Using CCP

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Hi All

I hope this finds you rested and recovered after the festive season and well nearing the end of January 2008.

As many of you have noticed, we are now posting higher paid castings onto CCP, many of which are coming from well known and respected production companies, producers and casting directors.

Many of these employers have contacted me after their casting sessions to thank us for the high calibre of talent they are seeing, and more often than not, employing. For this I say “Congratulations!” and keep up the great work. There will be many more great castings to come.

Unfortunately, in addition to these positive conversations with employers, we are also informed of other incidents, which to be blunt, can only be viewed as highly unprofessional. These incidents are not going unnoticed.

It's quite simple – if you behave unprofessionally it's not good news for you, for Casting Call Pro and the members who are being professional, or the employer. No one wins. You don't get the gig, you waste your time and more importantly the time of your potential employer. Believe it or not, employers remember actors who have let them down and don't re-hire them based on past experience.


Please take note of the following:

READ THE ENTIRE CASTING BRIEF AND APPLY ONLY IF YOU MEET THE REQUIREMENTS.
If a casting brief clearly states production and performer requirements, know that they have been listed for a reason. Employers take the time to specify what they require, so we expect you, as professional actors, to take the time to read the casting brief and apply ONLY if you meet the requirements.

We can, and do, monitor actors who have applications that have been denied on the basis of not meeting clearly listed requirements. Subscriptions have been cancelled permanently based on this and we are well aware of others who are not far off the same fate.

DO NOT APPLY FOR A CASTING IF YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT AVAILABLE.
If a casting brief states the date and location of casting, shooting, performance etc and you are aware that you cannot make these dates DO NOT APPLY. Actors have put themselves forward for jobs, are then contacted by the employer who would like to see them for a casting, to only be told by the actor that they are not able to make the date – despite the date being listed in the brief. Completely unprofessional and a waste of everyone's time.

DO NOT MAKE UNSOLICITED CONTACT WITH EMPLOYERS.
I sometimes get calls from actors asking why a company's name has been withheld on the casting brief. It's simple. The employer has listed the company name previously, only to have received unsolicited contact from actors wanting to be ‘given a chance' for a job that they perhaps do not fit the requirements of, or ‘just in case' another role comes up. They've heard it all before. They don't have time for it. Go through the appropriate procedures, otherwise you are generally viewed as a nuisance. Again, this is completely unprofessional behaviour. I have been sent the names of actors on CCP who have made unsolicited calls and emails, so don't go thinking that we aren't aware of this.


I know there are many of you who are conducting yourselves professionally and that the above doesn't apply to you – but we will take action against any of our members who fail to follow these very simply guidelines.

Remember, Casting Call Pro is a site for professional actors, and if you do not conduct yourselves professionally, you are in breach of the site terms and conditions and your subscription can and will be cancelled.


If anyone has any questions pertaining to the above, please do not hesitate to email me.


Kind Regards
Lisa Williams
Castings Manager


  • 16 years ago
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I echo Sasha's experience/dismay at being called for an audition I was extremely interested in the following day, when I was booked on an acting course I had already paid a substantial amount for, and would let all the actor's down if I did not attend the project, which was undersubscribed. I explained that unfortunately I had another commitment I could not shift, and asked politely if I could come early evening or another day. I was very upset to get no response thereafter. (This was a reputable London fringe company).

I just got another audition for a film through the site, and no acknowledgement of my email that I cannot make the time, and need to shift it to later. Soooo frustrating!


  • 16 years ago
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Lee Ravitz
Actor

Certainly you're right, Amanda - this kind of thing is incredibly frustrating for the actor (and tends to work according to 'sod's law', in my opinion - how many times in a week would you be free to see them otherwise, but the dates just have to coincide!!?).

Still, while it's not exactly polite for a company to refuse to get back to you if you say you can't make an audition, I can understand it. They just work on the assumption that there are other fish to be frying, and there is not enough time to make talking to someone who *won't* be available a priority. Either they will get back to you eventually, when the audition has been and gone, and they have the time to do so; or they will assume that your declaration of unavailability says it all, because there is no room in their schedule for rejigging dates, and leave things at that.

