Top Tips for getting short-listed on Casting Callback… Seeing it from the Casting Directors Perspective!
Ever wondered how casting directors view your application and how they make decisions on who to cast? Below we show you a behind the scenes view of what a casting director sees when you make an application on Casting Callback.
When you apply to a job on Casting Callback the Casting Director (CD) will select one of 3 ways to view your application (they may often use all 3 when making decisions on who to audition):
- The Default View (Headshots)
- The Showreel View
- The Cover Letter View
View 1: Default View (Headshots)
This view is most frequently used by commercial casting directors seeking talent for TVC’s, Online and Stills projects etc. where the look of the actor is highly important to the project.
Casting Directors scan through hundreds and sometimes thousands of applications and will often make a first pass at reducing the number down to a more manageable size by simply reviewing headshots and the showreel quick link.
Using our “Yes, No, Maybe” feature they create their short-list of actors.
After this they tend to use our “request a self-tape” feature or “mail candidate” feature to invite those shortlisted actors to audition / self-tape.
Top Tips:
- Make sure your headshot is up to date and the best quality you can afford.
- Host your media on Casting Callback. This gives the Casting Director a quick link to your showreel - one of the most clicked on links on the website.
- Match your headshot to the casting and make it easy for Casting Directors to visualise you in the role.
As a premium member Andrew Lennon has the flexibility to apply to castings using different images. If the casting was for a friendly co-worker, Andrew's success rate would be much higher using the second image, instead of the first.
By matching your image to the casting brief you are making it easier for a Casting Director to see you in that position and to select you for the role!
View 2: Showreel View
More and more Casting Directors will go directly to an actors showreel before making a decision to invite them to audition / Self-tape. At the request of Casting Directors, we introduced the Showreel View.
Rather than having to click through to your profile or cover letter, this new feature enables Casting Teams much quicker access to view showreels hosted on our platform.
Below is an example of how your profile appears to Casting Directors when they use the showreel view:
- For less than £5 per month, you can host your showreel on Casting Callback and give Casting Directors quick access to view it.
View 3: Cover Letter View
This view is generally used if a Casting Director is asking for something specific in the casting, or if they have asked actors to confirm certain skills or information in the casting brief.
We also see a trend that theatre casting directors tend to spend more time considering your cover letter response than film, tv and commercial gigs.
The cover letter is probably one of the biggest failures that we witness in the application process. We see so many Actors being passed over because they have not read the brief and not taken time to respond to the questions asked.
If an employer has asked for something specific… they want that confirmed in the cover letter! See the example below where a CD was asking for actors that can speak BSL sign language. Hannah has responded to what the CD is looking for whereas Phil has given the CD no idea of his BSL ability, he may be fluent but the CD doesn't know? In this case, Hannah would be much more likely to be short-listed.
- Reply to what is being asked for!
For castings that are asking for a specific skill, accent, language, heritage etc. it is imperative that you answer the question or confirm in your cover letter. Generally in the first line.
As a first round of filtering, CD’s will simply scan cover letters and look for profiles that have confirmed that they meet the criteria.
