breakdown. If you do, it means you listen. If you don’t, it means you may cost $10,000 a minute on set — downtime from you not listening, that’s roughly what it costs.
Ask yourself, are you responding in the manner that was asked? For example, I had a gamer casting and wanted talent that had done some aspect of an actual game before. Whether that was a voiceover for a game, an influencer, etc., I request talent to respond with a link, screenshots and/or credits. People would respond that weren’t gamers. Well, consider me; I like games. But that wasn’t part of the criteria. And what it says is they’re not respecting my time. They’re not respecting the process.
When a talent is being hired, it is normal for someone from production to call someone who has worked with that talent before. People remember who has meltdowns or who is high maintenance — whose manager and agent played bad cop, good cop. Keep in mind, agents legally can negotiate; your deal managers can’t. I say to the manager, look, this is the deal. You don’t like it, go back to the agent. The agent can come back to me, but this is the deal.
I’ve cast people, potbellied pigs, three-legged dogs, a Pygmy tribe and niche talent. No matter the talent, production will want to know: how are they to work with?
Casting Director Pet Peeves
If a casting director didn’t ask you to send a headshot with nudity, please don’t send a headshot that has nudity. If a casting director asks, how are you? Tell them how you are. Don’t tell them what you’ve done. Tell them how you are.
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Don’t call the production company listed on the breakdown. Many people have done exactly that and it leads to production companies contacting casting to let them know so we do not hire them. If talent is not respecting the process, it means there likely will be issues on set. Remember it’s show business, right? Talent wants to be show, but it’s crucial to know the business side of things.
Voiceover Auditions
A tip for voiceover auditions: record yourself, then close your eyes and listen carefully. Is this the sound that makes people want to listen? If you are reading for more than one voice role, each of those voices should really be different and consistent. If you have an animation on and you have four different characters, they really shouldn’t be sharps and flats of anybody. That means they’ve used the same voice of the same actor to save time, but that person really only did it a smidge. They should be totally different. If at all possible, do not send a picture when sending a voice-over audition.
Extras and Background Talent
If you are an extra, be an actor. This means choosing who you are and why you’re there. They could just say you’re an extra walking down the street. Ask yourself, why are you walking down the street? Are you going to work? Are you going to go pick up your kid from school? Why do you live there or did you fly in to visit as a tourist? You should act in your role as an extra because it will show and could lead to being bumped up in the set. I’ve helped more than 60 people get their SAG card because of extras putting in the work to act — and because they fit the role needed when specific characteristics were needed or SAG talent didn’t show.
Script Readings
If a writer, producer or director asks you to read a role for a script reading, take the opportunity. It is a great way to share your talents, meet other industry people and potentially get the role — even if it is an online script reading. Usually, they do script readings to show how the words are sounding/flowing, and where the laughs end up.
A phone call can change your day, so make sure to pick up the phone. We don’t always leave messages. For example, I needed to cast the mom of a boy in a commercial now. I got on the phone and called people I worked with before that could pass as the mom in the order of professionalism, matching the type and who was closest to the location to arrive there safely and timely.
These are just a few of the many tips to help talent think like a casting director and build up opportunities for their career. Use them and find your way in the casting process to support your success.