Frequently Asked Questions
Casting America is a Casting, Management, Education and Information Exchange Company geared for the Entertainment Industry. Although located in Florida, Casting America works with talent, booking agents, casting directors and production companies on a regional, national and international basis.
While on the one hand, Casting America casts, guides and manages talent, one key role of the company's Internet site is to post casting and audition information for actors, models, extras, musicians and performers in general. In fact, Casting America works with 48 categories of talent both in front of and behind the camera. Further, Casting America, through offering web pages to talent and working closely with various booking agents, provides a broad marketing outlet to actors, models and entertainers, giving them greater regional and national exposure for the purpose of securing work within the industry. No matter how much potential or talent an individual has, if no one knows they are there, they will never make it in the business.
FAQ's
1. How Do I Get Listed as a Talent with Casting America?
To list with Casting America as a talent, you will need to consult the pricing page to determine which type of web page is appropriate for your purposes. A basic web page is $125 per year and contains a single photo of the talent, the categories they wish to be marketed in (model, actor, vocalist, etc.), plus their personal statistics. Each additional Photo is $20.00 and each additional page is $50.00. You may also choose to add audio and video segments to display acting, voice-over, musical, comedic or stunt skills. For instance, an actor may decide to add monologues, commercials and/or scenes. Those wanting to only be listed as extras usually choose the basic $25.00 general listing for themselves. You will need to either e-mail, fax or call Casting America in order to supply the information required for customizing a proper listing. Or, if you have Master Card or Visa and have photos already scanned, then you can register by printing off the web page order form (www.casting-america.com/webpageorderform.htm) and faxing it back to us with the appropriate information. Or you can email Casting America the information required on the form. If unsure, email us for guidance. Provide phone information so that we can call you at a convenient time for your schedule.
2. What advantage do I get by listing with Casting America?
The first and most obvious advantage is exposure. As a talent, you are a product. Any product must be marketed if it is to ever be successful as a product. Some of you have composites or head shots, but how many people are seeing them. Some of you have lonely isolated web pages - like uncharted islands in the ocean far away from the busy shipping lanes where you need to be. Casting America is an active site with solid traffic from members of the industry - agents, producers, production companies, directors, casting directors, etc. You can be seen here. We also work directly with agents who use the site as a tool and give you further exposure and circulation. As a model, you may spend $250.00 to $400.00 on composites, giving yourself 100 to 200 chances of being seen. Casting America, on the other hand has had over 300,000 hits on the site - 300,000 potential prospects to see you as a talent!
The advantages of listing online through Casting America not only include broader exposure to booking agents, producers, casting directors and the industry, but also greater speed in getting information to such sources. This will also reduce the costs involved with marketing yourself. For example, a producer or agent a few hundred miles away has heard about a talent, but needs a voice-over tape, a video or modeling photos for evaluating the talent. If they have on line capabilities (as almost everyone in the entertainment industry has these days), then they can simply and quickly access the talent's web page on the Casting America website and immediately see or hear what they need to determine whether or not to bring them in for an audition. This saves time, possibly making all the difference in getting the job or not. And it saves money. The model or actor did not need to go to the expense of using up a $2.00 to $5.00 composite or $5.00 to $12.00 videotape, nor the cost of expressing them out. A model or actor may go through hundreds of composites or head shots per year. Now the agent or producer can print off these very items on their own printers, or store them in their computers, or access them off the web - so the talent saves significantly in cost and timing.
3. What is the best way to get into modeling?
There is no single sure-fire way to enter the modeling arena. But there are do's and don'ts that should be understood. First, anyone who wants to do any type of print modeling will have to display evidence that he or she looks appropriate in print. Typically, this will mean that the model must have both a composite and a portfolio. A composite is a printed piece with three to ten photos of the model, preferably in professional settings. The model needs to indicate through the composite that they are truly photogenic, comfortable in front of the camera, and that they are versatile enough to model in different market categories (i.e., catalog, commercial, lifestyle, sports wear, swim suit, high fashion, specialty parts, hair, etc.). The composite is generally used to get auditions. Once at the audition, the model will be required to show a portfolio. This is a book with dozens of professional photos of the model, again indicating further the model's poise, photogenic qualities and versatility.
Be careful! Many models have photos taken by well-meaning friends who are not fashion or industry photographers. Wedding photographers, school photographers, glamour studio photographers and still life photographers are usually NOT going to do the kind of work which will represent the model well in competing for jobs. They usually do not know how to take the quality or energy of photos expected for the industry - and they do not know how to coach or direct the model (especially a novice model) to assure that they will come across with a strong, professional look. On the other end of the spectrum are the high end, overly expensive photographers who charge $150.00 to $300.00 per look, shooting only a single outfit per look. Unless you have a huge bank account, these photographers should be avoided because your portfolio should show you in fifteen or more outfits. There are excellent, moderately priced fashion photographers available who will shoot five or six outfits per session on location and can teach the novice model how to pose. Contact Casting America if you need the name of a photographer for such a purpose.