You always have more chance of getting them to reconsider if a) they are likely to be auditioning a small number of people, and so, being able to see you *in any capacity at all* becomes more important than writing you off on a technicality or b) they are offering a lengthy sequence of audition dates, and they can switch you over to another date, because the first date was given somewhat arbitrarily anyway.

But, beyond that, I guess, if they are seeing a great many actors, over a very specific number of days, don't have you in mind for anything in particular, and it doesn't suit them, I see no reason why they would bother to go to the trouble of chasing you up any further. It's simply not in their interest.

This doesn't make it any easier for the actor, I know, and I suppose it would be nice to feel there was more sympathy coming from those in the business when we are unavoidably held up because of prior *business related* commitments - but a majority just work on the principle of 'are you in, or are you out?' and that's that for them.

I guess this *is* a form of professionalism in a way - certainly, it's a hard - nosed mentality - and it will always work on the principle that, if there *is* a clash, you should be making your mind up as to what is most important to you. Ultimately, there will be many out there who will say that the stark choice facing you when you are committed to something already and a clash comes up is: do you accept that the earlier commitment is enough for you, and turn them down, or do you cut ties to your early commitment at short notice, and go for the new audition? In effect, there are some company managers, I have no doubt, who will see your inability to commit body and soul to their initial audition (let alone their production) as a black mark against you.

I think we can all sympathise with the situation in which you don't want to let other people down, of course - and, also, naturally, with the issue of whether abandoning something long arranged in favour of going to an audition you may *not even land* is valid. And many an actor would naturally want to support his/her fellows.

All I can say is there are some hard-nosed pragmatists out there (especially those running companies, who are business people as much as they are creatives), and they don't suffer (what they may see as) fools gladly.

What we have to hope for as actors are a) the miracle of dates failing to clash b) sympathetic adminstrators who *will* respond to problems we may have c) companies coming to *us* for roles, and then being prepared to wait till we're good and ready to offer ourselves (in an ideal world, at least ;) )

Good luck with the next few applications!!!


  • 16 years ago
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Casting Call Pro is an employment website. CCP can no more force employers to contact all applicants who apply for a job, than the Guardian website can force employers to contact all applicants who use their system.

Sometimes employers don't respond to applicants. It sucks. It's a kick in the guts. But there isn't a profession that exists where this doesn't happen.


  • 16 years ago
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Erm... I may have missed something in the longer threads, but I thought the whole point of this thread is that the members of ccp are being moaned at for being unprofessional and the people posting on the thread are saying this is unreasonable as we can't possibly be expected to keep ourselves available incase that unpaid student film we applied to 2 weeks ago suddenly wants us for a casting at 9am in the morning?

Have I missed the point here?

S x


  • 16 years ago
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Alan Brent
Actor

I think perhaps the Castings Manager should possibly make some further statement in line with the discussions on this forum?


  • 16 years ago
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Lisa's post states 'Do not apply for a casting if you know you are not available. If...you are aware you cannot make these dates, do not apply'.

I can only assume that Lisa has posted this because there is a small minority of actors that have, for some reason, been applying for stuff they clearly aren't available for, that they don't intend to do. (For reasons known best to themselves).

I'm pretty sure Lisa was targeting those who are doing this intentionally.


  • 16 years ago
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Really I don't think we should get our knickers in so much of a twist about this. On the equity job information service it says -

"Please ensure that you only apply for work for which you are suitable and that you contact the employer only in the way they stipulate. Failure to do so may result in employers becoming reluctant to give us job information and will jeopardise the service."

Though the equity website/jobs service asks in a much gentler way it is asking much the same as Lisa at CCP. Sadly there will be a small minority of CCP members and for that matter equity members who will do inappropriate things. As long as you knows that you apply for work in a professional and responsible manner I wouldn't take too much notice of Lisa's post. Life is far too short and I am sure it's really only aimed at a tiny minority.

Cheers
TRACEY


  • 16 years ago
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Hi all, been reading this thread with interest. (it reminds me of those long..long.. Shooting people debates!)

Ok……Firstly, anyone who would apply for a job, KNOWING FULL WELL they are not actually available to do it - is displaying a such a lack of common sense and professionalism as to indicate they are probably not going to listen to ANY advice/instructions from CCP. Whilst the rest of us are now getting concerned that its aimed at US when we...

