Casting makes or breaks a film. David K. Irving explains how directors find, audition and hire the best actors for each role, even on a tight budget.
Actors are the life’s blood of any show. The best screenplay is only as good as the players performing the text. If the screenwriter is the heart, the director the brain, the cinematographer the eyes, the mixer the ears, then the actor is the blood that pumps life into the undertaking. Or to use a construction analogy from actor Sean Penn, “The difference between being a director and being an actor is the difference between being the carpenter banging the nails into the wood, and being the piece of wood the nails are being banged into.”
From initial casting sessions, during read-through’s and rehearsals, through wardrobe and make-up checks, shooting, looping and publicity, the director and actor share a special bond. They establish a confidence wherein directors can encourage actors to stretch while actors feel comfortable asking for the space to experiment. This affinity affects the emotional through line of the story. Except in unique cases, a director employs actors to people the story. These actors breathe life into the words and characters suggested by the screenplay. I say suggested because the script serves as a guideline, which goes through an alchemical transformation from paper to film. This change begins with the actors. It is through actors the director maintains the emotional through line of the picture. As noted film director Alfred Hitchcock said, “Our primary function (as directors) is to create an emotion and our second job is to sustain that emotion.” With such a crucial task resting on the director’s shoulders, and theirs alone, it behooves him or her to understand the temperament and mindset of actors. Specifically, the director must become familiar with the training and professional demeanor of each of the actors selected to play parts in the show.
The process begins with the screenplay. Once the characters are developed on paper a list is drawn up identifying and describing all the parts required to people the script. Then begins the casting process. Casting is fifty percent of the director’s work. Hiring the best available actors makes for a smooth and rewarding shooting process. If the director then creates an atmosphere conducive to deep emotional work or one relaxed enough to free up those actors’ best instincts, the performers will feel valued and thus eager to plumb their talent.
Casting is the process by which one unearths actors available and willing to play a part in the film. The efforts of the entire production office are involved in this crucial process. Casting directors organize and oversee the entire proceedings, often supervising preliminary auditions to winnow down the field to present a select group to the director. The production manager arranges a space to audition and contacts agents for submissions. The director selects the actors. Finally, the producer negotiates the contracts.
There are two methods of cast selection; the audition and casting a known actor. In either case, and aside from talent and whether the actor may be suitable, factors to consider include availability (it may not jibe with the production schedule), affordability (the budget may not allow for their quote) and credit (some casting decisions can be solidified only after successful credit negotiations).
The audition is a brief period (on average ten to fifteen minutes) wherein actors demonstrate their skill. They may read from the screenplay, perform a prepared scene, and/or improvise a situation indicated by the script. During this time, the director not only gauges the actors’ abilities, but also their demeanor, persona, voice and physicality.
To find the best actors for the parts, cast a wide net and keep an open mind. A director might see hundreds of actors before making a selection. To locate these performers a casting director will use every avenue available including submitting a character list to breakdown services, contacting agents and managers, and advertising at acting schools, in local papers or trade publications.
The character breakdown is written specifically to weed out absurd choices, yet general enough to allow for the quirky surprise. Describing the character of Sally as a “woman in her thirties” is too broad and might encourage a thousand actresses to audition (including those who are 18 and “play older” or those who are 40 and insist they are still an “ingénue”). Conversely, to say Sally is “a slight woman in her thirties, fragile like Amanda in Glass Menagerie, with blond hair, brown eyes, has a lisp in a South African dialect, and six fingers on her left hand” is too rigid a description and may reap no hopefuls. A compromise in the character description would encourage a moderate number of actresses who might fill the part. Consider that hair color can be changed, eye color may not be important, accents can be learned and body parts can be altered with special prosthetic make-up. Only when the part requires a specific physical trait or unique talent are you locked in, such as when casting an extremely obese man, a little person, or a professional sword swallower.
The production company collects head shots (photos and resumes of actors) from agents or through the mail and from these photos selects a group of actors to audition for the casting director and/or the director. Actors are seen at ten or fifteen minute intervals in the audition. The actor enters a room and meets the director and casting director. After brief pleasantries, the actor reads from the screenplay or recites a prepared monologue. The director may require the actor to read the text again, asking for an alternate interpretation. A brief improvisation may be requested. The director and casting director thank the actor, make notes and the next actor is called in.
The director and casting director may not be the only ones present at the audition. The producer can observe the proceedings, another actor or assistant may be called upon to read opposite the actor auditioning, or a camera crew might be employed to videotape the audition. Fewer personnel are better, as actors should be given the opportunity to demonstrate their skills without too many distractions. The case can be made that an actor who cannot perform in a room full of observers might freeze up on a crowded set.
Sometimes referred to as a cattle call due to large turnouts, an open call is an opportunity for anyone to try out for the parts listed in the posting. Although time consuming and draining, an open call has the potential to reap interesting choices for parts. They are particularly effective when a company is shooting in a distant location and seeks as much local talent as possible, usually for small speaking parts, silent bits and extras. Those who attend an open call signal the production company they are available and eager to participate in the movie.
Evaluating the audition is based on three considerations; the particulars of the character; the juxtaposing of this actor with the other cast members; and the gut response of the director. These ephemeral qualities are often referred to as chemistry. Matching one actor with another may result in emotional sparks, friction or stagnation.
Casting segues to the callback when an actor is asked to audition once again.
This affords the director an opportunity to fix a decision about a performer.
The director may ask two potential candidates to perform opposite one another to ascertain their chemistry.
The director and producer will finalize casting once the process has been completed and all potential candidates explored. The director needs a keen eye and ear to evaluate both the actor’s talent and their suitability for the part. Take your time. Casting too quickly means a better actor might be ignored.
An actor’s availability is an important factor when considering the production schedule. Actor’s sign a contract with an “on or about” target start date. The production can be delayed by a few days without jeopardizing the casting. A delay of a few days is not uncommon, a fact recognized by the Screen Actor’s Guild. However, if a major postponement moves the first day of principle photography to more than a few days off the target date, casting can be jeopardized as an actor may at such time opt to take on other employment. Casting may also be affected if a lead actor negotiates a stop date, which is a date he or she is obligated to move on to another production.
One taboo in film is the firing of an actor during principal photography. But, as casting is not a perfect process, it sometimes becomes necessary to replace an actor. Replacing talent is easy at the beginning of the shoot, even if it means reshooting a day or two. If the actor is replaced in the middle or even towards the end of a shoot, all the sequences with that actor will require expensive reshoots. To avoid this, cast wisely.
Actors want more than anything a challenging role. Fees and credits are important, but the part is everything. David K. Irving is a film director, writer and producer, and an Associate Professor in film production at New York University. David’s feature directing credits include “Night of the Cyclone,” “C.H.U.D. II,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Rumpelstiltskin.” David has also written and directed dozens of documentaries. David coauthored an award-winning film production textbook titled, “Producing and Directing the Short Film and Video.”
Keep learning filmmaking
Want more lessons like this? Join StudentFilmmakers free for live webinars with working pros, and stream on-demand filmmaking classes in cinematography, directing, screenwriting, sound and post.
