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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.
00;00;25;05 - 00;00;48;26
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 vermillion.com. Last week we covered how to make casting love you and looked at what a day in the life of a casting director might look like.
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Unknown
Some of the things that they might be dealing with. And this week I'm going to give you the top ten things that when I'm casting something that I love to see in an actor in the top ten things that I really don't like to see in casting. So these are kind of companion episodes, and there was just so much information in last week's episode that I wanted to break it up so you could fully digest some of the framings and different ways of looking at the poor, poor casting directors and what they have to deal with.
00;01;26;24 - 00;01;48;06
Unknown
And then this week, very practical advice and two very practical lists of what to do and what not to do when interacting with casting directors. And now of course, I do have a lot of experience casting my own work. I've also worked with casting directors, hired them to cast my films, working with women right now on a film that I'm directing.
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Unknown
So that's the point of view that I'm employing when I'm having these conversations with you. And, you know, I've been doing this 20 years, 20 years ago, my first job in New York was working at Tulsa, casting as an intern, a full time, 40 plus hour a week intern. So my thoughts on this. They've had a long time to bake in the oven, and they're pretty strong at this point.
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Unknown
But the list that I'm going to give you today are extremely personal to me and extremely unique to me. I'm not saying that everyone feels like this, although I know for a fact that many casting directors have said these same things that I'm about to say to you right now. All right, let's get into these lists. The top ten things that I love to see in an actor when they walk into audition for me, number one, they have no visible insecurity.
00;02;41;02 - 00;03;17;09
Unknown
They are executing the material in a friendly, relaxed, confident way. But they're also extremely focused. When I call action now, the reason is when an actor walks in, I am I am full focus on the material, on who they are, on their energy and on what they're going to bring as an actor with their craft. And if they're insecure or if they're like checked out or they're like not really paying attention, that takes away from my experience of their work.
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Unknown
I don't want to be thinking about their insecurity. I want to be thinking about the job that they're going to do. I want to be full, like like I'm in a theater, like eating popcorn, just so mesmerized by what they're doing. Like, I want to go all in on what they have prepared, and I don't want to even think about any of the doubts or negative voices that might be coming up for them.
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Unknown
Is it natural to have doubts and insecurities? Yeah. Of course, like I'm an artist, I fully understand that. But that's why I say visible insecurity. So you could be feeling afraid or anxious or sweating through your shirt or whatever, but I don't want to see, like your emotional state coming through on your face or your body. It's fine if I see you sweating.
00;03;56;09 - 00;04;23;29
Unknown
That's not what I'm saying. But if you're letting it affect your performance, that's going to get in the way of me and your performance. The second thing that I love in an actor is range, especially between takes. If you're able to show me well, from take one to take two, sometimes take 3 or 4 in an audition, that you can do a lot of different things with the same material, that's going to show me that you've prepared it.
00;04;23;29 - 00;04;54;24
Unknown
What I would call correctly or what you're not setting delivery when you're working on it at home and you're prepping the scene to take it in, you are only setting the given circumstances and there's no one right way to do it. There's not even your one right way to do it. You might have preferences, but anytime an actor sort of gives me very slight variations on the same exact read is because they've decided that there's only one right way to do it.
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Unknown
Who says it's right? Who says it's right? Who says it's wrong? God, Martin Scorsese like who? Who is dictating right or wrong? There's no right or wrong. And what so many casting directors will tell you again and again. Not even the director knows what they're looking for. Now, I'm pretty specific, and sometimes I do have a very specific idea of what I'm looking for, but I'm also open to being wrong.
00;05;23;15 - 00;06;06;08
Unknown
I don't necessarily know that there's a right or a wrong way. I might have a clear idea, but someone walks in and they show me something that blows my idea of how it should be done away. It just blows it away because they're dialed into their truth. And usually the the full truth of a talented and committed performer is going to outdo anything that I have in my imagination, because my imagination's a brain, you know, it's like an organ in my skull, and an actor is a real, fully dimensional, whole human being with the full faculties and full emotion.
