Explaination of movie casting?

Question

Well I want to know how everything works out between the director and producer and how the casting process works and how someone can perform and audition, etc.

I guess I'm just curious.

Answer 1

Casting works at three levels in major movies.
The first level is the name stars and lead actors. This is the most complicated because the star may be a producer and own the rights to the property or the producer may own the property or the piece may have been written with a particular actor in mind. There is input from the Director as to who s/he sees in the roles in the vision s/he brings to the movie. The money people (producer, studio, investors) may have ideas about saving money on payroll by not getting high priced stars, or feel that a high priced star is needed for a blockbuster, or don't want recognizable actors in a "true to life" story.
Once one or more leads have been cast, their wishes must be considered as to who they can work with and because they have been cast other people may wish to work with them. Meanwhile, everyone's schedules has to be made to work together. A major star in a limited role (like Marlon Brando in Superman) may set a major chunk of the schedule on availability.
Then there is the second kind of casting. Here a casting director works with the director. Depending on the movie there are a couple to a few dozen people who have got to be cast by appearance (do they look like they belong in the family of the leads), age, temperment, previous roles, etc., but they have got to fit. If they don't people seeing the movie think something is wrong. Think of all the people in the Bourne movies that interact in headquarters, etc. The director seeing other people's movies has ideas. The casting director has images of people from movies, Broadway, TV, interviews, auditions, and submissions from agents.
Then the third level is the people, sometimes one or two, to dozens or hundreds, that have got to be cast en mass, but appropriately. These might include cabdrivers and cops on the street, someone who is asked directions by the lead, the receptionist in the lobby, etc. The casting director is responsible for these as well as the extras who have no lines (or only one) - the people in the restaurant, or walking on the street or the rest of the indian tribe or the classroom full of kids.
As it happens, I just watched Road to Terrabithia and listened to much of the two commentary tracks-director+ and child actors with producer. This is a fairly small production castwise but the comments show that many of the production people, including the director, have walkons (or sit ins) as extras in the museum or lunchroom. The kids in the classroom and on the bus are barely touched on but we learn that the two male bullies were cast for appearance and behavior and at least one had to have all his lines reread by an American because of his accent. The female bully was considered too gentle at first for the role.
Since there are no major stars in the movie, casting the young leads, his parents, and their two teachers would be a critical part of the process with producer, director and casting director. The screenwriter had worked with the director before and injected specific ideas (and songs) into the process. The two teachers had pivatol roles, even though each is on the screen for maybe fifteen minutes for the pretty one and 10 minutes or less for the gruff one. And so it goes.

Answer 2

Mike had told you all. Now the only way you are going to get a speaking part in a movie is through an agent. The only way you are going to get an agent is to be very talented and have a very saleable look. That takes experience.