Casting Brief Q12: Any specific scene that the director wants to audition the characters?

For the entire list of questions go back to

Casting Brief

Question 12: Any specific scene that the director wants to test the characters?

This is as obvious as it gets. Does the director have any specific scene/s that he wants the person to act out in the audition? Something that he thinks would bring out the character, or a scene which is most important towards the film. 

There are times when more than one scene gets auditioned but that usually happens on callbacks. This of course is true only in the case of films. 

The reason for asking this question could also be at times most directors will not be willing to share a key scene with too many people as that could potentially jeopardise the project. To avoid this a dummy scene could be created or even a scene from an existing movie to test the actor's range of emotions.

In advertising, the actor is required to enact the entire part and sometimes in different tones.

A few examples of auditions:

Joaquin Phoenix Audition test footage 'Joker' Behind The Scenes

Sometimes the camera is kept running beyond the scene to test the chemistry of actors.

Outlander - Original Chemistry Test: Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser) & Caitriona Balife (Claire)

It's not uncommon to do the auditions in mood settings, especially in callbacks. If there are more than one character in the scene then either one of the casting assistant or another actor is called to say the other lines. Most of the time the other dialogues are off-camera but sometimes they are used in the scene.

AUDITION TAPE: Robert Downey Jr. audition for Iron Man

TIP: As an actor look for audition videos of the characters that have done very well in films and you will see what was brought to the table right from the beginning or the improvement that came in the shoot.

You can also look for practice scripts to work on in your free time.

For answers to the previous question go back to
Casting Brief Q11: Reference of role

Read on for the next question
Question 13: Any specific props required for the audition?

For the entire list of casting questions go back to

Casting Brief

For more interesting articles click on Auggielicious Index to see the entire list.

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Pro Tip #7 - Up your skills

This post applies to all sitting at home during the corona-virus with no job.
The best thing you can do in your downtime, not just the virus time but every time you are without a project is to up your skillset.

You never know what you learn today will come handy tomorrow. It does not necessarily have to be related to your field. But if it is so, it might help you better when you apply for your next job.

A few film-related examples: 

For a graduate just out of college and wants to be an assistant in advertising or filmmaking, master the skills of PowerPoint and/or Pages. If you have done so move on the basics of Photoshop or Indesign these skills will come handy when you are preparing your PPM docket.

An actor who thinks that only acting is needed, think about learning to sing, dance, play an instrument or even something like martial arts. You never know when that skill is the reason you win a role over someone else. Why stop there, learn direction or scriptwriting these will give you insights into how and why people get cast.

Directors learn how to edit or compose music, you may end up with a disaster of a project but you might learn a few tricks which will come in handy later when dealing with the professionals on your project.



Some learning comes from watching behind the scenes, or a director's interview or anyone from your industry. You could learn just by listening to their experiences on the project.


Look to learn other soft skills, like a new language, patience, personality development, leadership, decision making, etc. All these will help you grow as a better human being, it does not matter which field you belong to.

Every day is a chance to learn something new.

Check out more professional filmmaking tips here

Don't forget to read,

Pro Tip #6 - Portfolio Sending

Pro Tip #6 - Portfolio sending

These tips are for all the actors, directors and anyone who attaches their body of work in emails.

When sending out your work, be it images, videos or files think of the person on the receiving end as well as what you are trying to showcase. Sending an email full of attachments may not even go through if the receiver has a limit to attachment size. Not to mention that they then have to download these in order to view them. Remember a lot of people read their emails on their mobiles and most will not have the patience to wait for your entire work to come through.

So how to get noticed and make sure your work gets looks at. Here are some tips you could follow.

1. Send one link with all your work. The link should lead the person to see all your work online, e.g. a website.

2. You don't have a website, you can still use what's free and available.
Like a link to a photo album on Gmail or G-drive, if you have videos, you can have a separate blog with your work or even an Instagram or Facebook page with only your work that needs to be seen.

3. If your an actor or photographer and still want to attach your work, send a comp card.
That way in one image the person gets a quick idea of your work. Don't forget to put the link to the rest of your work on the image.

4. For directors, cinematographers, music composers etc, you may have multiple files to share.
Do not paste multiple links in the body of the email.  Instead send either a short montage or a playlist with individual work.

