CASTING TIPS...

Our policy

If people attending the casting make an effort, and we make an effort, then the client will be very happy with the tape they receive. Casting is a two-sided process that requires the casting director and the artist to work together to create an energy that carries through to the person watching the tape - the more fun we have doing the casting the more fun the tape will be to watch!

What you need to do to get the job...

As auditions are the gateway to getting a job we at Kayos feel it's time to share some secrets with any intrepid casting goers. If you've been going through the mill for a long time you will realise by now that you seem to fall into one of three categories.

   1. You go to castings a lot, you get optioned sometimes and booked seldom.
   2. You go to a lot of castings, get optioned all the time and booked often.
   3. You are one of the lucky ones who goes to few castings, always gets optioned and generally gets the job.


TIPS FOR STANDING OUT ON TAPE

 






 KIDS' CASTINGS

  • Casting with children is always a delicate process which requires patience on the part of the casting director, the child and the parents.
  • Most children can, with time, deliver wonderful performances. However, it is our role to provide a comfortable and safe environment in which this can happen.
  • It is often better that children go into the studio alone, as parents may unintentionally increase shyness, pressure, etc. The child who gets the job will have to perform on set in front of lots of strangers, so it is good to get used to it at the casting.
  • We have found that it helps to limit children to one guardian at castings, and if possible, siblings and friends should not come along, to avoid over-crowding in the waiting area.
PARENTS PLEASE NOTE...
  • It often becomes apparent to casting directors that certain children have lost interest in castings, and sometimes plainly do not want to be there. It is your and your agent's responsibility to gauge your child's interest to be in commercials. It is distressing to everyone if a child is upset by being at the casting and is still forced into the studio. Castings are meant to be fun, NOT traumatic! The fact that commercials are highly financially viable should in no way sway your decision to keep on taking your child to castings when they no longer enjoy the process.
  • Parents, please try to limit the number of castings your child attends. Be sure that they stand a good chance of being chosen. If your children attend too many castings to which they are not entirely suited, without success, their self-esteem is likely to be damaged; and we all know how fragile and precious good self-worth is.

 

TEST 
"The more effort you make 
to stand out on tape 
by dressing to brief 
and performing with confidence, 
the better your chance 
of being booked!" 
Kayos
"Casting is 65 percent 
of directing..." 
John Frankenheimer
"Casting is everything. 
If you get the right people 
they make you look good. " 
Todd Solondz 
"Casting is 65 percent
of directing..." 
John Frankenheimer
"Casting is sort of like 
looking at paintings. 
You don't know 
what you'll like, 
but you recognize 
it when you see it.  " 
Steven Bochco 
"Every casting director
I've met, is a woman." 
Cameron Diaz

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS AN ARTIST

We all know that attending the audition doesn't guarantee getting the job - you need to do a number of things to increase your chance of being selected: Here goes...

   1. Find out as much as possible about the commercial for which you are auditioning, e.g.WHAT   SHOULD I WEAR? WHAT IS BEING ADVERTISED? WHO IS THE CHARACTER?


   2. If there is a script, get your agent to give you a copy so that you can familiarise yourself with the lines before you arrive.


   3. If you are auditioning for a specific character part,DRESS THE PART!The more effort you put in the better your chances. Directors and clients are often unable to visualise someone in plain dress as a 'wild tribesman', 'mafia boss', 'meter maid' etc. Therefore, the artists who take the time to dress in character present themselves in a better light -JUST LET GO AND HAVE FUN!


   4. Remember to leave a good impression, so that you will be remembered the next time the casting director needs your type of person for a commercial.


   5. Always be sure to ask you agent exactly what the casting director is looking for.

LEARN TO BE PATIENT! Auditions can often take a lot of time, especially if a performance is required. If the casting director has given you a timeslot always try to be on time. When a casting takes longer than usual, it is counter-productive to become impatient. Usually the person running the registration has no control over waiting-time, and cannot push people to the front of the queue.



THE CASTING DIRECTOR'S RESPONSIBILITY

A casting director's responsibility is to give the client the best product possible. This means that the better the calibre of people on the tape and the better their performance, the better the casting.

  • Besides making sure we have the best people at the casting, we also must be sure that artists are presented on the best quality format.
  • Kayos castings are all taped on digital cameras, resulting in brilliant quality tapes. We spend a lot of time getting the lighting just right, to make you look great.
  • Photo presentations of castings are shot with a digital stills camera. Colour printouts with each artist's details (name, agency, measurements, etc.) are sent to the client along with the casting tape. This allows for quick and easy reference when short-listing artists from the tape
  • Our casting directors take the utmost care to follow the brief as closely as possible.
  • Wherever possible we will let the casting be as similar to the storyboard as we can. We build little sets and style the studio so that you can really get into the mood of the commercial for which you are auditioning. 
    • If the advert is set outside, for example, we will try to conduct the casting in the environment where the given activity will happen (e.g. sporting-commercial castings will be done outdoors where people can show the extent of their talent, etc.).