Actors came in and actors went out. Nearly thirty of them tried out for a casting session at Double R. They played the roles of aunt, uncle and reporter for a video shoot next month that will feature a tragic fire story. The aunts cried, the uncles talked firmly and the reporters spoke intelligently. It was fun to see their personalities come out as the camera started rolling.
This was my first casting session and I was extremely excited to see how the day would pan out. I patrolled the front door, letting the actors in one by one. I offered them a seat and asked them to fill out the casting sheet with information about their weight, height, and if they had experience reading from a teleprompter. Along with the casting sheet, I asked for their resume and headshot. It ended up becoming quite the assembly line. The actors filled out the papers in the waiting room, I handed those papers off to Erin and Erin ran down the hall to give them to the directors in Double R’s makeshift studio.
I learned there was not a lot of time for each actor in a casting session. Each actor stood in front of the camera and recited their name and the agency representing them. After about two minutes of reciting their lines, Rosemary said they would be receiving a phone call and thanks for coming. That’s all it takes. No rehearsing, and no discussion with the actors after they finished. It is amazing how it only takes about two minutes of an actor’s appearance for a director to know whether he or she fits the part.
–Holly Bloom
