The follow is a list of steps I've taken for each of the audition sessions I have held, which have all been successful and actors who have auditioned have commented on how smoothly it all went. Which is great, because that means they're more comfortable and will give a better audition performance.
These aren't necessarily in a 1,2,3 order, but, well, here they are:
1. Determine the role(s) you need to audition for (people who don't work for these roles can be easily cast in lesser roles)
2. Select small segments from the script (usually around a page or so) that best embody the overall presence of the role(s) you're trying to cast. These will be your 'sides'.. keep in mind that dialogue AND action is important, and you should have, if possible, another characters dialogue included on these that can be read with the auditioning actor.
A side note on this... if you have an actor friend who is available to help with the auditions it is beneficial to all to have him/her read with the actors auditioning, at the least you should have SOMEONE else read, so you, presumably the director, can pay full attention to the auditioning actor.
3. Find a location to hold your auditions. This will preferably be somewhere that has got a smaller sized room in which to hold the actual auditions, and a seperate 'staging area' for people to wait. Also, your home or apartment should be the absolute LAST choice, as it tends to send the wrong signal to actors, and may very well scare away the one who is perfect for your film.
I have had good luck with a small conference room at a local hotel. Is it free? no. $50 for the day... but, They provide me with a table in the hallway, and have no problem with actors milling around waiting for their audition to begin. (and there's always a free continental breakfast and unlimited free coffee and water too.. BONUS)
4. ANNOUNCE your audition. Where? EVERYWHERE YOU CAN. Get out as much word as you can about the audition to get it in front of the eyes of as many actors as you can. This will greatly increase the likelyhood of auditioning the 'right' actor.
Good places to post a casting call:
There is certain information that should be included in your casting calls, obviously you can do them however you feel will get the best response, but the following is required...
6. Follow up with submissions as promptly as possible, and work with the actors to try and pin down the best possible time slot for them to audition... Go with what works best for them, as it will only serve to get you their best audition performance.. within reason of course, don't let them talk you into a time that is outside your alotted schedule. I tend to go with a 'first come first served' angle on this, as submissions come in, I contact actors in order submissions are received and work on scheduling, of course if I get an answering machine or whatever, move on to the next after leaving a message.
7. After the auditions are scheduled, and all typed/written up on your snazzy organized little audition schedule (you DID make one of these right? Come on, it's basically just a spread sheet with all the time slots listed and actors names written next to the times.. contact info on these is extremely helpful too of course) anyway.. after you've scheduled all the auditions and have looked down your list to see all the gaps, and your sisters friends cousin has told you to stop complaining already about having to wait around for 4 hours on the second day of casting for the last actor to come to the audition... after all that, contact every single scheduled actor, I prefer via email, with all the info about their audition... time, place (including a nice link to a mapquest/yahoo map/etc map to the place, and a number to call if they get lost. Asking them to confirm their audition time is optional, but can be useful, likely though there will still be at least one who even after confirming flakes out on the audition (better now than half way through principle photography though!)
8. Enlist the help of some friendly PAs. The people you're looking for here are the type that can sit all day with basically nothing to do, and still smile and be nice to someone when they walk up and say, "Um... yeah, I have an audition that .. um.. was supposed to be an hour ago" or something like that. The key here is to get enough of these people that you can have one or two of them sitting in the outer area of your audition location the entire day. Whether that's one guy sitting there all day, or 24 taking half hour shifts (not a good idea) there should always be at least one!
9. Secure a video camera and tripod to use at the audition. You will want to video tape every audition, to review later. Have each actor look directly into the camera and say their name clearly (If they have any experience in acting on camera, you can just tell them to 'slate' and they will know what to do..)
Ok... so all the pre-audition stuff is basically done.. Auditions are tomorrow, now what?
By now, you should be armed with your audition location, your helpers, camera with tripod, multiple copies of the SIDES (You'll want probably about 5 copies each to leave on the table outside the room, and one in the room for the actor/producer/PA/whatever that's in there with you to read with the actors) A copy of the audition schedule for each person that will be there the whole day... and, optionally...
I generally bring a slightly reworded version, which includes info about the shoot days and such, of this form graciously supplied by Sonnyboo. Also, I have all my auditioning actors fill out release forms, the reasoning for this is two fold.. a) If I cast them, it's already done and on file, and b) It covers the footage shot during the audition, should I choose to use it for extra feature footage.
