Dear Actor,
Video auditions can be your friend... really they can.... Use them well and put yourself in a position to succeed.
Sincerely,
The other side
I recently went through another round of castings....here are some insights. Some of the insights may repeat, but it they are points that are repeated. Enjoy, hope they help.
-As an actor, if you are
interested in multiple roles, unless production states"don't double
submit", please submit to each character you'd be interested in possibly
being. It may cause us to have double submissions, but sometimes, we
eliminate people from one role and forget about them, even if we are on
the lookout for other roles.... if you are there again in a different
character, we may delete you or I may go, oh yeah, we forgot to switch you
over.
-If you aren't available or don't like the terms in
the breakdown, and aren't up front about it and it comes out 2 or 3 rounds later, then why the heck are you submitting? If you submit and
make a note that you don't do deferred and are just reaching out if
there is a possibility for alternatives... it wastes your time and
production's time if later on you say you don't do this term or that
when it is clearly up front and don't make an initial reach. Maybe, you can ask, but frankly sometimes it
just pisses us off if you aren't direct up front. Will they
offer you something later? If
you don't work for deferred contracts EVER, that is fine, but why did you
submit to it if the breakdown says it is a deferred situation?
-Your reputation does NOT precede you.
Unless you are a really well known actor, we may not know you."Lead with
speed, follow with power." List your accomplishments or what you are
known for, even if you have no credits, tell us something, what you are
good at, if you have a social media following... anything reasonable or
related to the casting that makes you distinct or right for the role.
-If
you have a video audition, at least make an attempt to say your lines
before making stuff up. read the context of the scene and don't just
fumble through the audition at a breakfast table while having breakfast
when the scene takes place somewhere else and the characters aren't
eating breakfast. (an actor actually did this)
-Don't
make commentary about the material you are auditioning on in your
audition tape. If you want to leave us a text note, that actually may
separate you, but if you hate or love the material or if you have a
comment about a character, a line or a situation in the script.....
don't say your commentary in the middle of your audition video (the same actor who did this, was eating breakfast while he was auditioning... the role did not require eating while delivering lines)
-THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES....Dear agent and manager,
please make a note of that for your career and for your clients.
everyone has a brain-fart occasionally, but that is just "side reading
audition 101", common practice.Your
character's full name will not be always used. Last names are common on
sides. you read the sides under the last name. example Vincent
Veloso.... you'd read the sides under VELOSO.
-You have to not take it
personally if you are not selected, don't get a callback or aren't cast.
You are picked out of several hundred submissions, for one role in
particular it was close to 850. You may not have gotten the part this time, but you could be in mind for the next one or have to come in to replace an actor.
-If you are friends with
the casting director or know them, being courteous is nice, expecting or demanding a
favor from us is not nice. I have to be objective as possible and see
who fits the role and the character and think about the production values with my team.
-You
may not get the role for many reasons..... because: the timbre of your
voice (to high, to low for the character, too similar to a lead
character) , your look (may not be what the director wants, you may be
too similar in appearance to the lead or to another character already
cast) the way you deliver the lines or characterization doesn't match
the vision of the producer, director, writer.
-Never take it
personally. Other actors may be more well known, qualified and bring something to
the table like a social media following or access to a
location/equipment or specialized knowledge, Never take it personally.
-I
personally dislike fishing around in your reel to ACTUALLY SEE YOU TALK. Edit it
down to you talking and I see you talking NOW. GET TO THE POINT
-If
you need to show another actor for a setup or a payoff dialogue, fine,
but it's good if they aren't too similar looking to you, because by
submission 300 I might get confused after clicking and have to remind
myself who I am supposed to be watching. I may have liked the other
character better and then realized, oh, she looks exactly like the other
actress, I mixed them up. Pass.
-I sure as hell am not watching an hour
long movie to find you. (Yes, people put up unedited full length movies as
their reel, happens more often than you may think)
NOTES TO CASTING MATTER!
-If
we allow it, we use notes to know what you've accomplished, what you
were in, what skills, props or wardrobe you have access to. And
sometimes a non generic quick greeting is nice. GET TO THE POINT. You
or your representation leaving a quick note will automatically separate
you from literally 100 other actors vying for your role.
