In the entertainment industry, everything is rush rush until you are booked, then you as a talent are stuck waiting for details for said shoot. Additionally if you are put on hold, first refusal or are pinned it’s the same situation. Behind the scenes, we cannot see what is happening, in the end these people are trying to decide who is the perfect fit for the job.
Let’s start this from the beginning:
You audition for a job, whether it’s acting, voice over, modeling or other. You submit the best you’ve got using a blue or green screen, editing the video and or audio so it sounds clear, precise and looks professional. Then you hit that send button. The best thing to do at this point is forget about this job and focus on the next opportunity. Just because you received an audition, you are not considered a final pick at this stage.
Once said job has narrowed down or decided on their desired talent, the agent notifies said talent of this, including the shoot dates and location.
- If this is a booking at this point, you will be requested to provide your email, phone number and sometimes a variety of other information including sizes, description of video, copy of vaccination card, copy of drivers license, SAG ID number and more.
- If this is a First Refusal, Hold, or Pin then you will need to confirm you are available for said dates and are willing to hold the date.
- You can receive a callback for the project. Typically a callback, in today’s world, is a zoom type session with you, the casting director and the end client. If you receive a callback it is advised to wear the exact same clothes you wore for your audition and have the same look.
Let’s say you booked this job. Now the wait begins for additional details from the CD, production, or the end client. Many times this information trickles in, especially if the project is currently filming. If the project is filming every day, production only knows what and who to schedule when when their shoot for the current day is over. Things happen during shoots, sometimes good or bad that can affect the schedule for the following day.
Once you accept said job, you are committed to do it, even if you accepted a job at a rate you are not thrilled about. The worst thing to do is to cancel one shoot to do another. This will give you a bad name in the entertainment industry. This can also get you removed from rosters.
While waiting for details, know your agent isn’t holding back information. As soon as they have the details they make sure you have your details. Emailing, calling or texting your agent every few hours does not help the situation and it makes you as a talent look impatient and unprofessional. Many times the final details for the project do not come in until the night before, even at midnight.