CASTING YOUR ACTORS FOR YOUR PRODUCTION

Version 11/20/2014 Breakdown Handout - 1

CASTING YOUR ACTORS FOR YOUR PRODUCTION

THE CASTING PROCESS

Using www.LACasting as a template, below is a “How To” guide to help you post your Character Breakdowns, Select Actors, and Schedule an Audition.

STEP 1: CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT

Log onto www.LACasting.com

At the bottom of the homepage, click on the picture labeled

POST A PROJECT (first picture under the main title screen, on

the left.

A new screen titled SIGN UP TO POST A PROJECT will appear.

Fill in all fields with a red asterisk (*). Please note: any

personal information you enter in this field (with the

exception of your name and company) will NOT be visible to

other Actors – this information is for LACasting.com

personnel only.

Tip: Create a Username and Password that you are

comfortable sharing amongst your classmates or Crew.

After inputting this information, LACasting.com will send you

a verification email within five minutes to an hour of

creating an account. Click on the link provided in the email

and enter your user name and password on the homepage.

STEP 2: CREATE YOUR BREAKDOWN

Click on the blue CREATE A PROJECT phrase in the middle of

the screen.

Tip: Anything in blue is a hyperlink. Toolbars that contain

important information are also blue.

Enter the following in your Create a Project Screen:

o Project Type = STUDENT FILM or SHORT FILM

http://www.lacasting/

http://www.lacasting.com/


o Project Name = NAME OF YOUR PROJECT

o Union Status = UNION or NON-UNION?

o Project Rate = Are you paying your Actors? If

not, how do you entice your Actors to Audition

and commit to your project? Wardrobe? Make-

up? Meal? Footage? Dry-cleaning?

o Usage/Run = FILM FESTIVALS

o Synopsis = Draft one paragraph (like the Plot

Summary exercise in PIF) describing the scene or

story. Entice your actors to Audition for your

project!

o Project Notes = Oftentimes left blank. This is a

section where you post Rehearsals, anything

significant about your camera package; are you

shooting on location (a distant destination); are

you working with any notable Crew or Actors; is

your project based on a true story, etc.

o Submissions Due By = Day BEFORE your Audition

o Submissions Due By Note = LEAVE BLANK

o Director = Name of Student Director

o Producer = Name of Student Producer

o Production Company = LEAVE BLANK

o Institution = Los Angeles Film School

o Audition Date(s) = Date of your Audition

o Tip: Make sure that you are on the correct month

when using the Calendar Icon to choose your

dates.

o Audition Note = Include the Audition Time

o Same As Casting Director Address = NO

o Audition Location = Los Angeles Film School

o Audition Address: 6363 Sunset Blvd. (Bldg. 1)

o City = LOS ANGELES

o State = CALIFORNIA

o Zip = 90028

o Include Map = CHECK THIS BOX


o Callback Details = If you plan to have Call Backs

(a Second Audition), you may list the Date and

Address in this Section, OR notify Actors directly

that you wish to see them in a second Audition.

o Shoot/Performance Details = SHOOT DATE(S)

o Shoot/Performance Note = LEAVE BLANK

o Same As Audition Address = NO

o Performance Location = LEAVE BLANK.

o Performance Address: LEAVE BLANK.

o City = LOS ANGELES

o State = LEAVE BLANK.

o Zip = LEAVE BLANK.

o Include Map = CHECK THIS BOX

o Casting Company = Info is already populated.

o Casting Director(s) = YOUR NAME

o Casting Associate = Do you have one?

o Casting Coordinator = Do you have one?

o Casting Assistant = Do you have one?

o Company Location = Name of Casting Location.

o Company Address = Address of Casting

Company.

o City = City of Casting Company.

o State = State of Casting Company.

o Zip = Zip of Casting Company.

o Phone = Make sure your phone number is listed.

o Email = Use your LAFS Email Account.

o Sides/Documents = Only upload these if you plan

to use LACasting.com’s Scheduling Feature. An

Actor will not be able to access sides on the

Breakdown unless you schedule them.

o Tip: I email Actors their sides after they confirm

availability for the Audition by emailing me

(EMAIL TEMPLATE IS BELOW).

o Project Release = VERY IMPORTANT, make sure

click the date that signifies how LONG you want

the project to stay on LACasting’s billboard.


