Most often, casting directors will have a number of year’s experience (which is crucial to doing well in this field) as an assistant casting director, through an internship, or by earning a degree in film and theater arts or business.Īlthough formal education is not necessary, to fully understand the industry, a casting director will want to earn a degree in fine art, film, and theater, or business. They should have complete knowledge of cinema and the acting trade, unions, and the laws and ordinances governing actor’s performances, as well as insight into the fields of advertising and theater. It is a demanding field, so casting directors must be patient and hard-working, as well as enthusiastic and personable to a fault. They must sometimes make difficult selections, so they must also be diplomatic. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are imperative in order to communicate with a wide range of people, including casting associates, actors and actresses, directors, producers, writers, agents, and any other people involved in pre-production.Ĭasting directors must be great negotiators and have good organization skills. To be successful, casting directors must have a strong instinct for talent, commitment to a film’s or other production’s success, a deep understanding and appreciation for the craft of acting, and dedication to the industry. They also negotiate contracts and fees, once casting is complete. In their job, casting directors conduct interviews and organize auditions for roles in productions, like TV shows, movies, and plays. They receive no fees, nor do they represent actors they present for hire. They negotiate deals on behalf of these companies (or themselves if self-employed) to hire the actors they select. An agent is authorized to act on another’s behalf, in this case, actors and actresses, whereas a casting director is hired by a network, studio, or production company and presents actors for consideration for a specific role in a production. Sometimes a casting director will be referred to as a casting agent, which is incorrect. Imagine filling all the various guest spots on TV shows like Chicago Med or Empire (to-date, casting directors have cast nearly 80 actors in guest spots for the show, Empire, alone). For instance, casting for the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With The Wind took three years and hundreds of auditions by dozens of actresses before choosing Vivien Leigh. Keep in mind that all of this doesn’t happen overnight, and usually takes months or even years to complete. The may work for a studio, own a casting agency or work for one, or be self-employed. They also assemble casts, which may total in the hundreds for one audition, negotiate deals with actor’s agents, and manage the signing of contracts once an actor or actress has been chosen for a role. But, the casting director’s responsibilities extend far beyond communicating with agents or actors or holding auditions with producers and directors. Obviously, part of the job is instinctive, but even more so, choosing the correct talent for any production takes familiarity with all aspects of a production, observation, insight, and tenacity. Professional casting directors must have a vast knowledge of the industry, and an extensive inventory of actors and actresses, and an understanding of their talent and abilities. The casting director or casting agency then selects the talent felt to be most suitable for the job and schedules an audition with directors and producers. In some cases, talent agents and managers will submit individuals for an audition based on the needs of a specific production. Casting directors pre-screen actors, and contrary to their title, typically offer hopefuls very little “direction.”Ĭasting directors will often contract with a number of talent agencies and also use online services such as Breakdownexpress, Castingnetworks or Voicebank for finding talent. In this process, casting agents or casting agencies are made aware of casting opportunities and given ideas on the types of characters a director or producer is looking for. Often confused with casting agents, a casting director, or CD, is the individual responsible for finding talent specified by a project’s director, client, or producer.
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