5. Remember its important to customize your showreel especially if you are sending this for a pitch. You want the showreel to match the pitch, like beauty work to a beauty client or drama work for a storytelling script.

6. A playlist can be easily made on youtube for videos.
You can have different playlists for the variety of work you want to showcase.
Like different playlists for a director could be under the genres - comedy, action, vfx, beauty etc.

7. If you have to send different genres of work do not send more than 2 - 3 links.
If using your website make sure there are separate tabs that can quickly take people to the desired section on your webpage quickly.

7. Link to FTP's or sites like we-transfer where one has to download the files before viewing is a big NO-NO.

8. Use hyper-links ideally or at least make sure your link is clickable and the person does not have to copy & paste in the browser.

Keeping your email neat and short is always the way to get people to glance at your work. If they like it, then further conversation and detailed work can be shared at a later stage.


Check out more professional filmmaking tips here

Don't forget to read

Pro-tip #5 - File Naming

Pro Tip #7 - Up your skills

Pro Tip #4 - When sending your resume

Yes sending your resume to many people is a very good thing but you should take the trouble to make each email personal.

Never and I mean NEVER CC people from different companies. The only time to use CC would be when its different people in the same company.


Check out more professional filmmaking tips here

For more tips and details read

Pro Tip #3 - When sending your resume

Tips when applying for work

Pro Tip #3 - When sending your resume

Adress the person with their name and if you don't know that or the gender use the sir/madam option.

Even if the person you are sending your cv to is your childhood friend keep the email formal since that email may be forwarded to others in their office.



Check out more professional filmmaking tips here

For more tips and details read

Pro Tip #4 - When sending your resume

Tips when applying for work

Pro Tip #2 - When applying for work

Just because you have someone's phone no does not give you the right to call or text someone beyond working hours unless it is stated "URGENT call anytime" by the person. 

When following up on emails be polite and check-in if the person has received your email and if they have arrived at any conclusion.



Check out more professional filmmaking tips here

For more tips and details read

Tips when applying for work

Pro Tip #1

Pro Tip #1 - When sending your resume

When sending your resume use full sentences to look professional.

Do not send emails with nothing or just "PFA" written in the body. Take the effort of writing a good and short cover letter.

Check out more professional filmmaking tips here
For more tips and details read
Pro Tip #2 - When applying for work

How to write a good cover letter

How to write a good Cover Letter with your resume

Most recently I had posted a job opening for a continuity supervisor as well as a costume assistant and I was shocked to see the way some of the applicants responded.

In response to my post, there were quite a few emails that came. A few stood out but this one below stood out the most for all the wrong reasons 

Very Bad Email

You definitely want to get noticed but if your effort is anything like the above applicant then the likelihood of you getting the job is as short as your email irrespective of your experience. Your employer's response looking this would be WTF??

Not only do you want to stand out but make a good impression as well. If you can't take the time to write a proper email then don't expect the employer to take the time to go through your resume.

Here are a few points which you should have in your cover letter when sending your resume to anyone.

1. Subject
2. Address the person
3. Reference of the job opening
4. Highlight your capability
5. Any other request
6. Closing
7. Formatting 
8. Final tips 

example of a good email

Subject

The subject of the email should always have the following points
a) The job position
b) Your name
c) Project name (if any)

like:- 
PROJECT NAME / POSITION - YOUR NAME
RESUME: NAME - POSITION
Resume for the post of XYZ - YOUR NAME

Remember the person who has posted for the job will have multiple applicants in their inbox. So if your subject line should stand out among the many emails including other work emails that the person receives.

TIP:- Keeping your name at the end sticks out more than at the start of the subject.

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Address the person

Hi, Yo, Wassup - these are a big NO-NO even if the person you are sending the email to is your close friend. Adress the person with their name and if you don't know that or the gender use the sir/madam option.

like:-
Dear XYZ,
Dear Sir/Madam,

Always keep it formal as you never know how many people your email could be forwarded to.

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Reference of the job opening

Your next line in the email should be a reference of who or where you saw the notification of the job vacancy. If there was no post then a line stating how and where you came across the company and why you are applying to them.

like:-
This is in reference to your post on XYZ
I got your reference from XYZ

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One line highlighting your capability

After you have referenced the job position in one line state why the person should consider you.  Keep the line short and highlight your strength towards the position, that generates interest to the employer even before the CV/Showreel is opened. 

like:-
"Having been part of the industry for the last 18 years... " or
"As a hardworking individual.." or
"I think I am suited for this job because.."
"My experience with editing from the last few years..."

