What have you tried so for? That way I can help without going over things you have already tried that didn't work.

so far, I've tried passing out flyers and word of mouth.

"Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try."

What about making friends from theatere. I believe there are greate actors in theatere and the ymight interested in your movies.

But your ideas must be very original and very compelling to actors.

www.imengi.com

quote:

---

But your ideas must be very original and very compelling to actors.

---

Well, you need to convince them that they're going to get something out of working for you for free, even it's only to try out a different character to what they'd normally play for a showreel piece.

I found the use of many internet casting services a big help. MANDY.COM is one who gives you 30 days for free and the other one that I gotten some response was EASYCASTING.COM Infact one of the actors I may use for my film was through the use of these sites.

I've set a date and found a casting room. Anybody got any tips on how to hold and audition?

"Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try."

Key things I can think of:

Make sure the audition is well advertised and well organised. People should know where they have to be and when depending on what part(s) they're going for. It might suffice to have everyone show up at a universal start time, and have people directing traffic from there, or you may need to be strict and outline everything in the paper/flyers, however you get your message out.

Be nice to everyone (unless of course they're being abusive, which reminds me - have some muscle or security on hand). This business is one MADE from networking, and you never know who that guy you dissed knows, or when it will come back and bite you. It will also encourage people to keep trying, the way an actor feels through auditions can shape his or her career.

Have key dialogues set out that you want read. Ideally, they should not divulge spoilers - a good way to avoid this is to have dummy scriptlets that showcase a character's required range without actually being the plot of your film.

The first round of auditions should generally be solo. Have one of your friends/crew act as a reading partner for each contender if (and it's usually the case) the scene requires conversation. It's better IMO to leave "dual auditioning" where two people try for their respective roles by acting together, until you've got a shortlist and can better judge chemistry by having them rotate partners.

If you're extra nice, some light catering or at least having purchasable food nearby is always a plus and can help people with nerves, etc.

I hope you find this useful, I'm sure some of the more experienced members of this board will have more to say!

Morgneto, Master of Morgnetism

I always plan on at least 15 minutes per person.

You?ll want to spend a few moments talking to the actor, asking about themselves and their goals (this puts them at ease), then listening to them read the ?sides? (this is what the script section you give them are called) two or three times, then giving them a little direction (to see how quickly they can change their line reading), then a little time for a thank you and time to usher them out an bring in the next actor.

Never use the ?cattle call? approach where everyone shows up at the same time. If you have 20 people show up at 10AM and hold a reading every 15 minutes, that means the last person reading will start at about 2:45PM assuming everything goes like clockwork and there are no delays at all.

Not very professional to expect people to sit for two or three or five hours.

Be nice to everyone even if they?re being abusive. Never stoop to the level of an abusive person by giving it back. Treat each actor with professional courtesy no matter what.

Give your actors ?sides?. Pull a couple of key scenes from your script for each character; these should be important scenes that show character, comic timing (if a comedy), range and the ability to take direction when you ask the actor to change the reading. No need to worry about giving anything away - pick the best scenes.

And if at all possible, give the actors the sides several days before the audition. A good time is when you make the audition appointment.

I never tell them anything about the character. I let them give me their interpretation based on the short scene. This give me an idea of how THEY see the character based on very little information. After they read it a few times I give them a little direction, a little hint of what the character is really like, tell them something secret about the character and see if they read the lines differently. That shows me if they can take direction.

I usually end up auditioning over 100 people in a three day period, but even if you?re only seeing 10 people in one day you should treat the whole process with absolute courtesy and professionalism. Remember, they are judging you as much as you are judging them. To many movie makers give off the impression THEY are doing the actors a favor. And maybe they are if they are paying $300 a day. But if this is a free gig it?s the actors who are doing YOU the favor by giving their time, talent and energy to your project.

I ALWAYS have coffee, juice and bottled water at auditions. Again, it shows that I appreciate their time.

it depends on where you're from too....

mandy is another good resource.

www.maketradefair.com
www.thehungersite.com
www.oxfam.ca

Great info, everyone. I feel more professional already. I have monologes (sides) prepared for each charater. Would it be a good idea to film the auditions to see how their performances look on screen?

"Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try."

I have an odd piece of advice, but here goes: Make sure they earn the part
, or at least feel that they did.

Of the three people in my movie that were given parts by my Producer, and thus avoided auditions, only one of them worked out (he had television experience and was just a great guy) the other two were either bad actors or really difficult when it came to scheduling.

Even if one guy auditioned for the part I wouldn't let them know that. Let them think/believe/know that they earned the part. It means more to an actor to have earned the part and I believe they will take thing more seriously afterwards if they believe they did.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

quote:

---

Make sure they earn the part, or at least feel that they did.

---

That is a great piece of advice. I want my actors to put forward their best efforts even though they're working for nothing more than screen time.

"Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try."

NEW PROBLEM!!! A news story was released about a sexual predator luring in women with a fake auditon. I've had three women cancel since then and no more have applied. How do I get around this?

"Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try."

Awknowledge their fears are real and do what you can to make them feel safer.

Tell them to bring a friend, or two, to the audition. People often feel more comfortable with people they know. Actors usually know other actors who can help them read lines, etc. Let the friend in to the audition as long as the actor feels comfortable with the friend watching. Let the friend read lines with the actor, they may rehearse together and thus get a better read than the first time out with a stranger who would probably read the lines differently.

Make sure the audition is in a semi-public place and not in your home. A university, theater, Production Office could work. A motel room would send all the wrong signals.

Make sure the audition crew is more than just you and make sure the actors know that. "Sorry, 4 just isn't good, we need you to read with actor x and he has to leave by 3:00.". Have someone else there to work the camera (you should shoot the auditions) and even a third person to do crowd control type duties so each actor is treated respectfully and consistantly, and its another brain to think of questions during the audition.

Try to make the audition during the day. People feel safer during the day.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA