Submitting to a casting agent?

Question

If the casting agent is not openly called for submissions should you still send something?

Answer 1

Not to persuade you otherwise, but this is how I was told it is done in about 98% of the casting offices.

1. On any given day, roughly 100 to 1000 headshot packets may make it to a casting director's desk for any particular role. If they're cating for a feature film you can imagine how many submissions they may have to go through.

2. They divide the submissions by agency. The power players get the first pile. Second pile is for mid-lvl agency submissions or from managers. Third pile is usually reserved for the boutique agency, and finally they have a fourth pile for the independant submission. The submissions are then looked over in this order as well.

3. On average a CD or an assistant will spend 1 to 3 seconds looking at a headshot to determine if it should make it to the next lvl.

Sounds daunting I know, but stranger things have happened. The quasi bright side to the cloud is that if the project has made it to breakdowns then there is about a 90% chance that they either have no one in particular in mind or that they couldn't get a first/second/third choice to committ.

It couldn't hurt to submitt to something like this. Just PLEASE make sure that the casting company is actually casting the project and address your package to a specific casting director. You have no idea how many submissions go straight from the postal delivery to the desk to the trash because they are sent in as a general submission. Simply put there is too much too look through and too little time to sort everything out.

One final bit of advice, I wouldn't suggest doing something like this too often. Even though the industry supports a lot of workers, people, especially casting directors have a tendancy to talk and network. You don't want your name to become associated as "one of those people". Whatever you decide to do, best of luck!

Answer 2

Never contact a Casting Agent. The Talent Agent and Casting Agent work together. Never send anything to a casting Agent. When the casting agent is casting a project she or he will call the Agent regarding submissions.

The worst thing you can do is contact a Casting Director yourself. They will not think of you as a professional. Let the agents do their job.

Answer 3

Asking the comparable ? returned and returned below different exhibit screen names is a violation of the TOS of Y!A. we've informed you: NO the pictures suck, regularly considering you're low priced and lazy. freshen up your act, hire for PAY actual professionals: hair/makeup and photographer, and probably an agent (tell me your agent is all people different than your roommate) and then, perhaps, you merely could get on Glee or regardless of.

Answer 4

If it's not an open call and the information was only available through breakdowns then most likely they will not consider you without representation.

Answer 5

It can't hurt but they will throw it away after a quick glance.