Are auditions necessary

Steve Laramie

Steve Laramie

Veteran
Shooting a short film in the next few weeks and was wondering if I really need to hold auditions for a 1 character film. What are the best ways to know if its the right actor besides auditions?
 
Auditions will really help you with casting; you'll be able to see a potential actors personality in person, even if it is just a first impression.

And you'll no doubt end up meeting other actors you might want to work with in the future.. if nothing else.. it can be a good tool to see whos out there.
 
although,
some of the best actors are crap @ auditioning.
&
some of the best auditioners are crap @ acting (carrying the film as lead)
 
for a one-character film, i'd say auditions are even more vital than usual - that one actor has to carry the whole acing load. But the advantage of a one-character film is you don't need to worry about inter-actor chemistry, so an audition should give a pretty accurate idea of whether the actor is right
 
You could do a taped audition/ screen test.

I held auditions for the first time last film I made and not only did I get better actors, I also saw other elements of the character that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Even if you have an audition with only one person it's still helpful as a rehearsal. Can't hurt.
 
I would disagree, I think for a 1 character film you are wasting a lot of people's time to come out and audition for only 1 possible part that's available. You are better off watching demo reels and meeting a few people for one on ones or a small invite only audition. In the long run though auditions are great for finding talent for current and future projects, but I think you'd just frustrate too many people holding an audition for only one part. :)
 
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If you are familiar with an actor, there is no need to have em read for you. You've seen their capabilities already.
Auditions are to show you what you don't know. They are not a formality.
 
Auditions are the best way to test if an actor is going to listen to what you are telling them to do. Even if they don't nail the audition, you will be able to see personality as well as if there is any talent in them that can't hide behind a script through improv.

You shouldn't have them audition using something from your film, this can sometimes mean that even the right actor gets a wrong notion about the character that is hard to break. I normally audition with familiar pieces from films that are similar in feel to mine and I make sure I get the actor to change things up a few times through the audition to *make sure* they will listen on the day and to stretch them a little to see how they will react. Even if they don't pull off the change effectively their reaction will tell you a *lot* about the actor. If an actor starts making excuses or finds it hard to change on the spot, it is a good indication that the actor may have an attitude or that they find it hard to break from mindsets once they have made an acting choice, both of which could effect your ability to direct them, which in the end will effect your vision as a whole. While both of these can be dealt with as a director, the whole production is so much smoother if you don't have to and save you some stress.

This advice would also work for the how to control actors with an ego. Through an audition you can avoid hiring them in the first place because an actor with an ego can destroy your whole film by not listening to your direction and obliterating the crew morale.
 
GoodLuck said:
I would disagree, I think for a 1 character film you are wasting a lot of people's time to come out and audition for only 1 possible part that's available. You are better off watching demo reels and meeting a few people for one on ones or a small invite only audition. In the long run though auditions are great for finding talent for current and future projects, but I think you'd just frustrate too many people holding an audition for only one part. :)
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what does the number of available roles matter? for one lead you might audition 50 actors. for two lead roles, you might have to see 100. an audition is never a waste of time. it's the only way to see if an actor can internalize adjustments on the fly.
 
Zak Forsman said:
what does the number of available roles matter? for one lead you might audition 50 actors. for two lead roles, you might have to see 100. an audition is never a waste of time. it's the only way to see if an actor can internalize adjustments on the fly.
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Agreed.

I'm no pro but auditions are never a waste of time regardless of how many roles need to be filled.

MAH
 
Zak Forsman said:
what does the number of available roles matter? for one lead you might audition 50 actors. for two lead roles, you might have to see 100. an audition is never a waste of time. it's the only way to see if an actor can internalize adjustments on the fly.
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I guess it depends on what you have in mind for auditions. You can see if they can internalize adjustments with a one on one meetup. You can setup a few back to back read throughs in a coffee shop with your top choices. If it's an open call where 50 people come out to read for just one character that's available, in my opinion it's not the best approach.

But that's what's so great about it. There are people who would do it all sorts of different ways and that's why we have so much variety out there. :beer:
 
GoodLuck said:
I guess it depends on what you have in mind for auditions. You can see if they can internalize adjustments with a one on one meetup. You can setup a few back to back read throughs in a coffee shop with your top choices. If it's an open call where 50 people come out to read for just one character that's available, in my opinion it's not the best approach.

But that's what's so great about it. There are people who would do it all sorts of different ways and that's why we have so much variety out there. :beer:
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haha! well yes, there are a variety of ways to do something, but who says they are all going to give good results? :) like anything else, effective auditioning is a learned skill.

not to belabor this, but how else do you determine who you will meet for that one on one meetup? how else to you find those top choices with which to setup a few back to back read throughs in a coffee shop?

50 is not a lot for a lead role. from about 1,000 headshots and resumes submitted for the lead in Heart of Now, I auditioned about 60 women about 5-10 minutes apart. that only took about 6 hours of the the three days we spent holding our closed auditions. in each videotaped audition they first read a specially written scene designed to reveal certain things about them with another actor helping with the casting process. they were asked to read how they prepared the scene. then I gave them an adjustment. they took a moment and read again. you'd be surprised how many get locked into how they originally prepared and make no discernible change. you can't get that in a conversation. you need to see them on their feet, in the moment, opposite another actor.

next, for the callback auditions, we brought in the top contenders and paired them with actors we liked for the other lead and supporting roles. no sides were given for the callback. instead, it was wholly improvised. i'd lay out the history to how the characters arrived in this scene and gave each actor an objective to pursue. from time to time, i would step in and whisper an adjustment in one of their ears.

from the callback, I consulted with the producers and made my final decision. then, myself and the lead actress would meet repeatedly over dinner or at my studio and talk about the character. i did that with all the leads and supporting actors. and they were grateful for the level of attention paid to preparing for the film.

