Social Media: Putting a New Face on Auditions and Accessibility

Social media has its good and bad.  I would say the good outweigh the bad by far. Because of social media, people who were exclusive to the masses are now part of the masses.

Actors have access to casting directors, producers, writers, etc.  Auditions are no longer only submitted by audition tapes or performed in person; they are sometimes received by casting directors via Skype.  Actors can follow casting directors, ask questions and find out about upcoming auditions on Twitter, Facebook or blogs.

Marci Liroff is someone who I follow on Twitter, in the video she expresses that she uses Twitter as a teaching tool.

Jason Reitman recently tweeted a casting call for a role.  He needs a “teen football player who is a quiet thoughtful giant”.  To cast “difficult unusual roles” Reitman turned to Twitter for help and received 312 tweets within 6 hours.

Marci Liroff speaks of receiving only 3 actors for an audition through the traditional means of getting out casting calls for this unusual role.  She was looking for a young boy who uses a wheelchair for ambulation in real life.  After turning to social media to post the casting call, she received 50 actor submissions for the role.

Social Media has revolutionized the timing and accessibility of information.  The question is can we keep pace?

YOU CAN BE A SUCCESSFUL ACTOR WITHOUT RELOCATING TO LA OR NY

Actors do not necessarily have to move to LA or NY to find acting jobs.  Production incentives are motivating filmmakers to produce their movies in other places.

Filmmakers and producers are going to states such as Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Florida, Illinois and many more to create their projects. 

The question then becomes for an actor, if I live in one state will I be able to act in another?  The answer is yes and no, depending on the job.  Some jobs will state local hire only.  Some casting directors will allow you to travel and work in another location, sometimes referred to as “modified hire”.  The other question would be, do I have the funds to travel and live temporarily for the job?

Actors and models need to find an agent.  If you do not have an agent or a manager, you need to be proactive in your pursuit until you find an agent.  An agent will find you work, whereas, a manager will network on your behalf.  The agent and manager typically work together for the actor. 

Actors can start promoting themselves, as a serious actor by first having the essentials: headshot, resume, acting classes (at least one to put on resume), a demo reel, (if possible).  Second, create profiles on casting sites such as casting networks, actor's access and backstage where casting directors and producers look for talent. Third, create accounts on social media.  Fourth, become educated on the do’s and don'ts. Once the essentials are in place, the key is exposure.