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Unknown
Welcome to Film on Tape, a free audio library for creatives in film and television. My name is Misha Calvert, and I've worked as an actor, writer, director and producer for many decades. I had so many questions when I was first getting started in New York, and I just wanted fast, free answers. That is what this library is for.
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Unknown
The work that you do as a creative. It's so important. I really hope that this library is going to help get your work out there. Film on tape is sponsored by Vermillion, a coaching and educational company for creatives. You can learn more at Club vermilion.com. This is a very important episode for actors. We're going to be talking about how to make casting directors love you and not hate you.
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Unknown
So a little bit of background on me, including being a director on the project. I have cast 12 short films and five short form series. So for some of those, I was the director. We hired a casting director, and they kind of supervised casting process. Of course, the director is the ultimate say on many projects. If it's a studio or a really big budget and sometimes not, but mid-tier, low budget, a lot of times it's a director that has the final say, casting directors hired by the director of the production team.
00;01;24;01 - 00;02;07;22
Unknown
So I've been in on the casting process for 12 of my own shorts and five of my own series, and I've helped out with other friends casting as well. So I've been on that side of the table. I know a lot about it. I also have been an actor for like 30 years. I have been around the block, and I have a lot to say about what casting directors have to go through, how to befriend them, and make them like you, make their lives easier, you know, have decorum, interact with them in a in a positive and constructive way because a lot of actors have no clue how to do that.
00;02;07;25 - 00;02;39;07
Unknown
So the first thing that I want to do is walk you through what it is like to be a casting director, a day in the life of, if you will, let's say that you and this is in the year 2025. So, taking into account everything that's been happening with the actor, strikes, with the layoffs at Studios Productions being moved overseas with I, with the recent fires in LA.
00;02;39;10 - 00;03;06;09
Unknown
There's a lot that's really been compromising the production pipeline. That was once, 5 or 6 years ago, we had what was called peak TV. And so now we're in a starkly different landscape, and the production pipeline in the United States is much thinner. So let's say that you're a casting director and you had a boom couple of years, maybe five years ago, and now it's feeling kind of bust.
00;03;06;12 - 00;03;23;05
Unknown
So we're going to start the empathetic journey of what it's like to be in a casting director shoes so that you can better interface with them. Let's say that this project that you're working on, that you're about to post for breakdowns and actors access, it's a TV show and you haven't had a TV show in a long time, a couple of years.
00;03;23;05 - 00;03;43;11
Unknown
So you really need this big paycheck. This is like a huge job for you, and you really need to do a good job. You're casting, let's say, a supporting role. And the genre for this is a hybrid. So it's it's a show. Like something like fallout, which is a combination of sci fi, action, comedy and also period.
00;03;43;14 - 00;04;15;25
Unknown
It's a crazy hybrid. There's so many genres going on here. So you're looking for actors that already are able to fit in this kind of very niche genre. They'll have to be quite pliable and have significant ability as an actor to be able to morph into this mixture of genres. So already that kind of narrows the casting pool and then this specific character that you're casting has to have an accent, a certain kind of accent, and they have to be able to do something sporty, like, sword fighting.
00;04;15;28 - 00;04;50;04
Unknown
So this is already like hyper specific, and you don't have confidence you're going to find what you need on breakdowns or from agent submissions. So you're going to post it on actors accents as well. Now when you do this, you will receive a tidal wave of submissions. How do I know? Because when we posted All Hail Beth, a web series on actors access, the casting director, Harley Caplan, I think he said it was around 12,000 submissions.
00;04;50;06 - 00;05;15;25
Unknown
I could be getting that number slightly wrong, but it was in the five figures of submissions for a web series. My God, there are so many actors out there and you know, we were paying, but not that much. Not like crazy money. So if you're posting for a big TV show or something legitimate like this fake TV show, let's call it, Crawl Out is the name that I made up for this.
00;05;15;27 - 00;05;38;11
Unknown
So if you're casting for this show, crawl out. You're going to just get bombarded with submissions. And let's say that somehow you're managing to be able to scrape by enough that you can pay an assistant. So the assistant is going to help you go through these submissions to see who you want to schedule auditions for. But there's still a lot of tapes to look through.
00;05;38;13 - 00;06;00;27
Unknown
So and just to clarify, like they don't send the one person to the director or the network, they send, let's say like 20 top picks per roll to the network and then the network and the director get to decide who of that 20 they want to see. And then sometimes they say, we don't have it yet. We're not seeing what we need.
