Virtual auditions
About a week ago I was at an event filled with agents, casting directors, managers, and of course, actors. However, one man who did not fit this bill was also there - Gary Marsh - and he changed the way I'm thinking about auditions.
Gary Marsh runs Breakdown Services. The company that casting directors use for asking agents and managers to submit actors for auditions.
Aside from showing us what the Casting Director sees when they're perusing their submissions, he went into virtual auditions.
In two weeks, he said they were rolling out virtual auditioning. They'd been Beta testing this with several casting offices and it'd been a hit so they're releasing it.
Basically, the Casting Director will now email the agent or manager the audition request with the sides attached. The actor will be responsible for shooting the audition and uploading it and the CD can view it and make notes and then pass it on to the producers or director, etc.
It will cost the actors to upload. But it will be free to agents and managers. This means that many agents and managers will need to have the equipment ready for this change.
When asked how realistic this idea of virtual auditions were, one of the agents from TalentWorks said that they already have everything set up in a room and they will have a person who will just be there to tape and upload auditions. So it's happening--now.
We were told also, that these had already started to replace the pre-read in the Beta testing that they did. CD's love it because it gives them more time to see more people and it's super easy.
Gary showed us a sample of an audition and what the CD's would see.
And, he said, it would level the playing field. Because those who are not represented can submit via actors access to the auditions that are opened up and just upload their auditions.
The Talent business is definitely becoming a virtual world.
Gary Marsh runs Breakdown Services. The company that casting directors use for asking agents and managers to submit actors for auditions.
Aside from showing us what the Casting Director sees when they're perusing their submissions, he went into virtual auditions.
In two weeks, he said they were rolling out virtual auditioning. They'd been Beta testing this with several casting offices and it'd been a hit so they're releasing it.
Basically, the Casting Director will now email the agent or manager the audition request with the sides attached. The actor will be responsible for shooting the audition and uploading it and the CD can view it and make notes and then pass it on to the producers or director, etc.
It will cost the actors to upload. But it will be free to agents and managers. This means that many agents and managers will need to have the equipment ready for this change.
When asked how realistic this idea of virtual auditions were, one of the agents from TalentWorks said that they already have everything set up in a room and they will have a person who will just be there to tape and upload auditions. So it's happening--now.
We were told also, that these had already started to replace the pre-read in the Beta testing that they did. CD's love it because it gives them more time to see more people and it's super easy.
Gary showed us a sample of an audition and what the CD's would see.
And, he said, it would level the playing field. Because those who are not represented can submit via actors access to the auditions that are opened up and just upload their auditions.
The Talent business is definitely becoming a virtual world.
