full image - Repost: The Casting Process - How it Works (from Reddit.com, The Casting Process - How it Works)
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The full scope of the casting process involves many moving parts. The process does not just involve the audition. As an actor, the audition itself is the only step that you are directly involved in. There are steps before and after the audition that are just as important. It is important to understand how these steps and processes work, and how they affect you. Learning how the casting process works will enable you to put your best foot forward when it comes to your chances of getting booked. The producers hire a Casting Director (CD). The Casting Director’s job is to find Actors for the production and find the best candidates. The Casting Director will go through every role that needs to be cast and create breakdowns for the roles. Breakdowns are short descriptions of each role (age, qualities, appearance, etc). The Casting Director will send these breakdowns to agents. These are also sometimes posted publicly on sites such as actorsaccess.com. When it comes to big budget productions, these breakdowns go directly to agents instead of providing public opportunity to individuals that are not represented (most of the time). This is why it is important to eventually find an agent to represent you. Now that the agents have the breakdowns, they will then look at the roster of talent that they represent. Those that fit the criteria/breakdown will be submitted by the agent. The agent will submit the actors resume, demo reel, and headshot to the casting director. The actors are not involved in the process yet. The Casting Director will then review the submitted actors working/marketing material (headshot, resume, demo reel) to see who they would like to see audition. The Casting Director will not have enough time to audition every actor submitted for the role. Typically, hundreds to thousands of actors are submitted for each role. Keep in mind if there are 30 roles to fill – that is a lot of submissions across the board. For each role the Casting Director will usually pick 20-30 actors to audition. This is why it is crucial to have a very good headshot. It is important to stand out amongst the thousands of headshots in front of them. Having only one headshot for your agent to use is not enough. It is important to provide your agent with a lot of headshots that show different characteristics, personalities, and looks. The agent will choose the headshot that fits the roles character breakdown best. Once the Casting Director selects the actors that they would like to see audition, the agents will send the audition to the actors they represent that were selected. This is when you as the actor comes into the process. The agent will also provide the actor with the sides (small section of the script to perform). The actor will then have a short period of time to prepare for the audition. The time to prepare fluctuates, but typically 48 hours (about 2 days). Next is the audition or self-tape submission. The audition can be held live in person, or it can be structured to where the actors submit their self-tapes for the role. Self-tapes have become common practice in recent years. The Casting Director will then review the auditions. If the audition is held in person, it will be recorded in the audition room. In either scenario, the Casting Director will review all the auditions and/or self-tapes. Callbacks can be the next step in the process. The Callback is a second round of auditions for the select few chosen. If you get a callback, they are very interested in you. Sometimes, callbacks do not occur. In this scenario, the Casting Director chooses a select few for the role based on the initial audition. On the flip side, it is also possible to have multiple rounds of callbacks. It really depends on the production. The Casting Director will next recommend their top options to the producers (can be 3-5 actors per role). This is when they will make a final casting decision. The Casting Director themselves do not make the final casting decision. They can have influence, but the producers are typically the final decision makers. For television, it is usually the Producers, Show Maker, and Network that make the final decision. For movies, it is usually the Producers and the Director who make the final decision. Not the Casting Director. Once the final casting decision is made, the casting director will contact the agent of the actor they want for the role with an offer. The agent will then extend the offer to the actor. I hope this post clears up how the casting process works. If there are any questions or additional insight to add, please comment on this post!
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