Why didn't I get the job?

Getting a casting is very exciting...

Whether you're a seasoned auditioner or it's your first time, there is always a chance that you may not get chosen for the role.

Ever wondered why this might be? 

There are many steps involved before we receive a brief for a casting from a client. Often, every detail included in the brief is carefully planned and considered for the advertisement, catalogue or acting role in question. Alternatively, the client could only have a rough idea of what they are looking for and open the door to different options; relying heavily on our opinion and skills to match the brief accordingly. Clients may realise upon receiving submissions, which type of child would add the right character to the role. 

Walking out of the casting feeling like it went really well is comforting, but it pays to remember that clients might like all of the talent, and still have to choose someone based on a collaborative decision. Mostly, we are not told why talent are unsuccessful, similar to adults auditioning for modelling and acting roles. However, experience has suggested that these are a few reasons that contribute to missing out: 

• If they have to cast for parents, one child could suit the 'family' more than others and create a more realistic look
• The child role could be cancelled at the last minute or changed to a different age group
• Your availability for shooting dates and flexibility may not suit schedule
• Another child may resemble more so, what the client has in mind for the brand upon meeting in person
• Personality is key. It makes the choice easy for the client if one child comes in rather shy, followed by someone who is excited to be there and confident in their interactions. 
• Experience can sometimes play a part, especially for older children in acting roles. This can be evident straight away with introductions and reading of scripts (this is where acting courses can help significantly to assist with scoring the role) 
• It's subjective to different photographers and different producers across the board - we could think someone resembles the role but the client will choose differently depending on a range of other factors
• Upon meeting talent, the client could change their mind about the type of child they would like for the role, nothing is set in stone!

So remember, every casting that you attend will help with confidence for the next one. 

Try not to get disheartened about these processes, chalk it all up to experience!

Casting 101 - Part 3 of 3

After

Waiting

Once the excitement of the casting is over, a waiting period will commence. Patience is a virtue - that we need to have too! Clients can sometimes take days or weeks to call back to select the children they would like to use, or sometimes they simply call back straight after the casting. Unfortunately there are no designated time frames where we can say 'it always takes 3 days' or 'you will definitely hear tomorrow', because all production companies and clients have their own time schedule to work towards, and these vary. Some are pressed for time to meet deadlines, whilst others are planning well in advance. However, there are times when a client will let us know when the shoot is scheduled for, and in these cases we have a rough idea as to when we would be expecting a call. Especially if we have had to check your availability for shoot dates prior to attending the casting!

Why we can't promise to call you

This is an ongoing process, we have many children attending castings and unfortunately we do not physically have the man power in the office to call each and every parent to let them know that their child was not successful. We are constantly focusing on new jobs coming in, and organising current castings that are happening that week. Also, in light of the above detailed 'waiting' period - we do not jump the gun if we haven't heard back from the client in a week and assume that your child hasn't been selected, so we don't call to tell you 'we still haven't heard anything yet.' We encourage you to call us after a few days if you are dying to know (completely understandable!) and we can let you know the progress, if any thus far.

On not getting the job

Don't be disheartened, not everyone can get the job! That's the whole point of a casting - to meet everyone in person and assess who would be the best fit for the product or campaign. There is a lot more that goes into it than what meets the eye! Attending a casting or audition will help you to gain practice and an understanding of how everything works while building on your experience.

On getting the job

Congratulations! Whether it be your first job or your seventh, that rush of excitement is still the same. Be proud of yourself! You must have impressed the client on the day and can now relax and look forward to being featured in a catalogue or commercial - and get paid for it!

Booking process

The booking process will begin as soon as we have the confirmed date of the shoot. Depending on which state you live in and what age your child is, will depend on the relevant forms you will need to fill out. The day before a shoot we receive a 'call sheet' which will outline the times and location for the following day. More often than not, this will arrive in Anna's inbox closer to the end of the day than the start! We do call you as soon as we have the information, we will never purposely keep you in the dark with information you need to know so hang in there!

And when all the hard work is over....?

Casting 101 - Part 2 of 3

During

We have looked at what happens before a casting, now let's look at what happens during the casting.

We have gathered a few important guidelines for you to follow so you can maximise your chances of making the best impression possible.

Our National Casting Manager Anna Armstrong shares her wise words and important tips:

'Punctuality is key. You have to be careful not to be too early, but you most certainly can't be late! Five minutes is early enough, there will usually be lots of kids attending the casting so the less crowded the better. Be prepared with scripts for acting auditions and be sure to practice prior to the casting and again in the car on the way there. 