-If you have a reel and it isn't on the casting site but on your website, TELL ME, otherwise I assume you DON'T have a reel.
GET
TO THE POINT.
-If there is something about the actor, I may dig into the
resume or the casting site to see if there is a personal site with a
reel. Sometimes people don't mention they have a website or a reel!!!!!
It boggles the mind.
-I see one or two types emotions
being hammered again and again in people's clips in their reels. If you
have the ability, try some kind of variety even in "dramatic" and
"comedic" roles. Life and feelings are seldom one kind of flavor or
emotion all the time. For example: Try saying "I love you but I hate you" in a
line delivery. Or "I miss you though you've hurt me and I don't know if
I want to keep having a relationship with you" through a line as simple
as "How was your day?"
-It's your choices and delivery
that separate you from other actors who look like you, have more
credits and better head shots and reels.
-I
have to admit, I skip ahead the reel to see if you can do any other
types of emotions and have any variety. If I have to get through 4000+
submissions, which I recently did, I want to know can you do more than
these basic emotions and deliveries, and can you do any deliveries that
merge/blend more than one emotion together?
-angry
-crier
-goofball
-ethnic
-serious
-brooding
-psycho
-concerned parent
-rebel
-quirk
-flirt
-Yes,
it is good to know your types, and strengths, but when every clip you
have is the same emotion I go, OK, this actor is always this type of actor (example: a
crier, a screamer, a victim, mr serious, mr zany, mr tries too hard,
the best friend, the psycho, the nerd, the action guy, the stalker,)
sometimes if I see only one dimension, I don't see anything else, I'm
moving on. Try going from one emotion into another or having them at the
same time as you deliver your performance.
-Have more
than one picture.... in different looks,
not the same headshot with a slightly wider smile or a different head
tilt.
-We're not just casting for this production, but
for possible future ones and we do make note of certain actors who are
unique and have good reels, resumes, notes, and photos, who are
generally interesting, genial and pleasant.
-If you
have to decline, it is nice if you humor us at least, that you are thankful that you were
selected against the odds. Please be gracious and thank us for the
opportunity, it is appreciated. One case was 500 to 1. Another was 700 to 1.
- Again, if
there is a term like deferred payment contract, and you don't do
deferred payment contracts "EVER, EVER,EVER", then don't submit and then get on your high horse
if you are asked to audition and say that you don't do deferred payment
contracts. you just wasted your time and ours.
-We
may, and often do, remember you in the future. I do remember those who
are rude, and especially those who flaked out on me in the past. Those
who didn't show up at auditions, those who spoke badly about the
production, those who had plenty of time to just put yourself on tape
and didn't, those who flaked out on confirmed auditions.
-I also remember the ones that I go, wow, that is a good actor/actress, that person is probably a really cool person on set.
-Contrary
to belief, I want to add you to the list of possible
candidates, I'll
give you the benefit of the doubt, but when you have me jump through
soooo many hoops of having to see you speak on your reel, if you have
one, I may just have to pass. Have to open up another window to get to
your reel on your site.
-One actor had 100 reels.... I
am not joking.... and the speed reel was in the 50s. I'll pass. I sure
as hell am not going to sit or fish through an hour and 20 minute movie
to see if I can see you speak and act. If you can't edit or have someone
edit for you AT LEAST TELL ME THE TIME MARKER YOU ARE AT WHERE YOU SPEAK AND ACT
and
then after all that... if your reels are passcode protected and you don't
note the passcode.... or they are not sharable past youtube.... or have
expired.... I have to go to the next submission.... because again, I and my team
have 4000+ to get through.
-Having a good reader can
help your performance, a bad reader can distract both you and the
viewer. I want to see you as the character but if your reader is
terrible delivering the lines, honestly, I would rather just see you
deliver your lines alone . One of the reasons to have readers is to see
your reaction to them. again, Much if not most of acting is reacting.
-As
an actor, there are tremendous odds against you. You or your agent or
manager submits you for a part. and often you are in a pool of 400-1000
applicants per role, you make the prelim are called to audition either
live or via skype or a self tape from 10 -50 applicants.