00;06;06;08 - 00;06;21;24
Unknown
So I always prefer somebody show me a beautiful three dimensional performance that can supersede any idea I might have of, quote, how it should be played. And that's even speaking as a writer, director.
00;06;21;26 - 00;06;47;13
Unknown
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;06;47;16 - 00;07;19;09
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. All right, number three thing that I love to see is if an actor can show excitement and interest in the material, either verbally or non-verbally, you don't need to be like, oh my God, I love this script is just brilliant.
00;07;19;09 - 00;07;40;13
Unknown
You're brilliant. You're you're amazing. You're perfect. Like they don't need to to get all like, you know, really obsequious about it or flooding me with compliments. It can be non-verbal, like as long as it's authentic. If they're like doing the scene or about to do the scene like, yeah, it's really funny. Like it could be literally muttering to themselves or just a little chuckle.
00;07;40;16 - 00;08;03;24
Unknown
But if I can see if they allow me to see that they're enjoying the material, that makes me feel like, oh, good, okay, this is this actor is the right audience for this show or this film. If they would watch this show, then that makes me trust more that they're going to get it and that they might get the pages that they haven't read and that I won't need to explain it to them.
00;08;03;24 - 00;08;20;29
Unknown
If they love this material, it makes me feel more like they belong in this world. Now, that may or may not be true, but it just, you know, it's a human reaction that I have. And especially if I'm the writer and, you know, they love the writing, I'm like, oh yeah, you get it right? It's natural. Number four.
00;08;20;29 - 00;08;48;26
Unknown
I love it when people make me laugh, I do, I love laughing, and I love when someone can actually surprise me. I might have a surprise fetish where someone can just, like, genuinely like to startle me with a joke that I didn't expect to hit me in whatever setting like crate. I love that, and especially I really love if someone's funnier than me.
00;08;48;28 - 00;09;15;15
Unknown
I just love it. I love it so much. I just want to, like, surround myself with those people. Like like their stuffed animals. And just like my little my little safety bubble of funny people. So I try and keep actors around that I know are funnier than me. And that I can, like, sometimes actually write. I write material for them because I just think it's such a gift to be able to make people genuinely laugh.
00;09;15;17 - 00;09;40;10
Unknown
Number five thing that I love to see in an audition is when an actor uplifts the room. So when they're emotionally or energetically generous and when they come in and they feel more like a friend or an equal, and they're just giving their they're giving of themselves, they don't need anything in return. They're just there to do incredible work and like, give to the room and then leave and then that's it.
00;09;40;10 - 00;09;58;04
Unknown
Like they're on with their life. We're not interacting anymore after that. I find that that's rare for an actor to be truly generous in the room and then leave. It's over. Usually it's like, not that, but it really stands out when someone can do that.
00;09;58;06 - 00;10;20;19
Unknown
Number six I love it when an actor's on time. On time prepared, on time prepared. That's it. I don't need to say more. Right on time and prepared for the audition. Number seven. If someone can pull off what feels like a one person show. So yeah, there's a reader like it's not a monologue. There's a scene right there listening to the reader.
00;10;20;19 - 00;10;37;09
Unknown
All that's happening, but they don't need anything else to be complete. They figured out how they want to do their business on screen or off. They've got any props that they might need. Their costume is where they want it to be. The hair, makeup is where they want it to be. If they're doing that, and imagination wise, they've built the room.
00;10;37;09 - 00;11;02;02
Unknown
Everything is constructed. It's like a little one person show that I can watch, like a film without any of the production value. And, that's really comforting to me because it shows me that they know what they're doing and they understand the material, and they've taken care of everything. I don't need to worry about anything being missing. It's all there for me.
00;11;02;04 - 00;11;30;07
Unknown
Number eight I love it when someone is clearly read or researched enough to be able to effortlessly land in the world of this show or this film. When they just get it, they either know the material ahead of time, or they ask to read the full script so they get it. I don't need to explain it. It's like almost if you haven't done that research, no amount of explaining in the room like on the day will be enough to tell someone about this world.
