Your Submission Email

The first thing a casting agent sees is your submission email (sometimes called a cover email or casting email). What you write can make or break your chance of getting an audition right there.

So it’s impossible to overestimate how important for you to get it right.

Each actor will have their own style, but here we give you a good idea of what your application email can be like. Take what you think works and change what you don’t like; but make it your own.

So on this page you will find examples of:

1. A general submission
2. A voiceover submission
3. An application for no-experience actors

This is the first rule and you must never break it.

CDs are busy people and they don’t want to read pages and pages about each actor. They want the essential facts and nothing more.

Less than 100 words is ideal.

In other words:

• don’t include loads of links
• don’t include testimonials
• don’t include anything irrelevant

but… of course include anything that relates you to the project or will impress the CD (bearing in mind they’re not easily impressed)

Here’s a good standard email when you submit for a job. As you’ll see, it’s short and sweet.

Dear Ms Gold,

I saw your casting for the film, Furious & Fast, online and I’d like to apply for the role of Agent Mouldy.

I am a 27 year-old professional film actor and have worked on a number of major productions including the most recent Yorgos Lanthimos film where I played in a supporting role.

I am based in Paris; I understand you are casting in London but it will not be a problem for me to come over for this if needed as I have accommodation there.

Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon,

Joe Q. Actor

my enCAST profile: https://encast.me/joeqactor
my IMDB profile: https://imdb.com/thisisme
mywebsite: https://mywebsite.com/

As you can see, it’s fairly simple. It gives the casting agent enough information for them to know if you are roughly suitable for the job and then they will contact you if they want more.

The application above is fine for a general acting role.

But if the job is for a voiceover, you need a different kind of application. Because it’s just your voice, they don’t care what you look like but just what you sound like… so tell them!

And importantly these days, if you have a home studio, let them know about it.

Dear Mr Silver,

I saw your casting for educational voiceovers and I’d like to apply.

I am a profesional voiceover artist and actor, and have worked on a number of major projects over the past few years both here in Germany and also abroad. (I have attached my CV for your reference.)

In general I have an authoritative kind of voice that  which people would trust and believe. It is deep and velvety and smooth, and ideal for delivering facts about a product. It is the kind of voice people would associate with a barrister, a scientist, a psychiatrist and other trustworthy professionals.

I speak British English as my mother tongue with a variety of regional accents.

Although I am based in Berlin I am able to come over to your recording studio in Paris easily – I have accommodation there. But I also have my own home studio where I use a Xentrob X334j microphone – you can hear a sample of my home studio in my voicereel which I’ve attached to this application.

Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon,

Joe Q. Voiceactor

mywebsite with more voice samples: https://mywebsite.com/voiceovers

Again it’s fairly simple and tells the casting agent all they need to know for now.

If you are just starting out and have no experience, then you need, more than ever, to make your application email work.

For a start, if you state boldly that you have no experience then the casting director may well delete the email without even looking at your headshots.

But… if they look at your headshots and think you might fit the role and then discover you have no experience they might be willing to give you a chance!

So, keep your application email brief, and if you can put anything which relates to the role, then include it:

Dear Ms Bronze,

I saw your casting for the film, School of Horror, and I’d like to submit for the role of “student” .

I am 18 and finished High School last year; I’m now looking at training as an actor and would love to be part of this project. I understand you are shooting in Manchester which is where I live there would no problem for transport/accommodation in that regard.

My basic details are: playing age: 16-20, languages: English & Spanish, height: 1.60, weight: 50kg.

I have attached a couple of headshots to this email.

Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon,

Joe Q. Newactor

my enCAST profile: https://encast.me/joeqnewactor

There are a couple of spelling/grammar mistakes in the emails above. Did you spot them?

It probably won’t lose you the job if you have any mistakes in your email, but neither will it impress a CD.

So always check your email carefully before sending.