Since I’m an out-of-state actor, I would like to know the odds of actually getting a callback or booking a role by sending in an audition tape. It sounds like most people book roles by being there in person. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of actors booking major roles by sending in tapes. As a matter of fact, I have a manager who told me that tapes would never work since casting directors barely ever look at them. If an actor had the chance to fly into LA to audition or send in a tape, which would be better?
There are pros and cons to both an on-tape and in-person audition, as I mentioned in last week’s column. Certainly, the majority of actors who book a role do so after having been in the office with the casting director, director, producer, and often many more decision-makers. That said, sometimes the first time a casting director sees an actor for a role, it is on tape. Most notably, Elijah Wood put himself on tape to get seen for The Lord of the Rings and Katie Holmes mailed an audition tape of herself from Ohio (where she was a senior in high school) for the role of Joey in Dawson’s Creek. So, yes, it can happen.
As for the odds of this happening? Well, that’s Actor Mind Taffy and I wouldn’t begin to try and predict for you how much more effective one method is over another. If you’re right for the role, casting directors don’t care how they first became aware of your work. It’s just that simple.
Can you ever be sure your tape is seen? No. Can you know for certain that you won’t have a crash-and-burn experience in the room, if you fly out for an audition? No. And since there are no guarantees, you simply have to weigh the costs and benefits, when you’re deciding whether to go on tape or board a plane. Besides, once you really start thinking about flying in to audition (and doing so regularly), it’s time to start thinking about moving to LA to pursue the local opportunities locally.
Bottom line: Your career should always be a process of evaluation and reevaluation. That includes deciding when it’s best to go on tape and when it’s best to come to town.
Good luck, whatever you decide! No matter what, do good work.
Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!
Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/000160.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.