What Is A Casting Director?

By Darryl Green

  • A casting director is the person who is tasked with the assignment of finding actors to fill acting roles in a production. Casting directors work with actors, their agents and film directors to cast the right actors and negotiate deals. Therefore, it is crucial for actors to impress the casting director, as they are the connection between the actor and the movie.

    What Are Casting Directors Responsible For?

    The casting director’s primary duties are:

    • Holding auditions for actors
    • Helping directors determine which actors may be right for which roles in a movie or on a television show
    • Working with the director and producer to determine the criteria for each role

    Determining the Criteria for Actors Needed

        One of the first tasks for a casting director is helping to determine what the criteria are for the actors who are needed in the film. In other words, a casting director might ask: what should the lead character’s personality be like? Should he be tall and muscular or short and stumpy? Should the lead character be serious or funny?

    Holding Auditions

    Once the casting director, producer and director have determined what the criteria will be for the actors they are looking for, it is up to the casting director to hold auditions. The casting director must make sure that actors know about the audition and what is involved. Finding great actors to play the various parts is the essence of the casting director’s job.

    Making Casting Decisions

    The casting director helps the director and producer make decisions about which actors should perform in the production. The casting director must evaluate the actor’s résumé and performance experience, the actor’s availability, the needs of the role and the needs of the overall story to determine which actors should play which parts.

    Recommended Posts

  • Ad

  • The 3-Second Pause

    The 3-Second Pause A 3-second pause allows me to refocus, regroup and recognize that this is MY audition (by Javier Guerra) (Photo: KoolShooters | Pexels) I used to have a BIG problem staying…

    One Fact About Post-Audition Fears That You Should Always Remember 

    One Fact About Post-Audition Fears That You Should Always Remember  More likely than not, the casting director thinks you did fine!  (by Javier Guerra) (Photo: JJ Jordan | Unsplash) Look, it’s normal to…

    The Virtual Audition Waiting Room

    The Virtual Audition Waiting Room “It’s now your turn to audition, please enter Studio B.” (by The Anonymous Actor) (Photo: Vladimir Fedotov/Unsplash) The global pandemic has forced us all to reevaluate the way…

    Deadlines Are DEAD-lines

    Deadlines Are DEAD-lines  Going past deadlines may not get you shot, but they can certainly kill opportunities (by Jim Webb) (Photo: Markus Winkler/Unsplash) Once upon a time, prisons didn’t have high walls with…

    The Most Important Element When Choosing a Monologue

    The Most Important Element When Choosing a Monologue How to choose a monologue that fits you like a glove (by Tonya Tannenbaum) (Photo: Monica Silvestre/Unsplash) It’s important to choose a monologue that makes…

  • Ad

  • Don’t Panic! It’s Just a Redirect.

    Don’t Panic! It’s Just a Redirect. 5 Things You Can Do to Reduce the Fear of the Dreaded Redirect (by Jim Webb) (Photo: Ahmad Gunnaivi/Unsplash) Human beings didn’t always dominate the Earth. Once…

    The Callback Checklist

    The Callback Checklist Check these items off your list before you go in for your next callback (By Carmichael Phillips) (Photo: Emma Matthews/Unsplash) Are you ready for your next callback? Check these items…

    Why Building Relationships with Casting Directors is So Important

    Why Building Relationships with Casting Directors is So Important One of the best ways to improve your odds is to emphasize relationship-building as a core part of your strategy for success (by Carmichael…

  • Ad

  • How to Turn Your Audition Trash into Audition Treasure

    How to Turn Your Audition Trash into Audition Treasure What if you used every bad audition as a kind of audition technique class? (By Carmichael Phillips) (Photo: Thought Catalog/Unsplash) Let’s say, your recent…

    Don’t Audition Solely for the Purpose of Booking the Role

    Don’t Audition Solely for the Purpose of Booking the Role Always act in truth. (by Jim Webb) (Photo: Mostafa Meraji/Unsplash) You are behind on your bills. You’re facing money shortages. You’re not entirely…

    3 Reasons Your Audition Ended Quickly

    3 Reasons Your Audition Ended Quickly The speediness of the audition may have nothing at all to do with the actor’s performance in the audition room (by Jim Webb) (Photo: Mason Kimbarovsky |…

    What are Profiles?

    What are Profiles? Profiles give casting a more complete picture of how the actor looks when performing on-camera (By Tonya Tannenbaum) (Photo: Spencer Selover | Pexels) Profiles are a request for additional information…

    You’re Not Really Acting When You’re Over-Acting

    You’re Not Really Acting When You’re Over-Acting It’s amateurish and does a disservice to the script, your fellow actors and to the audience. (by Jim Webb) (Photo: Photo Boards/Unsplash) It’s understandable for aspiring…

  • Ad

  • Never Apologize When You Make a Mistake During an Audition

    Never Apologize When You Make a Mistake During an Audition Don’t apologize during an audition. Ever. If you stumble over your words or make a mistake, simply correct it. Confidently. (by Carmichael Phillips)…

    3 Helpful Suggestions When Slating

    3 Helpful Suggestions When Slating While the slating process may seem insignificant, it represents an additional opportunity for actors to stand-out, when done properly (by Jim Webb) (Photo: GR Stocks | Unsplash) You…

    What is Slating?

    What is Slating? The slating process is very simple, yet vitally important (by Tonya Tannenbaum) The term, “slating”, for auditions, describes a standard industry practice whereby the actor briefly introduces themselves while facing…

  • Ad

  • Make Sure Your Name is Added to the “Nice” List

    Make Sure Your Name is Added to the “Nice” List You may not get the role you auditioned for, but make sure your name is added to the “nice” list (By Jim Webb)…

    3 Hidden Advantages of Self-taping

    3 Hidden Advantages of Self-taping This new wave of self-taping also offers actors enormous advantages (By Carmichael Phillips) (Photo: Mart Productions | Pexels) Self-taped auditions are the wave of the future, in part,…

    3 Reasons Why You Should Never Audition Just to Book the Job

    3 Reasons Why You Should Never Audition Just to Book the Job If you don’t book this particular job, so what? You’ve now made fans of the auditors in the room. (by Tonya…

    5 Great Ways to Master Your Cold Read Audition

    5 Great Ways to Master Your Cold Read Audition Who says that doing a cold read means you can’t perform at your best? (by Jim Webb) (Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash) Doing…

    5 Things You Should Never Do After an Audition

    5 Things You Should Never Do After an Audition There are many things you should never do after an audition. But here are 5 things you might have actually done or considered doing…

  • Ad