Another Question Answered- How to get into Casting

In the third part of my series of blogs were I answer a question you have sent in, I will address how to get into casting.

Casting is not a job you can go to school for- if you google Casting Schools or Casting Courses, you will find workshops for casting metal and courses for improving your ability to make casts for broken bones. 
Casting is a business that you have to start at the bottom and work your way up, and it's very competitive.
Many people start as interns at a casting directors office. To young professionals who are ambitious and eager to grow, this means long hours and no pay. When I interned at a commercial casting office almost every week I worked more than the two days I was scheduled for, and on busy days with last minute jobs I worked from 9am until the job was done. Sometimes that was 10pm. The office didn't even buy me lunch. Halfway through my second semester they hired me on my first job, and my career as a PAID casting professional began. 

How do you find internships?
The best online resources I have listed below-
www.entertainmentcareers.net
www.mandy.com
Writing to casting office you want to work with an offering to intern is also a good way to reach out.

How long does the commitment usually last?
A few months, or a college term. Many offices offer college credit for the internship.

I am an aspiring actor, will it help me get into the business?
Working at a casting office will give you a lot of valuable insight into the business. You experience the full spectrum of the audition process from how talent is selected and why, to the audition itself, to booking the project. Seeing other actors work, the good and the bad, will benefit an aspiring actor greatly. It differs from casting office to office, but you may also get the opportunity to audition for roles you are suitable for.
Be honest with the casting office. Some offices will not want an intern that is an actor because they want to groom someone that could be employed at the office at the end of the internship. Some casting offices feel uncomfortable taking on interns that are actors, and some offices prefer it. 

How do you choose what internships to apply for?
RESEARCH. There are offices that specialize in different areas of this business, from Film and TV to theater only, to commercial casting, to reality only. You get the idea. Once you start on one track and get experience in that area, it may be difficult to change: every area of casting works very differently.

You get the internship- what next?
The biggest mistake I have seen made in internships is the mindset "I'm not getting paid, it's not a job to me." If you hope to make casting your career, TAKE IT SERIOUSLY! Reputation is everything in this business. Be on time, dress professionally, act professionally, bring ideas to the project. You will have to work late, work extra hours, show extra interest.

A great resource for all things casting is the Casting Society of America. www.castingsociety.com
 

Showcase Season

In previous blogs I have discussed how to pick the right material and how to make a showcase experience as valuable as possible. I am currently mid-way through what is known in the business as 'showcase season'. This is the time of year when every conservatory, MFA, BFA acting and musical theater program bring their graduating classes to New York and invite industry professionals to attend their showcase of the new talent.

If you are currently looking into an acting school or program and trying to decide where to apply, looking at what showcase the school offers it's graduates is a very good place to start. Graduates from respected acting programs may not have any resume to speak of outside their school experience, but industry professionals like talent agents and casting directors will respect your training. If you don't get a showcase, you will graduate without the advantage of industry seeing your work.

If you are just graduating from a program and have a showcase coming up- congratulations!
*All industry will sign in at a showcase and receive a packet of information from the school about the students showcasing. Sometimes this includes headshot/resumes and sometimes it does not. All schools include a form to request additional information on students a casting director or agent  wants to call you in for an interview or audition. 

*Have Professional headshots done and organize your resume before the showcase. A great shot and a good resume will help you stand out, and sends the message "I am ready to work TODAY".

*Your email and your phone number should be ones that you will be using for a few years- as a casting director I may not call you until I think of something you would be good in. That could be a year down the line. 

*After a showcase there is often a reception where industry nibbles on some cheese/crackers and beverages. This is meant to help the students and the audience mingle post show. This is not my favorite part. Mostly I want to have a quick bite and go, because I'm not looking to sign anyone. Agents, however, probably want to chat to you, get a handle on your personality- see if you are a fit for their office. Go in with a few conversation ideas, and an exit strategy. Not everyone will want to talk to you. Agents and managers can be strange folk! I get it, it can feel strange to network in a room full of people that just saw you perform- but welcome to your new profession. This is something you have to get used to.

*If you have ever read my blog before I have emphasized that you should ALWAYS follow up with a thank you note. Email is fine, but I personally think a note is better. For Showcase season the most successful thank-yous are the ones that include what school you are from and what scene or song you performed. I see a lot of showcases and a little memory jog goes a long way!