00;06;00;29 - 00;06;27;26
Unknown
We want more. But let's start with 20 and just say there's six lead roles and maybe another 40 supporting roles throughout the series. That's like almost a thousand great art choices that you need to send to the people who've hired you, not just random like you need to have reviewed them, and they need to be good enough that they can send to the network almost a thousand tapes.
00;06;27;29 - 00;06;53;23
Unknown
And if they don't like the direction that you're going, they can just hire somebody else. So you're under pressure as a casting director to deliver, in this instance, 20 great choices per role for each and every role. So already this should be reframing some of what actors think about that. They need to do it like the right way or a certain way.
00;06;53;25 - 00;07;24;17
Unknown
The casting director is going to want to find 20 different ways of doing that part. Because, as you may have so often heard, casting directors, if you've ever taken class with them, they they talk about this. The directors don't know what they want. They don't know what they want until they see it, until they find it. So if an actor comes in with a wildly different take than anyone else, but it bears the ring of truth, somehow the DNA of what they've created just sparks and it just hits for the creative team.
00;07;24;19 - 00;08;04;27
Unknown
They could go with that fresh kind of different take, and it'll stand out from the other 19. But the casting directors job is to get 20 different takes on the part, on each and every part. I am so excited to tell you that I'm launching a brand new slate of classes that are incredibly helpful on my website. Some of the classes include on camera acting technique and how to self produce your own film actor self care, which is something that nobody talks about and how to write a feature film in ten days, which I'm going to teach you how I did it and how you can do it too.
00;08;04;29 - 00;08;30;03
Unknown
And believe me when I say I poured my heart into these courses. Go to Club vermillion.com. I am so excited about this website. I can't wait to work with you. So because of the production narrowing and there's just not as many jobs in the US anymore for film and TV, your income as a casting director has gone down.
00;08;30;10 - 00;08;53;12
Unknown
So you were probably doing pretty good back in the boom years. You know, maybe clearing 200 grand depends on the things that you're working on. But now it's pretty tight. It's like you made like 70 grand last year and that's really hard. It's really scary. So you're kind of under this existential pressure to keep the lights on, to keep your rent paid.
00;08;53;14 - 00;09;15;07
Unknown
And in addition, you had to give up your office in midtown just to save money on the overhead. So you've cut that, which means you're now casting from home and doing remote, or if you needed studio space or just rent studio space in Manhattan. This casting creature happens to live in New York in this example. And then when you're working from home, it's like annoying.
00;09;15;07 - 00;09;33;15
Unknown
You used to have this beautiful office, and now you have, like, kind of a tiny home office. And like, it's depressing and you don't really get out much. So, you know, more days and not you're kind of in a low level bad mood because things used to be gray. Another kind of not as great as they were already.
00;09;33;15 - 00;09;54;05
Unknown
I feel bad for this casting director, not just for the amount of thousands and thousands of tapes that they're going to have to go through, but just the lifestyle sounds like such a grind. I mean, even if you love actors, you know, it's it's still a grind and I can really relate to that. So already I have empathy for what they must be going through when they receive an email.
00;09;54;08 - 00;10;14;21
Unknown
Here's some other problems that I've heard from casting directors that I've known or been friends with, things that that they've had to deal with, that I think actors and some of the rest of us just forget the casting directors are people too. But here's some things that I've heard that they've had to deal with. Real examples moving to new Jersey.
00;10;14;25 - 00;10;52;24
Unknown
And you're in the middle of your move and you don't really want to move to new Jersey because you don't like it that much. Trying to get pregnant with your first child and you're in your 40s, your house is haunted, and you're tormented nightly by terrifying hallucinations. People only hire you for bad TV and commercials. Someone, someone mentored you on Facebook, and now the comment section is blowing up and it's turning out to be a PR nightmare.
00;10;52;26 - 00;11;13;19
Unknown
And finally, your assistant for years, who essentially does 80% of the work, has just given you her two weeks notice. So those are some real world examples to show you just on any given day, what a casting director might have on their mind that might supersede whatever email you're sending them on that day. But back to the issue at hand.
