Auditioning for a feature film is about consistency, showing up and actively being in pursuit of your goal.
Although breakthroughs and short-cuts can happen, they are few and far between. Align your career, so you can navigate each audition toward what you want.
In this article, we simplify what you need to do, provide guidance for audition preparation, and deconstruct the myths around what casting directors really think.
Key Insights
- Feature film auditions generally involve sides with one or two scenes to prepare. Read the instructions properly, remember to slate for self tapes, and take note of additional information.
- Casting directors look for specificity, consistency and professionalism. It’s not about performing the perfect audition.
- You can expand your skills by building on-screen credits over time, through student films and independent projects. When you start auditioning for feature films, you’ll have experience to bring to the table.
How Movie Auditions Actually Work
The casting process behind film auditions typically starts from a breakdown, which requires a self tape. Submissions will ask for one or two scenes from the sides provided, and if you’re lucky, you’re given the full script to read to understand the context of the story.
Actors with successful tapes will then get brought in for in-person callbacks with the casting director where they may be redirected or asked to read additional scenes. Depending on the project budget or studio, the audition process might include further rounds. Independent films will most likely be cast from a self-tape or an in-person meeting, but where an actor may have to do a chemistry read or an audition round for the executive producers, you can assume a big studio budget is on the line.
When Actor Rupi Lal was asked to put himself on tape for a feature film audition, he didn’t even find out what it was for until much later in the process. He recalled, “They used a code name and only when I was given the job, was the director’s name confirmed on emails; obviously, I was over the moon when I realized what it was [for].”
He was cast as Astrid’s Doctor in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice after demonstrating astute professionalism, and assuring casting that he had the confidence to deliver.
What You Need Before Auditioning for Movies
Before you begin your audition preparation and before you send in submissions (either through representation or casting platforms), you need to source the right acting materials to ensure the likelihood of being called in.
Cover the basics: a professional headshot that looks like you, with a cinematic feel, theatrical and distinguishable from a commercial look. A resume, with at least one or two screen credits (can be from student films or acting class scene study). Don’t worry about having “enough.”
Casting directors will understand when you are just starting out that it can take time, but they appreciate being proactive and sharing your interests outside of acting.
Eventually you can gather footage, from one or two scenes, to create a decent show reel. While it doesn’t have to be perfectly produced, it should allow casting to see what you look like on film and that you have a little experience working in the medium.
Recently, actor Colman Domingo told An Actor Despairs that early on in his career he was encouraged to exaggerate his resume. Adjusting a few scene-study credits into full productions, he was told, “You need to give yourself a push to get in the door and then your talent will do the rest.”
Where to Find Legitimate Movie Auditions
Most feature film auditions can be found through representation, where you’ll receive an email with audition instructions and information about the project. Generally, assume these are legitimate. For self-submissions, real opportunities can be found on Casting Networks, Backstage and Actors Access.
A feature film breakdown should have the casting director’s name, the project description (even if the project name is a code or simply “untitled”), the role description, dates and location, the rate of pay and any additional information. Even open casting calls will be as transparent as they can be. If anything in the breakdown seems vague or misleading, your instincts are usually correct.
A breakdown with any TBC’s that are unreasonable should be double checked. For agent submissions, your representation can get in touch to clear up any concerns. A genuine casting office will have no problem answering any questions, and should, at the very least, be reachable.
The same principle can be applied to student films and independent films. While the rate of pay might be lower, the standards shouldn’t be, especially in regard to clarity of information. In a detailed pre-production process, when a casting reaches the actor, they should know that what they are auditioning for is real.
How to Prepare for a Film Audition
To prepare for a film audition, you should embark upon a repeatable process. Begin by conducting script analysis and character research. You need a foundation to build upon, which will inform your choices. So go through the script, break it down, and use your sides.
To avoid being locked into a learned version, you should aim to be familiar with your lines, so that in the room you can make adjustments, and be adaptable creatively. Make a choice about your character, have an objective to aim for, something specific that drives you, even if it’s a secret to everyone else.
Casting directors like Danny Long believe that the best auditions happen when actors stop performing perfection and lean into authentic, truthful choices. Your preparation should also be continuous throughout your choices, from what you wear to how you style yourself. Allude to the role to visually enhance your audition.
Researching the production, by learning who you are auditioning for, is just as important. The creative team might have a vision in their minds, or a few names already attached. Familiarize yourself with the director’s work to indicate tone, or to even have a conversation point. This conveys a serious interest in the work.
What Casting Directors Look for in Movie Auditions
Casting directors look for actors with a performance quality that combines emotional specificity, listening skills and professionalism. Focus on character work by delving deeply into who they are within the context of the scene. Build an inner life for your character, marrying the lines with your thoughts. You can establish professional trust by consistently delivering quality tapes.
Casting director Ani Aveytan says, “Make bold choices. Of course, make sure they fit within the story and the life of the character. But don’t go with the same clichéd choices that every other actor is going to make. Inner thoughts are important. Where are those little hidden pauses you can take to make the story more interesting?”
LA-based British actor Dan Kauss says even though it might sound simple, you have to commit by “understanding exactly what the sides are saying, fully immersing yourself into that world and ensuring you are heard and seen clearly.” Casting directors like Shaheen Baig enjoy the process of finding someone and creating opportunities, so show up prepared to work and open to explore.
How to Build a Career That Leads to Bigger Film Roles
Building a career that leads to bigger film roles starts with consistency. The biggest, most inspirational Hollywood actors started off in indie projects, student films and co-star roles. Each audition, each project is a piece of a larger puzzle, that helps inform the broader picture of a sustainable acting career.
Self submit, look on casting platforms, and be intentional and honest with your representation about how you want your career to look. Book an on-camera acting class, and go to workshops with casting directors to expand your knowledge on the other side of the process.
Actor Kerena Jagpal started out as a theater actor before booking co-star roles in the UK that ultimately led to being cast in the feature film 100 Nights of Hero, opposite Charli XCX. She shared, “My character is one of three sisters who grew up in a patriarchal empire, in an imagined medieval world. It was a delight to prepare for this role and it was easy with the help of the already richly imagined stories of Isabelle Greenberg’s novel and Julia Jackman’s film script.”
It can take years to break through, but in that time you are gaining invaluable experience. Building a career takes determination, but if you want to do this, start small and stay focused.
Conclusion
Set out your career goals as clearly as possible with an understanding that it doesn’t always happen overnight. The earliest roles in an actor’s career have often fed into developing their technique thereafter.
If you keep looking ahead where you want to be, instead of planting your feet, you may miss the opportunities you have in front of you.
Dan Kauss explains, “It is a marathon, not a sprint. In turn, that breakthrough audition will come as a natural result of numerous professional interactions.” Once you can see the connection between where you are and where you want to go, things will start to align.
See everything you do as momentum. Even an inch toward your goal is still something. If you are serious about pursuing a career acting in film, be in pursuit of it everyday, in every way you can.
