Casting director questions, help?
Casting director questions, help?
#1Casting director questions, help?
Posted: 3/27/11 at 12:02am
So I'm a sophomore in high school and I've been interested in theatre and have wanted to be an actress my whole life. Just recently, though I've tried to start looking into other aspects of theatre besides just acting, considering it's so hard to get a job as an actor. Recently I've thought about being a casting director, but I don't know exactly what a casting director does, just the general idea. So my question is, 1. What exactly does being a casting director entail, 2. What kind of steps do you need to take to be one, and would majoring in theatre (B.A) be helpful, and 3. How competitive is it? How easy or hard is it to get a job.
Thank you!
#2Casting director questions, help?
Posted: 3/27/11 at 12:25am
It's an even harder job to get.
Think about it this way: let's say for argument's sake that there are 30 new Broadway shows (plays and musicals) next season. Also for argument's sake, let's say that there are 4 major casting directors that generally cast all productions for Broadway. Finally, for argument's sake, let's say that the average cast size is 10 actors.
Do the math. That means 4 casting directors need to hire 300 actors.
You tell me which job is easier to get: an actor or a casting director?
The one advantage is that there are less people trying to get that casting director job than there is getting those acting jobs.
So here is my advice:
#1 Remember that Broadway is only an avenue of the theater spectrum. There is theatre all over the WORLD. There is commercial theatre and not-for-profit theatre. There are sit-down productions and there are touring productions. It helps if you decide first what you want and don't want. If you KNOW FOR A FACT that you're not suited for touring, then that's one less niche you have to worry about. Pursuing jobs for each of those theatre niches is very different.
#2A Once you narrow down where you want to work in there (and by "where" I mean what continent, region, state, or even city AND THEN commercial or not-for-profit), then seek out internships in that exact area. An internship will a) establish contacts, b) teach you the incidentals of running the office while gaining insight into that part of the business, c) give you experience for your resume, and d) be an eye-opening experience for yourself to see if it's what you REALLY want to do.
#2B Most offices do not want to hire interns that are in high school, but high school interns are not as uncommon as you think. Before you go out into the professional world as an intern, make sure you are PREPARED. It's a good start to know the basics of Word, Excel, and Outlook...but if you want to be taken seriously as such a young age, you need to really WOW them when you apply for the internship. You need to at least be at an intermediate-to-advanced level in Excel, Outlook, and Word (in that order), you need to learn how to make coffee, file, have a professional voice and vocabulary when answering phones, etc. Basically, you need to learn how to work in an office setting. SO my advice is to get a summer job in a NON-THEATRE office and learn those basic administrative skills FIRST, then once you acquire all those incidentals, you can then try for an internship. At your age, you'll be ahead of the game.
#2C You might be thinking... "What the hell? Why would I need to go through all that to be a CASTING DIRECTOR???" To that I say this: yes, a Casting Director is just one of many jobs in the artistic side of theatre. You need to have those artistic abilities, definitely. BUT to get to be a Casting Director, you have to climb ladders. And the bottom of that ladder (in fact, the first 2/3 of that ladder) are people who spend most of their job in front of a desk.
Good luck!
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
--Aristotle
#2Casting director questions, help?
Posted: 3/27/11 at 12:34am
I'd also add that a casting director for a big-time show is not something that you can become. It takes a lot of hard work and experience.
For me, I have a career completely seperate from theater but am involved in very small-scale communtiy theater as a hobby more than anything else. We're always interested in high school interns, as the previous poster suggested. I reccomend you look in the community. I'm sure there are small theaters who would love to have help. Even if you don't have experience, many small theaters would be happy for free help. Don't be afraid to send an email after looking online - the worse that can happen is you get a no. So what? You move one and don't have to ever to speak that person again.
Scratch and claw for every day you're worth!
Make them drag you screaming from life, keep dreaming
You'll live forever here on earth.
Tag
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/19/05
#4Casting director questions, help?
Posted: 3/27/11 at 1:11am
Actually I do not aggree with the advice afforded you.
In Los Angeles there are many casting directors. Perhaps 300 of them To beomce one you get a job as an assistant & tay there. Make connections and work your way up.
.
This is how all of the casting directors did it. From Michael Fenton (cast one flew over the cuckoos nest,) from starting as an assistant on theAndy Griffith Show. Paul Weber head of casting at MGM started as an assistant to Merry Jo Slater (Chris Slater's mom)
An assistant job is not a hard job to get.
It's a fast paced job with a lot of phone work. If you like talking on the phone and you are organized.. it is a good job.
