How Much Of An Audition Do Casting Directors Listen To?
Like many things in casting, the answer varies
This question has popped up a number of times and I thought it might be interesting to talk about: How much of an audition do casting directors listen to?
I’d love to tell you: ALL OF IT, but the answer it more nuanced. It’s more like: IT DEPENDS.
There are two basic paths for auditions: OPEN CALLS and TARGETED AUDITIONS.
OPEN CALL AUDITIONS
Open call auditions (on a platform or a social media post asking for auditions) can be great in giving everyone a chance, but it can be difficult for the CD (casting director). An open call can easily get 100 or 200 auditions, depending on how long it’s posted. Here’s where math comes in. I’m not a fan of math (it hurts my head), but there are times when it helps make decisions feel less personal. If the audition is 5 minutes long, and if the CD gets 200 auditions, that’s 1,000 minutes of listening or 16.67 hours. A CD simply doesn’t have time to listen to audition for 16.67 hours. That’s two full days of work just listening to auditions for one book, and what if I have ten books to cast?
For me, with open calls, I listen to the first 30 seconds or so (sometimes less) to cull: who shines, and who doesn’t. I rule out who isn’t at the level I’m looking for because of performance, connection, appropriateness to the role (gender, age, etc.), mispronunciations, etc. I also flag who immediately shines. Then I go back and do it again and again, listening a little bit more to the remaining auditions.
It gets hard when I’m down to ten auditions or so. I have to submit three choices to the client. So if all ten auditions are really good, and they usually are, I’ll look at giving the author a variety of voices in age/experience, heritage, etc. If two auditions sound very similar, I might do a little research to see who is the stronger candidate based on number of titles recorded, what the author is looking for, who’s reliable, social media, etc.
TARGETED AUDITIONS
Targeted auditions are a lot more controlled. I might reach out to 6-10 narrators for a title and submit 3-5 for final approval. With a more controlled group, I can listen to the entire audition, but I tend to listen to the first 30 seconds or so first and see if anything stands out. For example, I had an audition where the narrator didn’t look up the pronunciation for a name, so I didn’t put that audition forward. That seems harsh, but if the narrator couldn’t look up a pronunciation for a small sample, what would happen over the course of an entire book? You have to make judgments quickly and it can really suck.
HOW TO NAVIGATE THE SYSTEM
So if your entire audition is not guaranteed a full listen, what can you do as a performer?
Here are some tips to give you an edge:
1) Make sure you’re close to your mic and have a good presence. Sometimes the presence on the mic can be the deciding factor between two equally good auditions. Who sounds more engaging? The one whose vocal quality and tone are front and center. So make sure you’re snuggled in.
2) Look up anything you have a pronunciation question on. It takes a little extra time, but it does show the CD you can be trusted.
3) Do two takes of your audition (if you have time). Keep both. In the first audition, let it be raw and vulnerable and real. In your second take, try something different. You know the pacing of the audition now and what happens. Vary it. Then choose between the two auditions. Which one has more energy? Which one grabs you from the start?
4) Don’t slate your audition. If you feel like you have to slate, slate at the end, not the beginning. Why? Because you’re wasting those valuable 30 seconds or so having the CD listen to your name, the title of the book, and the author. Things they already know. Label your audition TITLE OF BOOK_YOUR NAME.
5) Let the CD know if you can offer something that makes you a particular good fit for the piece: knowledge, similar experience, ease with languages/accents needed, etc. Simply explain this succinctly in your email when you submit, or the comments box on an open call audition.
REMEMBER:
As impersonal and harsh as audiobook auditions feel, please know that casting directors are doing their very best to give everyone an equal chance, and we care about the talent. This is also a business, so we have to make tough decisions.
Do your best.
Show your best.
Be consistent and communicative.
We will notice your ability and talent.
And if this book isn’t the right fit for you, or the author chooses someone else, the next book might just be a different story.
I mean, obviously it’s a different story, ha! But you get what I mean: If this book isn’t yours, the next one might be.
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TANYA EBY likes comments, shares, new (and old) subscribers, foot rubs, and head rubs. She is not a fan of belly rubs, mostly because she’s not a fan of her belly. Getting older is hard. She is trying to eat better and exercise more so that belly goes down. Tanya is a casting director, but also a narrator, and she overthinks and obsesses about every audition she posts. It’s hard. She is comforted by the fact that it seems to be hard and angst-causing for everyone who auditions, so that normalizes the experience a little. Like her Substack? Please share it.
Always nice to hear the other side of the equation. Great interview with Heller & Baarns. Looking forward to seeing you at the Audies. #MarchOfThePenguinCakes
Sound advice, as always--thanks, Tanya--I'll add to my drill the 'do 2 runs of it--1 vulnerable and the second a different take' then take a break and come back to decide!