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Any other request

Any other request from the employer to be mentioned next but only if it asked. These would be questions posted in the job opening. 

like:-
- When can you join?
- How much ctc/salary are you expecting?
- Your experience?
- Special skills
- Please send your showreel/work experience

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Closing

This is as important as the beginning. End your email with a short line which says your ready to meet or get on a call/skype anytime. Don't forget to say thanks and in addition to your name do leave your phone no as well so that the employer can easily find it without having to open your CV.

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Formatting 

Before you send your email, select all your content and fix the font and size especially if you have copy-pasted anything into the body of the email. This helps keep everything uniform. In fact, you should make this a habit for all the emails you send out as it helps make your email look very professional.

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Final tips 

1. You need to make the effort only once in drafting an email then later you can just adapt that same content and send it to others. So take your time and draft a good one and keep.
2. If your too lazy to retype the email and hit forward then remember to delete "Fwd" in the subject.
3. Also when forwarding, remember to fix the employer's name and the reference line.
4. Remember to update your resume and links if using old email content.
5. Very Important - Please keep your cover letter as short as possible as no one will look at long emails.
6. If you have separate links to your work then its better if you make a single playlist (like on youtube) and send only 1 link. No one likes many links listed in one email.
7. Avoid attaching your showreel videos or heavy files. People could be reading your email on their phones and these may not open. Also, no one has the time to wait for big downloads to see your work. 
8. There are also chances that your email might bounce if large attachments are made.
9. DO NOT chase the person for a response, one courtesy check-in after a few days is fine but do not chase your potential employer if you do not get a response.

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Check out some other tips when applying for work that you should keep in mind.
Tips when applying for work

All the best in finding your work.

How to write a good Cover Letter with your resume - Moved

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Filmmakers Talk 17 - Sound Pj

Sorry I had to crack this bad joke.
For those who don't know, Pj stands for Poor Joke.

Post your funny comments that you may have come across and it just might make it to the Film-Makers Talk List

Some past Talks:

FT#16-Filmmaking Dictionary: Deadline

FT#15 Casting Director

For more interesting articles click on Auggielicious Index to see the list, and to be in touch hit Like / Follow on the blog button on the right hand side or hit Like on the Facebook page Auggielicious for information, latest news and events beyond the blog..

Tips on how to build your showreel

The biggest problem as a beginner is how does one build a showreel when no one is willing to give you work without an existing showreel. Read on to find some of the methods that you can try to build up your showreel and this applies not just to Directors but to everyone in this industry including editors, musicians, sound engineers, cinematographers etc.

Before I go ahead and give you the various options that you can try to build your reel, I first hope you have some idea of what you want to be and have assisted in that role for at least a few projects. For example, if you want to be a director, you should have assisted in at least 30 - 40 projects if they are commercials, or 4 - 8 mimimum features films or documentaries if that's the direction you want to take, same if you want to be an editor or a sound engineer etc. It's extremely rare that someone comes out of a film school and straightaway gets into a senior role, for almost all of the rest, the first experience you need is that of an assistant to the role you desire or at least have worked in the industry long enough to know what the role is about.

Here are some TIPS to build your Showreel:-   

1. Do your own work

2. Enter contests

3. Associate with an established professional

4. Join an Agency      

5. Get connected

1. Do your own work:-

If you have just started out or your career is stuck and not moving to the next level, having your own work is the best way to build a reel. Your own work could be stories, documentaries, short films or even mock ad films written, directed, produced, edited by you or a team, for e.g. if you are coming from a film school or a course you would already know a few people who are in the same boat as you and the best way would be to get together with them that way every one of you are making something to put on each of your reels. Of course, do not forget to try and get some good work while still in the film school, this helps cause you would most likely have all the tools at your disposal and that would mean at least one film on the reel.

Doing your own work could mean investing not just your time but your money as well in making your project. Remember usually free work comes at the cost of quality.

2. Enter contests:-

If you are not as inspired to come up with your own ideas the next best way to build your reel is to enter into contests (click on the link to see a few that I have listed, to begin with, Contest LINKS)
There are lot many more websites and groups that run contests, this applies to advertising as well as films. These contests or film festivals usually have guidelines and deadlines which help push you to finish your work which otherwise could take forever.

