As parents of little superstars, you need to be prepared to expect the unexpected with castings in the industry. Here is some information on what you might expect from a casting.

Before

We are generally given very little notice for castings or auditions. Clients will often request talent for castings with less than 24 hours’ notice! If your child is selected by a client for a casting, we will be in contact straight away. Please be sure to respond as soon as you can, we often require confirmation by the end of the day.

Keep a watchful eye on your emails. This is how we will contact you with casting details including what the potential role , the date, time and location, and any extra details such as scripts or wardrobe requirements. You will also receive vital call sheets for successfully booked jobs via email. Please be sure to read all details and attachments carefully before confirming whether your child will be attending the casting. It is particularly important to check ALL dates for the casting/audition, callbacks, wardrobe fittings and shoot to make sure your child will be available if they progress to the next stage.

We will follow up with a TEXT MESSAGE straight away to prompt you to check your email. Please check your email and respond back to let us know whether or not your child will be attending.

If we don’t hear from you, we will follow up with ONE MORE TEXT MESSAGE and/or a PHONE CALL. We must inform the client whether or not the requested talent will be attending, so please reply either way. Even if you can’t attend.

Our Castings Department have dedicated text message phone numbers so be sure to save them in your phone so you can easily identify when we are trying to get in touch with you.

*Please note these numbers are a web-sms service so cannot receive calls, please only use them to reply to casting requests. Any other enquiries must be directed to the general agency phone number 1300 888 611. Our castings department is an extremely busy place so it is important to keep communication streamlined.

Please treat all casting correspondents with a sense of urgency. We need to get back to the client as soon as possible with the confirmed talent. If we do not hear back from you within the required time frame we will have to let the client know you are unavailable. Generally, casting times are not flexible but if you are unable to make the requested time please let us know ASAP and we will contact the client to see if a time change is possible. Please note that the date of the casting cannot be changed.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you read all relevant information about the casting – the email casting notification contains all the information you need for your casting. We coordinate hundreds of castings every month so we know exactly what you need to know and provide all of this to you upfront. If you haven’t received the casting notification email for any reason, it is your responsibility to let us know. It is also not a plausible excuse if you fail to attend the casting based on the premise that you didn’t receive the details.

If you confirm your child’s attendance but then cannot attend a casting for any reason (e.g. illness, accident), please advise us immediately. Your child will not be penalised; we understand that these things do happen, however it is extremely important for us to notify the client ASAP in case they would like to see another talent in their place.

Make sure you take note of any wardrobe requirements if there is nothing specific then neat/casual clothes is perfect. You can also read the Castings Guide attached to your casting notification email and watch our Youtube videos for more tips and tricks.

During

We have looked at what happens before a casting, now let’s look at what happens during the casting. We have gathered a few important guidelines for you to follow so you can maximise your chances of making the best impression possible.

First impressions matter! Make sure you aren’t late to your casting, or that you don’t arrive too early. The client will want to ensure a child is reliable and on time when choosing a child for the role.

“Punctuality is key… five minutes early is enough,”

Be prepared with scripts for acting auditions and be sure to practice prior to the casting and again in the car on the way there.

Encourage your child to always use their best manners at castings and teach them to introduce themselves.

“Hello, my name is ____ and I’m from Bettina Management,” demonstrates a high level of confidence with just a simple sentence. It is also really nice to thank the casting directors when you leave, try to remember to call them by their name (especially for the older kids).

If your child is at an appropriate age (around school age, 6-7 years old), encourage your child to go into a casting independently and reassure them that you’ll be right outside waiting. A display of confidence, leadership and independence in a casting is a sure way for your child to catch a client’s attention. This shows the client that your child can work comfortably and effectively for some time without being attached to their parent, and that they can be their most authentic selves.

In saying that, by all means if you are not comfortable with your child going in on their own to read their script or meet with the client, do go in but be sure to try and stand at the back of the room so as not to probe your child with their lines.

Lastly, stay away from the temptation of school uniform as much as possible! If your casting is after school, take a spare change of clothes and get changed in the car beforehand – neat and casual is a must, unless specified otherwise when relaying casting details. Even if you have to give your shoes a bit of a scrub and your hair a bit of a brush, your neat appearance will make all the difference!

In summary:

– Punctuality

– Manners

– Confidence/Preparation

– Neat appearance

Also bear in mind, your presence at a casting will reflect on us as an agency and we have a lot of trust in our talent to help us maintain our strong ties with clients.  Remember, preparation and punctuality is key!

Watch this video to get an idea of what a typical modelling casting will look like HERE

After

Waiting

Once the excitement of the casting is over, a waiting period will commence.

It is normal to want to know the outcome of your child’s casting immediately. However, the industry has no set timeframe for confirming a child’s role in a job.

Clients can sometimes take days or weeks to call back to select the children they would like to use, or sometimes they simply call back straight after the casting. Unfortunately there are no designated time frames where we can say ‘it always takes 3 days’ or ‘you will definitely hear tomorrow’, because all production companies and clients have their own time schedule to work towards, and these vary. Some are pressed for time to meet deadlines, whilst others are planning well in advance. 

Remember, we will only be in contact if your child is selected to proceed to a callback or booking. Unfortunately, no news is not good news in this industry.

Why we can’t promise to call you

We often have up to 20 campaigns on the go at one time and we have many children attending castings all the time. Unfortunately we do not physically have the manpower in the office to call each and every parent to let them know if their child was unsuccessful. Also, in light of the above detailed ‘waiting’ period – do not jump the gun if we haven’t heard back from the client in a week and assume that your child hasn’t been selected. Rest assured, if your child is selected you will be the first to know!

Please refrain from calling the agency to check the outcome of your child’s casting, as we won’t have any more information than you until we hear from the client. As soon as we hear if your child has been selected for the role, we will contact you immediately.

On not getting the job

Don’t be disheartened, not everyone can get the job! That’s the whole point of a casting – to meet everyone in person and assess who would be the best fit for the job.  Dwelling on unsuccessful castings will not be of benefit to your child; instead, encourage them to prepare for a future casting, and build their confidence even further.

You can expect that your child may feel disheartened, however it is important to remind them that every casting they attend is strengthening their knowledge and ability to work in the industry.

On getting the job

Congratulations! Whether it be your first job or your seventh, that rush of excitement is still the same. Be proud of yourself! You must have impressed the client on the day and can now relax and look forward to being featured in a catalogue or commercial – and get paid for it!

Booking process

The booking process will begin as soon as we have the confirmed date of the shoot. Depending on which state you live in and the age of your child, will depend on the relevant forms you will need to fill out.

The day before a shoot we receive a ‘call sheet’ which will outline the times and location for the following day. More often than not, this will arrive in our inbox closer to the end of the day than the start! We do contact you as soon as we have the information, we will never purposely keep you in the dark with information you need to know so hang in there!

We hope that these tips have given you an insight to the world of castings with us at Bettina Management. We always strive to maintain strong relationships with our talent and clients and look forward to the same in return.

Good luck at your next casting!