Casting Director
OFO No: 265408
What is a Casting Director?
As a Casting Director, your job is to organise and facilitate the choosing (casting) of actors for all the roles in a film or advertisement.
This involves working closely with the director and producer to understand the requirements for the role.
The Casting Director arranges interviews and auditions with the actors they think might suit the role they are casting for.
Once the parts are cast, the Casting Director discusses fees and contracts for the actors, and act as a liaison between the director, the actors and their agents.
Casting Directors must know exactly why each actor is suitable for a particular role when casting them. They must know about the actor’s experience, ability, reputation, availability and then work towards choosing the perfect cast.
Casting Directors also work closely with production accountants to prepare the casting budget.
What does a Casting Director do?
- meeting with directors and producers to discuss requirements for the job
- scouting for suitable candidates for the various roles
with talent agencies - holding auditions
- negotiating fees and contracts with agencies
Are you … ?
- able to recognise talent?
- good at communicating with a wide range of people such as production staff, talent agents and the actors themselves?
- good at negotiating and organizing?
- selective and careful about the choices you make?
- patient, hardworking, diplomatic, determined ?
- knowledgeable about the theatre, cinema and actors?
- a person who pays attention to detail?
- able to take and give direction?
How do I become a Casting Director?
No formal training needed, but practical industry experience is vital.
An ideal place to start is as an assistant in a talent agency. Collecting experience in selecting and working with actors is very important. This introduction allows potential Casting Directors to begin building up knowledge about existing and new talent.
Working as an assistant to an established Casting Director is also an effective way to learn the necessary skills and collect experience. Any experience working with actors in amateur theatre, or in film production environments, is considered useful for such entry-level positions.
Most Casting Directors are graduates of a Bachelor of Arts in Arts, English, Film, Theatre or Media Studies.
Minimum Requirements:
National Senior Certificate meeting degree entry
Required school subjects: English
PATH 1
Certificate in Film & TV Production
PATH 2
Diploma in Film & TV Production
- Cape Peninsula University of Technology
- Tshwane University of Technology
PATH 3
Diploma in Drama
PATH 4
Bachelor of Technology in Film and Television Production (BTech)
- Tshwane University of Technology
PATH 5
Bachelor of Film and Television Production
PATH 6
Bachelor of Drama
PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS
There are a number of private theatre and acting schools around SA.
TRAINING:
- CLICK HERE to check for a training institution near you to see what they offer.
- Make sure you understand their entry requirements for each course.
- To avoid scams, make sure your institution is registered with the Department of Higher Education.
- CLICK HERE to check accredited Private Higher Education Institutions.
OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER: Actor/Actress … or … Performing Arts Technician
Is becoming a Casting Director the right career choice for me?
