Casting Blues.


Today I had my first casting in a couple of weeks - and it didn't go very well.

At least I think it didn't go very well. Sometimes it's hard to tell. There have been a handful of occasions over the past year where I thought things went as well as they could and consequently heard nothing - and other times when I've not been pleased with my performance and ended up with a recall.

The most frustrating one happened about six months ago when I was up for a corporate video for a building society. I was sent three long pages of script to learn, to be delivered straight to camera. The dialogue was intricate and jargon-packed. It took me quite a while to get to grips with it, but I persevered and finally committed it to memory. 

The casting was one of those few occasions when everything went perfectly. The director and crew were lovely - and I felt relaxed from the moment I walked through the door. I got through all the dialogue on the first take and even managed to inject it with a little personality. Both the director and client congratulated me on my performance, thanking me for taking the time to learn the script; evidently most people that morning had struggled to get through it. 

It was one of the few occasions when I've left the casting suite quietly confident. "I think I've got that one," I said to myself. "I'm going to be the face of (A BANK THAT SHALL REMAIN NAMELESS)."

The shooting dates came and went - and I didn't hear another word about it.

Ultimately there's no point in second-guessing it. There are so many factors that play a part in commercial casting that it basically amounts to the luck of the draw. At the very least it's good to be seen. Casting directors have surprisingly good memories; if I don’t get a call about this particular job, there’s always a chance they'll remember me for another.

The job I went up for today involved a scene where I’d have to appear in just a pair of underpants – so at the end of the casting I had to strip down to my underwear and do a full 360° to camera. “So, it’s come to this,” I quipped to the camera operator, as I undid my trousers.

You wouldn't have to do that at a standard job interview.  

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