In printing composites, it is important that the model not be required to print large amounts at a time because some of your agents may wish the chomp to be laid out somewhat differently. Use a source that will allow you to print small amounts at a time and will permit you, without big penalty, to have the photos in the chomp changed each time if necessary. Casting America can recommend sources for setting up composites in this manner - and in fact, Casting America has made arrangements for great-looking composites of the highest quality to be printed in reasonable quantities and rates. One big value of the on line composites at Casting America is that comps can be seen immediately and the model may ultimately not have to pay to have so many printed.
In terms of learning to model, there are some very expensive schools throughout the country that will charge thousands of dollars to train - and will still not guaranty work for the graduates. Modeling is not rocket science. It does take practice and a basic understanding to learn runway and the essentials of the critically important "photo movement". Casting America now has established a relationship with a company that has an active runway troupe that does shows, providing some initial experience for new models, and modeling classes that teach both runway and photo movement. The cost for joining their troupe and taking classes from them is a one time fee of $125.00 plus $30.00 per month, as long as the model wishes to continue training. This is far less expensive than most other alternatives.
4. I have no real acting experience. How can I get into acting?
It depends upon the acting categories in which you are interested - and also the part of the country or the world in which you are living. First, no matter who you are, whether you are attempting to do television, film or theater, you must have a head shot - and it must be a competitive professional looking shot that reveals something about you. Casting directors, talent agents, personal managers, producers and directors must know what you look like before they will typically invite you to an audition. They need to know if you look the part. Their time is valuable and they do not need to be wasting it - neither do you. Beyond having a head shot, you will need to have received some level of training, especially when it comes to television and film. Film in particular is so technical and each take is so expensive to produce that there simply is no time to be doing on-the-job training with new talent. Casting America recommends that all inexperienced film and television acting talent take classes and workshops specific to the industry - on camera acting and/or auditioning workshops. Casting America offers workshops and seminars in film and television technique. If you would be interested in these services, e-mail Casting America at CastAmer@aol.com.
Once the talent has a head shot and a little bit of training, then they can begin getting their feet wet and going up for auditions, possibly using the Casting America Bulletin Board for some auditions. It is also good for new talent to work as extras a few times just to get the feel for the atmosphere of television and film productions. Casting America does have an Extras Listing category which will allow agents and casting directors to contact you when they need extras. It is strongly advisable that the talent sign with more than one or more agents who will seek audition opportunities in their behalf. Sometimes it is wise to add a personal manager as well - someone to advise and coach the talent - if the actor is truly serious about the business.
5. What is an Extra and how does it differ from acting?
Extras are simply "background", the people you see moving, eating and functioning in the literal background behind the principal actors, providing atmosphere to the scene. Extras are not really actors in that they have no lines and do no real blocking - so training is not required. Extras are required, however, to be reliable and patient - able to quietly stay out of the way of the production team when they are not in a scene. If you are serious about becoming an actor and doing speaking roles, you will want to work as an extra a few times to get the feel of production; but be careful, if you work too frequently as an extra then it will be assumed that you must have no talent and are content with background work.
6. How can I get into stunt work?
Typically a stunt person will need to have been formally trained with some form of certification, proving that a minimal level of training has occurred. Usually, stunt aspirants will begin as stunt fighters and work their way up into the "money stunts" (stair falls, high falls, car stunts, etc.) as they prove themselves. Casting America is associated with stunt training sources. If there is an interest in taking training in this field, e-mail Casting America at CastAmer@aol.com.
7. How can I avoid be ripped off by bad agents?
The answer to this is simple. In the early stages, never sign an exclusive with an agent. Allow yourself to be handled by a number of different agents and then learn who believes in you enough, and is ethical enough to get you the right auditions. Above all, find out who is paying you properly and in a timely manner. One absolute rule: if an agent tries to charge you any fees whatsoever, or tries to involve you with their photographers or training, run from them! A good agent, making 10% to 20% off their talent will make more than enough money to live very well if they are truly finding work for their people. In many parts of the country, it is now illegal for them to mix other services into what they are doing. There are "packaging" companies and management companies that compete for photographic, printing and training services, which is as it should be. Sometimes agents will have ownership in such companies - but that is fair in that they are competing separately for "packaging" talent on a level playing field. (But if they insist that you MUST use their packaging company, then avoid them.) These sources will charge for the services but cannot legally take percentages for finding work. Go to a packager for composites, portfolios, photography, head shots and/or training. Once you are packaged, go to agents with your comps, head shots, etc. and let them find you auditions. Casting america works with competent reliable agents throughout the world and can recommend packaging sources that are cost effective. E-mail us at CastAmer@aol.com if you would like Casting America to assist in find agents or packaging.
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