00;11;30;07 - 00;12;08;09
Unknown
Like you kind of either need to have done the research already or not. Number nine, if they've seen any of my previous work and they're complimentary, I really like it. Again, I'm a human being. I'm a human being. And as a writer director, an indie writer director, like most people have not seen my work. So if you take the time to watch, you know, one episode of All Hail Beth, ten minutes or an episode of strut three minutes before you come in to audition for me, then those are both free to watch.
00;12;08;12 - 00;12;30;11
Unknown
I'm really touched. And if you like, I can tell that you genuinely liked it. You're not just blowing smoke, right? Like you watched it. You liked it. That means so much to me. And it also shows me that you're likely to resonate with this material, whatever I'm casting. Because if you like my previous work with my voice, you're probably going to like my voice as it is translated into this current project.
00;12;30;13 - 00;13;01;09
Unknown
So I think of it as like a sign of good creative chemistry and I also just on a very human level, I like when people like my work. So number ten thing that I love is when an actor's off book. Now, if you are B-list or above, you don't really need to be off book. I mean, it would be great to sign of respect, but I think very few A-listers get off book when they audition if they even are auditioning.
00;13;01;11 - 00;13;22;22
Unknown
If you're still rising up to the ranks of acting and auditioning, you need to be off book. Why? Because you just haven't really arrived yet. To be able to throw your weight around like that. Like people aren't necessarily going to trust that you are going to be a professional when you get on set. Why? Because they don't know you, and you haven't established that you're able to deliver as a professional.
00;13;22;22 - 00;13;54;05
Unknown
So getting off book is a sign that you are going to be a professional on the day, because I've hired people who, you know, they were like kind of shaky in the audition on their lines, and then they got to set and they weren't off book. And it was disruptive. When we were filming, I saw this thing with Tom Holland the other day where he would memorize his lines during his makeup for I think it was Spider-Man, and that would be like the only time that he would spend memorizing.
00;13;54;10 - 00;14;23;02
Unknown
But he's also incredibly fast at memorizing, and he wanted a freshness to the lines, so he didn't want to overthink it. That's kind of a different story. And again, he's A-list and he can deliver on the day and he is extremely reliable to deliver. Being off book when it comes time to say action, if you are not A-list, I just think it's really better to be off book, not just for your own sake, but to communicate to the people around you that you are going to be able to be trusted.
00;14;23;04 - 00;14;26;03
Unknown
Okay.
00;14;26;05 - 00;14;47;17
Unknown
Let's talk about the things that I don't like in auditions, things that just kind of irk me or that are, I would say red flags in an actor. So top ten things that annoy me when I am casting a film or episodic program. Okay. Number one thing that I don't like to see is when an actor is seeking validation from me.
00;14;47;19 - 00;15;05;07
Unknown
When they walk in and they're just trying to get me to tell them that they've done a good job, or that I don't know that they're a good actor, that they're a good person, that they have permission to exist. All kinds of weird things happen in auditions, and they can be very high stakes and can bring out really the most anxious in a person.
00;15;05;10 - 00;15;29;21
Unknown
So I don't want to have to validate you as an artist or as a human or, you know, anything really. I just want to sit back and enjoy the very fine work that you're about to do, and that should be a generous process. From you to me, I have my own form of generosity. You know, sometimes I have the energy to be complimentary or like verbal or exchange emotion with an actor.
00;15;29;21 - 00;15;52;08
Unknown
But look 100, 850 actors in a day. Many times I don't have that energy. So there's literally nothing in the tank. So anyway, subconsciously asking the casting director for validation is just it's not something that I would recommend. And if you can get away from that habit as much as possible, I think you're going to have a much better experience in your auditions.
00;15;52;10 - 00;16;24;14
Unknown
Number two thing not to do in an audition or with a casting director is being demanding or entitled. I have a list of actors that I will never work with, and when someone is demanding or entitled, I add them to that list. Or if they're just hostile, like I remember over the years, they've been actors who've gotten mad at me for something that, you know, I don't remember ever doing something that merited a hostile reaction from an actor, but I've gotten them hostility name-calling harassment.
