Giving actors the script, Pre Audtiion

J

JChang

Active member
This might seem like a no brainier, but I am hosting my first casting soon and wanted to know if people out there send the script to the actors before hand.

I figured you should send it to them or else they wouldn't know what they are signing up for. (they just have a jist of the story right now)

If I do send them the script and didn't want a cold reading, would I send them the sides I want them to show me on the day of Casting also?


Thanks.
 
regardless of the part I don't audition unless I see the full script - but that's just me. There are plenty of actors who are happy to turn up for a cold read but script exerpts or sides are great to get everyone on the 'same page' and lets you really see what the actor can do with the piece.
 
Breakdown and sides are all you need for an open audition. Your agent will forward sides from the casting director, generally. I never get a whole script. Even if you do send the script you have to specify sides so that that actor knows what to prepare. I would not send the whole script. Hopefully this will be one of a few auditions your actor has this week and they won't have time to read it.

If you are looking to "attach" a certain actor to the project, you can send it to them or probably more likely to their agent but that would be for a principal role, lead. Someone meant to carry the movie but that's well before auditions.
 
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As an actor I always insist on seeing at least the sides prior to accepting an audition call. To my amazement, some directors take offense at this, as though I'm being 'high maintenance' or something. I've actually had some testy email exchanges with some before finally refusing to audition. This still really takes me aback, although almost all of these directors were relatively small-time. Others will simply stop corresponding with you once you mention that you will require sides beforehand. They apparently seem to think that the only way to audition is via cold-read, and/or that an actor who gets sides in advance is somehow liable to 'game' the audition. Explaining, patiently, that just for example, SAG (of which I am not a member, which I mention), *requires* that sides be made available to actors prior to accepting any casting call does not seem to cut any mustard with these guys. And it's not all that uncommon. Go figure...

As a casting director, I always provide sides for auditioning actors in advance, and often more than one scene. In the latter case, they are usually prioritized so actors know that a particular scene will be read first, and that the other(s) may or may not be asked for. As a side note, and FWIW, I usually prefer that actors *not* attempt to memorize the sides prior to the audition. IMO it often creates distracting 'memorization overhead' issues in the audition, like unnatural pauses while the actor recalls the line. It's great to be a quick memorizer for sure, but it's as often a negative as a positive in an audition. YMMV...
 
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Thanks for all the replies.

I find it interesting that there are actors that would want to take part in scripts they haven't seen.
It seems as if they are just attaching themselves to an unknown script. Aha.
 
Like most everyone else stated, it's up to the director. I sometimes change lines or prefer improvisation, so unless I know the actors work, I want them cold, I want to know if I throw out changes on the spot, my actor can adjust to the situation and perform as needed. But thats just me.
 
JChang said:
I find it interesting that there are actors that would want to take part in scripts they haven't seen.
It seems as if they are just attaching themselves to an unknown script. Aha.
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They don't call them parts for nothing. Actors accept that they are there to do their part.
 
As a writer/director I always send the whole script - they can either read it or just read their sides.
I must say I always like the ones who've read the whole script. I like their drive.
Of course every actor might not have the time to read a whole script - that's ok too.
As an actor - I like to read a whole script and ask for it. Sometimes you get it - sometimes you don't. When I don't I think 'give me a break......"
 
That's interesting that actors get whole scripts. Could it be a regional thing?

It just doesn't happen here in NY maybe because of the way you get an audition. I get a call from my agent, he says go to this studio and see so and so Casting Director for an audition for this production, here's the shoot dates. Then my agent sends sides over email or I pick them up on Showfax or something. That's it! I don't even get to say whether I want to go let alone read the script! It's rare. It happens sometimes that they post the whole script but not often.

I direct. I have a couple of actors I know that I shared the full script with to help them gauge their interest but not for an audition.
 
Here they seem to want an outline of the production along with marked up sides well in advance. I've seen DVDs of some possible locations sent along too.
Maybe suggest that 2 in a scene work something up beforehand. Consider a basic NDA for everyone?

Spread the session out, don't overbook, leave time for lunch even though it might not happen if it's raining or the traffic is bad. Arrange a green room with sandwiches and drinks on hand and a free cell for local calls. Video everything with basic lighting and importantly a good boom mic set up.
You ignore that and have a pro look after that side of it.

Cheers.
 