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Unknown
The biggest issue, biggest problem today is that you need to deliver these 20 great choices to the network or the director in order to not get fired and get paid for this job and keep a roof over your head. So you have to sort through all of these submissions that have come in through breakdowns, schedule the auditions, and then send the 20 best off to the network, right?
00;11;38;12 - 00;12;11;28
Unknown
I don't actually know. At the major TV level, if the casting director is getting rid of certain choices, do they ask for more tapes from more people than they intend on sending, or do they only ask for the amount of tapes that they're planning on sending to the network? That's a really good question. But either way, they are definitely sending a limited but multiple number of tapes to the network so the network can then decide who they want to see and who they want to consider for chemistry reads and so on.
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Unknown
So out of these problems that a casting director can potentially have cut to you, the actor, you are trying to get close to this casting director or interface with them in some way. And now you see the barrier to entry is all of the other things that the casting director is dealing with. However, with all of these problems that the casting director has, remember, the number one problem is that they need to find these 20 great choices to send off to the people that hired them.
00;12;44;03 - 00;13;06;25
Unknown
If you can help solve that problem, that is one of the best ways to get the casting director to know who you are and to be grateful for who you are. And well, there may be a question of are you the right person to solve that problem? This is a scenario in which you need to know the show fake show, crawl out.
00;13;07;01 - 00;13;27;01
Unknown
You need to know what it's about. You need to get it. You need to love it. And if you don't, then you're not the person for the job. You're not the person to solve this problem. But I think that there's a lot of actors that they know. It shows that they're perfect for. They know the films that they could walk into that world tomorrow and just knock it out of the park.
00;13;27;01 - 00;13;56;11
Unknown
The weird universe that the filmmaker or the showrunner has created for this project. I mean, there's a huge difference between, for instance, a Yorgos Lanthimos film and a Greta Gerwig film. Wildly different, but there's going to be some actors that really effortlessly fit into a Greta Gerwig film and others that are just effortlessly Yorgos Lanthimos in their vibe and how they come across.
00;13;56;11 - 00;14;24;12
Unknown
I have an actor friend named Jake. He's extremely Safdie brothers in what he does and how he comes off, and he can go dark, but he can go funny, so funny. So I think that there's certain styles of content and film and TV that certain actors are drawn to, and it's on you to understand when you see the breakdown or when you hear of a show that's about to start casting, what is the vibe of that show?
00;14;24;15 - 00;14;50;02
Unknown
And do I fit? And if so, and I know, I know that I can fit into that show. I actually need to contact the casting director, because I think I can solve their problem of needing to fill roles on this show and not having options. So yes, is a highly specific reason for contacting casting director and I stand by.
00;14;50;02 - 00;15;17;07
Unknown
That is the best way to build a good relationship with them. It's actually give to them, give them a solution to their problem and it doesn't need to be only like, let's say you saw that, you know, sword fighting, accent role, persona, actors access. That would be a good opportunity to try and get seen for that. If you think you're perfect for it, that would be a good opportunity to contact the casting director, because again, you're trying to solve their problem.
00;15;17;09 - 00;15;43;17
Unknown
But let's say that there's no role. You just heard they're casting the show Crawl Out based on your favorite video game, and you know that you would die to be seen for it, and you're so passionate about it and that you can fit into that world with your acting style. That's another time when you want to send an email right before they start casting, like maybe 1 or 2 weeks before, so that you're top of mind, and that when they do start the casting process, they're going to be thinking of you.
00;15;43;17 - 00;16;04;10
Unknown
They've they'll probably have a list, list of people that belong in this world, and they'll have a list of actors. If your name goes on that list, you will probably be hearing from them. How do I know that they have lists? Because my very first job in New York was interning at Telsey Casting 20 years ago, and that internship was very intense.
00;16;04;13 - 00;16;26;12
Unknown
I learned a lot. I learned a lot because it was like 40 plus hours a week and unpaid, and you were there and you were basically working side by side with the casting directors and the casting associates. I was buddy, and I was helping out. Well, Candler kind of as his main assistant. And it was great. I learned so much.
00;16;26;15 - 00;16;50;23
Unknown
But yeah, there's lists that they make per project that they sit down and do brainstorming for who they want to consider for that project based on what kind of project it is. And, you know, the actors that are in recent memory and also like casting directors have very good memories. It's incredible. They can remember actors that they saw like decades ago and bring them in for stuff.
