An open casting call is when a casting director will call for anyone and everyone under the brief to come along and audition. They may send the breakdown to agencies, youth theatre groups or schools or even online where some can submit their audition tapes. But where ever they put out the information it means one thing; you don’t have to have an agent to audition! As long as you fit what the casting team are looking for than you are welcome to attend.
Open castings are very rare as there are more than enough professional actors around, so production companies and casting directors don’t need to extend their search for non-represented actors. It may also be that the film producers want a genuine or specific character and they feel they haven’t been successful finding it with the professional actors. Open castings may sometimes be held when the casting agents feel they don’t want to ‘miss anyone’.
An open casting is also much more likely to happen when casting teenagers or children. This is because there are less child and teen actors than adult actors currently working. Projects like Skins, Kidulthood or any other kind of ‘gritty’ teen drama require teen actors that are either remarkably good actors or have experienced the type of world the characters live in.
How did you find a new breed of actors? It was important not only to find a good cast but also who could really relate to the subject matter in one way or another. Right from the beginning we really went out to find the real ‘street’ kids who could act, rather than cast child actors to play ‘street.’ … We met about four hundred kids in open castings and sifted them through improvisation workshops. You could just see that they were totally ready for something like this. After about three weeks, it was pretty clear who the main characters were going to be. That was the first year and then it all kind of fell apart on the financing side. We had to start the casting process again a year later. We saw another four hundred kids again. But we brought back the original finalists at the last stage of the auditions and seven out of the original eight got roles.” Menhaj Huda, Director of ‘Kidulthood’ (2006) – Interview by British Hip Hop
Finding Open Castings
Once again, open castings are incredibly rare. To find an open casting you simply have to keep your eyes peeled with what’s going on around you locally – read the newspapers, local magazines and bulletin boards. You can also check online – most open castings are based in London and other major cities so don’t expect much specifically in your area if you are outside any major cities.
If you do find a casting invitation for your age group and look, great! Here are some pointers to think about:
- Is the casting call for an independent feature/short or a theatre production? This will give you a clue to the amount of people attending, and what they will be looking for.
- Are they looking for someone with a playing age of 16, or someone who actually is 16, for example?
- Are they looking for someone of a particular nationality, hair colour, height?
- Do you fit in the age category that they’ve asked for?
You must be aware of all these things before you attend. You will probably be asked to bring along your passport or other forms of identity to prove that you really do fit the brief of what they’re looking for. If you do not fit the requirements, you should not attend, it is as simple as that. If they’ve asked to see aged 13 – 15 year old girls, for example, and you’re not in the age range, then don’t go. Even if your 13th birthday is the next week, they won’t want to see you, simply because they can’t make exceptions. You will be wasting the time and effort of many people if you do.
Preparation
Before you go, judge the type of casting it’s going to be and what may be expected of you on the day. For example, if you aware that the call is for a major film, then you know that lots of people your age will be attending and in that case you will have to be prepared for very long queues! In this particular scenario it is unlikely the casting team will be able to workshop you or do an improvisation session purely because they have so many auditionees to see before the end of the day.
If you are responding to a call for a smaller film production, certainly arrive on time and prepare for more of a day where you could be cold reading on your own, being put in groups to improvise or workshop pieces of text.
If you know there will be a big turn out prepare for a long wait in a queue before you even reach the front. Plan your route at least the night before and if you are travelling via public transport make sure you know of any engineering work that might affect your journey. Dress according to the weather and bring some friends with you. Making a day of it with your friends will be much more fun, particulary if you don’t get a call back. That way you can remember the day as a great fun outing with your friends regardless of being successful at the audition.
A large turn-out casting can be be grueling, especially if you’re expected to stay on into the afternoon for a workshop as the other half of the audition. It’s important to stay cheery and enthusiastic about the day. Make the most of the experience!
- Always be polite to the professionals wanting to meet you.
- Don’t be a pain and moan about a long wait. Stay optimistic! No one is interested in casting Mr. Grumpy.
At the Lavender Brown for Harry Potter 6 film auditions the girls were asked to say one interesting fact about themselves. One girl apparently answered “Oh, I’m too tired after that long wait to think of something!”. She wasted that 6 hour wait because she wouldn’t even be considered after than – being boring is a complete turn off and you’ll appear to want the job less.
Meeting the Professionals
The first thing you will most likely have to do before doing any acting is form-filling! Make sure you have prepared all your necessary details like your age, height and contact details but also facts like your hobbies, interests, and any previous experience. However it is not essential that you write down you once played a donkey in the school Nativity play! They don’t necessarily want to hear that you’ve had reams of professional work either. The reason open castings are held are to find raw talent, so facts like this aren’t always essential. We recommend that you note down any unusual hobbies that will grab someone’s interest (providing that you aren’t lying, of course!) such as archery, karate, horse-riding… if it’s unusual, you might be remembered. Things to remember:
- Casting directors and their assistants will initially be looking for someone with the right appearance. It is essential that you have a suitable look for the character, otherwise you will not be considered.
- They want to see the real you. Avoid high heels, and any thick layers of foundation – a flick of mascara and small squirt of concealer is fine.
- Be yourself. Casting directors can only like you for who you are and pretending to be anything otherwise won’t get you very far. Be natural and they should love you for it!
So….
- Do your research before the casting
- Know what the casting directors are looking for
- Be prepared for the worst
- Simply be yourself, it’s the best you can do!
- Make sure you enjoy the experience, have fun, and make new friends!