Hopefully, by this time you have been assisting for a while and your contact base should have increased a little more than just your friends from film college and even if not you can always look for people  willing to help by posting your requests on chat groups or on social media, you can post that you are looking at entering into XYZ contest and looking for XYZ crew to help with it, but please make it very clear in your post if your project is a PAID / LOW PAY / NO PAY project, cause if it is a free project you dont want professionals reaching out to you in response to you post only to find its a free gig and wasted their time. If you do have some money to invest it would only help get better resources.

Participating in multiple contests not only helps you showcase your work to different audiences at the same time builds your reel and your experience in the role to be ready for finally when you get your break. Of course, if you manage to win the contest it only helps as it makes your reel look even better and maybe noticed quicker.

3. Associate with an established professional:-

Another way to build your reel is as you assist your way through the industry, either by staying with one company or through freelance working with multiple people you should make friends with the senior's in the role you wish to work in, once you have gained enough experience and their confidence that you can match up the skill set of them, either they might give you a chance or you can request an opportunity to move from assistant to associate for a suitable project. It may mean that you might be given just one shot to direct (or shoot or record etc) or it may be that you handle a B-crew all by your self if you are lucky enough. Not all senior people will let you associate with them as at the end of the day the project responsibility is theirs and it would be their choice to give you opportunities or not.

DO NOTE: Associating does not give you the right to showcase the work as your own and if you have to please make sure that you first have the permission from all the concerned parties before you go ahead and add it on to your reel. Most of the times they will be ok for you to put it on your work, given the fact that they were ok with you associating in the first place or they might let you use it, so long as you add the word "Associate" printed on the reel. However, if they do refuse you to use the work in your reel just be thankful that you got the experience to do some hands-on work but respect their decisions and not use that material. 

4. Join an Agency:-

Sometimes the best way to get your work is to join an Agency - in case of advertising or a Movie House / Lable -  in case of filmmaking. Here while most of the times your "hands-on" work goes down and "coordination" increases it gives you an opportunity to understand what clients are looking for when they hire production houses and there will be opportunities that come along where you can suggest that you do the project instead of sourcing it through a production house to do so, this of course will only happen if you have won the clients confidence over time and/or the budget is a low one and they are ok to experiment with.

Here same as with making your own work sometimes it's the agency that takes the initiative to do some small side projects to impress the clients and those are the ones that you could work on or even pitch ideas to the agency to get done. Of course, once you have a few on your reel and your confident enough it would be time to branch back into the mainstream.

Do remember that this route is a long one and your experience of the actual role will be based more on observation of how other people go about doing the job, so it is important to find an agency that is doing a lot of work in production or this process might drag even longer. 

5. Get connected:-

The most important thing to remember that people change their roles all the time and making friends with all should be the most important thing you do as you progress and this should never end, cause you never know when some junior becomes a senior or an agency person becomes a client and will look for you just because you are friends with them. I don't mean you literally have to go out and be friends with each and everyone but being nice to all who work with you on projects goes a long way. If you cant do that you should find the right person who will do it for you, like a director should find the right producer who will go pitch and win him work, so the friend making skill is left to him.

Here there is also the case for "favours" or "bribes" and I do not believe in this route at all, just remember once you go down this path there is no turning back from it. Doing a project free in exchange for another is something that happens all the time, but let me warn you out of personal experience that despite doing a good job and even winning awards on the project the favour may not be returned, plus you become the person they remember only when the no budget (free stuff ) comes up. So never do it saying this will be a one-off case, cause as the saying goes "Once a liar always a.."



The most important thing to remember is finally its the quality of the work that gets judged, no one will see or know that you had a lot of money or no money to make this project, what is on screen will be your mark sheet, So the more work you do the better the chances for you to get better and to succeed.

Remeber to continue working as an Asst during this transition phase to Senior as that will not only keep the connections going but also keep your mind at ease. Take breaks or multitask to work on your own projects while you are working on others projects.

All the best to everyone trying to make your mark in this industry.

For more interesting articles click on Auggielicious Index to see the entire list, and to be in touch hit Like / Follow on the blog button on the right hand side or hit Like on the Facebook page Auggielicious for information, latest news, job postings and events beyond the blog..

