Have you ever wondered how the director or producer of a film manages to determine which actor or actress would be ideal for playing a certain role in the said film? If you have, you’re probably curious for an answer.
You see, finding the perfect actor to play a chosen role in a video, theater, or film production doesn’t happen by chance. There’s a long and arduous process behind it. If it weren’t for such a complex process, the end result wouldn’t be as good. In fact, it would be downright horrendous.
The casting process starts with a simple audition. The interested actors and actresses show up for the audition and showcase their acting skill. This usually involves acting out a part of the video script. Then, the casting team determines the final choice, after going through a series of such auditions.
Casting is a very important part of video production because this is where the people who play the various characters in a video are chosen. As you may already know, the kind of actors/actresses you choose can have a significant impact on how good or bad the video turns out.
Performers are rarely hired by the ones producing the video. Rather, there are casting companies or casting services that take up the responsibility. In some cases, you even have individual casting directors who do this.
The job of a casting service or company is to find people for each role in video production. Now, the casting process is often divided into two separate categories – principal casting and background casting.
Principal casting involves finding talent for the primary or key roles in video production. The background casting process involves finding talent for background roles. This usually involves non-speaking roles. The common terminology is “extra.”
The principal casting process
The principal casting process is almost identical for commercials, televisions, and film productions. It starts with the casting director and producer creating a “Breakdown,” which is, basically, a list of all the talents a production requires. This breakdown is then sent out to various talent agencies. Talent agencies are companies that find jobs for actors and actresses who are registered with them.
The talent agencies go through the breakdown and compare it with their own roster of actors and actresses to determine who is ideal for the select roles. Once they narrow down their options, the talent agencies send the chosen portfolios to the casting service. A talent’s portfolio will contain all the work he/she has done in the past. This helps the casting service determine whether a certain talent is right for the job or at least, good enough for an audition.
The next step in the process involves the casting service going through all the portfolios and choosing the ideal ones. Once that’s done, the talent agency is notified and provided with information regarding the audition. In some cases, the casting service may also send out “sides,” which are parts of the script that the talent will have to read or act out during the audition.
The background casting process
The background casting process isn’t as complex as the principal casting process. However, it requires the same amount of attention to detail. The process beings with the casting service providing talent agencies with a list of desired characteristics and traits they’re looking for in their extras. The number of extras needed is also made known to the agency.
Now, auditions are hardly carried out for background casting. This is because auditions highlight a talent’s key skills, which is only necessary if he/she is playing a primary role in the production. To put it simply, an audition is like a job interview, where the employer wants to dig deep and find out what the prospect is really capable of.
The audition itself is carried out in front of a casting panel, which is made up of the producer, director, choreographer, and director. However, for commercial video auditions, things may be quite different.
So, it’s safe to say that background casting is like hiring volunteers. The extras don’t have to showcase exceptional skills. They are only required to play very basic roles.
So, as you can see, casting isn’t an easy task. But, what happens when you need the right actors for your marketing videos? Well, you simply hire a casting service.
Crafted is the best casting service in NYC
Crafted is a full-service casting service in NYC that’s recognized for its stellar work and ability to handle projects from end-to-end. We are a team of experts, trained in various areas of video production.
Our expertise has been proven in the past via thousands of video projects for clients from various industry verticals. Many of these projects have received awards for their top-notch production quality.
Thanks to our experience in the video production arena, we have also developed a solid reputation for our casting services. We work with a wide network for talent agencies to source the right kind of actors and actresses for our productions.
We understand the importance of having the right talent for your videos. After all, the success of your video marketing campaign rests on it. Our wide network allows us to track such talent. More importantly, our experience in the industry enables us to identify quality talent.
Our casting services are overseen by a team of qualified casting directors, who have formerly worked in film and television.
So, if you’ve got a video marketing project coming up in the near future, get in touch with Crafted for all your needs. We’ll help you with everything, right from concept development to casting and post-production.
We adhere to the most stringent casting standards to ensure that our clients never have to deal with mediocre work. Only the best talent can survive our scrutiny and meet our expectations.
Interested in knowing what Crafted can do for you? Well, visit our website www.craftedny.com. You can also share your details with us by filling up this form, and we’ll get back to you soon.