-You are
invited to a face to face audition or invited and given the
opportunity to tape from home, cell phone quality, you can take make
the best version you can..... and still you will have people and you
flake out with no explanation, won't attend a confirmed audition, wont'
send in a tape. won't take a shot... without an explanation. People remember that. Productions
remember that. I remember that.
-I
had a very prominent actor with many credits and clips say he wasn't comfortable with the material and had to
decline. I profoundly respect that. Be honest with us. If you are not comfortable with the material that is
fine, we respect you for taking a stand if you feel the content is
against a code of yours.
TIP:
CHECK YOUR SUBMISSION DEADLINES! If you can't read the time correctly,
or have questions about it don't ask.... you may have just shot yourself
in the foot and robbed yourself of an opportunity. You just beat out
300 other actors, you are ready and willing to self tape and you don't
get it in on time? Are you lazy or foolish? 12AM is not 12PM.
-have a
good reader if you are going to use a reader... if you have the option
of not having a reader and you are reading against yourself, I would
really suggest you don't appear on screen as you reading other
characters. It comes across as Smiegle from lord of the rings.
-You
have to trust people to do what they say they are going to do. But
there is a reason you have a backup quarterback in a game. you have
first string, second string and even third string players. As a
producer... you job is to get the thing done.... teams get things done.
Everyone has to show up.
-FOLLOW THE WRITTEN DIRECTIONS! we want and even need to see certain things from you in casting
-I
like receiving feedback and adjustments as an actor, but realize,
production is going through dozens of video submissions and thousands of
actor submissions, and sometimes we aren't thinking about feedback. we
have a deadline and have to make casting recommendations asap. Ask and
ye shall receive.... most of the time.. and sometimes it takes a bit to
get back to you.
-You may be a great asset with
credits and reel clips and bells and whistles, accolades but you don't
know who else is submitting auditions.
If this name actor knew
some of the other actors who were submitting, your couple of under 5s or
featured parts or even costar or star roles may not measure up.
-There
is a reason you are invited. The minute you presume you are the best
and biggest fish submitting for the role, you are in trouble, because
you suggest to the team that you will put yourself above everyone else
in the room on the set on the day. And you are presuming that we aren't
in contact with A listers.
-I'm a fan of improvising
and making things your own, but you have to give at least one version of
the dialogue as it is written.
WGA writers like to hear their
words and there are reasons words and references are written into
scripts the way they are (foreshadowing, inuendo, subtext, flashback,
etc) don't just gloss over it and improvise because you don't know the
script well yet.
I usually give actors 3 to 4 days because I
know we are all busy but at least look over the thing. Self tapes are
great because you can check how your performance was and if you did the
dialogue accurately. As an actor I try to aim for 100 to 97 Percent
accuracy in words on a self tape.
If you
screw up on an audition submission time, you can try to get in contact
to get your submission in. It says a lot about you as an actor and as a
professional if you keep going despite your own screw up and shows
youhave determinations, grace and ambition. Many times productions will
be lenient(trust me,we ALL know what it feels like to mess up or confuse
a deadline), but not always.... sometimes you get ONE shot. That's it.
12am means 12 am. 12pm means 12pm. If the deadline is 12am, THAT SHOULD ALSO BE CLEAR
But
again, there are many other actors who follow the directions get their
stuff in on time and don't hound the production for immediate feedback.
We're busy trying to put the thing together you actors can actually act
in the thing.
Here's an example:
SELF TAPE NUMBERS FROM one casting source
1/4 ROLE 1
0/3 ROLE 2
6/12. 3 decline ROLE 3
13/41 8 decline ROLE 4
3/15 3 decline ROLE5
4/12 1 decline ROLE 6
2/13 2 decline ROLE7
2/4 1 decline ROLE 8
4/8 1 decline ROLE 9
1/2 ROLE 10
ADJUSTED #s 36/105 = 34%
which is abysmal. Self taping is your friend both as an actor and as a producer. As
an actor, you can retake yourself. send in your best version. you don't
get feedback right away and can't make adjustments, but hey, that
happens in the business.