      

Casting Brief Q8: Competitive Brands

For the entire list of casting questions go back to

Casting Brief

Question 8: Which competitive brands worked on by the actor are to be kept in mind?

This question is only for commercials. Like I said in the case of contracts, the actor at the time of auditioning has to declare if they have acted in any competitive brand. It is best that the actor mentions most of the work that he has done so that there is no confusion in the future. Even if there was no contract executed, the actor should reveal this and when the commercial was released.

Competitive brands are not just the same category but sometimes extend to the parent company as well, for eg, The Coca-Cola company India owns the following brands - Coca-Cola, Fanta Orange, Limca, Sprite, Thums up, Kinley, Maaza, Minute Maid Pulpy Orange, Minute Maid Nimbu Fresh, etc...
while PepsiCo India includes - Pepsi, 7UP, Nimbooz, Mirinda, Slice, Mountain Dew, Aquafina, etc..
so while all of these are not cola drinks there are times when the parent company insists that the cast for the upcoming commercial has not done any competitive brands like in the above example. Coca-Cola sometimes insists that the cast should not have done any of the Pepsi brands and vice versa. For some of the brands the rules are a bit relaxed and the 'Actor not acted in Competitive Brand' does not mean all the brands like if an actor has acted for the water/soda brand like Aquafina / Kinley they may be excused for the cola brand... All this depends on the rules given out by the client at the time of briefing. Competitive brands are sometimes also generalised like health drinks could also sometimes be counted as competition in the above case.

Also what role does the actor play in the competitive commercial is important, if they are the lead or just part of a crowd, basically how clearly was the face seen and remembered and when was the film released. How long back did the competitive commercial stop airing? If it was a while back like 2 years or so it does not get considered.

It is in the best interest of all that the actor at the audition truthfully says which competitors they have worked for, and even better if the casting director knows if the actor was involved in a competitive ad and make sure that is declared. The best way is to get each actor to sign an undertaking at the audition that they have not been involved in the mentioned brands and for the time when that commercial was made.

All in all, it is important that the casting director gets briefed clearly on which Brands the actors should have not done, and if done then how long back and he, in turn, makes the actor sign an undertaking of the same.



For the answer to the previous question see
Casting Brief Q7: Contract

Read on for the next question
Question 9: Individual character brief?

For the entire list of casting questions go back to

Casting Brief

For more interesting articles click on Auggielicious Index to see the entire list.

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Casting Brief Q7: Contract?

For the entire list of casting questions go back to

Casting Brief

Question 7: Contract?

A contract is made between either the producer (production house) and the actor or sometimes directly with the brand, like in the case of commercials.

In features, a contract is usually made for almost everyone working on it. In the case of actors, all the cast who have to give more than a few days to the film have to sign contracts. Some of the basic things that a contract usually contains are,
a) The total amount that the producer and the actor agreed to for that particular project.
b) The time required from the actor.. i.e. no of days or months or sometimes even the exact dates that are required, not just for the shoot but for dubs as well.
c) The timelines and distribution to when this would be paid,
(eg- 10% advance on signing + 50% on completion of shoot + 40% on completion of dubs is one version, other is a fixed sum at the end of every month. The break is what is best suited to both parties)
d) Participation of the actor in promotional activities before the release, this also could be in terms of no of days of appearance or get even more specific like 10 tv shows 3 radio, etc..

In most cases there are no contracts made for actors who are cast for a day's shoot and for background artists, however, there could be a one-page agrement with these actors and for background artists, the contract is usually made with the coordinator.

In the case of commercials, the actor has to reveal at the time of casting if they are or have been part of competitive brands irrespective of contracts. Usually, if the actor has had a lead role and face has clearly been seen on a major brand like a cola drink the actor cannot act for its competition for around 2 years (even if no contract is made as competition won't touch the actor), it is therefore also necessary for the casting director to make sure that this is followed as this could land up everyone in a soup. Even when the contract is over it is best to mention at the time of audition that the actor had a contract with a particular brand that ended on so and so date. Contracts in commercials range from
a) A simple agreement to endorse the brand and not participate in the competition for 'X' time period. to
b) A contract that signs the person as a brand ambassador which goes beyond just shooting a commercial but print, radio and presence at live event's, etc..

