Casting Your Student Film Projects

Here’s some notes I put together from years of experience, different web sites and blogs on casting calls and auditions

The first rule of casting your student project is:  FRIENDS, FELLOW STUDENTS, ROMANTIC TIES AND FAMILY are not really your best choice, so they are not always reliable or talented to do the job.  Get people who are invested; who want to be and are studying to be actors. They are learning their craft, they will take it seriously, and they will show up and do what you say.

Non-actors get in fights with you, decide to sleep in, and forget they were supposed to show up.

 Be up front about your situation - let your actors know you can’t pay, but they can get experience working on a film set, Promise them credit and a copy of your project, and you will keep them in mind when you do get paying gigs. Trade favors - maybe you can work on a little project for them for free. There are people out there who want to build a resume of work, and there are others who understand what it’s like to start out and are willing to  “pay it forward”.

Be organized, professional, polite and friendly.  No one will be willing to do your projects if you don’t acting a responsible and organized manner.   Prove you are serious: answer emails promptly, be on time, and keep your word.

DETERMINE WHAT ROLES YOU WANT TO CAST: The first step of casting is your film is to decide what roles you need to fill. Focus on the lead roles (larger parts) first, deciding which factors are important for each character.

1. Questions to consider for each part: Age? Gender? Height? Ethnicity? Any unusual personality traits? Do they need any special skills such as ability to sing or play an instrument?

2. You do not need a breakdown for every character. Many smaller roles can be cast from people that you auditioned but didn’t end up casting as the lead.

CREATE A CHARACTER BREAKDOWN: For each character, create a breakdown that lets an actor know what you are seeking. More descriptive adjectives help to paint a picture for actors to let them know if they are right for the role. A good description can also give them more information to prep for the audition:

SUBMIT YOUR BREAKDOWN ONLINE: TIP: Create a free email account such as nameofyourfilm@gmail.com where actors can send their resumes and headshots. Emails can get bulky and you want to avoid spam in your inbox!

There are several places to post our breakdown for free. Consider posting on

1. Facebook, (e.g. www.facebook.com /accrtf  - the rtf page and http://www.facebook.com/accrtf - the student and alumni group page)
2. Contact local college Drama dept websites (e.g. ACC Drama Dept www.austincc.edu/drama) or call their departments and ask about posting casting calls with them.
3. You can post casting calls on our department bulletin boards  (get permission first).  
4. Also post on Craigslist: http://austin.craigslist.org/gigs/talent read their help area and terms of use
5. Local casting sites.

1.  Austin Actors: Austin Actors.net
2. Austin Film Meet: (lots of sites for casting and actors, talent agencies and acting schools): www.austinfilmmeet.com/.../austin-acting-and-casting-resourc.
3.  The Network Austin Mixer: networkaustinmixer.com/ 
4. Google, Google, Google,
5.  Ask fellow students who have done productions.

 Go to the sites; see what their procedures are on sending casting notices, (some of them have their own forms).  If you don’t find that info, then email their contact person them and introduce who you are, what your project is, and your needs and ask if they post casting calls, or if they have any suggestions on how to get talent for your project.  

2. When posting, have a sentence or two about your film ready to go, I including the genre. If you there are any nudity in the project, you MUST post this in the write up. Also, some sites will require you to indicate if the project is Union/Non-union and Fully Paid/Lo /No-Pay.

3. Give an email address you want the actors to reply to. Then be sure to respond to those emails in a professional manner.

4. Decide if you want an OPEN casting call - anyone can come, or if you want to   make specific appointments CLOSED casting call and once people starting responding to your postings

EXAMPLE:   OPEN CASTING CALL: Shooting a very short (2 minute) HD video Student Project at a local college.  Shoot will only take up 2 hours (plus rehearsal time).   No pay; but will supply DVD with credits of finished project.  

Need the following roles:

“Micaela – FEMALE. 18-24. Any ethnicity. Sally is a slightly-overweight, pessimistic person with a gambling problem.”

“Robert – MALE. 35-40. White. Must be bilingual in Spanish/English. Sharp- tongue. Manipulative con man masquerading as a Spanish teacher.”

  Shoot date is  ______ from _____ - _____; but will need to schedule rehearsal times also.

If interested, please contact me at _______________ for audition info, sides and other details.

Keep in mind that it may be more difficult to find some types of actors who are willing to work for free. Special exact roles will be harder to fill (i.e. Russian 17 year old girl, 64 year old men) but you will receive a high volume of resumes for more common actor types including characters in the 18-24 ranges.

