Casting. What is it? Who does it? How does it happen? What’s the best way to do it?

These are all the questions I have, and I have yet to find the answers. But, want to read about how I’m doing it, anyway?

So far, what I’ve gathered is that there are a few main approaches emerging directors take to casting their short films. The first is very casual. A director will watch other shorts, look through their Instagram to find actors in their network, attend events to meet actors, and basically go out to find actors who intrigue them and reach out to them personally. They sit down, have a beer with them, get to know them on a personal level, and then discuss having them be part of their film.

The second approach is far more regimented. An open call is made, usually via social media, inviting actors to audition for a short film. Maybe the director first asks for a self-tape, then moves on to a second round of in-person auditions. It could be, time permitting, that there is even a third round where actors are called back together to see how the chemistry is between them, putting them in different situations and figuring out if they make the cut…or maybe even the director puts them in a role they didn’t audition for. Maybe the director involves a casting director.

My approach has been a combination of the two. As someone who is relatively new to this scene, my network of actors is actually not that big. And turns out finding short films to watch is fairly difficult, since many shorts are kept for festivals (that’s a topic for another newsletter). So, what I did was approach a few people I already knew who fit the roles, AND put out an open call at the same time.

I received about 45 self-tapes, mostly from people I had never met before or even knew existed, as well as about five people who expressed interest outside the open call. I was scared, now I have to watch these vulnerable self-tapes and make judgments? Or meet with people for a coffee chat and go off vibes? Now I actually have to be…a director? So, I did what any self-respecting new director would do. I freaked out and then got to work.

With the help of two of my crew members, I narrowed down the list to about 15 and invited them to an in-person audition. I went through the script and took out one scene per character, asking each actor to prepare two characters: one who they felt was close to them/who they would naturally want to play, and one who was far away/they wouldn’t normally pick to play. We rented studio spaces and scheduled everyone across three different days, 45 mins per person.

Each actor had the floor to perform the scenes as they saw it, and then I gave feedback, complimenting what I liked and asking to see something a bit different. This could be something like “your words are your weapons, try to stab her with each line”, or “what if you saw them as a child, as YOUR child?” We played around with each character, and I got to know their range as an actor as well as how they take direction. Meanwhile, they got to know how I direct and learn more about how I see these characters.

I also opened the floor for them to ask me questions and give me feedback as a director. Each audition was really special, not only was I learning a mile a minute, but almost every actor commented on how safe they felt and how welcoming the atmosphere was. Which was truly my main goal. And, how could that not be a goal of mine? I was asking people to pretend that their friend was being eaten in front of them (spoiler). For real, try it sometime with strangers staring at you. It’s wild.

After two weeks and hours of recorded footage from these auditions, I am currently in the thick of making my final casting decisions. The two most difficult parts of this process are knowing I have to turn people down (and trust me, they were all great), and fitting five actors together to create the full cast. For example, there are a few people who really take my breath away with their skills, but do they fit in the ensemble? It’s not only casting one person per role, it’s also finding just the right balance between everyone.

So? What did I learn? That I still have no fucking clue what I’m doing or how to cast, that writing in five characters to my story was a little insane, asking people to work for a low-budget film is incredibly difficult, creating a safe open space for vulnerability is rare yet essential, and that we are all nervous and trying our best. Last but not least, I could have never done this alone. More on my right-hand man, Sjuul, another time and a quick shout-out to my friend Lauren for stepping in at the last minute to, for the first time in her life, act alongside each person auditioning so they had someone to play off of.

The questions I have still remain, and maybe there are no concrete answers or right ways of casting(there are definitely wrong ways). I guess there’s only your way of doing it, and whichever way serves your film.

My final question is…am I just writing this newsletter to procrastinate on making casting decisions? I guess we’ll never know. Oh, look at that, my laundry needs folding.

That’s all for now, chat soon.

Xoxo,

Caitie