You’ll want to post your project for at least a

weekend before making your Selects.

o Click the SAVE AND CONTINUE green button.

STEP 3: ADD YOUR CHARACTERS

Click on CREATE A NEW ROLE in blue.

o Role Name = CHARACTER NAME

o Spot/Episode = LEAVE BLANK

o Is this a paying role = YES? NO?

o Role Rate = Are you paying your Actors? If not,

how do you entice your Actors to Audition and

commit to your project? Wardrobe? Make-up?

Meal? Footage? Dry-cleaning?

o Role Type = PRINCIPAL or SUPPORTING

o Role Gender= MALE or FEMALE

o Age Range = Have at least a 5 - 7 year age range.

o Ethnic Appearance = Check any Ethnicity you

wish or “All Ethnicities” if Ethnicity is not

important.

o Role Description = Write 2 - 3 sentences

describing your character. TIPS ON WRITING A

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN ARE LOCATED

BELOW.

o Nudity = ??? NOTE: All Nude Roles must be

PAYING roles – up front and center. NO

DEFERRED PAYMENT.

o Sexual Situations = If yes, please describe what

the Actor is exposed to.

o Wardrobe = What wardrobe do you envision the

character wearing?


o Request Media Submission = YES or NO (Most

likely NO unless you are casting for Voiceover

work.)

Sides/Documents = Only upload these if you plan to use

LACasting.com’s Scheduling Feature. An Actor will not

be able to access sides on the Breakdown unless you

schedule them.

Tip: I email Actors their sides after they confirm

availability for the Audition (EMAIL TEMPLATE IS

BELOW).

Photo References = Upload pictures of the looks you are

envisioning for your Actors – not required.

Click SAVE AND ADD ANOTHER ROLE if you have more

characters to add or the SAVE ROLE button (both green).

Proof-read your project before clicking the green,

SUBMIT FOR APPROVAL button.

Tip: Submit your project before 4:30pm on a business

day to have the project go live that same day. For first

time accounts: projects may take up to two business

days to go “live”. Allow yourself plenty of time between

posting your Breakdown and your Audition date.

STEP 4: YOUR PROJECT IS LIVE, HOW DO YOU SELECT

AND CONTACT ACTORS?

Your Breakdown is now active and up for the world to

see! How long does it take for Actors to submit, how do

you Select Actors, how do you contact them once you

have selected them?

Tip: Give yourself at least a week between the time you

post a Project Breakdown and your Audition date. This

allows you time to select, contact, and book your Actors.

Now that your Breakdown is Active you may begin

looking at Actors who have submitted for the role(s),

along with their Headshots, Resumes, and Reels (if they

have them attached to their LACasting profile).


After signing into your account and clicking on the

heading of your Project, you will come to the OVERVIEW

page. This page is essentially the table of contents for

your project: your character breakdowns are visible,

along with your synopsis, audition date, time, shooting

date, time, etc.

Tip: Remember that any writing on your Breakdown in

blue is a hyperlink? This is where the tip comes in

handy: o From the OVERVIEW page click on the number in

blue in the UNVIEWED column (far left of the

overview page). This number is indicative of the

number of Actors who have submitted for a

particular role. After clicking this number, the

screen will populate with Actor headshots.

o Clicking on an Actor’s headshot will pull up their

Resume in another screen as well as additional

photos, and possibly an acting reel.

o To Select an Actor you wish to invite to Audition,

click on any of the numbers (1-5) to add that

Actor to your SELECT BIN (a separate section

from your “Unviewed” Section).

o In your blue toolbar, you can toggle back and

forth between your Unviewed, Viewed, and

Select Bins as well as all of your roles.

o After making Selects, now you need to email your

Actors, notifying them of the upcoming Audition.

