When you can't attend an audition

[Headliner]

I just had to tell my agent i couldnt go to an audition which was for tomorrow. Im working tomorrow and tried to find cover, but no one could work for me, so had to tell my agent that i couldnt go. Whilst they didnt mind that i couldnt attend, they still sounded a bit annoyed/disappointed. I havent turned down a single audition the whole time ive been with them, but i still feel really bad!!

Sometimes its really hard to keep both parties happy. My work hate me for constantly trying to find cover for auditions, but at the same time, id rather work hated me than my agent.

Common sense tells me that every agent is aware that their clients can't always attend auditions, but i feel so bad about turning away an audition. Does anyone think this will affect them getting me castings in the future?

[xebonykissesx]

From an acting point of view and not an agent one, i'd say it's completely understandable.

They must know that you aren't earning from acting full time and sometimes it's just not possible to attend the audition. Obviously they ask for committment, but i dont think even the most committed person could attend every audition! And so as long as you explained and apologised, they are bound to be a bit dissapointed, but i'm sure they would understand and know that you don't take it lightly and do your best to attend every audition they put you up for. Therefore i don't think it will have much of an affect on future castings.

Good luck!!

[orange_squash]

As long as its not a regular thing and you usually make every effort to attend an audition, which i am sure you do, I dont think the agent can really complain. They will understand that its not physically possible to attend EVERY audition that comes your way. As an experienced agent, they will accept this.

[Headliner]

Okay thank you! Theyre always very pleasant and ive attended about 10/11 auditions so i hope they realise i am committed!!

[Genevieve]

this happened to my dd recently..and I felt sooo guilty ringing agent to say my dd could not attend an audition. This has never happened before, but I still felt bad and was more concerned that this would have a detrimental affect for my dd - but these things happen and its always in a contract what to do when you can't make an audition, so they do have a provision for these things. As far as I am concerned when there are unforseen circumstances it is only reasonable that an agent does not make a fuss - as its summer holidays perhaps a lot of people on their books are away, so that would mean they are putting less people forward for auditions at this time, so may be it was because of this reason they were disappointed, moreso at this time of year than if the audition had come up outside of holiday season. If I couldnt' make an interview for a job, I would do the same, and cancel, so same applies for auditions I guess, but you can't always rearrange them can you, so that's not your fault

[Holland Park]

To be honest, the agent can't take this out on you anyway - if they want you to be available to audition full-time, they need to be keeping you in acting work full-time. It's just that simple.

[Headliner]

Thats a good way of looking at it actually!!

[Holland Park]

From my point of view, it's the only way of looking at it. When I was much younger than I am now (about 17-ish) I was already an award-nominated actor and I'd won some minor awards for my writing and directing - no majors, festival stuff - and I had a couple of agents chasing me, promising me the earth. I was naive, so I signed with the one with the best sales pitch and assumed I had my one-way ticket. She got me four acting jobs in the five years I was with her.

Now, don't get me wrong, they were good acting jobs - two Guy Ritchie films, one Robert Redford film and a Craig David video - but the work wasn't the level she'd promised me or, at the risk of sounding like an egomaniac, what I felt I deserved. So I fired her. Since then, my work-rate hasn't increased dramatically - I've done some stage work, a couple of shorts, I work regularly as a stand-up comic, etc. - but I feel like I have more control over my career. I can work when I want to, audition as often as I like and choose my own projects. I was actually blessed in a way; if I'd had a better agent, I'd have got more work and that would've been great... but I'd never have discovered my talent for stand-up or written Holland Park so it's all worked out for the best.

So yeah, my advice is this: Remember, at all times, that your agent works for you, not the other way around. He made the effort to sign you? Great. Now he needs to earn his commission. He's taking ten percent of everything you make, it's in his best interest to make you money, to get you in front of casting directors for roles.

You'd be astounded by how lazy agents can be if you don't chase them. You know how many agents responded to my casting call? Exactly ONE. They didn't have a client that I could use, but they made the effort. Why didn't yours? Why are you able to find more work by searching Mandy once a week than they're finding you? It's stupid.

I always wanted to be an agent, actually. If I'd known how easy it could be to be successful at it, I'd have given it a bash. I couldn't put in less effort than most of the so-called 'agencies' in this country.

[pg]

Crumbs. That's a bit harsh! Most agents I know work very hard for their clients.

I agree that agents should be understanding if you can't make auditions, and in my experience they usually are. I also agree that getting your own work can be a very good way to understand more about the profession and can allow you to feel more in control. However, it is difficult to find out about some job opportunities without an agent.

I would suggest that an agent really comes into his/her own when you have already got the job: looking after contracts, chasing money etc. I'm not sure an agent is there to get the job for you. The job search should be in partnership with your agent, certainly at the beginning of your career.

