{"id":1306,"date":"2025-03-07T19:40:51","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T19:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/?p=1306"},"modified":"2025-03-07T19:40:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T19:40:52","slug":"how-to-virtually-cast-your-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/how-to-virtually-cast-your-film\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Virtually Cast Your Film"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For years now, casting agents have been using video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Skype, and Google Meet to cast actors. \u201cI remember using Skype for an audition back in 2011,\u201d recalls Los Angeles\u2013based casting director Erica Bream.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased its usage. \u201cPretty much all of the callbacks I\u2019ve done since COVID have been virtual,\u201d says Ryan Glorioso, a casting director who works out of New Orleans. SAG-AFTRA has ensured that self-taping will be a permanent fixture, as well. The latest contract<\/mark><\/a> has established guidelines for self-tape auditions. Policies include providing actors with sides in advance of the audition, setting a limit on the amount of pages an actor can perform, and having only a certain amount of wardrobe changes, all to ensure that the virtual audition process is as smooth as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steps have been made to make the online process as similar to in-person casting sessions as possible. Casting directors still take submissions from agents, schedule actors, and start the meetings all in the same fashion. \u201cTypically, we release our casting notices on the available casting sites\u2014Breakdown Express, Casting Networks, et cetera\u2014to the agencies in our region,\u201d says Glorioso. \u201cThe agents will submit [to us], or we can directly request someone we are interested in for a role.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even Glorioso admits that casting virtually can feel \u201ca little bit more impersonal. It\u2019s just the nature of us not physically being in the room together. An energy comes from that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how can directors make sure that they still cast the right person under these circumstances?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to prepare for virtual casting\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To begin with, everyone involved in the session needs to ensure that their conferencing platforms are properly updated and the sound levels are correct. Bream advises using a computer instead of a phone, as it has more functionality and is more user-friendly.\u00a0\u201cMost actors have had to adjust to this virtual option. As long as everybody involved goes into it with a mindset of \u2018This is going to be fun\u2019 and \u2018What do you need to see from this?\u2019 it always works out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barry Levy, the showrunner of the Apple TV+ series \u201cMe,\u201d used virtual sessions to cast the adventure series alongside CD Josh Einsohn. He knows that it can be very hard for actors \u201cto maintain a level of energy and focus through all of the self-tapings before you even get to Zoom meetings.\u201d When he goes into his online casting sessions, he immediately looks to be upbeat and direct with the actors. That way, they can feed off his energy, which he says helps to ensure it\u2019s \u201cstill a very rewarding process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to communicate with actors\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If filmmakers don\u2019t feel entirely comfortable with virtual casting, Bream says they can always trust their CD to lead the way. \u201cA lot of producers and directors will really lean on me to guide the process,\u201d she shares. \u201cThis includes managing the situation when things go wrong, talking everybody through it, and advising what they could do instead. Sometimes people can be dancing around each other a little bit and they don\u2019t know who is supposed to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes time to conduct an online casting session, Bream always looks to ensure that the actors log into a warm and accepting room. \u201cYou want the actor to feel like they\u2019re coming into a safe space so that they can do their best work,\u201d she says. \u201cI try to be as warm as possible, sometimes cracking a lame joke to soften the space. You want to set the tone and make sure it\u2019s really warm and friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s a callback, the pressure is usually a little bit more intense, as the performer knows they\u2019re getting closer to the role. Bream will always start off by introducing herself, the filmmaker, and the actor, all with the intention of letting them know that everyone is on the same side and they\u2019re there to collaborate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
What This Four-Time Oscar Nominee Wants From Her Directors<\/a><\/blockquote>