First Casting

There’s a first time for everything.

Casting for Live From E.V.I.L. was a first for me.

“So, Joe… How did it go?”

Wow! It was tough for a variety of reasons.

There were a lot of really good auditions. I’d asked for folks to come up with their own original character that would fit in at a party on EVIL Island, then voice a few lines. It was an opportunity to be really creative, and believe me, creativity is alive and rampant in Voice Acting!

But there’s only room for so many to be in the final cast. That’s where the process got tough for me. I had to choose between a number of exceptional submissions. Fortunately, I also had the invaluable help of a group of people – “The Council of Elders”. Some of them are voice actors, some directors, some engineers. One is not even in the business, but is an avid listener.

For those interested on what went on in my first casting experience, some details are below. Please note that every casting is different, and each casting director uses their own unique process. Knowing your casting director, the project, and the target audience may give you a better shot at landing the gig.

Here’s how my casting narrowed down the candidates to the final “Chosen Ones”:

First, I listened on a purely technical level. Was the recording acceptable? Did they deliver the lines in a believable manner? Was there enough material submitted to make a choice? These criteria weeded out some of the applicants, but not as many as I had anticipated.

Next, I considered the characters. How well would they fit on Evil Island? Were they different enough from existing characters? Did I feel they were truly original and would add to the series? At this stage, I was able to pare down the submissions to a manageable number. Time to enlist some help!

Then, I called upon the “Council of Elders” to rank the remaining candidates. For the purposes of this casting, I asked them to rank their top 5, and give me 3 alternates. Some of them also gave quite excellent comments, which really helped in tie-breaking the final choices.

Finally, I totaled up the ranks and took a hard look at the top choices. Again, I had to consider how they’d fit together as a cast, and how they’d work in a single cartoon. Well armed with the considerable help from the Council, I made the final selections.

The experience of going through the casting process from start to finish has definitely given me new insights on it. I have a greater appreciation for those who choose it as a job. And I hope these new insights will help me to better understand why I am cast… or not cast!

Now… On to the script writing process!!!

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com