Issue 205 – March 15, 2020 (6 Stages of Casting Actors-Part 1)

The 6 Stages of Casting Actors (Part 1)

Actors need to be vulnerable in order to express their deepest emotions, which is why Trust is what actors need most from a director – and this trust starts with the very first casting session!

How your auditions and callbacks are organized and run by the Casting Director (or the Producer on low budget shows) is a very important part of the casting process. What follows is a proven step-by-step casting process you can follow and adapt to fit your particular personal style and situation.

I have divided the entire casting process into 6 sessions:

Part A. Mandatory Casting Sessions

1. The Audition (Deciding who is NOT Right)
2. The First Callback (Watching Actor Chemistry)
3. The Second Callback (Deciding who IS Right)

Part B. Optional Casting Interviews and Tests

4. Checking References (Who has Worked with Them)
5. Actor Interviews (Getting to Know Them)
6. Screen Tests (When in Doubt)

I believe this 6-step process is one of the best ways to cast actors. Most directors will find their cast after the first 3 steps, however, if you still cannot decide on your actors after the last callback, the next three steps are good ways to help you make the final casting decision.

NOTE: If for any reason you cannot direct these auditions or callbacks yourself, ask the casting director (or producer) to follow this process as much as possible.

Part A. Mandatory Casting Sessions

(1) The Audition (Deciding Who is NOT Right)

I never try to cast an actor from the first audition. For me, the first audition is about discovering which actors are not right for any of the roles. I know this may sound strange, but for most professional directors, the callbacks are where we make our final actor choices. (So please make sure your producer has budgeted for at least one callback session!)

It’s also important to understand that during all the casting sessions, the director (you) needs to control the room. The casting director and producers are there to support you and give you their ideas on the roles, but you should be the one that decides on how you want to run each casting session.

When you first start directing this will be hard for you to do since experienced casting directors (and producers) will have fixed casting procedures of their own. But as you get more experience you can work with the casting director to help them organize the casting sessions how you would like them to run.

Depending on the size and budget of the film, the people that attend the first casting session are the Director, Producer, Casting Director, Reader and Cameraperson.

Make sure the actors are scheduled not less than 10 minutes apart. Casting sessions usually run over time so depending on how many pages the actors are reading as well as your personal casting style, 10 minutes for each actor should be enough time for the first session.

When the actor enters the room introduce yourself first (remember Trust) then the Producer, Casting Director and the Reader. It’s your choice if you want to introduce anyone else.

The actor then records the camera slate with their full name, the role they are reading for, the agency representing them and any other information you or your Casting Director require.

Next, show them the area of the room where they can freely move around. Make sure they know the camera will follow them so they won’t be restricted if they feel like moving during their reading.

You then ask the actor if they have any questions. Most actors will have no questions but if they do it’s usually about their character, to clarify a story point or they want to know how to pronounce a certain word. Whatever the questions are, answer them simply and quickly.

An important part of this first audition process is to NOT give any direction to the actor until after they have finished their first reading. There are several reasons for this.

First: if an actor shows you what they have prepared on their first reading (without any direction from you) you get to see their own version of the character. Second: you get to see how prepared the actor is before you give them an adjustment for the second reading. Third: this is another great way to establish trust between the actor and the director.

The Chair! Many actors have been trained to sit down when they read their lines for an audition. Well I’m sorry, but unless their character is confined to a bed or a wheelchair, I believe actor’s should be standing up when they do their lines because sitting down affects their breathing, posture and restricts their body movement.

So what do you do when an actor asks if they can sit in a chair? You say “of course” – because you don’t want to change anything they have prepared for their first reading. But on the second reading, take the chair away so you can see them read standing up.

The camera starts and you call “action” for the first take.

When the actor has finished, thank them for a good first read and then tell them you’re going to give them an adjustment (a change of objective) for the second take.

The camera starts and you call “action” for the second take.

When the actor has finished, thank them for coming in and tell them the Casting Director (or Producer) will contact them if there is a callback. When the actor leaves the room the Director, Casting Director and Producer quickly make their casting notes on that particular actor.

The next actor is brought in and the whole process repeats.

At the end of this first casting session, the Director, Casting Director and Producer compare notes and decide on a short list of actors to bring back to the first callback session. Depending on how many actors have read for each role, you will usually want 3 – 5 actors to come back for each role in your first callback session.

Remember, the first audition is primarily about deciding who will not be coming to the callbacks, so the rule here is “when in doubt, bring them to the callback.”

The most important point to remember when auditioning actors is to “cast for acting ability first and look second.” Unless an actor needs to have a very specific look for a role (i.e. Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones) your priority is to cast actors who give you the most consistent and believable readings in ALL your auditions and callbacks.

Remember, an actor’s physical look for a specific character can usually be successfully enhanced, altered or even changed through the magic of makeup, hair and wardrobe (Charlize Theron in Monster) or through computerized visual effects (Andy Serkis as Gollum in Lord of the Rings.)

NOTE: If an actor is chosen because they have the perfect look for a role but their acting ability and performance skills are limited, your job as a director is going to be very, very difficult – especially when the producer taps you on the shoulder after a take and says “make them better!”

Copyright (c) 2020 Peter D. Marshall / All Rights Reserve