Most work on Mandy is unpaid. An agent will obviously not be interested in pursuing unpaid work for clients, though they may be happy for their clients to do unpaid "work" occasionally if they feel the experience could be beneficial. I'm surprised to hear that you had very little response to a casting call. Where was it publicised? Were you offering industry rates of pay?

[Holland Park]

Maybe I'm projecting a little, but I know a lot of people who have gripes with their agencies. Then again, there's only one you and many agents. LOL.

I'd disagree that the agents job comes on the back-end though. They earn from you working. If I get my own damn jobs, why should I have to pay them anything? Because if they aren't doing anything but the paperwork then I may as well just hire a solicitor.

There's a strong argument, too, that you should never have an agent without having a manager, too. But that's personal preference more than anything.

My casting call was unpaid but on spec, it's a TV pilot so if it's picked up - which it looks like it might be (touch wood) - then everyone gets paid down the line. And the response wasn't that bad, over 1000 applications, but that only ONE agent wanted a piece of that for his clients was a bit of a shocker. At the very least, it's worth a 'can you tell me more about the project' e-mail, just to see what's up there.

[pg]

My casting call was unpaid but on spec, it's a TV pilot so if it's picked up - which it looks like it might be (touch wood) - then everyone gets paid down the line. And the response wasn't that bad, over 1000 applications, but that only ONE agent wanted a piece of that for his clients was a bit of a shocker. At the very least, it's worth a 'can you tell me more about the project' e-mail, just to see what's up there.

Well... I don't know about that. Is that how it works? Isn't the pilot a sort of calling card? Would you expect the producers who pick it up, to pay for the expenses incurred in the making of the calling card?

The trouble is, if it is picked up, the people with the money will be in the driving seat and they will want to employ the most bankable/experienced people they can. There is no guarantee that the people who took part in an unpaid capacity will be employed when there is money available - is there? Presumably you are looking for someone else to pick up the tab so you might not be able to insist that the people who came on board in an unpaid capacity are used again. Indeed, once there is money available, won't YOU want to get the very best talent the money can buy?

I'm not really surprised that agents didn't respond to an unpaid casting call. There are so many unpaid projects around that it can be hard to distinguish those that can provide some useful experience from those that, well ....don't! My agent would certainly be very unlikely to pursue unpaid work for me and I wouldn't expect her to. If I choose to do unpaid work, then this is definitely something I would expect to find for myself.

I'm not knocking what you are doing - it's great that you are being proactive and I know how much works goes into getting productions off the ground - so all credit to you. I just don't agree that agents should be criticised for not responding to casting calls for no money!

There's a strong argument, too, that you should never have an agent without having a manager, too. But that's personal preference more than anything

I think that's more common in the States than the UK.

I know a lot of people who have gripes with their agencies

I know lots of people who have gripes with their agents too. I think that lots of people may not appreciate just how much works agents do for their clients. An agent cannot insist that a client is seen for a job - unless they are at the top of the tree, and sometimes not even then.

Agent do earn from you working, providing you are working for money. However, I can see why agents want commission from jobs you "get yourself" because they may have done a lot of the groundwork in getting you seen and they will have been doing a heck of a lot of work on trying to get you seen for jobs. They also work to get you seen for auditions and you may not get the job! I suspect a solicitor would charge you more than an agent for sorting out the paperwork on a couple of days on a film set ...

I'm kind of being devil's advocate here. I do wish you well with your project!

[Holland Park]

Some great points that I'll respond to when I'm less knackered. But Re: Holland Park finance - it's all off my own back: I'm the producer on this one. And actually, the cast that I have so far I wouldn't swap or 'bigger' stars - not that there are many around who can play fifteen. And we're actually not devoid of them - I've managed to cast an ex-Premiership footballer. He counts, I reckon. LOL

[pg]

Hi

I don't want you to think that I'm "getting at you" here. I realise that this venture is very important to you and I don't intend to attack you or belittle the immense amount of work involved in what you are undertaking. However, I do know a bit about production and what can happen when something is "picked up" - which you hope it will be, I'm sure!

I understand that you are the producer and that this is a self-financed,independent venture at this stage. The point I'm trying to make (because I think it's important for inexperienced actors to understand) is that taking part in an independent, unpaid (not unfinanced) venture does not mean that these same inexperienced actors (or footballers) will be considered when there IS the money available to pay actors. You are the producer for the pilot, but you presumably wouldn't be the producer if it is picked up. Therefore, even if you wanted to, you might not be able to have the same team on board. You might not want to swap your cast for bigger stars - the producers (who will, as you know, have the final say) may not agree with you.

The reason agents will not have suggested clients for your venture might be:

a) they don't put their clients forward for unpaid work, because this is not what an actor/client employs them to do
b) if they have seen your casting calls (I'm not sure where you advertised), they may well have tried to find out about your experience as a producer and director before submitting clients.