Casting Director

There are three skills that are required for this career. Firstly, if you have an eye for talent, then this is the job for you. Casting directors can usually tell within seconds whether the artist is suited for the job he/she is auditioning for. Another skill that casting directors usually have is that they have a good memory.
Casting directors usually see thousands of applicant’s everyday, and a good memory is necessary for them to remember the talented artists and thus do their job well. Lastly, casting directors must have patience. It often takes a long time to find the right person for the job and therefore to select the right person without making any hasty decisions, casting directors must exercise patience.

Apart from these traits, casting directors must also be good communicators and administrators and be willing to work long hours to get the job done. Casting directors must also be able to multitask and be content with working behind the scenes and letting others shine. The most important skill that an individual must possess is diplomacy to become a successful casting director.

A casting director is responsible for helping to gather a number of actor or actress candidates for a given role in a film or television production. The casting director reads the script and meets with the producer, director and sometimes the writer, to get an idea of the characteristics and type of person that is needed for the role. Once this is established, then the casting director sets to work.

There are four steps which casting directors follow to get their job done. Firstly, they need to inform people of what they are looking for. Here by people we mean singers/actors/musicians etc. Casting directors will meet with a large number of individuals and begin narrowing down the field. They will need to sort through resumes/portfolios so that they can figure out who they want to call in for interviews.

The auditions/interviews would be about 10-15 minutes per person and is usually done to figure out how the person looks on camera, his/her personality and get them to read from a script. Once the candidates have been shortlisted, the casting director then presents them to the director, producer or writer of the project to be shortlisted further and then booking the right candidate for the job.

Casting directors meet with thousands of actors over the course of a given year. They must determine whether an actor fits the look of a character as well as whether or not that particular actor would be believable in the role they are casting and thus they are vital in the pre-production stage of shooting or recording.

There are colleges which offer courses on film and art which potential casting directors can take. Casting directors need to take courses in acting, directing and business management. A casting director should take business management courses because they need to know how to negotiate contracts and how to work with trade unions.
Acting courses help the casting director because it becomes easier for them to identify talent and make actors comfortable before an audition.

A casting assistant in the United States makes approximately $100 to $150 a day. As you move up the hierchy, the casting director earns more; approximately in the range of $300 to $500 per day. Each project and budget is different. Commercials tend to have the highest budgets. Casting directors can make up to $100,000 per feature film.

A casting director’s life is very hard. They work under tight schedules and conditions, depending upon the director or producer. Some travel may also be required to go meet the production crew. The

casting director

mostly spends time indoors and in a comfortable environment. They also get to meet the celebrities in that business and attend social events with them.

Casting directors are hired on contract for specific projects such as those in advertising, film and video production, and television and radio stations and networks. Each day is different and thus there is a lot of variety in the work that casting directors do. They also meet different people daily and thus networking is a vital part of life as a casting director.

The biggest perk of being a casting agent is interacting with famous musicians and actors. To most people this is a dream, but casting directors have the access to these celebrities. Another perk of being a casting agent is that the work keeps changing.

For each movie or video, a new type of actor is needed, and so there is a lot of variety in the casting director’s line of work. Moreover, a casting director gets to socialize with new people often. The salary being paid to casting directors is also a large amount.

The downside of being a casting agent is that firstly your choice is heavily criticized. The actors or musicians that were not chosen may hold a grudge against you and this is a huge disadvantage to this career. Along with this, casting directors need to put in long hours and have to be very patient as they audition thousands of candidates for the job.

Another downside of becoming a casting agent is that the work is not stable. You will only be hired if there is a production that will take place soon. Even then, the competition is fierce and you will have to compete against a large number of other casting agents.

The competition for casting directors is fierce. There are few jobs, but many casting directors which result in only the best being hired. Moreover, independent film budgets are also getting lower which means the existing casting directors are getting paid less.

The best places to become a casting director is in the major film centers of the world; US (New York, Los Angeles), India (Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai), Hong Kong, Egypt and Nigeria.