January 6, 2009 - Tue
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The ActorCast Blog
for actors and all things ActorCastWhat Happens When I’m Not There: Part Two–What Gets You There
The audition, and what happens after, can be nerve wracking (although maybe not as nerve wracking after you’ve read Part 1? Maybe?) But let’s back up a minute to something that can be ever MORE nerve wracking and that’s: How to get auditions in the first place.
If life were fair, every single person in the world would get as many auditions as they wanted. And I would be married to Ryan Gosling and have a disease where you lose weight by eating cheeseburgers. Seeing as how Ryan Gosling remains unmarried and I have to limit my cheeseburger intake, you probably have not gotten every single audition you’ve ever wanted.
What Happens When I’m Not There?: Part One
As an actor, there are some things you can control like which headshot you send out, what training you have behind you, and whether you ate a tuna fish sandwich before going in. Maybe that’s why the things you cannot control, like what happens after your audition, are the most maddening. As such, let me lay a little knowledge on you so maybe you can rest easier knowing the likely scenarios following your audition.
The first thing that happens is that you go into your audition and you rock it. [If you didn’t rock it and/or typically don’t rock it, skip ahead to the “I Don’t Think I Rocked It” section.]
I Rocked It
Contingent upon you rocking it, the casting director highlights your name, makes a few notes about how fly you are and gives your tape to his/her overworked assistant. That tape gets uploaded to Cast It where the director sees it. If the director likes it, he’ll either have you come back for a director’s session or he’ll have the producers see it. Lately, with so many features being filmed on location, directors will cast an entire movie off Cast It, or as we call it ‘Tape’. So once the producers see it and approve you, it will go to the studio casting department to approve if that step is necessary. On some projects, all you need is the director. On others, you need approval from absolutely everyone in Los Angeles. (Prop 109: To cast Andy Bauch as “Frightened Inmate #2″ ).
It is different for every production because the heirarchy is different but here are the general things that you need to know about the process:
1.) It is possible to be cast off of your first, and thus only, audition. As such, you should treat every audition as a director’s session because the director may very well see it.
2.) By the same token, if you were expecting to get called in for the director and you get called in for the casting director, you should absolutely still take the appointment. Not only because it is respectful to the casting director, but because the director might not be seeing anyone in person.
3.) There could be a lot of lag time between when you go in and when you hear anything. You can’t use the “call back” as a barometer anymore because that part may be cast off tape, eliminating the need for “call backs” all together. I once offered a woman a role 3 months after her audition. Unless your agent hears from the casting office that you aren’t in the running, don’t count yourself out.
Take from this the following: Do your best from the outset; realize the director is now much more accessible to you even if you can’t see them; don’t freak out if you don’t hear anything.
I Don’t Think I Rocked It
This is okay, provided you’re a good actor. Since the casting director has you on Cast It and tape, they may use that audition to get you a different role in the film or a role in a different film all together. There is always value in a casting director having tape of you. This is especially true with a website like Cast It where everyone’s auditions are easily accessible and able to be pulled up at any moment. If you come in and do a great job on a project, but you aren’t right for the role or you get beat out by someone else, that casting director might think of you randomly in a meeting with another director months later and they have your audition right there to show– you never know when the right part will come along.
But whether you rocked it or you stunk up the room, you can’t control what happens after you leave. So when you walk out of the room, relax your shoulders and go get a milkshake (for me).
To Parents of Mini-Acting-Geniuses
Not being a parent myself I’m going to have to take a wild stab in the dark and just assume that parents love their children. Have I lost anyone yet? Okay. Provided you have warm feelings toward your offspring, it follows that you’d want the best for them and in the context of this website that means a superior audition.
Taping your child is different than taping yourself and in a lot of ways, more stressful. So here are some things to keep in mind while submitting a tape of your so-talented-Dakota-Fanning-Should-Be-Scared child star in the making:
1. Be Careful Where You Post the Audition:
I’m not here to sell you on the glory that is Actorcast because you already know that. But I am here to tell you that posting video of your child on public sites like Youtube instead of a private site like this one isn’t a good idea. I cannot tell you how many times in the past few years, we’ve had to frantically call agents and managers telling them to take down auditions from Youtube. The sides you are using for your child to audition with are property of the production, if you go around posting them on public sites, you’re gonna ruin the movie for everyone. No one likes a movie-ruiner., specifically casting directors. Plus, once you post it to a public site, anyone can download it. Downloading from Youtube is easy. Trust me. I just did it. There. I just did it again. You really don’t want anyone controlling your kid’s audition but you. So stick to private sites. Also, people are mean on Youtube and they make snarky comments that have a lot of misspellings and z’s where s’s should be. and they write LOL when nothing is funny. Steer clear.
