Movie audition tips: How to land more acting jobs.
The differences between movie productions can vary. In this guide, we will breakdown the differences between indie productions and major budget feature films. The goal of this acting tutorial is to explain how producers look for actors to work on their respective projects.
In our previous guide, we discussed acting auditions for movies. We previously discussed how to find a talent agent, how to find a manager, where to find acting auditions, and how to start your acting career, in our previous guides.
Movie Audition Tips
Short Films and low-budget movies
Filmmakers work on mini-budget productions generally work with their close friends to produce the project. A casting director working on this is typically doing their work for free or as a favor to the producer. As a result, almost all the actors auditioning for a role in the project, typically have little experience or are looking for a way to expand their acting profile. Traditionally, actors self-submit for roles for the aforementioned projects. Talent agents and managers reject these productions as they do not usually get compensated for getting their talent to work on the project.
Low-Budget SAG-AFTRA Short Films and Feature Films
SAG-AFTRA Feature films and Short Films usually have a budget under $1 million. These projects allow for a casting director to cast relatively known actors for projects that will go straight to streaming services. Typically, one popular actor will be cast for the project with the remaining artists being unknown and aspiring talents.
Major budget SAG-AFTRA Feature Films
For SAG-AFTA feature films budgeted over $1 million, the producers are looking to cast bigger name actors to work on the project. The casting director will follow their traditional casting process by putting a list of roles and seeking submissions by talent agents, managers, and possibly open casting calls for smaller roles. Read our introductory guide to movie auditions to learn more.
For major supporting roles, a casting director is looking for talented actors who have a lot of experience, social media following, and will bring a return on investment on the project. It is harder for aspiring actors to land major roles in such projects as producers are seeking to build marketing around the cast, and do not want to take a risk on actors with little to no experience on major budget feature films.
Smaller roles, including day-player, and supporting roles, directors try to find unknown actors to move the storyline of the movie. A supporting actor’s job is now to be noticeable and grab the actor’s attention. Rather, a supporting actor will move the story along. That said, many actors have had their careers cemented by day player roles. For movies that are shot on location, which has become popular due to film incentives such as Georgia’s film tax credit, regional casting directors cast local actors for supporting roles.
Related tips for actors:
How You Can Learn How To Act Without Acting Classes
44 Film Grant Programs Every Filmmaker Should Know
