A great basketball coach once said “…the key to being a good coach is having good players.”
While a broad generalization, that’s not a bad way for a director to think about, and approach, casting. Your film, and its story, will be primarily told by the performances of your actors. A great script, excellent cinematography, robust editing – all those things are vital to making a great film. But at the end of the day, the personnel who can make or break the success of a film – are the individuals that you choose to put in front of the camera.
Union vs. Non-Union
For students, there are definite benefits to using union (SAG) actors, but also some hurdles to traverse. Therefore, most students use non-union actors. But if you want to go the union route, there are some specific things students must do in a timely fashion.
Go to the SAG website and download the preliminary paperwork and fax it to them/SAG to start the waiver process. SAG will also require all students to pay approximately $470 in worker’s comp insurance. There is a three-week turnaround for approval of both the SAG paperwork and the worker’s comp insurance, so please plan accordingly.
Most Vanguard students use non-union actors to avoid the expense and hassle of working with SAG actors. But if you feel strongly about working with union actors, go for it! Just be mindful that you and/or your producer will need to be on top of your game and ready to handle the red tape and expense of casting union actors.
Where to Find Actors
In southern California, you can find actors just about anywhere. But if you want your film to be the best it can be, make the effort to cast individuals that can bring your characters alive! For Vanguard film students, one of the best and most convenient places to find young, trained actors is right on campus in the Department of Theatre Arts. To put a casting notice out seeking Vanguard theater students, please join the VU Actors and Filmmakers Facebook page to post a casting notice.
But to cast your net wider, and off campus, you can also post casting notices with:
- Backstage (check with your professor for a free student posting code)
- Now Casting (allows you to post your sides for free)
- Mandy.com (free)
- Actors Access/Breakdown Services (there is a fee)
- IMDb Pro (check with your professor for login information)
When posting a casting notice, be sure to list your project as either union or non-union and to write detailed character breakdowns for your characters.
How to Schedule a Casting Session/Audition
The first thing students need to do is to select one or two “sides” to use in your casting session/audition. What is a side? A side is a brief scene from your script that includes the characters which you are casting for. Choose scenes that contain emotion, conflict – and that will give you a sense of what the actor can do. You will later e-mail these to the actors whom you would like to invite to an audition. They will print them out, study them, use them to prepare, etc. So make sure you have chosen a couple of good sides!
Once you have chosen the actors that you would like to invite to an audition, you must next schedule a date and location to do so. Event Relations requires that campus spaces be reserved through 25Live. Your professors can do this at your request, so speak to the professor that has assigned your project. For portfolio projects, send your request to the professor you were assigned when your project was approved.
Parking: each of your actors will need a parking permit, which is easy to obtain by contacting Krystal Komatsu in the Communication office. Make copies of the permit and distribute as needed, or, if you plan ahead, you can email the permit for your actors to print at home. Also consider including a link to the campus map. If you are unable to get everyone a permit, they can now purchase a day pass for $2 at the kiosks in the Vanguard parking lots.
Next, call or e-mail actors to invite them to the audition. It is better to not have an open call style audition but, rather, assign each actor a time slot, usually in blocks of 15 or 30 minutes, each.
Have someone sign each actor in, to confirm their contact information and to sign any waivers or release forms.
How to Run a Casting Session/Audition
On the date of the audition, make sure there are signs directing actors to the audition room or area. The sign should have the name of the film, location of the audition and, if necessary, an arrow, pointing in the correct direction. And at the end of the audition, be sure and remove the signs!
In the audition, students should have someone present to “read” with the actors. For example, most sides will have two characters: the character the actor is auditioning for and another character he or she is conversing and interacting with. Having someone in the room playing opposite the actor is a great help. Try and find another actor to fill this role – as that adds to the flavor and diversity of the scene. You can use this other actor to help you experiment with the performance and reactions of the auditioning actor.
Many students find that utilizing a video camera and operator during the auditioning process is a valuable tool. Some like to later watch video of those that have auditioned. If you decide to go this route, make sure the camera operator is set up and ready to go before the first audition, and that he or she understands the entire process. Have each actor “slate” their audition before running a scene, by simply giving their name and the character they are auditioning for. Ensure that the camera operator is able to also get acceptable audio of the actor’s performance.