VTR Casting Etiquette

After yesterday's blog post about what I had worn throughout the day for my castings, it came to me, that I should share my experiences of the 'do's & dont's' of a casting call.

Before going into detail let me firstly say, I've been doing castings for about a year and a half. It may not sound that long compared to actors who have in this industry for year's, but this has given me the opportunity to talk to directors, castors, photographers and get to know how their system operates. Being confident is key when attending these castings, but don't forget that accepting constructive criticism is invaluable and helps you to achieve longevity in the industry.



VTR (Video Tape Recording) Casting

1)   If you're going to a casting with an option to go between 1pm-5pm, go as early as possible. Preferably just as the casting opens. Why? Well, if the castor sees your face at the very start and thinks that you meet the criteria, he/she will use your VTR as a benchmark to compare other VTR's until they come across someone as good as you.

2)   Attend the casting in the preferred attire thats specified in the text message you receive. No shorts, thongs, nothing flamboyant or sexy - keep it simple and somewhat conservative.

3)   Dress as plain and simple as you can, keep the colors basic and make sure the clothes fit you to really show off your proportions. You might not realize it but when you're infront of the camera you look at least 8 pounds heavier.

4)   Avoid dressing up to look your best. Doing that already gives the client an idea of how you look,  you only need to do that when you're at the final casting. If you attend the casting looking simple (plain v-neck shirt, fitted/slim pants), you will be surprised thats what the director is looking for. By dressing plain, your leaving yourself open to many options how they can dress you for what part you may look good in. So IMPORTANT.



The Reality behind a Commercial Casting

Realistically, castors mainly look for good looking people. In particular, models with a gracious smile who project well infront of the camera. Unlike me and with honesty, I dont necessarily meet the criteria. Yeah I may have a cute face or whatever but the client/director won't choose me because they'll either pick on me for my forehead lines or something ridiculous. 

So where I'm getting at is the client won't take risks with anyone. Even if you are good looking, you still might not get the part. The castor may be looking for a certain set of features to cater to their target audience. DO NOT get offended or insecure if you are not chosen for the commercial or final casting. They are not sending a message to you and saying you're ugly, NO, they're just saying that you didn't look suitable for the role: You might be cute looking, but they might be looking for a guy with facial hair and someone who looks rugged. 


It's also important to go to castings as relaxed as can be - I always go to castings stress-free because I go there with a 'don't care' attitude. Haha. It works for me because it makes me feel comfortable in front of the camera, and thats what the castor wants - someone who's not afraid, looks confident and can work with the camera.


Lets take my mate Benjamin Tang and use him as an example. He's been in the game for a long time now. This guy books a lot of jobs simply because he's a versatile and his face looks gracious infront of the camera. Benjamin also has a theatre acting background where he's gained most of his experience from.

Being able to feel relaxed in front of the camera takes a long time and practice. It's easy to say "no problems, it's not hard", but until you're actually infront of the camera everything changes; facial muscles freeze, breathing is harder and feeling of discomfort increases. If you would like to know more about facial relaxation click on the underlined link.

So the next time you go to a casting, take in mind what to wear and make sure you look tidy. Guys, don't wear make up - make up is for girls. I usually just wear a plain scoop-neck shirt, black preferably. 


Hope this information helps you out in future reference. Stay posted for Modeling Casting Etiquette



1 comment:

  1. Please give us names of the casting team where we can go for VRT. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete