Making yourself more castable.

Your look must understand your abilities in such a way that your casting is clear.   As a true actor dedicated to the craft, you may feel like it shouldn’t matter what your look is because you can play anything—you’re an actor.  This may be true to a certain degree, but often your look has to be defined and fit somewhere between the stereotype and the archetype. 

Having a strong vision will help you in knowing the types of headshots to get and presenting that image to casting directors. 

Group Questions (5 mins)

1.     What factors will affect whether you are cast i.e. whether you will get the part or not?

Acting skills, talent, technique, preparation, friendliness, ability to take direction, stage presence, alternative skills and previous experience.

2.     What factors will affect how you will be cast i.e. what kind of role you will play?

Physical qualities (short, tall, young, old), voice qualities (gentle, nasal, resonant), range (whether you can play lots of different character types).

These exercises will help you to be more castable.

Exercise 1 (25 mins)

To assist the students in developing an understanding of casting types in general is a great way to start them understanding how to market themselves. 

1.     Pick out 10 or so TV programs and films, and categorize the actors.

2.     Make notes and pick out 3 films with roles of your age and gender and create categories of the types of actors. 

3.     Do the same for TV dramas. 

Exercise 2 (20 mins)

The idea is that the students create a range of roles that go together, but it’s not the entire spectrum of roles for that gender and age.  As an inexperienced actor they are still establishing themselves, you’re not going to be cast in the whole range. They need to know what roles fit together in a range realistically – from point A to point B or C, but not from A to Z in the whole range of roles.

1.     Collate the evidence from around the room and begin to draw a brainstorm, which then is converted, into a table that categorizes the types of role that fit together.

2.     Once you identify the types of roles you are seeing over and over, see if some of the categories you’ve created fit together. 

3.     For example, you might group strong characters in their thirties to forties as a doctor-lawyer type.  Or more nurturing types as a mum/dad-teacher-therapist.  Perhaps a femme fatale-mistress-spy.  Put some of the category types together to begin to create a grouping of similar roles they would fit into.

Now once they have observed the general industry casting, then turn back to your own casting.

Exercise 3 (40 mins)

Take a self-inventory.  

Think about what types of roles you would play and where you would fit. 

1.     In what type of roles do you see yourself?

2.     Are there stars you would like to exemplify? What roles have they played?

3.     What qualities do you want to come across to others? 

4.     What qualities do you think already come across to others?

Whatever category and look you go with, it should always bring together what you feel about yourself and how others perceive you.  You can’t just decide you want to be a Tom Holland type if you have more of a Woody Allen look. 

Your own perception of yourself as well as the outside perception have to merge.

1.     To clarify this, make a list of the qualities you want to present and have come across.  Then list what you think currently comes across to others.  Once you have the list of what you think, then go to the next step.

2.     Do a survey asking the other students what what they think (we need honest answers here!).  

3.     Compare their feedback to your self-inventory.  See what you need to do to further develop that look you want. 

a.     You might need to make some changes in your hair, clothes, or make-up n preparation for an audition.

Be realistic in your aspirations.  Accept that there is a starting point you are born with.