00;16;24;15 - 00;16;49;21
Unknown
You know, these are all things that are there are hard no, you got to be professional. Even if somebody does something that really upset you. Like, I've gotten screwed over for sure. Not from actors, but like, you know, it's business and show business, right? Things happen. Situations come up. I've gotten screwed over, and I've never been hostile to somebody who owed me money or owed me a job or whatever.
00;16;49;23 - 00;17;15;03
Unknown
It just doesn't work. And it won't work for you as an actor to be demanding, entitled, or hostile either. Ever. Just don't do it. Number three thing that I really don't like is when your materials do not work like the links are broken, you send me a link that's broken, or a file that's corrupted, a picture that won't open, or you don't attach a thing that you say you're going to attach.
00;17;15;06 - 00;17;34;19
Unknown
Not only are you not solving a problem that I have, you're making a problem. What's the problem? Well, now my time's been wasted and I can't get it back. I already work 12 hours a day, and many casting directors do as well, so even a minute of wasted time is a big deal, because I can do a lot in a minute.
00;17;34;21 - 00;17;53;14
Unknown
And if that minute is like a time sync that goes nowhere, it's really annoying. So try not to do that. Double, triple check your links in your attachments so that you make sure that that doesn't ever happen. Also, that your email is matching the name of the person like you don't want to email Janice at. And then you write to your John.
00;17;53;17 - 00;18;18;21
Unknown
You know, just like little things like that, take the time. Number four thing to avoid is making it weird. Please don't make it weird. Don't ask me to engage emotionally or do emotional labor in an audition. It can take the shape of over apologizing, trauma, dumping, obsessive fangirling on me or my work demanding answers to questions like grilling me.
00;18;18;23 - 00;18;38;13
Unknown
You think you're connecting by asking me questions? It just feels like I'm being interrogated, lingering too long in the room or leaving too soon. Like if I ask you to stick around and you just suddenly vanish. Like, maybe I wanted you to read for something more, and you just go because you're so nervous. Like you didn't even hear me say it or something.
00;18;38;16 - 00;19;03;29
Unknown
And what that does is leaves me feeling weird. Or like maybe I've done something wrong or, you know, or just uncomfy and people don't remember what you did or what you said. They remember how you made them feel. So really try to just not make weird energy in the room when you're having this. It should be a professional experience, like very cut and dry, straightforward.
00;19;04;01 - 00;19;33;00
Unknown
Do the material and you're friendly, you're polite, and then you get out. Needless to say, don't jerk off in the audition, punch a wall, or get naked unless it is explicitly an audition with nudity and everyone's on the same page. And I mean, I've never had a nude audition, but I've heard of them, and I've heard situations where it was like somehow, okay, I don't think I would ever require that of an actor.
00;19;33;00 - 00;20;00;15
Unknown
But anyway, don't unsolicited do any of those three things. And I've, I've heard and seen of all of them. Just thinking of the actor that jerked off an audition. Anyway, number five, when you are trying to interface with casting, monthly updates are too much. They just are. There's no way that you have enough going on that's like that.
00;20;00;15 - 00;20;21;07
Unknown
Fascinating that you need to be telling someone about it monthly. I don't even think I send monthly emails now. It's like it's different if you're on a mailing list and you're like, somebody is like a writer, you know, or they have a Substack or something like that. I'm talking about actors trying to be remembered by casting directors. Monthly is too much.
00;20;21;10 - 00;20;41;00
Unknown
I think even quarterly is too much. Personally. Like, I will remember you if you email me once a year, once a year, and I'm going to remember you. I'm going to remember you. If you've emailed me five years ago because I and most casting directors have a very good memory. But what happens if you start doing it monthly is a marker spam.
00;20;41;02 - 00;21;06;10
Unknown
Sorry, I know that's not great to do that because then I miss all your emails. But yeah, that's just realistically what's probably going to happen. And you don't want that. So I think twice a year is great. Once a year is fine, but once a month it's a no number six. If you cannot take a note in the audition, that's not great.
