Say What You Mean: Writing Effective Casting Calls | Salt Lake City Utah conceptual portrait photographer
What is a casting call?
A casting call is a posting with the intent to recruit participants in a mutual cause, like an audition or photo shoot.
Components of an Effective Casting Call
An effective casting call answers the WH-questions in as few words as possible. It's a delicate balance between giving too much information right away and providing too little to generate interest.
Typical WH-Questions to Answer
After identifying the types of talent you need, I consider the "Why" to be most important. The more someone can catch your vision, the more likely you are to find people willing to work with you. Give them a reason to want to participate. Here are three ways to do that:
1) Share your inspiration. If at all possible, include an inspirational image from your own portfolio. If you don't have on that works, you can include an image you find online; BUT, be warned that this can be misleading. Even clearly indicating that the image isn't yours can make people believe you can create images just like that one, and if you can't deliver there could be a team of highly dissatisfied participants who will never want to work with you again.
2) Compensation. If you're posting a casting call asking people to pay you, it is no longer a casting call; it's an advertisement. Do you have to pay your talent? Well, no. But it helps. Images from a photo shoot can also be considered payment.
What is a trade shoot?
In the situation where images function as payment, your shoot is what we call a "trade". It means all participants exchange your time and talents and receive images to add to your portfolio in return. It can be a valuable exchange when you're starting out, but it can also be a poison. Shooting with anyone and everyone for free just because they don't cost money doesn't always yield portfolio-worthy images. I'll write more about choosing trade work wisely in another blog post sometime.
If you've ever looked through casting calls you might recognize abbreviations like these:
3) Add the Sprinkles. Think out of the box. If you were browsing job-wanted ads somewhere and all of them started with "I need a model who's willing to work for free", which is basically what most casting calls these days ask for, one would start glancing for differences. You could be that difference. Skip the obvious and be different. "I need a model who can pose upside down." "I need a makeup artist with access to glow-in-the-dark paint."
Let's Try One
Here are a few examples of casting calls with common problems. (I've actually seen casting calls like this in the wild!)
Do these problems mean the casting call isn't effective? Not in every case. But they can be improved.
Problem: Not enough information.
"Looking to do a shoot with a summer theme. Message me with interest."
Improvement: Identify to whom you're looking for.
"Looking for a female model to do a shoot with a summer theme. Message me with interest."
Problem: Too much information.
"I'm a photographer and I just moved here from Arizona. My sister wanted to be my model but she just got sick with the flu and had to back out. I'm looking to do a shoot with pencils, pens and erasers for a back to school theme. We'll be meeting at my house in [city] in the morning and be shooting by noon. I don't have any makeup skills but I'm willing to help and..."
Improvement: Cut to the chase.
"I just moved here and want to work with local models and makeup artists on a back-to-school shoot this summer. We'll meet in [city] in this Friday morning and finish by late afternoon."
Problem: Ambiguous budget.
"I need a MUA for a bridal shoot this weekend that doesn't cost an arm and a leg."
Improvement: Indicate a budget span instead.
Note: I have never, ever seen a casting call that said "I am looking for someone who is outrageously priced" or "I need someone who is outside my budget". It's your casting call. If someone replies and is outside your budget, tell them so. Let them compete for your business without your help.
"I need a MUA for a bridal shoot this weekend. Pays $50-75 for an hour."
To Summarize
A casting call is a posting with the intent to recruit participants in a mutual cause, like an audition or photo shoot. The most effective casting calls answer the WH-questions (who, what, where, etc.) in as few words as possible. Help potential candidates catch your vision, be clear about what the participants get in return, grab their interest and enjoy the variety of responses that call can yield!
What will your mind see today?
A casting call is a posting with the intent to recruit participants in a mutual cause, like an audition or photo shoot.
Components of an Effective Casting Call
An effective casting call answers the WH-questions in as few words as possible. It's a delicate balance between giving too much information right away and providing too little to generate interest.
Typical WH-Questions to Answer
- Whom are you seeking? What talent do you need? Models? Makeup artists? Hair stylists? Photographers? How many of each?
- What is expected of participants?
- What criteria do they need to meet? For example, do they need to be 18 years or older?
- Where will the shoot take place?
- When will it happen?
- How long will it last?
- Why should they participate?
After identifying the types of talent you need, I consider the "Why" to be most important. The more someone can catch your vision, the more likely you are to find people willing to work with you. Give them a reason to want to participate. Here are three ways to do that:
1) Share your inspiration. If at all possible, include an inspirational image from your own portfolio. If you don't have on that works, you can include an image you find online; BUT, be warned that this can be misleading. Even clearly indicating that the image isn't yours can make people believe you can create images just like that one, and if you can't deliver there could be a team of highly dissatisfied participants who will never want to work with you again.
2) Compensation. If you're posting a casting call asking people to pay you, it is no longer a casting call; it's an advertisement. Do you have to pay your talent? Well, no. But it helps. Images from a photo shoot can also be considered payment.
What is a trade shoot?
In the situation where images function as payment, your shoot is what we call a "trade". It means all participants exchange your time and talents and receive images to add to your portfolio in return. It can be a valuable exchange when you're starting out, but it can also be a poison. Shooting with anyone and everyone for free just because they don't cost money doesn't always yield portfolio-worthy images. I'll write more about choosing trade work wisely in another blog post sometime.
If you've ever looked through casting calls you might recognize abbreviations like these:
TF: Trade for __images__
TFP: Trade for Print
TFI: Trade for Images
TFCD: Trade for CD
TFP: Trade for Print
TFI: Trade for Images
TFCD: Trade for CD
Short history lesson. A long time ago it was called TFP, when one would "Trade For Prints". When digital images came along and services like Dropbox weren't invented yet, it slowly became TFCD, "Trade For Compact Disc". As technology advances seemingly exponentially, a simple abbreviation has been adopted: TF.
Let's Try One
Here are a few examples of casting calls with common problems. (I've actually seen casting calls like this in the wild!)
Do these problems mean the casting call isn't effective? Not in every case. But they can be improved.
Problem: Not enough information.
"Looking to do a shoot with a summer theme. Message me with interest."
Improvement: Identify to whom you're looking for.
"Looking for a female model to do a shoot with a summer theme. Message me with interest."
Problem: Too much information.
"I'm a photographer and I just moved here from Arizona. My sister wanted to be my model but she just got sick with the flu and had to back out. I'm looking to do a shoot with pencils, pens and erasers for a back to school theme. We'll be meeting at my house in [city] in the morning and be shooting by noon. I don't have any makeup skills but I'm willing to help and..."
Improvement: Cut to the chase.
"I just moved here and want to work with local models and makeup artists on a back-to-school shoot this summer. We'll meet in [city] in this Friday morning and finish by late afternoon."
Problem: Ambiguous budget.
"I need a MUA for a bridal shoot this weekend that doesn't cost an arm and a leg."
Improvement: Indicate a budget span instead.
Note: I have never, ever seen a casting call that said "I am looking for someone who is outrageously priced" or "I need someone who is outside my budget". It's your casting call. If someone replies and is outside your budget, tell them so. Let them compete for your business without your help.
"I need a MUA for a bridal shoot this weekend. Pays $50-75 for an hour."
To Summarize
A casting call is a posting with the intent to recruit participants in a mutual cause, like an audition or photo shoot. The most effective casting calls answer the WH-questions (who, what, where, etc.) in as few words as possible. Help potential candidates catch your vision, be clear about what the participants get in return, grab their interest and enjoy the variety of responses that call can yield!
What will your mind see today?
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