Online Movie Casting: A Filmmaker's Guide to Casting Actors on the Internet

Casting independent films can be challenging. Filmmakers usually do not have enough money in their budget to hire a casting director. This causes the filmmaker to cast a movie on his or her own. This can present another set of challenges. A filmmaker will have to set a date and schedule various times to do the casting. The do-it-yourself filmmaker will also have to find and secure a location to hold auditions.

It may be easy to set a time and schedule for movie auditions. However, it may be very difficult to secure a location where the auditions can take place. An ideal location would be an indoor facility with parking accommodations and at least two separate rooms. Actors who are waiting to perform their monologue or script reading can hang out in one room, while the auditions take place in another room with the filmmaker. There are various professional facilities that filmmakers could use to cast their movie. Local theaters, churches, hotels and schools are a few good places to hold auditions. They offer a more professional atmosphere than the residence of a friend or family member.

Many businesses and facilities require filmmakers to pay rental fees in order to use the building. These fees vary and usually range from $250 to $500 for three or four hours. Facility rental fees are too expensive for the average independent filmmaker. They can put a dent in the production budget before the first scene is shot. Online casting offers a great alternative for independent filmmakers who cannot afford to rent facilities.

As a filmmaker begins to cast his or her film, a notice can be sent out to various acting websites and organizations. When actors begin to send their resumes and headshots, filmmakers can select the individuals who would best represent their film. Afterward, the busy filmmaker can request each promising actor to send a short acting demo by way of email. The internet allows filmmakers to speed up the casting process by reviewing multiple actors without spending hundreds of dollars. It also prevents filmmakers and actors from the possibility of having to travel faraway.

When doing online casting, filmmakers should make sure that they have the proper tools installed to play various media formats. Independent filmmakers can also request that actors send their demo in a specific format. This will help to prevent filmmakers from having trouble viewing the acting demos. As video files begin to pour in a filmmaker's inbox, he or she should create a folder to store all demos from the actors. A casting inventory can be made by storing the videos on a hard drive or CD-R. Having a video inventory of acting demos can help filmmakers select actors for future film productions.