Before you can do this and while you are in your

SELECT BIN, change the SHOW box to PUBLIC

SUBMISSIONS.

o Then and only then can you click on the envelope

icon (still in the blue toolbar) to email your

Selects for a role in one batch.

o After clicking the envelope icon, a pop-up email

box will appear. Make sure to enter your Email

address in the SENDER EMAIL BOX and your


name in the SENDER NAME box (The SUBJECT

box will populate automatically).

o You must type a message in the EMAIL MESSAGE

box indicating the Actor has been selected for an

Audition (a template is below).

o Now, you wait for Actors to email you a confirmation that they will attend your Audition. Once that happens, email the Actors sides so they can prepare for your scene.

For those wanting to use the scheduling feature on LACasting.com, OR if you have additional questions, you can use LACasting’s HELP and HELP GUIDE feature located in the upper right-hand corner of the screen when you log into your Account. Common FAQs are below: Q.1.1 What are the most recent Casting Networks updates? Q.1.2 What types of projects are typically not approved? Q.1.3 What information is required to have my project approved? Q.1.4 What are the criteria for casting extras through your site? Q.1.5 I’m casting minors. Is there any specific information that is required? Q.1.6 My project requires nudity. What information must be included in my overview or role descriptions? Q.1.7 What are the requirements for SAG/AFTRA projects posted on your site? Q.1.8 What is the status of my project? Q.1.9 How do I select talent from my submissions? Q.1.10 How do I contact talent? Q.1.11 How do I schedule talent? Q.1.12 How do I post sides? Q.1.13 What does the worksheet do? I am available to look over your Character Breakdowns before you post them on LACasting.com or another Breakdown site. Schedule permitting, I am also available to sit in on your Casting Sessions as well, just let me know the date and time.

http://home.lacasting.com/helpfaq/casting-director/Javascript(void(0));














LINKS TO BREAKDOWN SERVICES

1. www.lacasting.com 2. www.castingfrontier.com 3. www.nowcasting.com 4. www.combatcasting.com (Actors with Military experience) 5. www.iactor.org (SAG online casting directory) 6. www.sagindie.org (post breakdowns to SAG Indie) 7. www.exploretalent.com 8. www.casting360.com 9. www.actors-network.com

10. www.actioncasting.com

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN TIPS

CHARACTER NAME: This is usually CAPPED, and often BOLDED GENDER (if it applies): Designated as M or F. If gender is not important, you may want to specify Any Gender or M/F. ETHNICITY (if it applies): CDs use politically correct terminology: Caucasian, African-American, Asian, etc. Whenever possible keep an open mind about a character’s ethnicity. Putting “All Ethnicities” in your breakdown allows a wider option of actors and promotes equal opportunity for all performers. AGE RANGE (usually a range of about 5 – 7 years): Be sure to give an age range Some actors look older/younger than they are. Anyone who looks like they are within that age range could play that part posted in your Breakdown. As the roles get younger, you need to get more specific in your age selection: You would usually cast an older child to play younger and phrase it as such: 9-10 to play 7-8. Or: LEGAL 18 TO PLAY 16. You can only legally ask someone their age when they are a minor, or in that borderline gray area. If you are uncertain, you can ask an actor “What age range do you usually play?” DESCRIPTION: Always use STRONG, BOLD, ADJECTIVES: Wishy-washy, Timid, Playful, Aggressive, Intelligent, Graceful, Sarcastic, and Compassionate. Write something about what the character desires and what their flaws are:

Longs to return to his country, lacks the courage to stand up to his wife.

Desperate to fit in, hampered by her Greek status.