I also made personal phone calls to each of the actors we brought in for a callback but did not cast, thanking them or their time.

in my opinion, the real waste of time is a filmmaker who does not do the legwork needed to make the best picture possible. that truly wastes everyone's time.
 
I think it's a bit different since you are in L.A. In a lot of other cities and with a lot of other production companies you don't get 1,000 head shots and resumes for a lead in a short, without having to fly people out. I agree with your method, I think it's really smart and it's a great way to find great talent for current and future projects. I just don't think it's something I personally would do for a 1 character short.
 
going thru the auditioning process, either as an actor OR director, will give you a new appreciation for actors and directors you may not care for, simply because of the selection process involved in making a film what it is....think of the unforgettable roles in film history, then when you watch the DVD features and the directors tell us who was SUPPOSED to be in the film, we often gasp....oh, the process....
 
rule of thumb when holding auditions...

"could i have just shot this scene"?

if the answer is yes, then you have found what you need.

i do NOT agree with anyone who says a great actor can be bad at auditioning. it IS an actors job to be able to cold read and nail the character.

for anyone who thinks otherwise...tell me what you are going to do when you get a script change of ten pages on a soap opera 20 minutes before shooting it? if you cannot handle the audition you will fall apart with major script changes on set and if it is a big money project you cost the production lost time and tons of pay to the crew standing around waiting for you to get it right.

i seriously get amazed out how some people think cold reading and auditioning is not a good measure of a good talent. aside from acting i have done casting and it DOES tell me who will be able to get on set and do what needs to be done without wasting everyone's time.

sure...on an indie with no pay people are patient. but on a major feature...i have seen THIS first hand:

actor goes on set...can't handle changes...they shoot scene and behind that actors back place a call...a few minutes after wrapping that actor a new one strolls on set and does the part in a few takes and the first actor is on the cutting room floor.

can't do an audition or cold reading...then practice...train for it...learn how to do it or stick to nothing but indie projects because feature directors and producers won't put up with it or hire you more than once.

sorry if that offends anyone but it is what i have seen and more than once!
 
Michele.

I think what you are saying is true. However there is a huge emphasis on changes in your post. This may be a reality of TV and even features, but it is not necessarily the way everyone's films work.

For me, each project has different requirements. What you've mentioned is just one, a project that is liable to change from minute to minute. In a situation like that you are going to need a cast that can adapt their performance instantly.

I'm not sure that kind of filming is conducive to getting the very best performances from actors. Nor, indeed to making particularly good films.

I think you do come across actors (actresses in particular) that you get a feeling about in audition, that there is a lot more that could be coached from them given time.

As you rightly say, that may not always be possible, but I think it's still a reality.

Also the situation you mentioned about the re-shoot for me says more about a lack of preparation on behalf of the team. The director and such should know before they got on set that there was a problem.

I actually think it is slightly ridiculous to expect a decent performance from an actor when they are being messed around in such a manner. I know many actors can learn to handle it, but it's more a case of being grateful that they are so professional than looking at it as though that is something that should be taken for granted, from my point of view
 
DecadenceFilms said:
Michele.

I think what you are saying is true. However there is a huge emphasis on changes in your post. This may be a reality of TV and even features, but it is not necessarily the way everyone's films work.

For me, each project has different requirements. What you've mentioned is just one, a project that is liable to change from minute to minute. In a situation like that you are going to need a cast that can adapt their performance instantly.

I'm not sure that kind of filming is conducive to getting the very best performances from actors. Nor, indeed to making particularly good films.

I think you do come across actors (actresses in particular) that you get a feeling about in audition, that there is a lot more that could be coached from them given time.

As you rightly say, that may not always be possible, but I think it's still a reality.

Also the situation you mentioned about the re-shoot for me says more about a lack of preparation on behalf of the team. The director and such should know before they got on set that there was a problem.

I actually think it is slightly ridiculous to expect a decent performance from an actor when they are being messed around in such a manner. I know many actors can learn to handle it, but it's more a case of being grateful that they are so professional than looking at it as though that is something that should be taken for granted, from my point of view
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DF

Excellent post and points.

As for those quick changes...on soaps it is a reality and I honestly think it is why some soap actors 'seem' so bad when in fact it is the constant changes thrown at them.

On one feature...I still have a script where there is barely one white page left in it and yup...just as you suggest..the end project was 'shite'!

The times I saw actors get replaced it was not so much the fact they could not act. They had good auditions but they had little set time and that caused more issues.

I did a little casting here and there and try hard to talk directors in to really reading the resume because even if the actor has a hot reel but it is ALL indie and this is feature...as great as the actor might be in audition, they could have serious weaknesses with all the technical stuff and different demands from indie to feature or tv.


Loved this part of your post so much I had to repeat it for you and hope you don't mind:

From DecadenceFilms "I know many actors can learn to handle it, but it's more a case of being grateful that they are so professional than looking at it as though that is something that should be taken for granted, from my point of view"
 
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grinner said:
If you are familiar with an actor, there is no need to have em read for you. You've seen their capabilities already.
Auditions are to show you what you don't know. They are not a formality.
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Yeah... I'm not auditioning this short I'm shooting, because I have an actress who is helping me cast it and these are her professional friends, I can look on IMDB, see major TV shows they've all been in, and if they can't deliver 2-3 lines (they are small roles mostly) well, then I must suck as a director because these are union professionals, haha.

I WAS going to hold auditions if I was going non-union, of course, and it would have taken forever to find people I was really pleased with. So this is kind of cheating in a way, going it the easy way but also getting better talent.
 
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