Who is going to be your new best-friend when you go to cast your next independent feature film? Modeling and Talent Agencies.
If you are ready to start casting for your next independent feature film, one of your first contacts should be your local modeling/talent agency.
They really are fantastic. They have actors from all walks of life who are eager to get out there and do something.
A lot of modeling/talent agencies have acting classes and different programs for their clients, so even if the actors don’t have any experience, they have had some training and you know they have the desire to perform and to help take your project to the next level or they wouldn’t be there.
The majority of the talent agencies out there will be happy to speak with you and will help you in any way that they can, especially when it comes to feature films because they know how important these opportunities are for their clients.
I’m going to tell you how I cast The Devil’s Instrument using a modeling/talent agency and all that I learned from the experience.
Take a Meeting
The first thing you will want to do is find a local modeling/talent agency if you don’t already know where one is located. Then, get their contact information and initiate a cold call.
Introduce yourself and your company, if you have one, and explain why you’re calling.
Tell them a little about the project, when you are going to begin shooting and ask if it would be possible to set up a meeting because you may be interested in using some of their clients in your feature film.
Once the date and time for the meeting is set, thank them for their time and let them know that you look forward to speaking with them.
Before the meeting, it is important to prepare a few things beforehand. You are going into this meeting with a purpose and it is important that you have a clear understanding of that purpose before you go in.
One thing that you should create and take with you is a casting notice.
A casting notice has all of the pertinent information about the film along with descriptions and other details about the roles that you will be casting for.
The talent agency will need this because this is what they will be sending to their clients to make them aware of the opportunity.
Things to include on the casting notice are: production title, production type, union or non-union shoot, project length, project format (Ex. 1080p, 4K, etc.), production location, rehearsal date, date to begin shooting, end date of shooting, company, website, email, writer, director, producer, casting director, compensation (what all are you going to offer them), when are the auditions (you won’t know this yet so just leave it blank), where will the auditions be, when will callbacks be, and when is the first cast meeting.
You can also include a description of the production and a brief synopsis of the project.
Next, include a list of the roles you are casting for along with character biographies and descriptions. List the name, gender, ethnicity, and age range for each role along with a brief description and any media you would like to see, such as a headshot.
After that, you can write down what you hope to accomplish during the meeting.
What you hope to accomplish is for the agency to send the casting notice out, allow you to hold auditions there, allow you to have cast meetings there, and settle on the dates and times for everything.
The owner of the modeling/talent agency that I went to when I was casting for The Devil’s Instrument was so helpful and allowed me to do all those things.
We settled on the dates and times for everything and I would be holding the auditions at the agency.
So, now I had to get everything ready.
Preparing for the Big Day
I wanted to be ultra-prepared for auditions when I was casting for The Devil’s Instrument because when you’re dealing with so many people during the process, things can get confusing really quick.
I also wanted everything to run smoothly, and I wanted everyone to know that this was going to be a very professional production.
If you are highly-organized, professional, and serious about what you are doing, everyone that you bring aboard will be, too. This will lead to a smooth process.
So, how can you appear professional?
To start, you should have a casting form made up. Remember to bring enough copies for everyone when the day arrives.
The casting form is for everyone to fill out while they are waiting to audition. They can also attach their headshot to it, if they have one.
Things to include on the casting form are: name, age, address, phone number, email, eye color, hair color, previous experience, and what part they are auditioning for.
I also had a movie poster made up with the title and some artwork that really captured the feeling of the film, along with a stand to display it with during the auditions.
When people see the poster, they know they are truly auditioning for a movie. This adds to the professional atmosphere you are trying to create.
I had a Bad Image Productions poster made up, as well, to pair the other poster with.
You also need to have “sides” for everyone auditioning to read from.
“Sides” are a page or two from the script for each of the roles you are casting for. Make sure you have enough copies of these for everyone, as well.
You can make a list of everything to bring to the audition so you don’t forget anything and then you’re ready to go.
Auditions
My audition checklist for The Devil’s Instrument included: a red folder with all of the casting forms, several Bad Image Productions pens for everyone, a blue folder with the “sides”, two posters, two stands, and a small toolbox with the tools that I would need to put the stands together with.
On the day, I arrived at 3:30 p.m. and gave myself about forty-five minutes to set everything up. I should have given myself an hour because I felt a little rushed.
I moved a table into the room the agency gave me, along with a chair. I put one poster and stand on my left and the other poster and stand on my right.
I had a pen, a notepad, and a folder on the table to put everyone’s casting sheet and headshot in.
At 4:15 p.m., I introduced myself and said a little something about the project and then handed the casting sheets and pens out to everyone.
From 4:30 – 6:00 p.m., I auditioned all the female roles, and from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., I auditioned all of the male roles.
I told everyone that the auditions would last about ten minutes and that they would be able to read three different times. The first time, I told them to read it their way. The other times, I told them that I would give them some direction and that they could begin again.
This will allow you to see the kinds of creative choices they make and whether or not they can take direction. This goes without saying, but always remember to be polite and respectful to everyone involved. It’s a stressful process and the more you can mitigate that fact the better.
After the auditions, I thanked them for their time and told them that callbacks would be from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. I said, “If you are chosen for one of the parts, you will get a call from me before 10:00 p.m. Unfortunately, there is not enough time for me to call everyone who auditioned and if you don’t receive a call by 10:00 p.m., it doesn’t mean that you didn’t give a good audition or that you don’t have any talent, it simply means that someone else was more right for the part.”
Even if you think you know who should get the part or not, always wait and do the calls. It’s important for the actors to feel that they earned the part after much deliberation, and it’s also important for you to undergo that deliberation.
The decisions you make are too important to make quickly, so give them the thought that they deserve.
That night, I called all of the actors that won the role for each part and I told them that the first cast meeting would be the following day back at the agency and I welcomed them aboard.
The Cast Meeting
Again, it’s important to make a list of all of the things that you will need to bring to the cast meeting so that you don’t forget anything.
My list consisted of: scripts for everyone, a box of Bad Image Productions t-shirts, two posters, two stands, a toolbox, highlighters and pens for everyone, name cards for everyone, an extra folding table, and blue folders for each of the actors that had all of the paperwork inside.
On the day of the meeting, I gave myself thirty minutes for setup, an hour for script reading, and an hour for the paperwork and questions.
I set up the tables and put the scripts, folders, and name cards all around the table. I had name cards because it was important for everyone to sit in that specific seat because it was the one that had the folder that was specific to them.
The paperwork had their name and their character name on it and I didn’t want there to be any mix up.
The paperwork consisted of a standard release form, deal memo, and shooting schedule. I feel it’s important to pay the actors whatever you can afford, but on a low-budget independent film, more often than not, it won’t be a lot.
So, offer anything and everything you can. I told them I would make them all a demo reel and I delivered. I promised them IMDb credits and I delivered.
I gave each of them three or four Bad Image Productions t-shirts and a host of pens. Of course, lunch and snacks were to be provided every day, and I also gave each of them two-percent of the producer’s share of the film.
After everyone arrived, we got to work. We did the script reading. We did the paperwork. We talked about the film and the characters.
At the end, I gave everyone the address and the schedule for the first rehearsal and then sent them off to memorize their lines and further develop their characters.
Everything went smoothly and it was a very productive afternoon.
All of this ultimately led to a very successful shoot which, in turn, led to the completion of the film.
The main things that I learned from the experience of casting The Devil’s Instrument is to always be polite and respectful to everyone involved, always be professional, and above all else, be organized.
