How to actually cast actors from start to finish | making a short film

If you're an actor, comment below and tell me what was your worst or best audition experience?

In this video, I dive into the detailed process of casting for our short film, covering key aspects of finding the right actors to play the roles of my short film.

This is a lengthy video that goes over all of my experience for this short film, and details how to:

Work with a Casting Director: How I got a top tier casting director collaborate with and find the perfect actors to cast for my film. From initial meetings, payment structure, and how their expertise can significantly influence your film.

SAG-AFTRA vs. Non-Union Actors: Navigating the differences between working with union and non-union actors can be tricky. We break down the pros and cons of each, and share insights on making the best choice for your project and what it means to be SAG signatory.

Audition Process: From the initial call for auditions to callbacks, to final selections, I walk you through the entire audition process for a low budget short film. Learn about my approach to creating audition materials, evaluating performances, and narrowing down our choices.

The Toughest Decision: Casting turned out to be one of the most challenging aspects of our film. This could be a "good" problem to have, but the talent of the actors sure didn't make it easy to pick who was going to be my lead and how I came to a final conclusion.

Casting is most of directing if done right, so this is a video to shed some light on how I went about it with my producers and Casting director and what I gleaned for my first experience in this film. If you're passionate about filmmaking or just curious about what goes into casting, this video is for you. Don't forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell to stay updated with our latest content.

#16mmfilm #shortfilm #castingcalls #actors #indiefilmmaking #directing

Chapters
00:01-00:53 Introduction
00:53-01:46 My experience in casting actors
00:46-02:31 Actors make or break your film
02:31-03:15 Finding my dream actor
03:15-4:15 Connecting with a casting director
04:15-05:21 character breakdowns
05:21-06:03 Casting budget & payment structure
06:04-07:38 the secret to get big actors
07:38-07:54 SAG Strike
07:54-10:14 Working with Union and Non Union Actors
10:15-12:24 Casting start to finish for Lone Mountain
12:24-13:45 What was I looking for in the auditions?
13:45-20:15 The hardest decision I had to make
20:15-21:49 Final takeaways