1. Determine which actors you want to audition.  Respond to emails and either give them an appointment time  

1. Closed Audition – invitation only Email or phone each actor and book them for a time slot of 10-15 minutes. You can book two actors at the same time to read against each other.
2. (Open Audition)   tell them the audition runs from ___ to ___ and they will be seen in order of when they check in.

 Either way, try to space out actors with breaks every 45 minutes in your schedule so you can discuss the auditions and collect your thoughts.

2. Book a room or space where you can cast the project (try to avoid using a living room, as this can make actors uncomfortable).

 3.

4. Be sure to email every scheduled actor a reminder with the time of their audition, the location of the audition, and anything extra they should bring (IDs are required for some buildings. If you are required to give a security guard an advance list of names, ask actors if their name is the same as that on their ID – many use stage names and may not be let in if the name you provide doesn’t match the name on the license).

5. Send sides if available. A side is an excerpt from a script that has lines you would like the actor to read at an audition. You do not need to send the whole script – unless it’s a very short one. Make sure to save this as a PDF so that it can open on any computer.

THE DAY OF THE AUDITION

1. Come early.  – At least ½ hour before you have scheduled your first actor. If you are allowed, post signs showing where to go in the building.

2. Establish your Territory Set up your waiting/ sign in area (Chairs, sign in table, pens, forms, digital camera for id shots and the audition area (chairs, table, camera. Water, coffee and snacks are nice, but not mandatory) Know where the bathrooms are.

1. If there is security in the building, make sure they have the most up-to-date list of actors that will be coming. Or at least let them know you are expecting visitors for auditions.  Make any parking arrangements you need for these guests.

3. Have Help.  It takes 3- 5 people to run an audition.  You should have at least one person greeting the actors at the check in area. Have a check in sheet, taking the names and order in which they arrived.  Have them fill out a Casting Information sheet.  

1. It can be helpful to have all auditioning actors fill out an info sheet that says NAME, CONTACT, CONFLICTS (if you already know your shooting dates), UNION/NON- UNION, HEIGHT, etc. In this way, you have a record of every actor even if they don’t bring a headshot, and a place to take notes on their performance. Also put out extra copies of the sides for actors to study and use in the audition in case they did not print them.

2. They put down their contact info and physical descriptions if you have to get specific wardrobe for you chosen actors.  Ask for a Head Shot and resume if they have one.  If they don’t have one, have them put down any experience they have. Have the actors put which role they are auditioning for.  Give them the sides to read and answer any general questions about the rehearsal times and shoot date (if you can)

4.  Who is who? Take a digital picture of each actor with them holding up an ID sheet  (name, date of audition, and roles they are auditioning for.), and assign them a casting number on your check in sheet. Later you can refer to this info when deciding whom to cast.

5. Treat each Actor with respect It’s good to have a “runner” escorting each person to the audition area and introducing them to the director/ casting person and handing over the info sheet they filled out along with their headshot or resume.

6. A camera operator is helpful – he/she can concentrate on shooting while the director runs the audition.  Don’t forget to slate each actor with his or her name, role and audition ID  #.  If the actor has lines to read to another character, maybe have a stand in person  (the “runner” can sot this) to read the lines with the actor. .

7. If you have time, let every actor read twice. Even if they are great he first time around, give the actor a direction to read differently to see how they respond to your feedback.
8. 5. DON’T HIRE AN ACTOR ON THE SPOT. Be sure to thank the auditioning actor son their way out. Be honest about when you hope to cast the film if they ask. However, you don’t know who will walk in next. AGAIN, NEVER HIRE AN ACTOR ON THE SPOT. Let the actors know when you will be sending your decision – and stick to that.

MAKING THE FINAL CASTING DECISION:

1.  Keep your choices open Consider every actor you saw. How was their performance? Are they good to work with? If you are casting characters that play family members or have a romantic relationship, you may want to consider a callback with your top choices to have different combinations of actors read against each other.

2.  Always have a backup actor. When you cast the project, keep your second and third favorite actors on file as backup incase an original actor cancels.

3.Contact everyone who showed up- even if they were not right for the part.  Tell them about any other casting opportunities you know about.

1. Though it is not required to send a thank you, even hearing a “no” can sometimes make an actor’s day, since many casting directors will never contact them again unless they booked the job.
3. And do keep good headshots/resumes on file – you may have a friend casting a project or an actor fall through and need to refer to these. Even if an actor isn’t right for the role you are casting, they may be perfect for the next one!!

4.How to say “No”: ”Thank you for auditioning for our film. We do not have a role to offer you presently but appreciate your time and will keep your headshot on file for future projects!”  If they are a second choice, ask them if they would be willing to be on  “hold” because they were so awesome and you’d like to keep them in mind.