Like in my previous post on jump starting your online acting career, I contacted them via Twitter. I was presently surprised to receive a reply back in less than an hour stating that they would love to be featured in my next blog post. Before I get to the post, I just would like to add how important it is to get active on social media by forming connections and following organizations that help your career. It has been wonderful to connect with such top-notch organizations like LETITCAST who are taking time out of their busy schedules to connect and converse with other professionals across the world. It truly is the power of the Internet. I encourage all of you readers to get active on Twitter today. There is a wealth of information to learn about. Hopefully, today's blog entry will provide some of that great information to you. This week's entry will include my full interview with LETITCAST's Co-Founder Yoktan Haddad. I hope you enjoy.
The following is taken from an email from Yoktan Haddad to Ben Hodge and is used in permission.
•Make it easy for a CD to see your acting: when submitting other than through an audition video you should always provide a one-click link to video of your work so that if the CD is curious they can see you perform. And I insist: make sure it doesn't take more than 1 click; don't just link to your website and require the CD to dig through it to find your reel; link directly to your reel (or put your reel on YouTube if there's no way to directly link to your reel page on your website).
•Follow CDs on Twitter but don't spam them with links to your work. Reply with a link to your work when saying "hey, look at me" is appropriate.
•That it's a good idea to send in an audition video even if you don't match the stated requirements for the role: the idea being "hey, at least the CD will see my work!". Wrong: the CD will not be impressed by your work if you've only wasted their time. The only impression you'll make is negative.
•That not getting the part means it's been pointless to audition. Completely wrong: you should always keep in mind that the odds are against you and your chances of getting the part are very low. But in auditioning you're getting to show your talent and hopefully make an impression on the CD. CDs have incredible memories and will remember someone they thought was a good actor even if they weren't right for the role at that time. So you should audition every chance you get because that means you'll be that more likely to be directly called in by a CD some next time around (even if they don't hold an open call) or they don't reach out to agents, etc. In short, take the long view of the auditioning process: what you're doing is building "relationships" — not just trying to land that specific role.
So there you have it. An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at one of the best online casting sites available to actors and CDs today. I hope you found it as informative and interesting as I did and I strongly encourage you to head over to LETITCAST right now to start your online auditioning out on the right foot. A big thanks to Yoktan Haddad for his time and thoughtful responses.
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. Stay tuned for more great content from BHStudios Blog. Thanks for reading!
1. What's the story behind LETITCAST's creation/formation? How can people access your service?
We built LETITCAST originally for our own casting needs on a low-budget movie we were preparing in France. We were fortunate enough to get 2 top French Casting Directors (CDs) interested in assisting us, but given our resources, they could only contribute limited time to our search. What that usually means is that the CD will rely on calling in the actors whose work they already know and judge to fit the roles because that already takes time enough that they can't afford to spend more time auditioning actors whose work they don't already know and/or whose resume doesn't establish that they're the right type. In other words: limited time = go with a few safe bets as opposed to casting a wider net. That's just the way things work... and that's why, it's not only hard for actors to land a role, it's hard enough to even get to audition!
That's when the Director got inspired by what Kubrick had done to cast Full Metal Jacket (story here) and how (for very different reasons initially) this had allowed Kubrick to build a terrific ensemble cast of unknown actors and discover Vincent D'Onofrio. He thought, "hey, I may not have a name like Kubrick's, but not only is it now much easier to get the word out to actors everywhere using the web, but everyone has also got a video camera in their pocket! So if all the interested actors can submit by directly filming their own audition, then this will not only allow the CDs to screen more actors, but it'll also expose them to actual performances and allow them to discover new actors who may not have made the cut based on their resume alone.
And this way everybody wins: the CDs can work more efficiently, the Director is more likely to find great talent, and the actors get the opportunity to submit through an actual performance vs. being reduced to their resume or headshot!" That's how we pioneered online auditioning through video. Originally it was meant to go no further than for our own movie, but the CDs who used the tool liked it so much that the word spread. And before we knew it we had other CDs and Directors asking us if they could also use it.
What makes LETITCAST different from the other online casting services out there?
•We take a more artistic approach and operate exclusively through audition video. We believe that acting is artistic and therefore that actors should first and foremost be considered on the basis of an audition; prescreening them on the basis of a headshot/resume is anything but artistic.
•We're international. We have actors in over 80 different countries and about half of our castings are international. I think we've set a record for the most international casting ever: actors from 42 different countries have auditioned for 3-time Sundance director Max Makowski's next feature which is being shot in 4 different languages.
•Our talent pool is stronger than most (read what Directors and Casting Directors have to say about it). This is the result of the fact that we operate strictly through audition video: it means that only the actors who take an artistic approach to their work use our service; and likewise, that only those productions interested in seeking out the best actors will make the effort of hosting an open call through video vs. headshot/resume submissions.
•We're free. We're doing everything we can to keep the casting service free and charge only for additional services we're in the process of developing.
That's when the Director got inspired by what Kubrick had done to cast Full Metal Jacket (story here) and how (for very different reasons initially) this had allowed Kubrick to build a terrific ensemble cast of unknown actors and discover Vincent D'Onofrio. He thought, "hey, I may not have a name like Kubrick's, but not only is it now much easier to get the word out to actors everywhere using the web, but everyone has also got a video camera in their pocket! So if all the interested actors can submit by directly filming their own audition, then this will not only allow the CDs to screen more actors, but it'll also expose them to actual performances and allow them to discover new actors who may not have made the cut based on their resume alone.
