Filmmaking 101: Casting

The search for the best people to embody your carefully crafted characters can be a long road. Where do you find them? How do you articulate what you need so you get the best people to audition? What prep should you make? Should you work with a casting agent? What should your budget be?  

In this workshop Casting Assistant Sherrelle McCalla, will demystify the casting process and give you plenty of tools and tips to find the best talent for your project as well as creating specific, realistic and effective character briefs.  

This workshop will give you a rounded understanding of casting your project solo, or with a casting professional and provide you with plenty of practical elements you can implement on your next project.  

Topics covered will include:  

  • Where to source actors from online:   
  • How to define what you look for so you get the best person for the role.  
  • Writing a concise and considerate character bio.   
  • Typical steps of castings and timeline.  
  • Narrowing down your choices during self tapes and auditions.  
  • Budget   
  • Working with a casting assistant / associate and actors agent if needed.  

The workshop will be a mixture of talk and practical group exercises, with plenty of time for you to ask question.  

About Sherrelle McCalla  

Sherrelle McCalla is a Northwest based Freelance Casting Assistant. She obtained a BA in Television and Radio Production from The University of Salford in 2015. 

Since then, she has gone on to earn a certificate in Casting from the National Film and TV School; the course chaired and created by renowned Casting Directors Jane Arnell, Shaheen Baig and Jina Jay. 

Sherrelle has experience working with various production companies, such as SKY TV and Red Production Company.  

Since deciding to make the transition in to Casting, Sherrelle has had experience with Casting Directors Lucy Casson, Fiona Weir, Jessica Straker, Sonia Allam, Ri McDaid-Wren and Alex Irwin. 

Sherrelle was part of the casting team with GRANDMAS, an multi award-winning directing duo, for the music video Down By The Tree by Pearl City, featuring rapper and dancer Blackhaine. Further TV credits include, CBBC kids’ drama Silverpoint, Dance School for Channel 4, Sky TV’s Brassic as well as shows soon to feature on platforms ITVX, Channel 5 and Amazon Prime.

Picture credit: Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Duration:
3 hours

In person.

Over 18 only.

Tickets are available as ‘Pay What You Can’. The suggested price for this event is £10 but there are a range of ticket prices so you can choose what you can afford from the options.