TIP to all:
a) Before signing any contract it is best to read all the fine print on it as that might just lead to bigger problems later.
b) Be aware of all that is required from your end to fulfill the contract
c) Also, keep an eye for the clauses that can stop your payment or working on other similar materials.
d) If your confused about some clause get clarification not only from the concerned party but also from a lawyer if need be. OR lookup online to hunt for similar agreements and see what they contain.




For the answer to the previous question see
Q6 - Casting Requirements?

Read on for the next question
Question 8: Which competitive brands worked on by the actor are to be kept in mind?

For the entire list of casting questions go back to

Casting Brief

For more interesting articles click on Auggielicious Index to see the list.

Like / Follow on the Facebook page Auggielicious for information, latest news, job posts etc..

Filmakers Talk #2 - The Director

I am sure that people of all departments have heard this from the director before..

Post your funny comments that you may have come across and it just might make it to the Film-Makers Talk List

Some past Talks:

FT#1 - Producer

*This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, quotes, places and incidents mentioned, either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, from the film industry or outside the film industry is entirely coincidental.

For more interesting articles click on Auggielicious Index to see the entire list.

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Casting Brief Q6: Casting Requirements?

For the entire list of casting questions go back to

Casting Brief

Question 6: Who will take care of the requirements of the audition?

This question is directed form the casting director to the producer. So what are these requirements that I am talking about

1. Space to audition.
2. Camera, Lights and Power Supply 
3. Backdrop (if needed)
4. Props (if needed)
5. Any other special requirement 
6. Stationary
7. Conveyance and food
8. Phone / Net Bill

Now while most casting directors charge a fee and rest at actual's there are some production houses that like to make deals with casting directors (rarely happens), the deal being that the production house would pay just one figure and the casting director would do the rest all-inclusive. Why would any casting director take up the latter proposition it would be if they think that they could make a little more by making better deals with suppliers or if they themselves own either equipment or space thus saving on rent, also if they are confident of wrapping up the casting within the time so that it does not go overboard. Why would a production house take this route its simple, one bill, one figure this cannot go over budget since the figure gets decided upfront. This route is very risky for the casting director since if any variable is to change they might just lose more money rather than saving.

This question has to be asked as the casting directors fee is determined basis on these variables. There are mostly in between deals that are made, where the production house would provide/pay for certain things and rest has to be taken care by the casting director. Let's talk about each requirement in detail to understand this.

1. Space to audition - if a space is hired for audition rent has to be paid for using that space. In cases where casting has to happen for only a few days, renting a space might be feasible, also some audition spaces these days provide with some of the other requirements like camera, lights, and backdrop along with a assistant, making it easier on everyone. In cases where casting could go on for a long time (weeks to months) like in features, or in case the production house wants to save money on rent or time* is a huge factor, in such cases a space is provided by the production house which is usually a room in the office and sometimes even in the space just outside the office like in the compound or corridor. The minimum requirement of space for an audition should be so that the camera can capture the full length of the actor without having to tilt the camera and the area should have decent lighting and not too much outside noise. 
The number of people coming for audition also makes a difference to where the audition is held, if there a lot of people expected in a single day (like in advertising) then usually space is rented out unless the production house has sufficient space to keep people waiting and preparing for their parts. In case there are only a few people coming in, like only a select few have been called, like in the case of features or in the case its a call back then these do take place in the production house's office space.     


*Time, in this case, is the time after the audition is captured and for the video to be seen by the director, and if liked sent further for approval. Or if the cast is required urgently like for the next day's shoot.

2. Camera, Lights and Power Supply - in order to record an audition the casting director needs a camera, any camera of a decent resolution should work, earlier DV camera's were used, still gets used in some places but that has now been outdated since DV camera requires DV tapes which then have to be transferred to a digital format to view which involves both a lot of time and money. Some casting directors own a camera themselves and they charge rent for it or include this in their fees. Owing a camera is also a good thing for production houses who do a lot of work as this helps bring down the cost, it also helps at times when the actor can not make it to the audition room but can come to the office to give the audition (since the audition location might be far). It helps in cases of callbacks and smaller tests as well.
Lights are definitely required for auditions that are conducted in closed rooms, a couple of decent powered lights is the minimum requirement, these can be either softboxes or light bounced of thermocol, the basic idea always is to have the actor evenly lit from both side's i.e. no shadows mainly on the face. When auditions are conducted in office spaces its still ideal that the room has sufficient internal lighting or there is enough sunlight coming in. In case the audition is held in the corridor or in an outdoor space the person recording has to make sure that beyond light the sound of the actor is also picked up clearly by the camera.
Rented studios sometimes charge separately for power supply (rarely) usually its included in the cost provided the lights used are basic, which is why most current audition spaces provide these and include the cost in the rent. In case of areas provided by the production house, they need to make sure that there are sufficient outlets for power and extension cords for the same.     