How to Self Tape Like a Self Taping Genius
I once watched a tape of a woman who, instead of performing the sides, decided to perform a monologue from Mommie Dearest. She did not get the part. Now, I’m sure you don’t make such cockamamie gaffes, but nonetheless here are some tips to make sure your taped audition isn’t cluttered by rookie mistakes:
Realize the advantages of self-taping and take advantage:
It would be great if you could meet the casting director; if they could see how charming and brilliant you are in person, how you light up a room with just a sly grin but c’est la vie. So let’s focus on the positive. You control your space; this audition is on your own terms. You’re not waiting in the lobby for an hour only to be called in and immediately asked to perform. You can start when you want, you can do the scene over and over until you feel happy with it and no one has to be the wiser. You have the opportunity to do it 43 times and choose the best one. When you send in your tape, make sure you’re sending in the best audition you have in you. More »
Our New Contributor
Please welcome Taylor Jenkins, our new contributor to the AC Blog!
Taylor Jenkins has worked in casting for the past three years both in pilots that didn’t get picked up and features that blew your mind including In The Valley of Elah, Iron Man and the upcoming W. Having been in charge of open calls and actor reels on many projects, she understands how confusing the audition process can be and she’s here to help. On a personal level, Taylor likes laughing and sleeping. She also loves Converse sneakers and Ryan Gosling. But I guess you didn’t really ask that.
Just A Few Casting Offices
Here is just a partial list of casting offices that are linked in to ActorCast via their Cast It Systems casting site. The offices here range from independent casting directors, to studio casting departments and production company casting hubs.
ABC Studios - Aikins Cossey Casting - AJ Casting - Allison Jones Casting - Alyssa Weisberg Casting - Amy Lippens Casting - Ann Goulder Casting - Anna Fishburn Casting - April Webster Casting - Aquila/Wood Casting - Artz & Ginsberg Casting - Atomic Casting - Aubes Productions - Automatic Sweat - Avy Kaufman Casting - Bacharach ONeill Casting - Bad Robot - Barylski - Wright Casting - Beach Katzman Casting - Beech Hill - Berman Braun - Beth Lipari Casting - Beth Sepko Casting - Betty Mae Casting - BGK Casting - Bialy Thomas Casting - Billik Wood Casting - Bluewater Ranch Entertainment Casting Artists - Bonnie Finnegan Casting - Boston Casting Inc. - Bowling Miscia Casting - Brock Cobb Casting - Buchan Knight Casting - Burrows/Boland Casting - Calleri Casting - Carla Hool Casting - Carmen Cuba Casting - Carmen Kotyk Casting - Carrie Hilton Casting - Carrow Brouse Casting - CBS / Paramount TV - Centropolis - CFB Casting - Christine King Casting - Chrystie Street Casting - Cindy Tolan - Claire Simon Casting - Clark & Page Casting - Colbert | Mento Casting - CP Casting - Crowley Poole Casting - D. Candis Paule Casting - Dava Waite Casting - Davis/Baddeley Casting - Debbie McWilliams Casting - Debra Zane Casting - Deedee Bradley Casting - Deirdre Bowen Casting - Deline Pictures - Denise Chamian Casting - di Bonaventura Pictures - Diane Heery Casting - Dickson/Arbusto Casting - Disney Features Casting - Donna Deseta Casting - Donna Rosenstein Casting - DreamWorks - Ellen Chenoweth Casting - Ellen Lewis Casting - Engine - Faith Martin Casting - FBC Casting - Felicia Fasano Casting - Fincannon Casting - Fiona Weir Casting - firefly casting - fmw casting - Focus Features - Fox 21 - Fox Movies - Fox Television - Francine Maisler Casting - Gail Stevens Casting - Gayle Keller Casting - Geoffrey Soffer Casting - GO Casting - Goddard Smythe Casting - Greenstein & Daniel Casting - Greg Apps Casting - Harriet Greenspan Casting - HBO Entertainment - HBO Films - Hopkins Smith Barden Casting - Imagine Entertainment - Imagine Television - Insight Film Casting - ITV Casting - Jackie Lind Casting - Jane Alderman Casting - Jeanne McCarthy Casting - Jeff Greenberg Casting - Jen Euston Casting - Jennifer McNamara Casting - Jenny Lewis / Sara Kay Casting - Jerry Bruckheimer