Finally, I print up some forms for myself to fill out, these are to help facilitate note-taking on the auditions. I have a sample here. Occasionally I will modify these to have a section the actors can fill in with all their contact info and measurements (useful when it comes to wardrobe).. if I take this route, I have these on the table with the release forms and 'actor info sheet' from Sonnyboo's site, and have the actors bring these in when they come in to read.
Hang a couple signs if possible on the front door, and such pointing the actors in the right way to where you've got your table set up in the staging area outside the audition room. You should ask each actor to arrive 10-15minutes early to give them time to fill out the paperwork and read through the sides. Also, I have often asked that they come with a monologue prepared, this gives you an idea of the contrast between material they know and have studied and stuff they're reading 'cold' (the sides you've provided).
Phew! Finally the last of them have gone, you've seen some great actors, and likely a few terrible ones, it's all on tape, go home and sleep, you've earned it! Take a day or so and then review the tapes.. try to resist making casting decisions until after you've watched the tapes. I find that often the actors whose performances I really liked in person aren't as strong on the tape as some of the others I was on the fence about. The reason you should wait a day or two before delving into these tapes is to, well recover from the long casting session for one thing, but mostly, let your head clear a bit so you can watch them all objectively (we hope) again.
Should you find yourself torn between a couple actors for a role, you can either just cast one of them, or hold a call back audition. Hopefully by now you've got another major player cast, and can convince them to come and read a scene that comprises their character and the character the actors are being called back for, this will help the decision making immensely, being able to see the chemistry between them.
Ok, this is a very long post, and I think I've covered the basics.. I'll post more if I missed something or anyone has any questions/comments/etc.. Hope this helps for those who were interested.
These aren't necessarily in a 1,2,3 order, but, well, here they are:
1. Determine the role(s) you need to audition for (people who don't work for these roles can be easily cast in lesser roles)
2. Select small segments from the script (usually around a page or so) that best embody the overall presence of the role(s) you're trying to cast. These will be your 'sides'.. keep in mind that dialogue AND action is important, and you should have, if possible, another characters dialogue included on these that can be read with the auditioning actor.
A side note on this... if you have an actor friend who is available to help with the auditions it is beneficial to all to have him/her read with the actors auditioning, at the least you should have SOMEONE else read, so you, presumably the director, can pay full attention to the auditioning actor.
3. Find a location to hold your auditions. This will preferably be somewhere that has got a smaller sized room in which to hold the actual auditions, and a seperate 'staging area' for people to wait. Also, your home or apartment should be the absolute LAST choice, as it tends to send the wrong signal to actors, and may very well scare away the one who is perfect for your film.
I have had good luck with a small conference room at a local hotel. Is it free? no. $50 for the day... but, They provide me with a table in the hallway, and have no problem with actors milling around waiting for their audition to begin. (and there's always a free continental breakfast and unlimited free coffee and water too.. BONUS)
4. ANNOUNCE your audition. Where? EVERYWHERE YOU CAN. Get out as much word as you can about the audition to get it in front of the eyes of as many actors as you can. This will greatly increase the likelyhood of auditioning the 'right' actor.
Good places to post a casting call:
- mandy.com
- craigslist.com
- indietalk.com
- Local newspapers
- Signs and fliers at local schools (acting, theater, and/or drama departments)
- Signs and fliers at local coffee shops
- etc
There is certain information that should be included in your casting calls, obviously you can do them however you feel will get the best response, but the following is required...
- Name of the film
- Short description of the film
- The date or dates auditions will be held
- Contact information (an email address is probably best, ideally one that is set up soley for this audition)
- Descriptions of the characters being cast, and pertenant info about what you'd like to see..
Example...
SHEENA - early-mid 20s, Amazon woman, prefer blonde hair but open to other possibilities
CHARLES - middle aged, college professor - And if there are other roles in the film that you will be casting from those auditions you liked, but aren't right for the specifically listed characters, something along these lines...
Also casting for 5 supporting roles, all ages, sexes, and looks encouraged. - Finally, include an END DATE.
All headshots and submissions must be received by x/x/xx.
