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Casting Director Hannah Ashby Ward's expert advice for models & actors
What do casting directors look for? This guide covers all you need to know to stand out in casting auditions and make the final cut.
Contact, on 30 October 2022
The Contact Team
We recently launched our Lunch and Learn series: talks with experts in the Fashion industry to answer creatives' most pressing questions. As part of our first workshop, we invited special guest Hannah Ashby Ward, Director of Lane Casting UK and a booker on Contact.
Models and creatives will find in this guide all of Hannah's tips to ace casting auditions. Uncover:
- casting best practices
- how to prep for auditions
- tips, tricks and insights based on industry trends
- how to stand out in castings
And more!
From acting student to casting director
Hannah is a casting director with an unconventional career path. The casting industry is hard to get into, and it's by surrounding herself with the right people and doing hard work that Hannah made it all the way up from being an acting student to becoming a casting director.
Hannah studied drama at university to become an actress, only to realise later acting wasn't for her. She then worked at a production company as a researcher and production assistant. She ended up handling castings because her company didn't have the budget to hire an agency.
Casting was a perfect mix of constant change, discovery, creativity, strategic thinking, and project planning. Meeting incredible people and seeing the final artistic result of a movie, music video or Fashion campaign with the people she had selected made it all even better. "It matched up everything I wanted to do."
She got later introduced to Lane Casting in Canada when she was 23. She started as an assistant and then helped set up the UK company, where she is now Casting Director, casting for movies, commercial campaigns, famous music videos, editorials and all kinds of unique projects.
So who better than Hannah to give you tips on castings? Here are her answers to your questions.
1) What's the casting process, and what is the casting director's role?
Casting is often the most uncredited part of the production process. Casting directors are warrants of the success of a project: if the people they select don't "feel right" on screen, it'll be harder to share the producer's ideas with the general public.
There's a lot of decision-making going on behind the scenes, starting with the brief. Casting directors begin by dissecting the brief, picking apart all the details to ensure they understand who to look for. They can also suggest changes if they spot inconsistencies or see an opportunity to make the character more interesting, original, or impactful.
The casting process, from brief to final selection, is long. Sometimes, casting directors have to meet over 10000 applicants for one role. So they must quickly filter through applicants to select the best people for a project.
It's integral to every project to get the right people. They will carry the script and elevate a designer's clothes. Their performance and energy will define the project's success. So how can you make the cut?
2) How to improve my chances of being selected at a casting?
You guessed it: it's all about preparation.
- Send everything on time: your self-tape, portfolio and contact details. Send your up-to-date portfolio and check that all links are working (socials, personal website, email etc). Make sure that how you look in your self-tape is how you'll appear at a casting. It's best to keep your appearance the same if specific physical requirements exist.
- Show your personality: The first question a casting director usually asks is, "tell us about yourself". The answer is your 1-minute elevator speech: practice it at home to feel more confident on D-day. The team is always looking for people with whom the conversation flows naturally. Try to be yourself and show what's different about you. If you have an exciting hobby or background and if there's something that you're passionate about, share it with the casting director because these are the things that will differentiate you and make you stand out.
- Make a great self-tape: It must be well-lit on a clear, uncluttered background. A white wall is best if you're not filming in a studio.
- Practice your acting skills at home, even for modelling auditions. If you have a casting for a commercial, you'll probably have to do some acting. You don't need specific acting experience, but a few skills in knowing how to impersonate different characters and emotions can go a long way. If it feels too scary, tell your booker that acting is not something you're comfortable doing so they can place you for other types of castings, such as editorials. There are plenty of projects that suit people with different skills - don't feel forced to go to a casting where you think you're not the right fit. But we recommend you ask your booker why they selected you for that casting and why they believe you're suited for this role, as it may help you realise you actually have the skills to make the cut.
- Understand the brief, learn the script and ask questions. Read (and re-read) the brief before attending an audition or sending a self-tape. If there's something you need help understanding, email the booker with your questions. If there's a script, practice at home, first by yourself, then with a friend, to get a second opinion.
- Learn about the brand, designer or artistic director before the casting. Head to their website, LinkedIn and socials. Casting directors will appreciate people who've done the extra work before coming in to meet them.
3) How should I behave on casting day, and what are casting directors' pet peeves?
Be nice and humble. However strong your portfolio and work experience might be, introduce yourself with modesty. Casting directors will have seen your portfolio before meeting you in person, so they already know about your achievements. Instead of recounting all of them, pick one, and tell a story, especially if that story can help you impersonate the character or campaign you're auditioning for.
