Why have I had No Submissions to my Casting Call?

If you post a casting notice and do not receive any submissions, then there are a few common reasons why this is so but often it’s because the kind of actor you are looking for is too restricted.

For example, if you are looking for a Native American actor aged 68-70, based in Dusseldorf, speaking Greek & Japanese, and an expert tuba player, then the chances are you might not receive that many submissions.

If you don’t receive submissions after a few days, then it’s often useful to widen your search.

Ask yourself:

  1. Can I widen the age range for the role?
  2. Can I make the role any gender?
  3. Can I widen the catchment area for actors?
On this last point, if you restrict the casting to actors from one town you are likely missing out on huge talent which lives a little further away so if you can, allow actors from further afield to submit
 
Think therefore about opening up the casting to:
  1. The entire country
  2. Adjacent countries as well
  3. The entire continent

Remember, even for smaller budget films it’s worth paying for travel & accommodation to get the very best actor for the role.

Ethnicity & Gender

We’re great believers in making – wherever possible – gender-neutral and colour-blind casting choices.

Does the actor really need to be male? Often we see castings where they are looking for a male actor to play a character simply because all the other similar characters we see on film are male. 

Likewise think about forgetting ethnicity when you cast and open it up to all.

The Pay

It’s as true for acting as it is for any other profession: you get what you pay for.

If you offer little or no pay then the best talent will simply skip your casting notice. On enCAST our actors can choose to receive only casting notices which offer a reasonable fee for the work – so if you set your casting notice as Non-Paid or Profit-Share then most actors will simply not even see it.

We always recommend paying your actors fairly for their work in order to attract the best talent.

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