There are at least 20,000 actors with professional representation in BC, with such a range of ages, looks, connections, skills and abilities that the scope of what might be “normal” is so vast that there *can’t* be an easy answer. Anyone with an easy answer is answering an easier question.
So I’m going to answer an easier (but still complex) question, that I think reflects what the actor I was talking to was really looking for:
“What does it *mean* that I am getting # auditions per year?”
Now *that* I can shed some light on. I’ve been teaching and coaching for 23 years, and I’ve talked to a lot of actors about the number and kind of auditions they’re getting. I’ve had many conversations with actors, parents, casting directors and talent agents.
Here’s my best guess, combining auditions for all professional projects,
including film, television and commercials:
<12 Auditions Per Year – <1/month: Low
13-50 Auditions Per Year – 1-4/month: Medium
50+ Auditions Per Year – 1+/week: High
Casting directors only choose actors to see for auditions who they think might be “marketable,” i.e. might be a good option for that role that they can send to the producers, who make the final decisions about which actor to cast. So if an actor is being chosen for audition regularly, it means that casting thinks that the folks in charge might want to hire them.
An important piece of information to take into account is that casting directors almost never have the time and resources to see all of the actors who are submitted for an audition. For a commercial audition casting may get 800-1200 requests from talent agents (i.e. “submissions”) and choose up to 100-200 to see. For a film and television audition there are typically 200-600 submissions, and 20-40 actors chosen to audition. So that means casting is auditioning 10-20% of the actors available to them for each role.
Commercials: Yes to 100 potentially qualified actors; No to 700 potentially qualified actors.
Film+TV: Yes to 20 potentially qualified actors; No to 180 potentially qualified actors.
All of those actors, the “yes’s” *and* the “no’s”, have professional marketing materials and a professional talent agent.
How casting decides who to see for an audition depends on the type of project, where in the world it’s casting and shooting, and the personality and preferences of each casting director. It also depends on perceptions of how “in demand” actors with certain looks are, and those actors skills, abilities and professional experience. And with the relationships casting has with individual actors and talent agents. Again: no simple answers.
What we *can* say is that taken all together, if an actor is being chosen to audition regularly, then casting thinks that there’s a chance for them to work professionally *right now*.
If an actor is *not* being chosen to audition regularly, it could be about acting skills, marketing materials, camera technique, or just that there’s not a lot of perceived demand for actors with that look right now. There’s no real way to know for sure, although everyone you ask will have an opinion about it.
So what can you do, if you want to get more auditions than you’re getting right now?
Acting Continue to develop your acting abilities, so that when you’re chosen to audition you give a performance that casting sees as a marketable option to send to producers. Actors who consistently deliver marketable performances will be chosen to audition more regularly. This is especially important for film and television, where a skilled and believable performance makes a bigger difference in casting decisions. You can take a weekly acting class, get private coaching, read scripts, do acting workshops, practice monologues, do movement and voice classes, and work on your emotional range.
Marketing Update your marketing materials and especially your headshots so that you look “marketable” at thumbnail size, which is how casting views submissions when choosing which actors to audition. This is especially important for commercials, which are primarily about whether you look like the kind of marketable they want. For film and television, you can audition for student films and independent films to get more credits on your resume, to help casting see that you are already marketable and working. Ask your talent agent if they have any advice for how to make your marketing materials more effective in convincing casting directors to choose you to audition for them.
Camera Technique Practice on camera. Watch your own self-tapes, watch self-tapes from other actors online, and get feedback on your self-tapes from professionals so that you can be confident that your work meets a consistent professional standard. Watch videos about self tape technique, and do self-tape auditions for student films and independent films. Record yourself at home practicing your monologues, or working on scenes with friends. Almost all professional auditions are self-tape auditions, and it’s important for actors to be able to consistently produce a professional looking self-tape at home.
If you’re looking at this thinking, “But Michael Bean, I’m already doing those things!” then that’s great! You’re doing all that you can, and even the most skilled and dedicated actors will have times in their life where for inexplicable reasons they are not “in demand.” Keep doing the acting that matters to you, get support from other actors who are navigating this strange uncertain industry, and let me reassure you that in my experience an actor who keeps their passion for doing good work alive has the very best chance to make good on the opportunities that come their way.
If you’re looking at all this and thinking, “That’s great, there’s some things in here I haven’t been doing, I wonder if one of them will help me get more auditions?” then that’s great! That’s just what I was hoping for.
All the best,
Michael Bean
Acting Teacher
@confidenceoncamera
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p.s. I’ve contacted some talent agents to fact-check my percentages, and in my next email I’ll include any corrections or additional information. Talent agents have the most experience with this, because they are the ones engaging diverse actors over time, and hustling to try and get their actors as many auditions as possible.