*Do not be offended if you don't hear anything straight away. There are a lot of showcases happening right now. You may not get a phone call from an agent for a while- follow up with agents and managers that attended that you would like to work with. (again, if you have read my blog before I advocate RESEARCH!)

A Simple Guide to where to find Casting notices and how to use them to your advantage!

In the second part of this series, I am addressing another question from the many I received from actors that read my blog or follow my casting Facebook page.

There are so many casting websites. Which do you feel are the most beneficial for an actor to sign up for? There are some like Casting Networks and Cast It Talent that suggest greater exposure to industry.

The simple answer is- it depends on what types of projects.

I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be on all of these sites, if there is a fee, and you a working actor, these sites should be tax deductible. (check with a tax professional to ensure you qualify) 

To fully utilize these sites have full, updated resumes on each of these databases. Often when casting something with a niche skill I will use my advanced search tool and look up actors that list that skill. For example, for a commercial with cheerleaders, I would love up my advanced search option for cheerleading, dancers and/or gymnasts. If you have a reel on your resume, I am likely to look it up to see your work if I am unfamiliar with your resume credits. For casting the musical “Hairspray” I will search for girls age range 18-25, height 5 foot to 5 foot 4, weight 160 lbs+ and look for the musical actors in the bunch. You get the idea- updated, accurate information is important!

I recommend the following websites and have highlighted how I have used them, and how I see the industry using these sites.

Backstage (online and paper): The biggest nationwide site for castings. Theater both union and non-union, independent TV and Film (both union and non-union), cruises, music videos, extras.

Actors Access: a little bit of everything.  It’s the sister website to Breakdown Services, which all casting directors and agents use to release projects to talent agents and managers. Commercial, print, extras, theater, television, web series, new media, music videos. Union and non-union projects.

Casting Networks: mostly commercial, print, music videos and extras castings. Testimonial commercials (i.e. reality style projects) Union and non-union.

Mandy.com: Independent projects of all mediums. Great resource for production team.

nycastings.com: Commercial/print projects, independent film, web, music videos. non-union more likely than union.

Cast It Talent:  A lot of TV and film projects use this medium. Almost exclusively union projects.

Playbill.com: Theater projects both union and non-union, internships and production teams for theater.

How a Theater Actor can adjust for Camera.

Last week I offered to answer some of your questions regarding the audition process. I got some really great questions- so thank you in advance for your input! Here is the first question in this series answered.


What would theater majors do best to avoid/adjust while working on camera? 

In the audition room you can definitely see the difference between an actor who is more comfortable with theater acting and an actor that is more familiar with screen acting. 

Here are a few simple adjustments and pointers for theater actors for auditioning on camera.

1) Know when to be big and when to be small. 
Theater is bigger in nature than camera work. Good acting is naturalistic and connected to your body, and that manifests differently on stage and on camera. On stage you have to be seen and heard, you are aiming to make the experience as compelling for the audience member in the furthest seat as it is in the front row. On camera every detail is going to be caught by the lens- act for an audience of one.

2) Eye contact is different.
 This is a little basic- but I want to cover it anyway. The rules are different on camera to theater. You should never “Spike” the camera (which is look directly into the lens of the camera), unless directed to do so (which is rarely).When delivering lines to another person, you should not look in both of the other actors eyes, just focus on one. If you try to look in both eyes, it will read on camera as though you have shifty eyes.

3) Listen to Meryl Streep. 
One of my favorite Meryl Streep quotes- “Do your best work on other peoples takes”.
What does she mean by that? Just because the camera is not on you, does not mean you don’t have to be as focused on the work as you would be on "your take". You should approach off-camera work with a sense of generosity for your other actors, give them something to really work off. Hopefully they will do the same for you.

4) The camera catches everything. 
 Play things subtly. Reacting and listening is a very important part of on camera work- the camera can “read thoughts”.   A lot of work in film and television is reactionary without dialogue. Be aware of your noise levels- Sound booms can pick up fidgeting with props, like cutlery during restaurant scenes, rustling papers etc.

5) Continuity. 
Make the editors job easier.Try to remember your movements and what props you use and how you use them. Take after Take you just be trying to do the same thing.