And this way everybody wins: the CDs can work more efficiently, the Director is more likely to find great talent, and the actors get the opportunity to submit through an actual performance vs. being reduced to their resume or headshot!" That's how we pioneered online auditioning through video. Originally it was meant to go no further than for our own movie, but the CDs who used the tool liked it so much that the word spread. And before we knew it we had other CDs and Directors asking us if they could also use it.
What makes LETITCAST different from the other online casting services out there?
•We take a more artistic approach and operate exclusively through audition video. We believe that acting is artistic and therefore that actors should first and foremost be considered on the basis of an audition; prescreening them on the basis of a headshot/resume is anything but artistic.
•We're international. We have actors in over 80 different countries and about half of our castings are international. I think we've set a record for the most international casting ever: actors from 42 different countries have auditioned for 3-time Sundance director Max Makowski's next feature which is being shot in 4 different languages.
•Our talent pool is stronger than most (read what Directors and Casting Directors have to say about it). This is the result of the fact that we operate strictly through audition video: it means that only the actors who take an artistic approach to their work use our service; and likewise, that only those productions interested in seeking out the best actors will make the effort of hosting an open call through video vs. headshot/resume submissions.
•We're free. We're doing everything we can to keep the casting service free and charge only for additional services we're in the process of developing.
2. How has casting changed over the past 5-10 years?
Casting has changed dramatically in the past 5-10 years. The creation of online submission systems 10 years ago was both a great boon as well as — paradoxically — a step backwards. By creating online casting boards, this made it easier for CDs to get the word out to a greater number of actors, and it also allowed actors to submit on a greater number of projects. But the step backwards lies in the fact that the technology available at the time meant that although you could pre-screen a greater number of actors, you could only do so based on a headshot & resume. Needless to say, an actor is a performer and whereas it does make sense to screen certain professions based on a resume, that's really not very telling in the case of a performer. Being able to submit directly through a video audition changes that significantly and whereas auditioning an actor in person takes at least 20 minutes, reviewing an audition video takes 2 minutes and you can therefore see 10 times more performances in the same amount of time as before.
3. What advice do you have for actors getting ready to start their acting careers?
•Master self-taping — it's one of the best ways you have of showing your talent and getting on a CDs radar. Plus it'll provide material for your reel.•Make it easy for a CD to see your acting: when submitting other than through an audition video you should always provide a one-click link to video of your work so that if the CD is curious they can see you perform. And I insist: make sure it doesn't take more than 1 click; don't just link to your website and require the CD to dig through it to find your reel; link directly to your reel (or put your reel on YouTube if there's no way to directly link to your reel page on your website).
•Follow CDs on Twitter but don't spam them with links to your work. Reply with a link to your work when saying "hey, look at me" is appropriate.
4. What things stand out to you in an effective audition?
I can only speak to online video auditions since that's what we have experience with. The first thing that stands out (and this is really based on the CD's feedback) is whether or not the actor has put any care/professionalism into their video audition. This is something you pick up on in the first 2 seconds regardless of the acting. If the video looks poor (the light source is behind the actor, or the camera isn't steady, or the sound is bad), then that tells you in a few seconds that this actor isn't serious and/or is completely inexperienced because they don't realize how competitive casting is. I'm not saying that the video should be of professional quality, but that it should at least be something the CD doesn't have to struggle to watch. Here's a good example of a self-tape audition video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqHh6TvGQIQ It's far from professional quality, but it's good enough to be watchable.
5. What are your favorite parts of your job?
Providing a tool which allows creative people to connect through a creative process. Because self-taping is really a creative process: it allows actors to submit through a performance vs. a resume — and that regularly leads to amazing discoveries. Director Paul Schrader says it quite well in this video: https://letitcast.com/thecanyons
6. What are some of the big misconceptions that people have about casting or production?
•Actors imagine that the casting process is linear and simple, and so that they'll hear back within a couple of days on whether they got the part or not (or that if they don't hear back in a couple of days, it means there's no interest). It's really much more complicated than that: there are numerous decision makers who have to weigh in, the actors you decide deserve a call back will change depending on what other actors submit in the meantime and/or what other actors you're considering for the other roles (because you're making a decision on who will match with who — it's an ensemble), etc.•That it's a good idea to send in an audition video even if you don't match the stated requirements for the role: the idea being "hey, at least the CD will see my work!". Wrong: the CD will not be impressed by your work if you've only wasted their time. The only impression you'll make is negative.
•That not getting the part means it's been pointless to audition. Completely wrong: you should always keep in mind that the odds are against you and your chances of getting the part are very low. But in auditioning you're getting to show your talent and hopefully make an impression on the CD. CDs have incredible memories and will remember someone they thought was a good actor even if they weren't right for the role at that time. So you should audition every chance you get because that means you'll be that more likely to be directly called in by a CD some next time around (even if they don't hold an open call) or they don't reach out to agents, etc. In short, take the long view of the auditioning process: what you're doing is building "relationships" — not just trying to land that specific role.
So there you have it. An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at one of the best online casting sites available to actors and CDs today. I hope you found it as informative and interesting as I did and I strongly encourage you to head over to LETITCAST right now to start your online auditioning out on the right foot. A big thanks to Yoktan Haddad for his time and thoughtful responses.
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. Stay tuned for more great content from BHStudios Blog. Thanks for reading!
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