Ramani Leah, CSA, Author at The Casting Director's Cut

Terminology Tuesday: Submission Notes

September 29, 2022December 21, 2021 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Submission notes are a feature that AA/BD offers that allows both actors and reps to include a note to casting when submitting yourself to a project. ⁠ ⁠ Seems like a great opportunity to make your submission stand out or communicate with casting, right?⁠ ⁠ Maybe… 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵.⁠ ⁠ Sometimes an office may specifically ask you to notate a special skill or level of experience (i.e. military experience or dance). In that case, please do use the submission notes to …

Monday Myth Debunkers: Casting Directors Don’t Watch Every Self Tape.

October 13, 2022December 21, 2021 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Sometimes turning in a self tape can feel like your hard work is going into a black hole. ⁠ ⁠ 𝕀𝕤 𝕚𝕥?⁠ ⁠ If the tape was actually requested and is turned in on time, the chances of it being watched are VERY high. ⁠ ⁠ However, the main difference between self-taping and live auditioning (besides the obvious), is that with a self tape, we CAN stop watching. ⁠ ⁠ 𝘎𝘶𝘭𝘱.⁠ ⁠ That’s the big fat caveat that comes with …

Monday Myth Debunkers: You Must Follow the Rules.

September 29, 2022December 20, 2021 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Don’t be fooled—as CDs, we love love 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀 when actors follow each and every bit of direction we give them. ⁠ ⁠ What we’re talking about today are the unspoken rules of casting. ⁠ ⁠ You know… the ones in the official Casting Rules For Actors Handbook. ⁠ ⁠ Never heard of it?⁠ ⁠ 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩. 🙊⁠ ⁠ Folks: 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕟𝕠 𝕣𝕦𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕒 𝕤𝕦𝕔𝕔𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕗𝕦𝕝 𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕣.⁠ ⁠ This industry is filled with conflicting opinions, get-rich-quick-schemes, …

Terminology Tuesday: Cast-Contingent

September 29, 2022December 14, 2021 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Have you heard today’s #terminologytuesday before?⁠ ⁠ If you’re in casting, you’ve probably heard this term more times than you’d like.⁠ ⁠ Cast-contingent means that the green light by a studio or production company for a project is dependent on which actor(s) are attached. ⁠ ⁠ A cast-continent order can be made for a feature film (both studio and indie) or a pilot.⁠ ⁠ If a pilot is cast contingent, we’ll work our butts off to fulfill those 1-2 lead …

Monday Myth Debunkers: The Shorter the Reel the Better.

September 29, 2022December 13, 2021 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Alright folks, buckle up for this one.⁠ ⁠ Double-tap if you’ve ever heard this (very made-up) statement. ⁠ ⁠ This “rule” might have been accompanied with something like “because CDs don’t have time to watch long reels.”⁠ ⁠ This is true!⁠ ⁠ Do you know what else is true?⁠ ⁠ We also don’t have time to watch 1-minute reels 🙃⁠ ⁠ 𝘎𝘢𝘴𝘱.⁠ ⁠ That’s right—with 10k+ submissions per episode/project and very little time to spare, we’re looking at seconds. ⁠ …

Terminology Tuesday: Station 12

September 29, 2022November 30, 2021 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Double-tap if the first time you heard “Station 12,” you thought it was just another Neill Blomkamp post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie. ⁠ ⁠ …only us?⁠ ⁠ 𝘒𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. ⁠ ⁠ Station 12 refers to the report that a casting office must fill out and obtain from SAG before an actor begins their work on set. ⁠ ⁠ When we “station 12” actors, it means we are checking to make sure you are a paid member of good standing with the union. ⁠ …

Monday Myth Debunkers: Your Acting Career Needs a Deadline.

September 29, 2022November 15, 2021 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Thanksgiving is almost here which means so is the dreaded question: “how’s acting going?” ⁠ ⁠ But really, have you tried aunt Kate’s advice of submitting your resume to Warner Brothers? ;)⁠ ⁠ We feel you.⁠ ⁠ But before you decide it’s time to hang up your acting hat, consider a few things:⁠ ⁠ 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺.⁠ ⁠ This career has chosen you for a reason. There’s an undeniable fire inside when you practice …

Monday Myth Debunkers: You Need a Theatre Degree.

September 29, 2022October 25, 2021 by Ramani Leah, CSA

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁.⁠ ⁠ Getting a theatre degree or going through a BFA/MFA program can be an incredibly rewarding and educational experience. ⁠ ⁠ 𝔹𝕦𝕥 𝕚𝕥’𝕤 𝕒𝕝𝕤𝕠 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕒 𝕣𝕖𝕢𝕦𝕚𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕣.⁠ ⁠ In fact, majoring in something else can sometimes be even more fruitful for an acting career. ⁠ ⁠ Friendly reminder: more knowledge and lived experiences will lead to a more interesting POV on life, which in turn, leads to more interesting acting choices.⁠ ⁠ Regardless …

Monday Myth Debunkers: There Are Too Many Actors.

September 29, 2022October 18, 2021 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Double-tap if you’ve ever heard the amount of submissions a CD gets only for it to cause your stomach to churn. ⁠ ⁠ 𝕀𝕥’𝕤 𝕒 𝕝𝕠𝕥.⁠ ⁠ And understandably, numbers can sound overwhelming and even make you feel small. ⁠ ⁠ So let’s talk about different numbers today.⁠ ⁠ Let’s talk about the numbers that actually 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿.⁠ ⁠ How many of those submissions (especially for smaller roles) are filled with trained actors who have materials that showcase their strongest abilities?⁠ …

Terminology Tuesday: Beat

September 29, 2022October 12, 2021 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Keep reading if you’re looking for some fresh beats…⁠ ⁠ #castingjokes⁠ ⁠ A beat is a moment in the script that propels the character’s story forward. ⁠ ⁠ Each scene may be comprised of several different beats. Some beats are subtle, while others are obvious.⁠ ⁠ There are hundreds of beats within the pages of a feature-length film. Every time the action of a character changes, a new acting beat begins. ⁠ ⁠ Your job: to never miss a beat. …