What is a Casting Director?
The essence of their job is in having an “eye for talent”
(By Tonya Tannenbaum)
(Photo: Emmy E | Pexels)
A casting director is just that. They are the person who “directs”, or is in charge of, the “casting” process.
A casting director is hired by a production company to find the actors who will join the production. Key to their job is matching the right actors to the available acting roles.
To do this, the casting director studies the script. They collaborate with the producer and director to get a firm idea of the vision of the project and the types of actors needed for each role.
The casting director studies the script. They collaborate with the producer and director to get a firm idea of the vision of the project and the types of actors needed for each role.
The casting director writes a breakdown for each role that needs to be filled. These breakdowns are sent to talent agencies, but are sometimes made available to actors, via casting websites.
Talent agencies, and sometimes the actors themselves, submit headshots, demo reels and other information in hopes of being selected for an audition.
The casting director sifts through this information, carefully selecting actors along the way.
Next, the casting director requests self-tapes, or conducts live auditions, and holds callbacks with selected actors. During this process, the casting director considers a whole range of factors to get just the right actor for each role. Those factors include:
*Chemistry among the actors
*Appearance of each actor
*Skill level
*Fees
*Availability
*The actor’s “name”, and the buzz they could potentially bring to the project
Finally, the casting director presents their selected actors to the producer and director for final decisions to be made. From there, negotiations with the actor’s representatives can begin, offers can be made and contracts can be drawn up.
The essence of a casting director’s job is in their “eye for talent”. They are tasked with knowing, or discovering, amazing talent who can help bring the project to life.
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