If you want to make a movie, do a play or other production, you will have to know how to do a casting call. On this page, you will find step-by-step information on how to go about this.

A casting call is basically a notice to talent agents, and sometimes also to the general public, that you are looking for people to star in a certain production. A casting call can be announced by everyone from a student filmmaker to a major motion picture studio. Casting calls can be found through various different avenues. There are numerous publications and trade papers that print casting calls. Some of these include Backstage West and Variety. There are castings you can find through various online companies that post castings that actors can submit themselves to.

Examples are Actorsaccess.com and Lacasting.com. Lastly, you can find out about casting calls through word of mouth or through a possible agent that you may have.http://www.actorsaccess.com/content/learnmore/?view=benefitshttp://www.lacasting.com/frontend/home.asphttp://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-casting-calls.htm

Casting calls for shows like America's Next Top Model, American Idol, So you think you can dance, The Bachelor, and other reality shows, are often done through television advertising and online advertising. These kinds of castings aim to reach a large audience and go directly to the source instead of approaching talent agencies. A casting call should exist of various information. Everything from the pay rate to the character breakdown can be mentioned. Below you will find more information about how to go about doing a casting call.

Before you can start the casting process you will have to get the breakdown out there for talent agents or actors to see. Depending on your budget, you can use a casting agency to do the casting for you or you can do it yourself.

If you use a casting agency, they will most likely approach talent agencies with the so called breakdown. Other methods to 'advertise' the breakdown include advertising it through radio, TV, the Internet, bulletin boards, and industry trade magazines.

The breakdown is basically a summary of the movie and it's characters. It can mention things like the start date, filming location, whether it's a SAG, AFTRA or non-union job, the names of the producer, director, writer and casting agent. You will also find some information about the various parts that are being cast. The breakdown has a short summary of what the movie is about. Based on the breakdowns, talent agents will submit their clients (the actors) for select parts. Submissions can exist of a head shot with resume and sometimes also the actor's reel which is basically a short film of the actor's work so far.http://www.sagindie.org/casting/403.htmlhttp://www.actingbiz.com/articles/casting_process.php

When the casting agent receives the actor submissions from the talent agents, he will pick out the actors that he wants to have come in to audition for the parts. A time and date will be set that the actor can come in to audition.

During the audition, the casting agent will have the actor read for the part in questions. Based on this audition the casting agent will decide whether or not the actor is right for the part. If the actor is not right for the part basically nothing happens. If the actor might be right for the part, the casting agent will schedule a second audition for the actor to come in and read for the part. This second casting call is also known as the call back. Keep in mind that A-List actors like Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Robert De Niro and Reese Witherspoon usually don't have to go through casting sessions. They usually get offered parts that they can either accept or reject. They don't have to audition to get parts anymore. It's the other parts in the movie that usually have to be cast.http://www.actingbiz.com/articles/casting_process.phphttp://www.actingbiz.com/articles/what_are_casting_calls.phphttp://www.actingbiz.com/articles/casting_process_in_action.php

If an actor is called back to read for a certain part again, it means that the casting agent thought that he has potentially what it takes to get the part. The call back is similar to the first audition, but the producer or director of the project might be present this time. There will also be less actors going up for the same part. If the producer or director is not present at the audition, it could be that the actor's audition is put on tape. The tape is then forwarded to the producer or director, whom will watch the tape and choose the best person for the job.

Don't be surprised if you get called back again. Sometimes it happens that the casting agent, producer, or director wants to see you again. This can be for a wide variety of reasons. Maybe they are considering you for another part, or maybe they need to be convinced one more time that you are the right person for the job. If you finally end up getting the part, the casting agent will notify the talent agent of the actor.http://www.actingbiz.com/articles/casting_process_in_action.php