In this era of pocket-sized video cameras and "Star Trek"-esque PDAs, it's easier than ever for actors to be proactive about their careers. But does this brave new world extend to never leaving your house for an audition? After all, today's technology enables you to tape yourself in the comfort of your own home, then email or upload the result for a casting director's viewing pleasure.
Feelings in the industry are decidedly mixed—but "virtual auditions" seem to be popping up more and more.
"It's not like it's a formal part of the process as of yet; it's just sneaking in," said casting director Michael Testa ("Cold Case," "Make It or Break It"). "When I release a breakdown, people call sometimes and say, 'Do you mind if so-and-so puts himself on tape?' and I don't mind at all. I've been getting more and more of that as time progresses."
Added casting director Dorian Frankel ("Parks and Recreation," "Curb Your Enthusiasm"), "I definitely use them: If it's a good audition, it's a good audition. I think it makes a lot of sense. I assume as the technology gets better, the more it will happen. It seems like something that's time has come."
For now, the situation seems to come up most often when an actor is out of town or can't make the regular audition session. "We just hired somebody for an episode of 'The Whole Truth' who was in Panama
OLD SCHOOL
For the most part, casting directors still prefer to eventually see you in person, even if a tape is what gets you that initial meeting. "I think you want to see a three-dimensional person and see how they behave," said casting director Mark Saks ("The Good Wife," "Medium"). On tape "the image is very small, and to me it's very flat and never well-lit, and the sound is never great. But people love being able to see that as a reference point."
For the actors, the experience of putting oneself on tape can lead to just as much stress as an in-the-room audition. Actor Henry Dittman, whose credits include "Brothers and Sisters" and "Two and a Half Men," said submitting taped auditions feels a bit like "putting messages in a bottle and throwing them out to sea."
"On one hand, I do blogs and vlogs and I've cut tons of video together, so for me it's fun to get hands-on and produce something and get excited about it and send in the audition," he explained. "But when it's all said and done and you send the thing off and you have no way of knowing if they're actually going to watch it, it can be tremendously frustrating."
Dittman also noted that there's a key component missing from a home audition: the direction and feedback of a casting director. "Good casting directors can really get to the place where you need to be," he said. "They understand where a role is supposed to fit in, the tone of what you're supposed to do. For those of us that cross genres and do commercials and voiceover and movies and TV, there's a time where you really need someone there who will really gauge your size and your style. They know exactly what it is you need to do and can help you."
Testa agreed: "The disadvantage is the actor doesn't have the advantage of what the casting director knows about the role in the room. And we don't get to see them in a room to see if they're physically right."
That said, Testa can also see the upsides to virtual auditions. "It's convenient and time-saving for me," he said, "and the actor gets to maybe explore and do the additional [work] until he feels comfortable with it."