YOu set up appointments for actors with the agents or the actors directly
What the casting director does. The casting director is kind of a gate keeper. The directors, producers want to cast their show or movie or tv show as quickly as possible.
The casting director familiarizes themself with the talent in the area... say NY or Miami or LA.. wherever they are casting.
When they have parts open.. they know who to call in.
.
Casting Directors also have relationships with agents. They have favorites. They will take actors from their favorite agents. And they will choose the actors that are seen.
For example. A breakdown goes out for a part. In LA that goes to about 300 agents. It also goes to about 300 managers.
If each agent and each manager sends in 5 submississions, that is 3000 Submissions for one part.
But guess what? The Casting people only have time to see 20 actors.
So out of 3000 submissions.( usually headshots approximately 20
actors are seen. That is why its a crap shoot unless you have
an A Level AGent
OUt of that 20... the casting director will whittle it down to about 5 or 6 choices.
These people will be seen by the director and the producer in a second or third audition. This is called a call back
So the casting director is a gate keeper. That is why you see the same actors over and over because casting people have their favorite actors and agents. It's human nature and makes the process faster so you can't blame them.
Csting directors also negotiate the salary with the agent.
They send out the contracts. And the contracts need to be filed with SAG or Equity.
It is easier to become a casting diretor than an actor.
Become an assistant and work your way up.
#5Casting director questions, help?
Posted: 3/27/11 at 1:11am
Actually I do not aggree with the advice afforded you.
In Los Angeles there are many casting directors. Perhaps 300 of them To beomce one you get a job as an assistant & tay there. Make connections and work your way up.
.
This is how all of the casting directors did it. From Michael Fenton (cast one flew over the cuckoos nest,) from starting as an assistant on theAndy Griffith Show. Paul Weber head of casting at MGM started as an assistant to Merry Jo Slater (Chris Slater's mom)
An assistant job is not a hard job to get.
It's a fast paced job with a lot of phone work. If you like talking on the phone and you are organized.. it is a good job.
YOu set up appointments for actors with the agents or the actors directly
What the casting director does. The casting director is kind of a gate keeper. The directors, producers want to cast their show or movie or tv show as quickly as possible.
The casting director familiarizes themself with the talent in the area... say NY or Miami or LA.. wherever they are casting.
When they have parts open.. they know who to call in.
.
Casting Directors also have relationships with agents. They have favorites. They will take actors from their favorite agents. And they will choose the actors that are seen.
For example. A breakdown goes out for a part. In LA that goes to about 300 agents. It also goes to about 300 managers.
If each agent and each manager sends in 5 submississions, that is 3000 Submissions for one part.
But guess what? The Casting people only have time to see 20 actors.
So out of 3000 submissions.( usually headshots approximately 20
actors are seen. That is why its a crap shoot unless you have
an A Level AGent
OUt of that 20... the casting director will whittle it down to about 5 or 6 choices.
These people will be seen by the director and the producer in a second or third audition. This is called a call back
So the casting director is a gate keeper. That is why you see the same actors over and over because casting people have their favorite actors and agents. It's human nature and makes the process faster so you can't blame them.
Csting directors also negotiate the salary with the agent.
They send out the contracts. And the contracts need to be filed with SAG or Equity.
It is easier to become a casting diretor than an actor.
Become an assistant and work your way up.
#6Casting director questions, help?
Posted: 3/27/11 at 1:40am
I disagree. There are more acting jobs than casting director jobs. Moot point.
BTW, Ellski, my advice was meant specifically for theatre-only casting directors. Hollywood is a whole other world. And there are MAAAAAAANY casting directors that crossover into both worlds of stage and screen.
Go intern for Telsey or Tara Rubin.
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
--Aristotle
Borstalboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/9/04
#7Casting director questions, help?
Posted: 3/27/11 at 11:31am
Although they are often extremely busy, casting directors are also mostly quite friendly and I think would be happy to have a meeting with you. Write a nice letter and offer to buy them a cup of coffee sometime. It's no guarantee, of course, but I think your letter would definitely stand out from the actors trying to get work. Summer is coming up and thats their down season, so now would be a good time to start sending your letters.
Good luck!
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
~ Muhammad Ali
#8Casting director questions, help?
Posted: 3/27/11 at 3:08pmThank you guys for all the advice, I really appreciate it :)
iagowasframed
Understudy Joined: 3/10/10
#9Casting director questions, help?
Posted: 3/27/11 at 4:14pmyes but there are also WAY more people who want to perform than those who want to be casting directors.
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