There’s no doubt about it, it’s the most challenging time most of us can remember in the acting industry.
Thanks to Covid-19, getting cast is now less likely to be about catching a train to an in-person audition, and more about getting a self-tape sent off via email.
If you’re lucky enough to be on a set, you’re probably having Covid-19 tests and social distancing between takes.
StarNow has been working on some tools to help smooth the way with these new challenges, so read on if you’d like to hear about the latest ways you can still book a job and get working!
Bubble Profiles:
Productions are now regularly calling for people within the same ‘bubble’ to do a job, as it cuts down the need for social distancing on set. Finding actors with a ‘bubble’ ready to go (and viewing all the party’s photos etc) has been a real challenge for Casting Directors.
StarNow has introduced a special ‘bubble’ section on profiles, which is totally free to use.
If you’ve got family members, flat mates or other close contacts that’d be interested in auditioning for roles with you, it’s now really easy for you to tell Casting Directors all about them. It’s completely free to register on StarNow, and to add photos and details of your bubble to your StarNow profile.
StarNow will alert Casting Directors seeking talent in a ‘bubble’, about profiles that fit their brief – it’s a gamechanger.
Your close contacts may be experienced pro’s, or just interested in giving it a go – Casting Directors are interested in a wide range of people, as long as you are sharing a ‘bubble’.
You can find out more about StarNow’s new Bubble feature here.
Intro to Camera:
Self-tapes have been on the rise for some time, and are essential for talent to be able to produce on request. This can be stressful for actors as requests are often short notice, and setting up to film, learning lines and getting tapes sent on time can be a real challenge.
StarNow is leading the charge to help with online casting, with a simple new feature that Casting Directors are LOVING… the ‘Intro to Camera’.
This is a short 30 second video that actors shoot themselves, in close up, introducing themselves to camera. You may mention a special skill, a recent credit or even mention if you own a car and can travel easily.
These introductions live on your StarNow profile and can be updated as often as you like, but can also remain for weeks or even months, reducing the need to keep filming new content. Your intro can easily be viewed for every listing you apply to on StarNow.
So, what does the Casting Director get from this? A lot! These are kind of like a living headshot – Casting Directors get to hear your natural voice, see the way your face moves when you speak, they may see you go from serious look to a smile, and they get a sense of your presence on camera.
When under incredible time pressure to cast, these introductions help them decide who to cast, or who they should investigate further – they’ll often go on to watch the showreel of the talent who catches their eye.
Casting Directors understand that an introduction is a small glimpse into the actor and they don’t show range or the ability to act a variety of roles. An intro to camera is a supplementary tool and sits alongside your showreel and other work. Or of course for a beginner, it may be the only thing you have on tape to woo the Casting Director, and then they are even more valuable!
You can check out some great ‘Intro to Camera’ videos on StarNow here to see how people are using this tool.
If you’re not already a member of StarNow, and want to start exploring these new casting tools, you can register for free to get started.
