Have you ever wondered what’s the background story behind your favorite actor or the most talented singer you know about? How did they manage to become famous, if they were just a little girl or boy from their suburb? Who discovered them? Who was the first to recognize their talent?
Yes, things seem pretty easy once we watch the movie, show, or live event. But the road to popularity is not always the easiest one for both casting directors and great talents.
Knowing these things, we can say that casting directors use these techniques to spot the best talents around:
Networking
Casting directors spend plenty of time networking with talent agencies, managers, and other professionals. These people are often in touch with talented people, so working close to them is beneficial. Additionally, the directors can inform these people about the profiles they’re looking for, or the project details, and they can find and send the best ones.
Attending industry events is another way of extending the network. Casting directors often go to such events so they can easily find the right talent, and keep an eye out for new ones.
In the world of casting, talent discovery strategies often result in finding celebrities who entered Hollywood unexpectedly, as explored in the related article.
Open Calls
Open calls are a great way to check on a large number of talented people at once. The casing directors are campaigning through social media, traditional media, flyers, printed ads in newspapers, various publications, etc.
That way, they ensure many talents will see the open call and respond to it. The ultimate proof the campaign worked well is a significant number of talents appearing in the audition.
Online Submissions
The internet is the largest outreach channel, so it completely makes sense for the talents to apply online. That’s why many casting directors accept online submissions.
Surely, it’s easier to submit the portfolio online, instead of making copies of the photos or burning previous acts on CDs to send through the post office.
Social Media
If you click here, you may find a few ideas on how some talents are discovered, but surely, there are many more ways we’re willing to discuss in this article.
Social media is an excellent way to reach out to great talents. People from every age are often in a hunt for a new gig. So, casting directors carefully tailor their social media campaigns, so they can find the right people there.
On the other hand, social media can be risky, because of the scams. So, both casting directors and talents must check each others’ backgrounds, to ensure everything is fine before proceeding with contracts.
Once the casting directors find the potential hires through the channels we described, it’s important to organize a casting. Surely, it’s not the easiest thing to do, but it includes:
- Audition – So they can check on how the talents handle specific tasks, and showcase their skills in front of the experts.
- Script Analysis – Casting directors work with talents so they can understand the script, the characters, and their individual characteristics. That way, talents can bring these fictional people to life.
- Improvisation – Almost every casting director checks on how the potential hires are able to improvise when they forget about the script or need to add a personal touch to a character’s development.
In the world of casting, understanding the strategies casting directors use to discover talent can shed light on the experiences of actors who stumbled during auditions, a topic explored in the related article about casting failures.
But What After the Casting?
Most casting directors, together with the talent agents, need to decide who will get the role. Surely, the choice depends on the project type. For example, for documentaries, they can choose the more serious talents who stay calm through every situation.
For comedy projects, they’ll surely go for those with charisma, who make people smile the same moment they appear.
Keep in mind that it’s normal not to be able to get into every role. You surely know that even Hollywood actors choose roles that fit them. Only the exceptionally talented ones can handle various roles, and act in dramas, comedies, and even thrillers.
Still, there are a few things casting directors pay attention to:
- The Overall Confidence – Confident actors are able to deliver an exceptional act under any circumstance. Their behavior and body language make them appear perfect for the role.
- Presence and Charisma – Charismatic people have a natural ability to attract attention, so people always tend to choose them. Surely, charisma is an essential quality an actor should have, and not everyone is gifted this gift (which doesn’t make them bad actors at all).
- Expressiveness and Emotions – Some people are great at mimicking various emotions and expressing them as they live through the situation. And surely, casting directors love them, because authenticity brings success.
- Adaptability to Different Situations – A great actor can act like a child, an adult, professional, and switch through those roles at any moment.
- Unique Voices – Actors and actresses with unique voices can be easily seen. Their way of expressing their emotions and repeating the scenario pieces make them stand out from the crowd.
In the world of talent discovery, casting directors often search for actors and actresses whose charisma and skill make them stand out, regardless of their noteworthy physical attributes featured in the Hollywood-focused article.
But What if They Need to Hire More than One Talent?
As you suppose, this one is much easier than looking for that one person who can handle the role alone. Casting directors often look for different talents, to cover a few characters in their project. And even if it seems like a challenging task, the truth is, it’s pretty easy to do that.
They first need to make talent segmentation, and group the actors and actresses in specific groups. After that, they can work together on character development, and find the best fit for the specific role.
That way, everyone can get the role they can cover the best.
When hunting for strategies used by casting directors to discover talent, it’s fascinating to learn about the profiles of the leading casting professionals in film and TV, as explored in the related article.
Final Thoughts
If you thought casting directors have an easy job – you were totally wrong. This article shows that they have many responsibilities when it comes to hiring the right talents for specific roles.
So, if you’re a casting director, these tips can help you become even better at what you do. But if you’re a talented person who is looking for a gig, we helped you understand the secrets behind casting directors. That way, you can easily deliver the casting they’re looking for, and increase your chances to land the role you want.
