Casting director

Casting directors select actors for all roles in a motion picture or television series. They co-operate with the producer and director to determine what they are looking for. Casting directors contact talent agents and organise interviews and auditions for the parts. They determine the fees and contracts for the actors and extras.

The following job titles also refer to casting director:

motion picture casting director
executive of casting
movie casting director
casting recruiter
talent director
extras casting director
casting coordinator
talent booker
film casting director
TV casting director

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as casting director. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Casting director is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to casting director.

post-production supervisor
script writer
art director
storyboard artist
movie distributor

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of casting director. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of casting director with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of casting director.

Personal directing styles: Understand and analyse the behaviour of specific directors.

These skills are necessary for the role of casting director.

Read scripts: Read a playbook or film script, not only as literature, but identifying, actions, emotional states, evolution of characters, situations, different sets and locations, etc.
Consult with producer: Consult with a motion picture producer about requirements, deadlines, budget, and other specifications.
Consult with production director: Consult with the director, producer and clients throughout the production and post-production process.
Organise auditions: Organise try-outs for actors. Determine when and where the auditions will take place. Send out job ads to talent agencies, newspapers, magazines, and other information sources.
Match actors to roles: Match the perfect actor to each role based on their experience, ability, reputation, availability, and box office appeal.
Contact talent agents: Contact agents in charge of finding jobs for writers, actors, musicians, and other professionals in the entertainment and broadcasting businesses and maintain good relations with them.
Study relationships between characters: Study characters in scripts and their relationships to each other.
Follow directions of the artistic director: Follow the instructions of the director while understanding his creative vision.
Develop professional network: Reach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up to date on their activities.
Carry out auditions: Hold auditions and assess and select candidates for roles in the productions.
Discover acting talent: Identify existing talented actors or discover new ones.
Negotiate with artists: Communicate and negotiate with artist and artist management about prices, terms and schedules.
Carry out interviews to select artistic team members: Determine the content, physical and material conditions of the interview. Describe the project parameters. Evaluate personal, artistic and technical skills according to casting requirements, and candidates’ interest in the project.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of casting director. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Photography: Art and practice of creating aesthetically appealing images by recording light or electromagnetic radiation.
Film production process: The various development stages of making a film, such as scriptwriting, financing, shooting, editing, and distribution.
Acting techniques: The different acting techniques for developing lifelike performances, such as method acting, classical acting, and Meisner technique.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of casting director. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Provide chaperone for children on set: Make sure there is always a chaperone present on the set when recruiting underage children to perform in a motion picture.
Operate a camera: Capture moving images with a camera. Operate the camera skilfully and safely to obtain high quality material.
Prepare casting budget: Prepare, together with the production accountant, the budget for the hiring of the actors and extras.
Create breakdown notices: Create brief descriptions of the physical attributes, skills, and experience sought in actors.
Find appropriate extras: Find background extras that match the overall theme of a scene.
Receive actors’ resumes: Receive headshots and resumes from actors to select the most qualified and schedule auditions.
Manage contracts: Negotiate the terms, conditions, costs and other specifications of a contract while making sure they comply with legal requirements and are legally enforceable. Oversee the execution of the contract, agree on and document any changes.
Search databases: Search for information or people using databases.

2166 – Graphic and multimedia designers

 

 

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References

1. Casting director – ESCO