Do you remember record albums? Like vinyl? And do you remember that some people liked to buy albums and others liked to buy 45s? Some people wanted an entire album, so they could hear all the different things their favorite band could do, while others only wanted the hits and rarely cared what was on the B-side. Remember that?
There are those who want range, others who want specificity. That’d be — where video is concerned — your agents and your casting directors.
Agents generally want to know all the things you can do, because that allows them to know all the ways to submit you. They can understand the full range of your abilities and how others have cast you before, which helps them get you in front of the buyers on the next project and the next and the next.
Casting directors generally want to know, “Do you solve this problem I’m having right here, right now?” While they’re certainly happy to know you have range, if you talk them out of believing you’re going to NAIL that thing they need you to do on set tomorrow, you’re less castable than an actor who makes them believe, “Hey, in my sleep, I do this. All day. This is me. No risk.”
Already this year, I’ve cast a series of commercials for a car dealership and we needed to see actors “floating” as they tend to do around this particular make of car. Not many actors have on their demo reels footage that specific, so we invited actors to put up audition footage in that tone, at the time of their submission. Many did. Others did not. Twenty-six of those who did not self-tape SO had the right look that the director — after huddling with the producer and the client — asked me to ask them to upload footage of themselves doing something “float-like” near a car, like folks tend to do around this make of vehicle.
They wanted to “hear” the 45. They couldn’t get a sense of the “hit,” from “hearing” the whole album. Basically, these actors’ demo reels weren’t showing them exactly what they needed to see, but the decision-makers felt it was likely the actors DID have it in ’em.
Yes, we’re witnessing the evolution of auditions, to a certain degree.
Certainly, there will always be in-person auditions. There will always be producer sessions. There will always be chemistry reads. These things aren’t going away — especially on the most high-stakes projects (like a series regular role on a network show, let’s say). But first reads are slowly becoming a narrower and narrower needle’s eye through which to thread a piece of string.
Being ready to shoot yourself, upload footage, and show folks that you can do exactly what they need done is becoming “the new normal” for some projects. And it’s not just happening in LA (in fact, it’s happening MORE elsewhere). I’m writing this week’s column from the Self-Management for Actors tour in Orlando, and when I asked a room of 75 or so actors at the SAG Foundation and AEA event Friday night whether they had ever put themselves on tape for a first read, nearly three-fourths of the actors in the room raised their hands.
And they love doing it. These actors are used to driving sometimes hours for auditions, so to put themselves on tape is a great deal! Upload the best take. Get it right. Feel good about it. Save time, overall. And, YAY, get “in the room” (virtually) for projects all over the world.
Of course, if you’ve adapted the specifically-labeled scene model and are submitting the right clips (the 45s) on the right projects at the right time, you’re getting closer to teaching buyers you’re right for roles without having to go to the trouble of shooting footage for the read. Awesome! These are two ways in which we’re pushing toward the new way of doing business.
Oh, and I should note that — even though I always tell actors their vids will be viewed if they include links within the NOTES section of their submissions at Actors Access — lately, because so many (seriously, SO many) actors are attaching footage to their actual submissions (meaning, their vid clips are linked within their profiles at the submission site), some of the “here’s my reel at YouTube” notes are being overlooked by the decision-makers. Consider this, when you are weighing the pros and cons about uploading specific footage at your profile.
If you’re game to upload footage for projects on which you’re already being told you’re in the final few (like, those 26 actors I mentioned, above), please prepare yourself for success (PDF), there. Have a camera ready. Have a place in your home set up for shooting. Have good lights. Have good sound. Have a buddy who will read with you (as you will for your buddy). And be able to upload on short notice.
I asked my Twitter followers how much time they would need to upload 20 seconds of footage on a project that they had already submitted to be considered, when given notice that they were in the final round of consideration. Everyone who replied said it would take anywhere from 20 minutes to four hours to get that done. I love knowing that, and I’m paying attention to those who say that it’s do-able. One of the few actors who uploaded footage of “the float”? She ended up on set a few days later. So, it works.
I love that. Can’t wait to meet her. It’s not the first time I’ve cast an actor I’ve never met. In fact, it’s probably the tenth time since 2008. And this is only getting more common. Sure, not all projects are ones on which a “virtual casting” will work, but some are. And for those that are? Be ready. Nail it. Lay down that hit single and let’s jam!
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/001450.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.