It is easy to get excited about our film projects when we start meeting the potential talent that will be portraying the on screen characters. That excitement became even more palpable we were given the opportunity to use a professional casting facility such as Nancy Mosser Casting.
Nancy Mosser is a member of the CSA (Casting Society of America) who has specialized in casting actors/actresses and extras for film, television, commercials, corporate videos, radio and promotional events since the 1990s. Most recently, she and her staff worked to provide talent for the Cinemax series Banshee, which is completing its third and final season in Pittsburgh.
Nancy Mosser is a member of the CSA (Casting Society of America) who has specialized in casting actors/actresses and extras for film, television, commercials, corporate videos, radio and promotional events since the 1990s. Most recently, she and her staff worked to provide talent for the Cinemax series Banshee, which is completing its third and final season in Pittsburgh.
This casting call took place in conjunction with our call for video auditions. While the internet has made it easy to broaden our talent search as we are able to take video submissions (via our Casting Pitt casting call), there are still certain benefits to meeting our potential talent in person.
1. Showing up for the Call
It may seem like a small thing, but anyone who has worked on any sort of group video collaboration can relate to having all the equipment together, the location secured, and most of your cast and crew assembled...and then that one person is either running late or fails to show. Not only is it a sign of unprofessionalism on the part of the person who is not present, but it is also a morale killer to those who did commit to the project by showing up on time and ready to work.
For the people who respond to the call and show up, or those that just show up, kudos to you. You have taken the first step towards showing your potential collaborators that you are a professional. Even if you are not selected a role on the project, you will be remembered as someone who takes their work seriously, and will also be kept in mind for future projects.
For the people who respond to the call and show up, or those that just show up, kudos to you. You have taken the first step towards showing your potential collaborators that you are a professional. Even if you are not selected a role on the project, you will be remembered as someone who takes their work seriously, and will also be kept in mind for future projects.
2. Meeting the Professional in Person
I have been told by many people responsible for hiring people in the professional media world that personality and work ethic are preferred to pure talent or skill. This is not to say that anyone should forgo learning their craft and just take etiquette classes, but there is a lot to be said for how on set personalities will mix.
From the initial polite greeting to the thank you at the end of audition, everyone is starting to develop their creative professional relationships. We appreciate these courtesies, and like to reciprocate this by offering talent water and an opportunity to use the restroom. Who knows if someone had to drive an hour plus in miserable traffic with no chance to pee before they came in for a shot at being casted. Treating talent, or anyone you are working with, like a person goes a long way towards getting them to give their all for a project.
The casting team also has an opportunity to see how an actor or actress will respond to direction with an in person casting call. Take the time to give them a different outlook on the side they are reading, and ask them to try it differently. If a person is unable to or ignores a direction, it is much better to find out during casting than once you are stuck working with them on set. While you certainly can groom a budding talent with patient and appropriate on set direction, it is next to impossible to alter the mindset of someone who refuses to see your perspective on a character or given scene.
From the initial polite greeting to the thank you at the end of audition, everyone is starting to develop their creative professional relationships. We appreciate these courtesies, and like to reciprocate this by offering talent water and an opportunity to use the restroom. Who knows if someone had to drive an hour plus in miserable traffic with no chance to pee before they came in for a shot at being casted. Treating talent, or anyone you are working with, like a person goes a long way towards getting them to give their all for a project.
The casting team also has an opportunity to see how an actor or actress will respond to direction with an in person casting call. Take the time to give them a different outlook on the side they are reading, and ask them to try it differently. If a person is unable to or ignores a direction, it is much better to find out during casting than once you are stuck working with them on set. While you certainly can groom a budding talent with patient and appropriate on set direction, it is next to impossible to alter the mindset of someone who refuses to see your perspective on a character or given scene.
3. Selling the Project
The last reason we will impart on you to take on a live casting call is to give you an opportunity to interact and network with people who are as passionate about their work as you are. While the point of the casting session is to discover whether or not someone is right for a role, there is no reason not to discuss other facets of the project.
Also, do not undersell the value of people meeting you and seeing just how committed you are, and how compelling your project is. You are always selling yourself or your project to someone as you work towards realizing a film project. Your movie is most likely not the only one someone is considering working on. Even if an actor or actress is not selected to play a role, they might become a fan if you treated them as a person and a professional.
We do have some tough decisions to make with regards to filling roles. Having the ability to use a functioning casting facility, and meeting many professional and courteous actors and actresses has made the experience that much better. Thank you to Nancy Mosser Casting for allowing us to use your space. Thank you as well to everyone who made the effort to come out and take their shot at auditions. We will keep you posted on who makes the cut.
Also, do not undersell the value of people meeting you and seeing just how committed you are, and how compelling your project is. You are always selling yourself or your project to someone as you work towards realizing a film project. Your movie is most likely not the only one someone is considering working on. Even if an actor or actress is not selected to play a role, they might become a fan if you treated them as a person and a professional.
We do have some tough decisions to make with regards to filling roles. Having the ability to use a functioning casting facility, and meeting many professional and courteous actors and actresses has made the experience that much better. Thank you to Nancy Mosser Casting for allowing us to use your space. Thank you as well to everyone who made the effort to come out and take their shot at auditions. We will keep you posted on who makes the cut.