Charging actors to audition? Is this a common practice?

It is a job like anything else. People take time to go to interviews, because they want a job and they like to eat. People spend money on clothes to look nice for the job, actors spend money on head shots, mechanics spend money on tools (And lots of it!).
 
Charging actors to audition is not even legal in most states.

Casting directors get paid by the production to screen actors and that is how they make their money.

If anyone is charging actors to read for a film in 9 out of 10 cases (if not 10 out of 10), it is a scam.
 
if you could shoot it and burn a dvd of each actor 1min,then give them the copy. your could charge $15 or so . and your actors will not feel so (raped) when they leave. might even get 600 to turn out.
 
To walk into an audition, and get charged $15 for a 1 minute DVD, I don't see anyone that would be interested. Not a potential casting director, not an actor. But I do see that as having some potential, if it were done properly, but not at an audition.
 
Capt Quirk said:
To walk into an audition, and get charged $15 for a 1 minute DVD, I don't see anyone that would be interested. Not a potential casting director, not an actor. But I do see that as having some potential, if it were done properly, but not at an audition.
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Yeah, looks who's talking, Mr. "questionable" casting guy. I've heard some stories about you, buddy... what was the deal with the girl and the cucumber anyway??
 
the point is you must give them something for the $$$.start up actors don,t have any footage of themselves .a casting call like this would be mostly wannaby actors with no tape or dvd of them self . it is not that they even want it ,most real actors would not even go to the gig that does,t have a casting person. the new world of electronic casting when actors pay the $40 to do some lines ,and submits it to the casting person. the casting person then organizes the clips on a web site . the directors scan the the clips on the internet from anywhere, and pics his actor.
 
jetaddiction@mac.com said:
the point is you must give them something for the $$$.start up actors don,t have any footage of themselves .a casting call like this would be mostly wannaby actors with no tape or dvd of them self . it is not that they even want it ,most real actors would not even go to the gig that does,t have a casting person. the new world of electronic casting when actors pay the $40 to do some lines ,and submits it to the casting person. the casting person then organizes the clips on a web site . the directors scan the the clips on the internet from anywhere, and pics his actor.
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Just because an actor doesn't have any footage of themselves doesn't make them a "wannaby" actor. It simply means that they're most likely just getting started and in fact have every intention of being a professional. They just haven't had enough acting roles so that they can put a reel together.

As far as electronic casting, it doesn't really work that way. The whole point is to have an actor come in so that the casting person can get a feel for who they are and see what kind of vibe the person gives off.
 
as for electronic casting ... that is how it is done in vancouver when the director in in la. the casting persons job is to narrow the field so directors don,t have to ( get a feel for who they are) from 300 actors. maybe just the top 4 picks. i know this because my buddy is a casting agent here. i have been asked to shoot actors doing lines all the time . but not worth the $40 that it pays. i guess no reason to do this in hollywood. . would actor newbe be a better term for new actor to discribe some one starting out.
 
Oh, if they're narrowing down the actors for an audition, then that's fine. They can get a general look of the actor and see if they can act. I wouldn't ever make a final decision based on an internet audition. It would only be to weed out the ones who you wouldn't want to see in person for whatever reason.

Yeah, I think wannabe actor means someone who would like to be an actor but isn't willing to put any time or money into it. If the person is out doing auditions and has headshots, then they're definitely not wannabes. Acting newbie would be a better term.
 
On my last casting session I actually gave everybody I turned down the chance to download a wmv of their audition. I just kind of though that'd be a nice gesture, now that they all turned up and spend their time. Also I'm hoping that it might help some of them, especially those of lesser experience. Also I just like to make friends with as many actors as possible; you never know who might make it big, and then you're gonna wish they were your friend :)

Seriously though, I'm so awed by how many will show up for a non-profit casting call, begging for the damn part. I really hate making the phonecalls to the ones who didn't get it.
 
gi-jones said:
I really hate making the phonecalls to the ones who didn't get it.
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And bless you for doing it.

At about 98% of auditions (at least here in NYC) that courtesy is never extended. Only the chosen get the call. It always seemed to me that it would be a fairly simple thing to do a single, mass, courtesy email to everyone who auditioned and didn't get picked. That way they'd know, and could move on without worrying they'd take another role that might conflict. If you have good reason to believe your audition was particularly well received (like for example, they convincingly told you so, asked about your schedule, etc.), this can be a valid concern.
 
Something else people do. Telling actors they did good when they didn't. Giving them false hopes, only to let them down, or worse yet; never let them hear from you again. The whole "We'll call you" attitude. If people aren't right for the role I tell them, the second I know for sure. I know that this is not the common way (actors tell me). But not doing it, is just kind of cruel, and people just do it to avoid the situation of facing a person you just dissapointed. Admittedly it can be tough, but avoiding the confrontation is just about escaping responsibility. Also telling them right away will save you some of those phone calls, that you don't have the time, or the guts, for.
 
From what I hear from you guys it's pretty much the same, but Denmark being a country of 5 million people we obviously don't have as many actors. Even so I'm quite amazed by how many I get when posting a part in a low-budget (see: not payed) project. I saw around 50 girls for a part in my feature last winter, and that was after sorting out the obviously wrong types from headshots.

Even so, very few actors can actually make a living off it in Denmark. Even some of our big names have a hard time making ends meet, and I think most of them really make their money by appearing in commercials every once in a while.
 
gi-jones said:
Even so I'm quite amazed by how many I get when posting a part in a low-budget (see: not payed) project. I saw around 50 girls for a part in my feature last winter, and that was after sorting out the obviously wrong types from headshots.
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Was there a cucumber involved?
 
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