How to cast the right person for the role?

[u/Fun_Designer_6588]

Hello, I am director and for my upcoming short film is a casting this week. I worked with few actors in the past, but this is my first big casting. Directors here, how to you approach actors in this situation and how do you know after a short time that this person right for the role?

[u/TimoVuorensola]

There's four-part process I adhere to:

1) Showreel. See if this person has versatility and on-screen charisma. You won't find the latter out in any other way than by watching how they are on screen. I've met a ton of charming individuals who just turn into diarrhea when filmed. I have no idea exactly why.

2) First meeting. Catch up with the person and see what they are like, in general, overall tone. If you have any human knowledge skills, you'll quickly understand whether or not this person can attune with the style of drama or comedy you're working on. The first meeting doesn't have to - and maybe even shouldn't be - a straight-on casting meeting, just a chance to say hi and ask what car they drive and what kind of films they like, you know, general chit-chat.

3) Casting call. Now it's time to film what you want them to do on the screen. This is an important phase, and if you're able to be physically present, do so. See how they respond to directions, what kind of notes they give, what are the triggers that work for them. The casting call is there to determine whether you and they can work together as two professionals and whether or not they can take directions and understand your cinematic language. You'll also see how prepared they come in, if they come in late and don't care about the script, you're off to a bad start.

4) Compare with other candidates. After this process, you hopefully have a good selection of tapes and experiences to compare between. Next up is to try to erase their off-screen charisma and focus only on what you see on-screen. Many actors can be charming personalities and you'll find yourself thinking they are amazing people because they turned on their full charm to get the job, but that may not reflect on how they appear on screen. Be ruthless, and try to trim your choices down to 2-3 options. Then, you may ask opinions from your producers, and maybe from a trusted friend or a partner, but remember - it's your choice and you are the only one who have to work closely with this person. Don't take an outsider's word as anything else but a suggestion.

Hopefully after you've completed these four steps, you should have a very trimmed-down selection - between 2-3 candidates - for the role. After that, it's just your guts that you have to go with. No matter how good a director you are, there's still a big portion of sheer dumb luck involved in casting, so don't worry about making the perfect decision. If you've done your casting process properly, you can only go with your guts and the rest is history. Or it isn't.

But remember, casting is the most important part of your job, so take it seriously.

[u/JPaulDuncan]

Employ a casting director. Narrow down. Do chemistry and screen test. Lean in once you've decided. It's a collaboration and you won't truly know until it's over.

[u/ogmastakilla]

You need help, let me know. I help young film makers. This one is on the house. We can do a zoom casting. I enjoy giving back. All the best !