Hiring the perfect actors for your film is a lot easier said than done. The casting procedure can be quite problematic but the 3 tips that we’ve outlined below will absolutely help you get better outcomes in the casting room.
All of these instructions are focused on the creative facets of casting, and their purpose is to aid you in getting the right talent involved in your project – not necessarily to offer a how-to guide for a casting call.
If you’ve never held a casting call, you’ll probably want to do some studying before approaching the phases of the process that we’ll describe next. It’s vital that you know how to get actors into the room and how to run a casting call on a basic level. Once you’re able to secure the logistical side of it, you’ll be ready for the fun (but puzzling) creative part.
Let’s look at the tips:
Direct As Much As You Can
If an actor doesn’t get it right on the first take of their audition, don’t just throw them out of the room. More often than not, the actor in front of you is much more talented than they may seem, but just don’t ‘get the scene’. Give some direction and don’t be afraid to do 2 or 3 takes if you need to. This advice is also true for actors that are getting it right off the start. Give direction and feedback to see how they react to it. This will help you measure how versatile they are.
Say No to Cattle Calls
The fact is, the more folks you bring in to audition, the less time you can spend with them. Why not pre-screen your talent by really going through their portfolio and headshots in advance, so that you can just bring in the individuals that you instinctually feel could be a good fit? This will mean more time with the right individuals and a casting session that isn’t messy and confusing.
Callbacks Are Crucial
Never guess that you will find your talent on day one – even if you’re only casting a single person. Countless directors are overly enthusiastic before a casting session and make the slipup of not doing callbacks.
If there is one thing you unequivocally have to do during the casting procedure – it’s callbacks.
This may appear to be common sense, but it is really imperative to remind yourself of this throughout the process and it’s easy to forget where the bar is set once folks start coming through the door. This is your film, and the cast is going to define your film more than any other component in the creative process.
Make sure you hold your actors to high ethics and strive to find talent that will make your dream come to life.