3. Backdrop - this is required if space in which the audition is being held is too noisy** or is too cluttered, like when auditions happen in offices, an ideal space would have a single coloured clear back wall or the use of a backdrop is required, this helps in keeping the viewer's attention only the actor giving the audition and not get distracted by the space around it. Not always can one have a backdrop to audition in such cases a clear back wall with almost nothing on or around it is an ideal space. If a backdrop is being rented out then it could be either in a light colour, white or offwhite are usually used some cases a completely dark backdrop also gets used like grey in those cases it makes the actor stand out from the space, provided that they are in bright clothes and have been lit well. 
A backdrop is a clear piece of paper or cloth with no print on it, same as the ones used in photo studios but large enough to cover the actor's entire action, sometimes cover even 3 people in the same scene. It should be ideally large enough so that the camera captures only the actor and nothing else around. Production houses that do casting quite often and don't have a clear wall usually keep these backdrop's which can be put up easily with the help of 2 stands.. even chroma cloth gets used at times

**noisy - too many things in the background like pictures on the wall, clock, table furniture etc..

4. Props (if needed) - in the scene to be auditioned there would be props that might be required, simple things like a cell phone, or a chair, table, etc can easily be arranged, but there are times when specific props are required, like a gun or a ball or a mask, etc these may have to be rented out or there has to be an agreement (the director should know about this advance) that the actor will make do of what even is available like use a stick instead of a gun. Depending on the rent of the prop, the producer would decide if it's required or not to hire that prop but there are cases when even expensive props have to be hired like in case of testing if the actor can act while riding a bike or driving a car or is the actor comfortable to act underwater, etc, in such cases it makes sense for the producer to spend the money on these tests rather than have the shoot stuck because the actor can not ride a bike.

5. Any other special requirement  - any other special requirement is similar to that of special props, like maybe the actor has to talk while eating or the actor has to do something unique like a summersault or some specific stunt then depending on what is required to that situation. If there is a piece of costume that is required for the test like a hat or a specific kind spec frame etc.

6. Stationary - this includes a slate and a marker for the actor to hold with his details at the start of the audition, some casting directors still use paper here and that is a pure waste of resources. Beyond this, there is the script printouts, paper/book for making a cue sheet, tapes if a dv camera is being used or Digital cards, transfer cables, CD's,  DVD's or any other storage and transfer device, most of the time these are included in the casting directors fees as these are usually really small figures. If they have to be charged it is at actuals against a bill that the casting director should collect while buying the same.

7. Conveyance and food - if the casting is happing for a few days then this figure is small and is easily taken care of but in the case where casting is over a period of time then most of the time the producer sets a limit to how much of money should be spent each day on food and travel of course bills would have to be produced for calming of the food at least and accounts would have to be settled from time to time. Conveyance is for the dropping of casting material to the production office or director's house. 

8. Phone / Net Bill - here if it's a short casting then usually there is no charge that is passed on to the producer but in the case where casting has to happen over a period of time then either the producer gives the casting director a phone to use for all official calls or takes care of the bill at the end of each month especially if the casting is happing in another city or country. 
With social media catching on and with the latest apps even these figures are getting to an ignorable amount, like most casting directors would post the requirement on a social media page, tagging a few people who they think need to come, also used is here are services like BBM or Whatsapp where a group is made over time and a single message gets delivered to all what the requirements for the audition are and people who think they suit the requirement go for the auditions.

So depending on who is paying for what finalises the casting directors fees, although the most common practice would be to charge a fee and the rest at actuals. It is also best that the casting director reads the script or the storyboard before meeting for the casting brief so that he knows what his requirements would be in advance.

 

For answer to the previous question see
Q5:- Budget?

Read on for the next question
Question 7: Is there a contract to be made?

For the entire list of casting questions go back to

Casting Brief

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