These were taken directly from the Holdon Log's "Producers' Tips for Self-submissions". Most likely the scenarios are examples from the world of low-or-no budget films where casting directors and agents were not involved and the "producers" here could have been anyone on the production staff. BOTTOM LINE: The rules of courtesy still apply to ALL auditions.
CONFIRMING THE AUDITION REQUEST
Scenario: The producers e-mailed, called and left voicemails for the performers they wished to see at the audition. They specifically noted that they wanted the performers to confirm that they would be there.
After multiple e-mail and voicemail requests some folks did not confirm. The producers were afraid some people might just show up and cause the audition schedule to run too long for the space they had rented. It was not in their budget to pay for extra time.
Tip: If you are contacted for an audition, always have the courtesy to confirm that you will, or will not, be attending.
E-MAIL, C-MAIL, V-MAIL & TEXTS
Scenario: The producer mentioned that some performers e-mails bounced and even had a performer's voicemail respond with an automated message that said "Sorry, but the mailbox of the person you are trying to reach is full. Please try again at a later time."
It's incredibly frustrating during the casting process then to find the performer whose look and resume is perfect and then not be able to contact them.
Tip: Do the following frequently to make sure you are reachable:
- Check all the submission services you utilize and make sure all of your contact info is up-to-date and correct.
- Check your e-mail and voicemail inbox capacities and make sure that there is plenty of available room for messages to reach you. If not, delete any old or unnecessary e-mails/v-mails to free up space.
- If you know you will not be available for 2 or more days (i.e. - because of vacation or work related travel) then set up an e-mail auto-responder and/or voicemail message that let's the sender know that you will be unavailable until a specified date.
AUDITION OPPORTUNITIES VS. OUTSIDE RESPONSIBILITIES
Scenario: One performer who was given a 2-hour time frame to arrive to the audition felt the need to request a specific time because of child care. While it’s totally understandable to have a life as a parent outside of performing, one producer mentioned that this was a red flag, "If we're already being asked to accommodate this performer at the audition then what would happen if they were cast in the project? Would they need their rehearsal schedule changed around for this? What about the shooting schedule?"
Tip: The producers said it would have been better for the performer to just have child care arranged and attend the audition without asking them to change their schedule. If cast, then share any possible conflicts to see if it could be worked around or if they would need to be recast.
READ THE ENTIRE AUDITION REQUEST BEFORE CONTACTING ANYONE
Scenario: When the producer emailed out the audition request information he also stated that because of the audition structure, there would be "No Sides".
Dozens of performers did NOT read this and e-mailed asking if there were any sides! Now someone from the production had to re-e-mail the performers and say that they should re-read the audition information.
On the second round of auditions we suggested to the producers that they put "No Sides. Improv Only." at the top of their neatly organized audition request...which they did...and guess what?
People still asked if there were sides!?!?!? Yikes!!!
Tip: Before you reach out to a casting director or someone else involved with the project that you are requested to audition for - READ THE ENTIRE AUDITION REQUEST. If your intended question is not answered in the audition request then feel free to send your inquiry to the proper person.Of course in OUR world, auditions not confirmed within an hour are CANCELED; people who do not confirm do not "just show up" at an audition; emails, cmails, vmails and texts not returned within the hour will result in CANCELED auditions; time frames are only requested for emergencies (pay attention to the part below where if a time-frame is requested, the actors' availability may be in question) and actors unavailable for auditions ALWAYS book-out with their agents. Our actors always READ ALL DETAILS for time, location, wardrobe and any special instructions. AND, they absolutely know if there are sides or not because if the notice does not specifically say "NO SIDES", our actors always check LA Casting for the free sides posted there. If the audition is from Actors Access/Breakdown Express , our actors know that we will email the sides to them or if they have memberships, they can check for sides themselves through Showfax or Sides Express.
Email us with any questions at any time.
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