00;21;06;12 - 00;21;29;04
Unknown
Take the note, take it and work it in. Be listening. Please don't argue with the note. Don't argue with the casting director. You never know if they really mean it or if they're trying to just see something new and playful because you nailed it the first time. So never, ever argue with a note. Just take it as a creative challenge and see what see what happens.
00;21;29;06 - 00;21;50;29
Unknown
Number seven if you're going to send in two takes, please do not make them identical. I would say 80% of the time when someone sends two takes, they are almost identical to 80% of the time. That's crazy to me because you have the opportunity to do something like really inventive and wild and cool, and you do something the exact same.
00;21;51;02 - 00;22;11;04
Unknown
If I'm sending it on to somebody, I'm only going to send one take. I'm not going to send the second because it's too similar. So really try and make like your first one, your favorite, and then your second one another. Also good version of the scene that that is maybe wildly different. Number eight don't be late and don't be a no show.
00;22;11;06 - 00;22;40;07
Unknown
I know that sounds crazy, but it happens all the time. People get audition appointments and then they don't show up for them without any explanation or communication, and it's just a really bad look. So try not to do that. Please. Number nine social media etiquette. Please, please, please do not attempt to follow me repeatedly trying to get me to follow you back or like a LinkedIn request.
00;22;40;07 - 00;23;02;04
Unknown
And you just keep sending it. You keep requesting, you keep requesting. If I haven't accepted it, I probably am not interested. Once every couple months somebody will just like hit, follow and follow and follow, trying to get me to see them. And I just don't want to follow them back until I do. And then I do. So yeah, that's kind of a weird behavior to exhibit.
00;23;02;04 - 00;23;32;18
Unknown
I would say, please don't do that. And then finally not being off book, oh, I already spoke about this, but it's so important I said it twice. If someone is just crazy going up on their lines, it takes me out of the performance. It's not even necessarily that I think that they're not professional, but like you literally have your script in your hand or you should you can read off the page or you can like grab the line and up, grab the line and up right.
00;23;32;20 - 00;23;56;10
Unknown
You don't have to have it like glued to your face. But people either forget that the script can be in their hand or they I don't know. They think that they are above learning the lines. Or just try your very, very best to be off book. I don't so much care if you mess up the lines a little bit, or if you have to paraphrase like that's totally fine to make it through, right?
00;23;56;10 - 00;24;19;11
Unknown
Like, I get it, there's nerves, but the people who don't try at all to memorize, that's kind of a red flag. So I just think out of respect for the team that's in the room, you want to try and be off book, and it's going to help you to focus more on the performance anyway. Okay. These have been very fun to go through and to make this list.
00;24;19;14 - 00;24;45;26
Unknown
And of course, this is very personal to me. So there's things that are on this list that other casting directors might not care about. And there's things that they might care about that it doesn't really matter to me. So this is my personal list. I hope it's helpful to you and I hope it's shed some light on just how you might want to rethink your auditioning process, or new things to add into the mix as you're preparing for your auditions, because hopefully you're auditioning a lot.
00;24;45;29 - 00;25;10;05
Unknown
And if you're working with Vermillion, you probably are auditioning a lot. I have one client who, once we started working, the strategies that I use, she went from no auditions to I'm not kidding, ten auditions a week. She just told me yesterday, ten auditions a week, and you better believe she's already integrated a lot of these two lists that I've just given you.
00;25;10;07 - 00;25;30;13
Unknown
She was already pretty good about how she presented herself in auditions, but now she's like, no chef's kiss. So if you want to discuss more with me on how to get to ten auditions a week yourself, you can always book a free call with me and I will be so, so happy to discuss. Thanks so much for listening.
00;25;30;13 - 00;25;36;09
Unknown
That's been really fun and I'll see you next week.
00;25;36;11 - 00;26;02;18
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 [email protected]. 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;26;02;21 - 00;26;25;28
Unknown
You can schedule a free phone consultation at Club vermilion.com.