6. Follow up with submissions as promptly as possible, and work with the actors to try and pin down the best possible time slot for them to audition... Go with what works best for them, as it will only serve to get you their best audition performance.. within reason of course, don't let them talk you into a time that is outside your alotted schedule. I tend to go with a 'first come first served' angle on this, as submissions come in, I contact actors in order submissions are received and work on scheduling, of course if I get an answering machine or whatever, move on to the next after leaving a message.
7. After the auditions are scheduled, and all typed/written up on your snazzy organized little audition schedule (you DID make one of these right? Come on, it's basically just a spread sheet with all the time slots listed and actors names written next to the times.. contact info on these is extremely helpful too of course) anyway.. after you've scheduled all the auditions and have looked down your list to see all the gaps, and your sisters friends cousin has told you to stop complaining already about having to wait around for 4 hours on the second day of casting for the last actor to come to the audition... after all that, contact every single scheduled actor, I prefer via email, with all the info about their audition... time, place (including a nice link to a mapquest/yahoo map/etc map to the place, and a number to call if they get lost. Asking them to confirm their audition time is optional, but can be useful, likely though there will still be at least one who even after confirming flakes out on the audition (better now than half way through principle photography though!)
8. Enlist the help of some friendly PAs. The people you're looking for here are the type that can sit all day with basically nothing to do, and still smile and be nice to someone when they walk up and say, "Um... yeah, I have an audition that .. um.. was supposed to be an hour ago" or something like that. The key here is to get enough of these people that you can have one or two of them sitting in the outer area of your audition location the entire day. Whether that's one guy sitting there all day, or 24 taking half hour shifts (not a good idea) there should always be at least one!
9. Secure a video camera and tripod to use at the audition. You will want to video tape every audition, to review later. Have each actor look directly into the camera and say their name clearly (If they have any experience in acting on camera, you can just tell them to 'slate' and they will know what to do..)
Ok... so all the pre-audition stuff is basically done.. Auditions are tomorrow, now what?
By now, you should be armed with your audition location, your helpers, camera with tripod, multiple copies of the SIDES (You'll want probably about 5 copies each to leave on the table outside the room, and one in the room for the actor/producer/PA/whatever that's in there with you to read with the actors) A copy of the audition schedule for each person that will be there the whole day... and, optionally...
I generally bring a slightly reworded version, which includes info about the shoot days and such, of this form graciously supplied by Sonnyboo. Also, I have all my auditioning actors fill out release forms, the reasoning for this is two fold.. a) If I cast them, it's already done and on file, and b) It covers the footage shot during the audition, should I choose to use it for extra feature footage.
Finally, I print up some forms for myself to fill out, these are to help facilitate note-taking on the auditions. I have a sample here. Occasionally I will modify these to have a section the actors can fill in with all their contact info and measurements (useful when it comes to wardrobe).. if I take this route, I have these on the table with the release forms and 'actor info sheet' from Sonnyboo's site, and have the actors bring these in when they come in to read.
Hang a couple signs if possible on the front door, and such pointing the actors in the right way to where you've got your table set up in the staging area outside the audition room. You should ask each actor to arrive 10-15minutes early to give them time to fill out the paperwork and read through the sides. Also, I have often asked that they come with a monologue prepared, this gives you an idea of the contrast between material they know and have studied and stuff they're reading 'cold' (the sides you've provided).
Phew! Finally the last of them have gone, you've seen some great actors, and likely a few terrible ones, it's all on tape, go home and sleep, you've earned it! Take a day or so and then review the tapes.. try to resist making casting decisions until after you've watched the tapes. I find that often the actors whose performances I really liked in person aren't as strong on the tape as some of the others I was on the fence about. The reason you should wait a day or two before delving into these tapes is to, well recover from the long casting session for one thing, but mostly, let your head clear a bit so you can watch them all objectively (we hope) again.
Should you find yourself torn between a couple actors for a role, you can either just cast one of them, or hold a call back audition. Hopefully by now you've got another major player cast, and can convince them to come and read a scene that comprises their character and the character the actors are being called back for, this will help the decision making immensely, being able to see the chemistry between them.
Ok, this is a very long post, and I think I've covered the basics.. I'll post more if I missed something or anyone has any questions/comments/etc.. Hope this helps for those who were interested.
WOW, very nicely done WV! Thank you.
I usually don’t hold open auditions, but when I do, I would make sure everyone is happy 