Films - Jim Carnahan Casting - Jina Jay Casting - Joseph Middleton Casting - Judy Henderson Casting - Juel Bestrop and Seth Yanklewitz Casting - Julie Ashton Casting - Julie Tucker Casting - Junie Lowry-Johnson Casting - Kate Dowd Casting - Kathleen Chopin Casting - Kathryn Brink Casting - Kelly Wagner Casting - Kennedy/Marshall - Kim Coleman Casting - Kimberly Hope Casting - Koblin Harding Casting - Koczara/Shevchenko Casting - kroeger + rapaport casting - Lakeshore Entertainment - LaPadura Hart Casting - Laura Rosenthal Casting - LDI Casting - Liberman/Patton Casting - Linda Lowy Casting - Lisa Miller Katz Casting - Liz Marx Casting - Lucinda Syson Casting - Lynn Kressel Casting - Mackey/Sandrich - Marc Platt Productions - Marci Liroff Casting - Marcia Debonis Casting - Margie Simkin Casting - Marissa Richmond Casting - Maura Fay Casting - Mayrs Brandstatter - McCorkle Casting - Megan Branman Casting - Meghan Kelly Casting - MelCap Casting - Michelle Allen Casting - Mikey Halbrin Casting - Miramax Films Casting - Molly Lopata Casting - Mullinars Casting - Mutant Enemy - Nancy Bishop Casting - Nancy Nayor Battino Casting - NBC Network - NBC Universal Television Studio Casting - New Regency - Nikki Barrett Casting - Nina Gold Casting - Ocon Knight Casting - Pagano/Manwiller - Paramount Pictures Casting - Patrick Rush Casting - Phaedra Harris Casting - Pound Mooney Casting - Priscilla John Casting - Randi Hiller Casting - RDC Casting - Reg Poerscout-Edgerton Casting - Richard Futch Casting - Rick Millikan Casting - Risa Bramon Garcia Casting - Robin Lippins Casting - Roger Mussenden Casting - Romano Benner Casting - Ronna Kress Casting - Ross Silverberg Casting - Sarah Finn Company - SB Casting - Schiff - Audino Casting - Scott Free Productions - Scott Genkinger Casting - Section 8 - Shana Landsburg Casting - Shaner Testa Casting - Sheila Jaffe Casting - Showtime - Simone Baer Casting - Spyglass Entertainment - Stordahl & Terry Casting - Studio Time - Summit Entertainment - Susan Shopmaker Casting - Susan Vash Casting - Susie Farris Casting - Suzanne Smith Casting - Telsey + Company - Terri De’Ath Casting - Terri Taylor Casting - The Casting Company - The Donners Company - The I Group - The Sommers Company - Tina Gerussi Casting - TPR Casting - Tracy Kilpatrick Casting - Tracy Lilienfield Casting - Tyler Perry Studios - Ulrich Dawson Kritzer Casting - Universal Casting - Valko Miller Casting - Walden Media - Warner Bros. - Warner Brothers Television - Weber & Associates Casting - Wendy O’Brien Casting - Working Title Films - Wright Casting - Zane Pillsbury Casting
Tooth Fairy Open Call
A new 20th Century Fox feature film is conducting an open call on ActorCast! There are two roles available, Randy and Tess.
For more information on the roles please visit: http://www.toothfairycasting.com/
A Successful Beta Program Comes to an End
As of today, the beta program for ActorCast is closed. The promo code will not longer be valid. Thank you to everyone who participated. If you joined the beta program you will be asked to either join or cancel your membership when your beta promotion expires. Keep an eye out for an email notifying you that your membership is about to expire.
The Beta Continues
More roles are going up to ActorCast every day, but we are continuing the beta program to get as many actors using the system, and testing the system, as possible. By entering the promo “acbeta”, both basic and premium services are FREE to all members for at least 3 months. Please take advantage of this and join now before we close the program.
Youth in Revolt Update
Just a reminder, if you are interested in submitting yourself for the Sheeni role, you need to enter the promo code in the promo code field as follows: sheeni
The promo code field appears on the page where you select a membership plan. Entering that code allows you to sign up for a free membership to ActorCast for 3 months.
At the end of the 3 month trial, you will be sent an email detailing payment options for continuing your membership. Your credit card will NOT be charged if you do not respond to the email or do not sign up.
Thank you.
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