Anticipating retirement, fearful of the potential boredom. SPECIAL SKILLS: If you need a special skill, such as proficiency in Stage Combat, an Accent, Horseback Riding, etc., make sure to mention it in the Breakdown in ALL CAPS. Describe the characters in your Character Breakdown with as much specificity as possible while avoiding the use of: “MUST BE______” (This language is considered an illegal pre-employment inquiry, similar to the prohibited practice of asking performers about their actual identities). Rather, use language such as “MUST BE ABLE TO PORTRAY _____.”

http://www.combatcasting.com/

http://www.actors-network.com/

http://www.actioncasting.com/


EXAMPLES

BAD

SALLY – 16, Caucasian. Sally is a good girl; she enjoys checkers and loves Rob.

GOOD

SALLY – F, 18 TO PLAY YOUNGER, Caucasian. Sally is a sweet, honest, hometown girl with a

competitive streak. Over the years of playing board games with her neighbor Rob, she has

come to realize her love for him.

BAD

JACK – M, African American. Jack has worked years as a stockbroker. Jack begins his day getting

up for breakfast, and then he goes for a jog and works 9 to 5 every day. He has a wife and 3 kids

but you never see them. Jack finally ends up getting fired but is really happy by it because now

he can pursue his dream of becoming a fisherman. Along his journey of becoming a fisherman,

Jack finds an abandoned dog who teaches him the meaning of resilience.

GOOD

JACK – M, 45 – 55, African American. Jack is a family man; he has worked the same routine as a

stockbroker for years. When Jack gets fired, he finally decides to go after a lifelong dream as a

fisherman. Along the way he is faced with obstacles that will change his life.

AUDITION EMAIL TEMPLATE

Good Morning/Afternoon, Thank you for submitting to (TITLE OF PRODUCTION) we would like to schedule you for the role of (CHARACTER). We are holding auditions on (DATE) between (TIME SLOTS OF AUDITIONS); please reply back so we can confirm you for a time slot. Upon confirming you will receive your sides, audition time, and location. Please email us back at (EMAIL). In the email please provide us with the project name, your name and role in the subject. Thank you, (NAME)

CASTING AT THE LOS ANGELES FILM SCHOOL

When posting a Breakdown, make sure to post it as a Student Film or Student Project.

Provide your actors with the correct building that you are holding auditions in (whether

B1 or B2) and include what floor/room number the Auditions are located).


Security gets a copy of your room permit and a list of the actors attending the Audition.

PUT UP SIGNS TO LEAD ACTORS TO YOUR AUDITION ROOM!

Provide your actors with enough seating. If you leave your actor standing and

uncomfortable, he/she will not wait around for the Audition.

If an actor signs-in and has to wait in the lobby, be sure to have someone escort them to

the audition room (we call these people Greeters).

Be respectful, polite, and professional while conducting your auditions. Refrain from

asking questions pertaining to religion, sexuality, marital status, and age.

AUDITION SCHEDULE TEMPLATE/TO DO’S

Keep an organized Audition schedule. To be time efficient, schedule actors that are in

the same scene at corresponding timeslots. For example, if a scene is between JACK &

SALLY, schedule actors for each role at pairing times.

Try to record every audition so you can review later. Auditions can be draining and by

the end, you may not be able to remember all the important nuances an actor can bring

to the role.

Allow yourself enough time between each scheduled actor in order to give you a

moment for notation, discussion with a director/producer.

Have a Reader, someone who can read along with the actor if there is not another actor

to read with.

Provide Adjustments to your actors; giving them direction can change the entirety of

their performance and should not be overlooked.

Provide Sides to an actor prior to the audition. A cold read (first time read) can test an

actor’s ability to think on his/her feet but may also not fully showcase their best work.

PARKING VALIDATION

WE DO NOT VALIDATE PARKING FOR AUDITIONS. Pay-for-Parking is available at the Los Angeles

Film School located at the first and third lots on your right, heading North on Ivar from Sunset

Blvd as well as at Arclight Cinemas (across the street from the Film School). Street parking is

also available during your audition hours on Ivar or DeLongpre Aves. Please be aware of special

Rush Hour Parking restrictions – especially on Sunset Blvd.

CASTING YOUR ACTORS FOR YOUR PRODUCTION

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