I thought it would be great for you to get a little behind the scenes info straight from the source!
Ever wonder what the casting assistant's job is like? Well, they should definitely be on your radar. This is the person who takes the casting director's selects and gets actors in for auditions. They are the one who process all your hard work and get your auditions seen by the agency and director. You want to make the assistant happy!
To help you do that, I bring you Vancouver Casting's "Just Alexis."An integral part of our casting team. She loves her job, and wants to do her best for you. Today we chat about Regretting and Confirming, and why you need to be on top of it.
Alexis, do all actors confirm or regret?
Nope! But they should ;)
Does it matter if they don’t?
Yes! How is casting supposed to know you’re going to make it in for your time slot if you didn’t confirm? Same for if you have to regret!
What happens on your end when they don't confirm / regret?
It creates a doozy in our scheduling!
At the end of the day, we all want to do our best work, and for casting that often means delivering a certain amount of talent per role to the clients. When you are unable to make your audition (no sweat, we totally get people have lives ;), we want to give your time slot to someone else who can! The sooner you regret, the sooner we are able to fill that spot and make sure we don’t end up with a day full of no-shows.
What happens on your end when they do confirm / regret?
Casting is very happy. We get to see exactly what our numbers are for each role, and if any adjustments or replacements need to be made.
How quickly do they need to let casting know if they are confirming the invitation to audition?
Ideally as soon as the request goes out! Look, we totally get it - people have lives, jobs, appointments etc., but the sooner you confirm/regret, the better! It gives casting the chance to see if we are short in any specific role, and if we need to make replacements to fill any holes.
If you regret the day of, or you come in for your audition and suddenly discover you’re no longer available for the shoot dates (always make note of the shoot dates), it’s super sucky because that audition could have gone to someone else :(
What do you think of actors who regret?
No hard feelings! Shit happens. Communication is key - we wanna know either way if you’re gonna be there or not!
What do you do when actors regret?
We hopefully can replace them! We try super hard to get schedules out ASAP in order to make this happen (the turn around time in this biz is crazy fast). SO, if you know you can't make it right when you get the request, we still have some time to try and fill the time slot with someone else.
Is there ever a time when actors need to give a reason for regretting? Callbacks for instance?
It isn’t always necessary but it can be very helpful! For example, if you cannot make it in for your audition on Tuesday because you are already on set, but you are available the rest of the week, we might wanna bring you in on another day of casting if we are low on choices for your role. Try and make a note when possible if you can't make it in :)
As far as call-backs go, YES we would like to know why you are regretting. It’s always nice for us to be able to tell the clients why it is you’re no longer available. Heck, maybe you can't make it for the callback but are still available for the shoot dates and they want to cast you right from the audition tape!
Some actors may think it's only necessary to let casting know if it's a regret. Is this true?
No way! Knowing you’re confirmed is equally as important as a regret. Like I said, how are we supposed to know you’re coming to the party if you haven’t RSVP’d?
Not to mention, individually emailing agents to check and see if you’re confirmed or not on the day of the audition is such a make-work project that could be sooo avoidable.
What do you think of actors who confirm or regret promptly?
Keep doing what you're doing! We seriously appreciate you and your agents being so on top of it with scheduling. It doesn't go unnoticed!!
Final thoughts?
An audition / callback is like a job interview - don’t leave your potential future employer hanging when it’s your time to shine! And hey, no sweat if you're a regret on one audition, we’ll getcha on the next one!
Stoked to see all your faces in the studio!
Thank you Alexis! I know this will be helpful to many actors who may not have understood the importance of this seemingly little thing. Good info to have.
What did you think of Alexis' shares? Any surprises for you? Anything at all you'd like to ask her about the casting assistant's role and your part in being awesome?
Please ask away and we will tackle it in the next one!
Deb Barnes / Vancouver Casting