Be on time. And if you can't avoid being late, let your agent or booker know beforehand. Plan your trip in advance to avoid bad surprises.
Don't have an attitude. Casting directors remember people they meet at auditions. Words travel fast in the industry, so it's crucial to be friendly and respectful to everyone you meet. And remember that you may be cast for another role than the one you auditioned for - first impressions count.
Be professional, courteous, open and receptive. Listen to feedback, know the basics of professionalism, and learn how to deal with rejection.
Dress accordingly to the brand you're casting for. The rule of thumb for what to wear at a casting call is smart/casual attire unless otherwise specified in the brief.
4) What are casting directors looking for? What sets people apart? What catches their eye?
For Hannah, selecting talent is not about how much training or experience they've had or who they've worked with. It's all about raw talent.
Some creatives can be discouraged because their portfolio lacks significant experience or they're still beginners in the industry. They may ask themselves how they're going to be able to stand out when there are so many more other creatives out there that are well more experienced than them. But it depends on who they're approaching and what types of castings they're doing.
As casting director Troy Fearn states in an interview for Dazed:
"I'm not looking for models who have walked ten shows or are holding the top campaigns, I'm looking for character and personality. I want them to embody a collection and give me something more than just an interesting face. This doesn't need to be an agency model either, sometimes the ones that give it best are the non-agency kids I've scouted in the dance or at the back of the bus."
Some casting directors are formal and prefer conventional paths - think, honourable art or acting school, professional acting training and portfolio shots. But this thinking can be limiting as many people from different backgrounds can't afford to take the traditional route, even though they may be full of talent or impressive self-learners.
So Hannah says, "don't be discouraged, but also be honest with yourself." Know where your abilities are and what skills you need to improve and acquire for certain types of castings.
Being a creative with multiple disciplines can also give you a significant advantage. Casting directors love multi-layered people. So try to diversify your skills and interests, as one of them may help you catch the casting director's attention.
Finally, find the balance between following your dreams and knowing what's within your reach. Hannah says that whatever your training and educational background is, "you need to be good at what you're doing".
The industry is tough to enter, and there needs to be a certain amount of realism. "If you think that you've got a real talent for something, or if other people have told you "mate you're good", then run with it. If you've been going and going and nothing has ever happened, it could be a sign that it's not right for you."
It can be hard to accept at first, but sometimes people choose the wrong path. To avoid this, try to find where you can excel and then adjust your dreams to reality. Sometimes, you may be surprised by what can bring you consistent joy in your work, which may be far off from what you initially imagined.
5) What industry trends should I be aware of?
Hannah says it's gotten a lot better since she started: briefs are less discriminatory, more inclusive, and have less tokenistic representation. Of course, there's still a long way to go, but the shift is positive.
Regarding trends, the demand for mature models has been increasing steadily, as well as for "real people", doing genuine things that people can relate to, and people with different skill sets. Hannah calls it the personality-led revolution, giving the industry a broader, more exciting talent pool.
Bonus: handy casting tips for models and actors
☑️ Make opportunities for yourself rather than waiting for opportunities to come to you: reach out to casting directors you'd like to work with and feel like you could fit in well with their work. Send them a friendly email, and let them know you'd love to meet them. Add a link to your portfolio and IG. You might not get a response, but you never know! You can learn more about how to reach out to clients in this article.
☑️ Network and ask for help: if you feel you're not getting any work, meet with people more experienced than you. Find your mentors, ask questions and continue learning about yourself. If you're not getting any jobs after doing castings, try not to take it personally. It may not be the right thing, nor the right moment for you. Instead, focus on uncovering what you're good at and where you can improve.
☑️ Support your peers and collaborate with other creatives: DM some photographers for a test shoot: you're helping each other out at the end of the day. Creatives who support each other can go a long way in the industry. You never know who that talented beginner photographer may become later.
☑️ Add a short intro video to your portfolio: this is helpful especially if you're starting out in the industry and don't have much to show in your portfolio.
Questions? We're here for you. Contact us with your questions, and we'll be happy to help.
Watch the full talk with Hannah on Youtube.
Go further
- To learn more about model-specific castings such as what to bring to a casting, how to prepare, different types of model castings and essential casting terms, head here.
- To know how to make a killer self-tape, read this guide.
- Struggling to network and reach out to casting directors and potential clients? We've built a free outreach template for you, read this guide to know how to use it.
- Want to become a casting director? Read our feature with Troy Westwood to learn what it takes to become a successful casting director.
Contact, on 30 October 2022
The Contact Team
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