Casting Calls and Audition Notices

All I want to do is abandon my laptop. I have had almost two months of minimal productivity and in my soul I want that to continue but my OCD tendencies are preventing me from doing so before I post a few practical resources for actors.

I have a blog called Casting Calls Wa and it collates all the audition notices and casting calls from various forums and puts them in one place. Hopefully the format is easy to read and use but if not, let me know and I'll gladly take any feedback that makes it user-friendly. In the meantime let me include a list of the places I go to look for auditions... just in case I go AWOL again. (Don't worry, I'll try harder not to.)

•  http://www.starnow.com.au/ this site can be helpful for providing clues to WA productions but ultimately, unless you're paying the subscription fee ($5.99 for 6 months is their best deal) you won't have a lot of luck here.
• https://www2.at2casting.com/join/artist/info is another subscriber's site which I've heard is quite good but I haven't subscribed to myself because of my stubborn unwillingness to avoid paying money before I make it. (I know what they say. "You have to spend money to make money... yadda yadda... I don't care.) 
• http://www.i4casting.com.au/index.html is a casting director's site which you should get in contact with to get your name out there. It may not be fruitful but being known by a secretary or intern is still better than not being. 
• http://castingsandauditions.com.au/ is a national casting forum that regularly has theatre productions and sometimes local film productions. 
• http://www.d2a.net.au/ is another very useful national casting forum that has both theatre and film projects. 
• http://www.open-casting-calls.info/ is only truly useful if you're in the USA but it's nice to dream and know what's in production. Because what if being in the next Star Wars film only meant a journey to LA. Wouldn't you do it? (Don't answer if you're not a fan.)
• http://www.auditionsfinder.com/ is another USA based auditions site. It's got casting calls for blockbusters, high-budget series and lots more. Mostly seeking extras and again, not the most useful for a WA actor!
• https://www.fti.asn.au/forums/cast-crew is our widely used, local Film and Television institute classified forum. This is free to sign up to and easy to use. As it is through a training and education institution most of the projects submitted are for student productions but it does have broader use and often music videos or independent film-makers will submit their casting calls there, too. Hard to come by paid work, however. 
• http://www.facebook.com/castingcallsauditions?fref=ts is the first of our Facebook pages dedicated to auditions and casting calls. However, it is predominantly for USA use. 
• http://www.facebook.com/Audition.Australia is an Australian Facebook page with limited use. There are some regular posters, however, with whom you may get lucky. 
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/JC-Casting/87774001821 the Facebook page of one of Perth's two main casting directors. JC Casting will sometimes post casting calls and the page is used by many independent producers that want to cast their project. 
• http://www.facebook.com/CastingAustralia is a national casting director's Facebook page. It doesn't often have anything useful but is worth it for the occasional notice. 
• http://www.facebook.com/debbie.thoy is the Facebook timeline of a local film-maker and industry networker. Although she generously hosts two or three groups dedicated to casting calls and industry biz, her page is often littered with others' audition notices, too. 
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/22550047639/ is a Perth Auditions group which I believe is hosted by Debbie Thoy. Regularly used for all sorts of posts. 
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/actorslounge/ is possibly another Debbie Thoy hosted page which has the potential to be a great networking site for actors to share their audition notices but is mostly just me posting interviews with creatives... still worth a look, though. 
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/perthfilmnetwork/ is the main Debbie Thoy party page. This group is very active and often has audition notices for paid and pro-bono work. 
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/79847021126/ is the equivalent of the above for the younglings. 
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/actingclassesinperth/?fref=ts is the Facebook page for Loren Johnson. While predominantly just the face of his Acting Classes in Perth business, occasionally the page hosts casting calls for local productions.

If you have any more of these useful sites please submit them! The more resources I have, the less work you have to do... in theory. 

So much to tell you!

Yep it's been a while. Lots of stuff to tell you. But I won't.

I will tell you lots, eventually, whether or not you care to read it. The beauty of the blog.

But right now I want to do a call out to other actors about a possible networking idea.



It goes something like this:

I have a file full of business cards of make-up artists, actors, writers, directors, technicians etc. I would like to enrich this file with head-shots, showreels, portfolios and CVs. I will contact those featured in this file and ask what projects they would have an interest in being involved in. Would I have permission to circulate their details to various production companies, whether professional, commercial, student or independent? Would they forward on the contact details of more industry-related persons who would like to be featured in this file? Once the file is validated with everyone's consent, I would copy it and provide it to the universities, most of which currently have no system for storing such information. One file would be a useful resource for each head of Media and Film. I would offer a copy to the two main casting agencies, who already have access to represented actors and accept the details of unrepresented actors, but who may benefit from a resource that would include references, reviews and other feedback from peers and colleagues who have already worked with these actors.

It would be a bit like a casual staff list. A no-obligation compendium of casts and crews who can be called upon to help out if they are inclined. Actors could access the file to review a crew they've worked with. Crews could access the file to review an actor they've worked with. This could lead to petty grudges but hopefully, ideally, would actually lead to people lifting their game. No doing coke in the toilets the night before a shoot. No turning up two hours late because you wanted a latte. No saying you'll go to the audition and then forgetting to let them know you can't make it because you're too busy trying to cast your current project!

That last scenario would be completely avoidable because your producer would have a file with a whole city's worth of actors and you wouldn't be required to do the producer's job.

It could be copied and added to at each project, with cast and crew submitting their professional portfolios to that particular file, with a central database to update your copy of the file so that everyone always has FREE access to who is working locally and how they are working.

Or it could just be one file that one person (currently me) looks after and updates but that is borrowed by actors and crews so that they can find that special someone to make their production smashing. Directors, writers and producers and casting agents looking for actors would have a section in the file so that they can make their general interest known, or they could submit casting calls for long term projects.

I think it would be beneficial for actors to have access to other actors who are willing to curry favour and work on their projects at short notice for no pay and little credit and great inconvenience just so their production doesn't get cancelled. This charity will no doubt be returned when the need arises. If not directly, then at least in a karmic sense!

I see a lot of potential in this concept. It is a baby-concept and needs to be refined beyond the point of recognition, perhaps, but I want feedback. If this idea appeals to you, if you have any suggestions or if you think you might just like to add your name to the list of contacts that I have, please get in touch.

Contact me here or Facebook

Peace.