The Search for Actors

I asked this question in another thread, and the answer may help the original poster of this thread, but how much should a serious independent film expect to pay to have it "done by the book?"

-- Dean
 
Dean Bull said:
I asked this question in another thread, and the answer may help the original poster of this thread, but how much should a serious independent film expect to pay to have it "done by the book?"

-- Dean
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Most of these productions seem to be shorts. SAGIndie has special contracts that producers can use as long as they follow the guidelines. For instance, there is a short film agreement which allows for mixed casts of SAG and non-union actors. SAG actor rates under this contract are $100 per day and it is ALL deferrable. Basically, what this means is the actors aren't going to get paid. Of course, like anything else, your actors are going to have to agree to the terms of their employement. There is some paperwork which must be submitted to SAG, including a budget. To qualify for the Short Film Agreement, the budget must be under $50,000 and the running time can be no more than 35 minutes.

There are workshops in LA and NY. If you have the opportunity, I'd highly recommend attending one of the workshops...they're free.

http://www.sagindie.org/workshops.html
 
khmuse said:
From your signature, I assume that you are looking for actors that might be willing to attend an audition in Oklahoma. Break Down Services, the largest and best known website for posting of audition notices should be able to help.

Go to www.breakdownservices.com and follow the link to Breakdown Express. There you will be able to send an inquiry and start an account with them (no cost).

You could also consider working with a casting director in your area. You might want to go to the CSA site to see who might be available to work on your project. http://www.castingsociety.com/

One strong suggestion, don't hold an "open call". Real actors will look at this as a sign of a novice casting and may avoid submitting for your project. Always have time specific appointments and be certain to provide the per audition materials (sides, character breakdown) well in advance.

There are also a number of good books on the subject, including one written by Bonnie Gillespie (a friend who is a CD) that I would recommend.

Best of luck on your project.
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I disagree wth this as hold an open call sometimes is the only way to attract actors. We don't all hail from LA or New York.
 
khmuse said:
This is almost an absolute true statement. I read the Breakdowns daily and believe me, professional castings are not open calls!

I have a number of friends that are working CDs and none have held an open audition for years. In stage, not theatrical, open auditions are a bit more common (at least for lesser roles) but for theatrical, it almost never happens.
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Why do so many productions host open cattle calls?
 
If you are a director and you're trying to create a short, how would you get a CD? Would you pay them out of your own pockets?

Another off-topic question that is loosely related: If you aren't the person paying the CD, how do you get a producer to help fund your short film? Short films have no way of making money.
 
bballplaya283 said:
If you are a director and you're trying to create a short, how would you get a CD? Would you pay them out of your own pockets?
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CDs are paid a percentage of the total talent budget (10% - 15% is typical). Often, their assistants will work for a no or low fee to get a casting credit. As with all things in life, you are free to negotiate a deal with the individual casting your project.

bballplaya283 said:
Another off-topic question that is loosely related: If you aren't the person paying the CD, how do you get a producer to help fund your short film? Short films have no way of making money.
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Raising funds is a big part of filmmaking. Raising funds for a short is often more difficult than a feature as there are few, if any, mechanisms for generating any return on investment. This is where friends and family often come in, but most, shorts are self funded.
 
khmuse said:
CDs are paid a percentage of the total talent budget (10% - 15% is typical). Often, their assistants will work for a no or low fee to get a casting credit. As with all things in life, you are free to negotiate a deal with the individual casting your project.



Raising funds is a big part of filmmaking. Raising funds for a short is often more difficult than a feature as there are few, if any, mechanisms for generating any return on investment. This is where friends and family often come in, but most, shorts are self funded.
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This is a really good thread.
 
khmuse said:
CDs are paid a percentage of the total talent budget (10% - 15% is typical). Often, their assistants will work for a no or low fee to get a casting credit. As with all things in life, you are free to negotiate a deal with the individual casting your project.

.
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So for ultra low budget filmmaking, could a filmmaker get a feature cast by hiring a casting director for, let's say $2000 - $5000?

If you weren't located in LA, would they audition the people for you and send you the tapes.

And where would you find a list or database of CDs who would do this?

sorry for all the questions, but this thread is really good. I have been to LA twice in the last year and both of the auditions we held sucked.

We booked individual appointments, one is a SAG Low Budget Indie and we only had a 40% turnout. Really disappointing.

By the time one gets done spending all the money to go to LA and whatnot, you are already into the $1500 range if you are staying a couple of days.
 
I don't know if anyone mentioned the following, so I'll just put down my list:

Craigslist.com
College theater/fine art programs
Local film group/organization
Local theaters

Beyond getting the auditions the thing that can really be a pain is co-ordinating every one's availability with your audition day. You might want to consider asking someone who will take on this task singularly. Also, make sure you have a LAND line to do this on and not a cell phone. I found using a simple excel spread sheet helps simply the task.

On another note regarding auditions, it's a good idea to setup a camera to shoot the audition and review later. It's easy to get lost in the moment and think an actor really hit it, then watch a tape later and realize they don't hit you the same way the next day.
 
baquajim said:
So for ultra low budget filmmaking, could a filmmaker get a feature cast by hiring a casting director for, let's say $2000 - $5000?

If you weren't located in LA, would they audition the people for you and send you the tapes.

And where would you find a list or database of CDs who would do this?

sorry for all the questions, but this thread is really good. I have been to LA twice in the last year and both of the auditions we held sucked.

We booked individual appointments, one is a SAG Low Budget Indie and we only had a 40% turnout. Really disappointing.

By the time one gets done spending all the money to go to LA and whatnot, you are already into the $1500 range if you are staying a couple of days.
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While $2000 - $5000 isn't a ton of money, it is enough to buy some time of a decent CD.

There are a lot of things that a CD is going to be able to accomplish that a less experienced individual can't. One of the first, and most important things is how the breakdown is written. This requires experience and is best left to a good CD or at a minimum an experience assistant.

Your experience of a 40% turnout is really low. This too is an area that a good CD can help with. First off, their presort from the submissions will weed out those that are flaky and second, any working actor isn't going to risk their reputation by accepting an audition and then not showing up. This isn't the behavior of a professional and working actors consider their relationship with CDs as one of the most important things they have.

The preread stage can be handled by the CD alone and they can compile the audition tapes prior to the producers session.

If you want a recommendation for a few CDs that work on SAG LB and MLB level projects, feel free to PM me. I will be happy to point you in the right direction.
 
I like to use this company in L.A. when I cast actors. Tami is great and really goes the extra mile to get you what you want. She can do union or non union and has always gotten me exactly what we wanted to have.

Tammy Neill
DreamCast
drmcasting@aol.com
 
stevenesbit said:
Hi, speaking of open casting calls, there is an open casting for two lead roles in a movie here: www.bethemoviestar.com

For any questions please check out my MySpace: www.myspace.com/stevenesbit

This is a genuine offer, please pass on the opportunity to anyone interested.
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I would think that any self respecting actor knows that to be a professional you don't enter into "movie star" contests, this just screams "I want fame and fortune" instead of following ones passion for the craft.

The director also mentioned they will write the script along with production to better fit the actors. Any good film has a solid script with actors who resemble the characters, not the other way around.

only my personal opinion.
 
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