Casting

Casting is the process of selecting a cast and forms the most fundamental, preliminary and essential part of a performing arts based project. The cast of a project includes actors, models, singers, and dancers, amongst many others. Since it is the cast that makes the face of a project; the entire future of the project can depend upon it. Casting comes under the pre-production work, which lays out the groundwork and is the initial step towards assembling a cast that will shape how the project turns out.

Casting is an elaborate process which involves one or many auditions that are conducted by a panel of judges which usually includes all the major players of the project, like the producers, directors, etc. The panel may well include some experts in certain fields depending on what the audition is for.

The first step in any casting process is that the project co-ordinators announce the requirement for artists in a project. The announcements can be public, by the means of newspapers, fliers, television advertisements, etc or they may be private, limited only to some casting agents or agencies, which usually depends on the prestige of the role. Usually there is a deadline set for the artists to apply for the auditions.

Once the deadline passes, all the artists who applied are given a date and time for an audition. They are also told as to what they need to prepare and present at the audition. For instance, at an acting audition the actors are usually given a small part of the script (an act or two) that they have to prepare. The actor then delivers a performance in front of the panel. A project may require different types of performers like dancers, actors, models, singers, to name a few. The same process is applied in selecting performers for all the sections of a project.

The panel, based on the artists’ performances, decide which ones fit most perfectly with their requirements. This is a lengthy process and may take up a lot of time. The selected artists are given a call back and each artist is given a specific role to play in the project.  This is how the cast of a project is made up.

The casting process however does have a murky side at times. These positions are always very sought after and even more difficult to obtain and as a result we often hear about the “casting couch”, which is an abuse of power on the crew’s part and considered sometimes as a shortcut to fame by the performers. This unfortunately has always existed in all sectors of this industry and is difficult to control.