One of the crazy things about booking your first job(s) is that it's a lot easier when you know what to expect... But how can you know what to expect if you've never done it before?
So we're going to spend a few posts demystifying the booking process. How does it usually happen? How might it happen instead? What does it mean when it happens, so I can tell the voice in my head to go get a nice cup of tea?
Let's start with the first audition (because there will probably be more than one.) The Pre-Read.
This is when you read for the casting director or associate, so they can decide which actors they want to put in front of the director and producers. Pre-reads can happen in television, film, theater, commercials, voiceover, or any other media. Early in your career, you will probably pre-read a lot, because it gives casting a chance to get to know you. That's a good thing. The vibe is usually a bit relaxed, because the stakes are lower, because you can't book the job from a pre-read. So you can ask questions. You can take risks. You can be lightly, rather than firmly, off-book. Your choices can be not-so-set-in-stone. (That doesn't mean make mushy choices. It means you can have two different takes, and ask if they want to see one or both.) If you screw up, you can ask for another take. Think of a pre-read like an audition rehearsal. Don't go crazy with questions and risks, because you want to build a good relationship with the casting person. But appropriate questions and/or risks tell them you've done your homework and are thinking proactively about the role.
To prepare for a pre-read:
- Read as much of the script as possible, including sides for other roles in the same project. This will often give you great information about the story or character that you wouldn't otherwise know.
- Watch the show if it's tv that's currently airing, or watch other work by the writer(s), director, and/or producer(s) if it's anything else. Doing so will give you an invaluable sense of style and tone. (Imagine reading for an Aaron Sorkin project without ever having seen one of his shows. The odds of getting the tone right would be nil.)
- Look up the casting office and casting directors, associates, and assistants on CastingAbout and IMDB. If they recently worked with someone you know or on something you love, it might be a nice thing to mention when you see them. Remember, actors rarely compliment casting people. Be the exception.
- Look up the director, writer(s), and producer(s). If you know or have worked with them before, let the casting director know. If the decision-makers already know and love you, you've just made casting's job easier.
The casting director may redirect you. It could be because they know what the producers are looking for, or to see if you can take direction, or because they don't know what they want yet, and you're helping them get there. Don't read anything into the redirection. Just go with it. He or she might even give you wardrobe or hair notes, or ask if you have glasses or some other item to help you look more like what they see in their head when they envision the role. Whatever they say, know that it's in the interest of getting to know you and helping you do well. If they don't say anything, that's fine too. It doesn't mean anything either way.
In a pre-read, you'll usually be in a room with a casting person and a camera... Which looks exactly the same as reading on tape for producers, which calls for a very different attitude. So make sure you know what kind of audition it is before you get there. It should say so in the information you get from your agent or manager, or if you're unrepresented, directly from the casting office. If it doesn't, ask. You might feel funny about asking because you don't wait to be a pest, but that feeling is far preferable to the feeling of walking into what you thought was a pre-read, only to discover you're in a producer session.
Depending on the circumstances, they might tell you you're called back to producers while you're still in the room. If that happens, be cool about it. (If you act like you just won the lottery, they may change their mind.) Usually though, you'll just say thank you and leave, and get a call later if you're going to producers. In terms of feedback, you usually will not get any from a pre-read, and it's frowned upon to ask. The callback, if you get one, is your feedback. You can send a thank you note or postcard if you like, especially if it's someone you'd never met before, but it's not necessary. And a pre-read is definitely not cause for a gift. That would be like giving someone expensive jewelry on a first date. Overkill. And weird.
Next week... Producers!