A. decided AFTER being offered a casting in which the TRUE nature of the Job is finally revealed and found to be less than implied or is simply `taking the proverbial` so we decline the offer.

Or

B. have taken on another commitment since applying for the job.

Both of which I feel are 100% legitimate reasons NOT to accept an invite to attend an audition.

And I feel it's is unrealistic and unfair to expect us to behave otherwise.

Furthermore, we risk confusing the issue by getting all the professionally minded actors a bit wound up over something that is NOT an issue AND at the same time losing focus of the REAL villains.

I feel the 2 sets of people who need `politely` asking to look at their behaviour are the minority of actors who sub themselves with no thought or sense of professionalism for roles they are not available for/not right for. AND the minority of casters/directors who think actors are a cheap commodity who can be messed around, made to jump through ever higher hoops with barely a please or thank you. Who abuse their position of power as `gatekeepers` to our employment, an asymmetrical power balance that means we rarely feel able complain about bad treatment often received from this minority of caster/directors for fear of repercussions that will affect our career, we feel obliged to...`keep 'em sweet at all costs`. While they have no such pressure and can moan about us simply because we didn't pander to them enough or had the audacity to accept another job, or were unwilling to work for an insulting wage.

In summary...

YES YES YES! The guilty actors SHOULD be warned/discourage/sanctioned even

NO NO NO! The Guilty casters/directors SHOULD NOT have their petty, divisive & unfair grievances/demands legitimised.

Anyway just my views…have a great day y`all

X
Jon


  • 16 years ago
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I use CCP as both an actor and casting director, though mainly actor.

When I was casting for the pantomime I did last year, obviously the first place I looked was here, and had a few responses. It was a low paid job as it was my first production with a very low budget, and quite a sporadic tour. I explained this to the interested actors and some came back saying they were sorry it wasn't what they were looking for and some replied that they would attend the audition.

I didn't have a problem with those who told me they weren't going to come, whether it was monetary, to do with the hours of the tour or just because they were unavailable. What did annoy me was the amount of applicants, and a couple were from here, who did not come to the audition after saying they'd be there. I found that thoroughly unprofessional and while I didn't complain, I would never consider them for an audition again.

I think being on both sides means I understand that when given more info than I can fit in the brief, not all actors want that job, but I was prepared for that, and think that's part and parcel of the casting directors jobs.

On the note of replying to applications, I found it very difficult to reply to everyone who applied, which I had really tried to do, but ended up replying to people who attended the auditions. I think it is completely inexcusable to be auditioned and not get a reply!


  • 16 years ago
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Lee Ravitz
Actor

All a good last set of points, reiterating many of those already made. Essentially, this thread began as a warning being sounded by CCP to the minority who abuse the privileges of a casting - thereby making CCP look poorer in the eyes of the profession (as well as letting themselves down).

I think many actors wished to have a say in reply about how unprofessional they believe certain casting directors/companies can prove, and that the deal cuts both ways. Admittedly, this is preaching to the converted, because all of those who would bother to post to the forums in the first place are thinkers, and hardly those who are going to abuse their relationships vis-a-vis CCP.

Basically, there was undoubtedly a bit of a knee-jerk reaction amongst some who felt that CCP posting such obvious advice about professionalism to the forums was somehow calling into question their own powers of judgement. But from the CCP side, I suppose they felt a message needed to be conveyed, and the forums would be the only place to do it. The irony, of course, is that because you only get access to the forums if you are fully paid up, and I suspect that most actors who bother to read (let alone write on) the forums are the sort who take their career seriously, this 'advice', however well - intended, could seem a bit surplus to requirements.

Any 'dissension', however, is clearly a storm in a teacup, and CCP failing to reply to this long discussion indicates, I think, that they are not unduly worried by the 'contention' either. I am sure CCP will uphold its standards, and so will all professionally minded actors working for them. The thread has mainly developed because, frankly, we all like to have a say about things. And why not? Is there a point to an open forum otherwise?


  • 16 years ago
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Yup Lee - very well put!


  • 16 years ago
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