00;16;50;26 - 00;17;22;09
Unknown
All right. So let's say that you don't see a specific role that you want to try and help the casting director solve by being seen for it. How do you contact them? Like what do you say? And maybe there's not even a show or a film that you want to be considered for already? I'm like, why are you contacting them?
00;17;22;12 - 00;17;41;25
Unknown
But let's say that there's nothing coming up. You just love them, you love their work and you'd like to get on their radar somehow. Well, what do you say in that email? Here's what you don't do. You don't ask them to pick your headshot for you. That's just asking them to do labor, free labor with all of the work that they already have to do.
00;17;41;25 - 00;18;03;18
Unknown
They're probably working 10 to 12 hour days. Now. You're asking them to do free work, to look at your headshots and pick the ones where you're making kind of a weird face and rule those out and pick the one that they like the best. Don't do that. One of the best ways is to be additive. You want to be additive to their life.
00;18;03;20 - 00;18;32;12
Unknown
And what does that mean? It means that if you make them laugh, if you show them a piece of work, that's really cool, like really interesting, really, you know, great acting or cutting edge comedy. I mean, the thing that I've been drawn to lately are genuinely so weird. They're so niche and so weird and so funny and kind of like meta in a certain way in terms of how they're executed.
00;18;32;15 - 00;18;54;02
Unknown
And some of these people I see on Instagram, some of it's a theater that I've seen that's like off off Broadway, and it's really special. And if somebody's an actor, because I do get emails from actors trying to get on my radar, if they sent me something and they were like, hey, I just posted this skit, it's gotten almost a million views.
00;18;55;16 - 00;19;12;06
Unknown
I hope it makes you laugh. I'll watch it. And if it made me laugh, that would be additive to me. That would brighten my day. Instead of if there's ever anything that you would like to call me in for, please watch my 3.5 minute reel and let me know. I don't have time to watch a 3.5 minute real just on spec.
00;19;12;06 - 00;19;42;25
Unknown
I mean, I know that that is kind of the job of casting directors is to constantly be scouting talent, but look, I'm busy making films. I'm running a company as well. So unless I'm really seriously considering working with someone like they would be one of the 20 that I'm considering for a part in one of my films, I'm probably not going to watch the real I'm sorry, but if you send me a little quickie, that's like, you know, hey, I just won, best actor at Holly shorts or something.
00;19;42;25 - 00;20;06;09
Unknown
Palm Springs, here's a trailer for the film. If you want to watch the full thing, let me know. That's something that's that's interesting. Like a good trailer for a cool movie, like. Yeah, sure. And it's hard for me to articulate why that's different from watching a 3.5 minute reel. Other than the trailer for the film that just won that thing at the film festival is probably more likely to feel like it's adding to my day.
00;20;06;09 - 00;20;43;04
Unknown
Instead of being work like unpaid work that I have to do. It's more entertainment for me versus me working in critiquing something. So try to be additive. Always be professional. Always be humble, be charming, but also be yourself. You don't have to be a robot and a lot of people think they have to be like this. I like short, quick, get in, get out automaton or they'll they'll gush and they'll have like some really long emotional, almost like a fan letter that is also an equally inappropriate.
00;20;43;06 - 00;21;10;17
Unknown
And I think if you can just remember that this person has a very busy day and that they have a lot of other things on their mind, but that they really are still always interested in something is going to be additive. If you can be additive, then I say send the email. All right. I actually have a top ten list of things that I love to see in actors when I'm running an audition.
00;21;10;19 - 00;21;36;07
Unknown
And I have a top ten list of things that I don't like when I'm casting, but I'm going to save those for next episode because it's getting a little long. I look forward to sharing those lists with you next week, and I hope, really, really hope that this little thought experiment in a day in the life of a casting director has been interesting and informative and hopefully helpful.
00;21;36;09 - 00;21;41;29
Unknown
All right, I will see you next week.
00;21;42;01 - 00;22;08;07
Unknown
Thank you so much for listening to film on tape. If you like the way that I approach the industry, check out our other classes, consulting and mentorship at Club Amazon.com. Vermilion is a home for artists and those looking to expand creatively. Whether you're an actor, film professional, an entrepreneur, or a CEO. We'll help you find your voice and hone your skills to thrive in any market at any scale.
00;22;08;10 - 00;22;41;11
Unknown
You can schedule a free phone consultation at Club vermilion.com.