As a producer, I don't have to book the room, schedule and reconfirm appointments.
Those that have an interest in your project will send something.
When
I send out requests for self tape auditions. I will give clear instructions as I can.
I usually give the actors several days, because I know as an actor, I
am busy and can't always get to it right away... but in the business,
sometimes you have to put something on tape with less that 12 hours,
less than 2 hours on occasion.
I say it's a good idea to use a reader if possible,
because acting is reacting to what is being said and done to you, and I
also know that we don't always have people to audition with. If the breakdown says "use a reader if possible" then chances are, I JUST WANT
TO SEE YOUR TAKE ON THE WORDS AND THE ACTIONS!
Your reel gives me a
context... but for other people's works, other people's words, and yes
other people's directions... but I want to know what YOUR version is and
what your starting point is for the project being cast.
If you've auditioned for me in the past, I may not have to see a tape. but I may want to see your take on the character, which is why I'd like to see you say the lines and act the part.
As an actor I will probably never
tell another actor to act this way or that way, but as a director a
director I can ask for an adjustment. I may tell you to speed up/slow
down, louder/softer. meaner/kinder and any other emotion or to emphasize
something. but I want to SEE AND HEAR your initial approach with no
influence from me. We'll build and/or develop a character together, but
the actors are so much the characters I NEED TO SEE YOUR WAY FIRST.
Honestly,
today with cell phones, PC/MAC cameras, there is no reason you can't
send something in, especially if the breakdown says 'cell phone quality
is fine'
You are an actor, being able to self tape is a
tool that others who are vying for the same part are capable of and not
afraid of. if you don't figure that part out, you are putting yourself
at a disadvantage.
Probably a good idea to at least
get a rudimentary understanding of editing, because, it helps you as an
actor understand what editors would be looking for in performances and
if you'll be in or cut out of footage.
The
obvious choice is not usually distinctive and your own distinctiveness
is what separates you from everyone else who has similar look to you and
has more equal or less experience and training.
-Wear a different color than the background you are taping against. Unless
asked to do so, probably not a good idea to wear black against a black
background, white against a white background or blue against a blue
background or similar color against similar color background.
Honestly,
as an actor, sometimes I'd rather send a self tape than go get ready, go commute,
spend gas, tolls, subway or bus fare, sit in a room and hand in a
resume, and they are going to put you on tape anyway. They may give you a
quick adjustment, true, but a lot of times, they won't.
As
an actor, you can send in your best version. even if you use siri or a
recording of your own voice or just say your own lines, I'd rather do
that.
Actors do monologues, we use our imaginations to see and hear other characters talk to us. you can do that in your self tape.
at the end of the day, I understand that people get sick, things come
up, people screw up on the deadlines.... we're all human... but if
something is important to you you will find the time. and every shot can
be a very important opportunity in your career.
If you can't
make a deadline or missed it, it can help if you reach out to see if you
can still submit or to apologize. Better to politely decline in advance
if you know you just won't or can't send in a tape.
Last
episode I took 4 days to cast with a traditional in person audition. $120 per day. With gas, tolls and parking that's $500+ to look at
actors all day. I had an 86% attendance. This round I saved myself $500 and found
out who had a desire to work on the project. I didn't ask for much from
the self tapers, it does make a difference.
Be well,
Vincent
My
name is Vincent Veloso. I am a writer, producer, director, actor and
musician and martial artist. I have worn many hats in my career, learned
some things, still learning, but in this blog, I will be addressing my
experience and insights making films and music... stories from casting
to wrap party... the good, the bad, the really bad and the ugly.... and
the really ungood.
I never use real names, and many
times I address my concerns on the day directly to people in real time. I
point out my own missteps just as much if not more because I have been
that actor/writer/producer/director who has made the same gaffes just
as much if not more. Hopefully as I address the circumstances, others
can gain valuable insight, through story and my experiences, it will
give people help. It is not meant to be mean spirited, but like all
subjective commentary and blogs, and many other existing advice and
commentary articles, I understand that audience perception is subjective
and do hope you know that I hope to help others.
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