The week when we finally posted new casting calls
At the risk of beating a dead horse, another "COVID complication" we've been navigating is the audition process.
For our first #42SecondShorts series, we spent an afternoon curating a contact list of Delaware arts organizations, university theatre groups, school performing arts programs, music ensembles, etc. and mass emailed our first round of casting calls.
To be honest, I was afraid that no one would respond, finding the virtual audition process to be too impersonal and odd since we couldn't hold in-person auditions. Fortunately, these worries were for nothing, and we were able to fill all of our roles (admittedly, with a few rewrites) in just a few days.
Now that we're casting for our second series, I'd like to share a few details about how our virtual audition process works.
As you've probably seen from our first two projects, our microshorts are more camera led than character directed. When it comes to filling these roles, we're more concerned about personality—Do you have a positive attitude? Will you be easy to work with? Can you be flexible in these weird, COVID-production times?—than resumes or headshots or prior on-camera/on-stage experience.
While we ask that you submit a headshot and resume/demo reel (if applicable) with your audition, it's really the 30-second video introduction that we value the most. It's not easy to talk about yourself on camera, but we've found it to be the best way to virtually "meet" you.
After the audition submission period closes, we schedule a one-on-one Zoom call with you to properly introduce ourselves, better get to know you, and to give you more details about what your day on set will look like. When we finish these meetings, we then place you in a role that we believe to best fit you.
While I look forward to the days when we can safely return to in-person auditions, I actually think these virtual auditions have given us an opportunity to meet and connect with more Delaware-area talent.
With all of that said, I hope you take a moment to check out our new casting calls. If you don't see a listing that fits you, be sure to submit your information to our open talent call so we can contact you for future projects that might interest you.
Of course, if you have any questions or issues submitting your audition, please email me. Talk soon!
- J