As an actor I like to read the whole script if I'm interested in a role, and am interested in a role if I see sides/breakdown/synopsis (even if only a paragraph for the latter) and feel there's something that is well conceived and fits me. If I've been cast, then I definitely want to read the whole script to more fully understand who "I" am in the big picture. I know some directors like to shoot in an 'actors only ever see the scenes they're in' or 'we're writing it just before we shoot' style, but I don't believe in the merits of either of those approaches...

Most importantly though, I think 'cold-casting' (actors never see anything until the day of the audition) is bad in almost every single way. To wit:

1) It's counter productive to finding good actors - many, if not most, will need time to study and consider characterization choices.
2) It's highly inconsiderate of the actor's unpaid, personal time - taking hours out of one's day to attend a 'cold' audition only to find out almost the moment the sides are finally handed out that one's entire "role" is to say "that'll be ten dollars" in an otherwise almost completely illiterate, train wreck of a "script". Been there. Never again. Please just show me the sides so I can eagerly look forward to attending or politely decline. And yes, of course this isn't actually a factor because *your* script is really *great*, unlike all those *other* guys. *All* of whom believe the same thing, of course...
3) Actors, in a scripted film, by definition, will almost never be 'cold reading' on the actual shoot, so what's the point? You're 'means-testing' a skill that will ultimately have almost no applicability to the task at hand, while you're failing to means-test a skill that almost certainly will (see item 1 above)

And so on...

To be sure, there will be script changes on set that 'quick study' types will excel at, but making casting decisions with that scenario as your default priority is like buying a car based on the size of the gas tank. You may find later that there are more important factors...
 
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My rule of thumb is that for open cast calls I provide sides pre-audition, I attach them to the email that says when/where/etc to the audition. For call backs, the actor gets the whole script.
If I want a specific actor to audition, I will also send them the complete script.

Lee
 
It depends on the work.

As an actor, I'll show up to almost any audition for paid jobs without a script in advance (it's the nature of that particular game). But for unpaid work (which will 99.99% of the time be for unknown directors/producers) I simply won't audition without a chance to see the script in full first - as the script is generally the only item you can judge the potential quality of a film from unknown filmmakers by..

My time is valuable, and I have no interest wasting a minute of it learning audition scenes for a film that, were I to know the quality of the full script, I'd have no interest in doing.

It truly beggars belief at times, the mindset of some directors and producers in regards to acquiring actors for low/no-budget productions - you'd think the priority would be on acquiring the best talent possible (to help disguise the film's financial shortcomings if nothing else) and yet they're wary of performers who care enough to want to know more about the film and the production.

It's very strange.

To answer the OP, I would send out the audition scenes and character bios as a first step, and supply the full script to any actors who ask for it.
 
With you 100% on this, except that in the USA at least, the rules for SAG members state that "for a movie or TV show, a script should be available for you to read 24 hours in advance". Obviously, the union understands the value of pre-audition prep, whether a given actor chooses to avail themselves of it or not...

Grug said:
It depends on the work.

As an actor, I'll show up to almost any audition for paid jobs without a script in advance (it's the nature of that particular game). But for unpaid work (which will 99.99% of the time be for unknown directors/producers) I simply won't audition without a chance to see the script in full first - as the script is generally the only item you can judge the potential quality of a film from unknown filmmakers by..

My time is valuable, and I have no interest wasting a minute of it learning audition scenes for a film that, were I to know the quality of the full script, I'd have no interest in doing.

It truly beggars belief at times, the mindset of some directors and producers in regards to acquiring actors for low/no-budget productions - you'd think the priority would be on acquiring the best talent possible (to help disguise the film's financial shortcomings if nothing else) and yet they're wary of performers who care enough to want to know more about the film and the production.

It's very strange.

To answer the OP, I would send out the audition scenes and character bios as a first step, and supply the full script to any actors who ask for it.
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JChang said:
This might seem like a no brainier, but I am hosting my first casting soon and wanted to know if people out there send the script to the actors before hand.

I figured you should send it to them or else they wouldn't know what they are signing up for. (they just have a jist of the story right now)

If I do send them the script and didn't want a cold reading, would I send them the sides I want them to show me on the day of Casting also?


Thanks.
Click to expand...


1. I would send them a short synopsis of the script, a "one line" description of the character, and inform them whether profanity and/or sex & nudity is involve with the character.

2. I would never send a script. The whole purpose of a cold reading is to see what the actor brings to the table without directions... after their first try... give them some directions and let him/her try again. You are looking to see how they follow directions, and how fast they get into the character you're aiming for.

3. If you don't want a cold reading just send them the sides and a short synopsis of the script.

FYI: Make sure the sides you send them has a good range of emotions within the character.
 
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