Contacting Casting Agents

[ActingMad26]

I don't have an agent (aaaah parents being stubborn!! ) And I know it is hard to break into the acting industry without one. I was wondering if it is deemed '"correct" to post a headshot/brief CV to a casting agent? I have heard of one who has found actors at youth theatres & schools and so was thinking she would be the easiest to approach? Please tell me your thoughts! Many thanks, hope you've all had a lovely Christmas ActingMad26 xx

[pg]

Hi there!

I assume that you are thinking of directors and casting directors(i.e. those who are looking for actors for specific roles). You can certainly send your details to them but, unless you know what they are casting for, and you are in the right casting bracket, then they are likely to throw your details in the bin rather than hang on to them for the time when you ARE in the right casting bracket. Most casting directors don't have time or the physical space to hang on to all the CVs and photos that are sent in on a speculative basis. Spotlight is the most widely used "virtual" filing cabinet in the business and this is where directors and casting directors will tend to look for talent they don't already know. They do also go to schools and drama clubs (as you mention) but this tends to be when they are looking for something specific rather than just looking for new, good, talented actors. Agents, on the other hand, will always be on the look out for new, good, talented actors. They're spoiled for choice of course, but they will still take on new people if they think there's a "market" for their talent.

Why are your parents not very keen on you getting agency representation? I ask this because the hard truth is that you will DEFINITELY need parental support if you want to pursue professional acting work as a minor. It's really not practical to try to chase down leads for professional work if your parents won't back you up. You have to get to auditions (and sadly, there will often be no job at the end of it - that's just the nature of the business - and going to auditions can be expensive and time-consuming ). If you do get a job you'd need to get time off school, get to rehearsals, get to performances - it can all be very disruptive!

[ActingMad26]

Hi there!

I assume that you are thinking of directors and casting directors(i.e. those who are looking for actors for specific roles). You can certainly send your details to them but, unless you know what they are casting for, and you are in the right casting bracket, then they are likely to throw your details in the bin rather than hang on to them for the time when you ARE in the right casting bracket. Most casting directors don't have time or the physical space to hang on to all the CVs and photos that are sent in on a speculative basis. Spotlight is the most widely used "virtual" filing cabinet in the business and this is where directors and casting directors will tend to look for talent they don't already know. They do also go to schools and drama clubs (as you mention) but this tends to be when they are looking for something specific rather than just looking for new, good, talented actors. Agents, on the other hand, will always be on the look out for new, good, talented actors. They're spoiled for choice of course, but they will still take on new people if they think there's a "market" for their talent.

Why are your parents not very keen on you getting agency representation? I ask this because the hard truth is that you will DEFINITELY need parental support if you want to pursue professional acting work as a minor. It's really not practical to try to chase down leads for professional work if your parents won't back you up. You have to get to auditions (and sadly, there will often be no job at the end of it - that's just the nature of the business - and going to auditions can be expensive and time-consuming ). If you do get a job you'd need to get time off school, get to rehearsals, get to performances - it can all be very disruptive!

Hi, thanks for your message, so helpful! It sounds like Spotlight is a very useful website to join so will consider that, and probably go ahead posting details to the casting agent as I don't think there is much to loose! My parents just need persuading (at the moment they are still thinking that it is easy to make it without an agent-when it isn't!) But thank you for your v. helpful message!!

[pg]

Glad it was helpful - sorry to add something negative: unfortunately you can only be in Spotlight as a child if you have an agent or attend a Stage school...

As an adult you have to have had paid professional work or have completed an accredited course at drama school.

You might find it helpful to order some of the following books from the library or look for second hand copies on Amazon, they can provide very valuable insights into the profession (and explain just how tough it is to get work). They might also be useful for your parents to read:

So You Want to Tread the Boards: Jennifer Reischel
An Actors Guide to Getting Work: Simon Dunmore
Make Acting Work: Chrys Salt
Actors' Year Book (Simon Dunmore and someone else! Published each year - has lots of useful contacts in it as well as interesting articles about the profession - very cheap second hand copies from previous years available from Amazon market place)

Even though these books are aimed at adult actors, they can still teach you a lot about the profession and can help you avoid expensive mistakes and help you to spot the charlatans and scams out there.

NAPM is also a brilliant site, with lots of knowledgeable posters and supportive people around to give opinions and advice.

You could also get your school to sign up to
http://www.schoolcasting.co.uk/ which might help you to find out about more acting opportunities (I don't have any experience of it, but it looks worth investigating!)

Best of luck!