If your child is at an appropriate age (around school age, 6-7 years old) encourage them to go into the casting room alone when they are called. This will display confidence, leadership and the capability to be separated from Mum or Dad for a short period of time and will give the client assurance that if picked for the job, they will be happy and at ease to do it. In saying that, by all means if you are not comfortable with your child going in on their own to read their script or meet with the client, do go in but be sure to try and stand at the back of the room so as not to probe your child with their lines. 

One of the other things I love the kids to do is to introduce themselves. A simple 'Hello, my name is _____ and I'm from Bettina Management' again demonstrates a high level of confidence with just a simple sentence. It is also really nice to thank the casting directors when you leave, try to remember to call them by their name (especially for the older kids). 

Lastly, stay away from the temptation of school uniform as much as possible! If your casting is after school, take a spare change of clothes and get changed in the car beforehand - neat and casual is a must, unless specified otherwise when relaying casting details. Even if you have to give your shoes a bit of a scrub and your hair a bit of a brush, your neat appearance will make all the difference!' 

Thanks Anna!

So, let's summarise:

- Punctuality
- Manners
- Confidence/Preparation
- Neat appearance

Also bear in mind, your presence at a casting will reflect on us as an agency and we have a lot of trust in our members to help us maintain our strong ties with our clients. If you have any questions at all pertaining to a casting, we are always happy to help. Remember, preparation and punctuality is key! XX

Should I take advantage of unpaid work?

AT2 is a great space for interacting with the future leaders of the entertainment world. Everyone needs to start somewhere, and more often than not - they need our help. Opportunities are endless with upcoming directors, photographers, independent clothing labels, independent music labels, boutique companies, university students and charity organisations using AT2 as a platform to find suitable talent for their projects. 

Messages that you receive in your Brief Inbox (in AT2) will always be from non-paying clients and will always stipulate 'NON-PAID project' on the brief. These will be from AT2 (not us) and you need to contact the client directly for further information. For all paid work opportunities you will be contacted directly by the Bettina office.(Refer to this blog post for more: Casting 101).

Even though there is no money involved, there are many benefits to participating in unpaid work:

1. Experience and resume building
2. Confidence building 
3. Attending auditions helps to improve skills so you can learn to nail it every time
4. Keepsakes in the forms of photographs, videos, music clips for bragging rights and your own hall of fame!

Here are some beautiful examples of just some of the unpaid work our talent have been involved in this year:

AT2 is a secure and trusted site. All potential clients undergo security and working with children checks required by law. If you ever have concerns or questions about a particular client or job offer, don't forget that we are here to guide you through the processes. We are here to give our advice about age appropriate projects, content you are unsure of and things like time expectations for filming/shooting to ensure you are partaking in what will promise to be a highly enjoyable experience. 

At the completion of any such project, we would love to hear from you if we haven't already. Please send any Behind the Scenes shots or completed works to: info@bettina.com.au and be sure to add it to your child's profile for maximum exposure. You can check out this post on AT2 photo uploading or this post on AT2 video and resume uploading for assistance if required.  

Video above: Special thanks to (in order of appearance) Amelia, Annalise and Ella all Brianna Lehrke Photography, L'oreal Fashion Festival 'How to be a Fashionista' expo with (L-R) Mia, Amber, Mimi & Tyler, followed by Imani, Isaac and Joey for Brianna Lehrke Photography, Jonathon in the paper for a short film, Jonathon in a still from a music video clip for Rufus - Take Me, Romani shooting a short film, Shakaya for RMIT fashion shoot, Shalyn for Caitlin Morey Photography and Mariam for papier mache magazine.

Casting 101 - Part 1 of 3

Before

The notice we receive for castings can vary from a few days to a few hours. To meet our client’s expectations we always try as best as possible to fulfill their needs and requirements, in turn, we are exceptionally grateful to the mums and dads who make these short notice castings possible.

We will always call both parents as first mode of contact; we will leave a voicemail followed by a text if no one answers (also bear in mind we call from a blocked number). All castings are considered urgent. 

You will receive a text message such as the one to the right:

If the casting is for today or tomorrow the message will say:

‘Please call Amanda regarding a casting request for your child ASAP. Phone Bettina Management on 1300 888 611.’

Please treat all casting correspondence with a sense of urgency even if the message does not stipulate what day the casting is. We still need to get back to the client as soon as possible with the confirmed children. Upon not hearing back from you, we will have to let the client know you are unavailable and proceed to choose other children in your place so it is always in your best interest to call us back ASAP so that you don’t miss out.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you receive all relevant information about the casting – after speaking to you on the phone, we will email you all the information including date, time, address, map (if applicable), and other relevant information you need to be aware of prior to attending. If you do not receive this email, please contact us immediately! We don’t know that you haven’t received the email unless you tell us. This is also not a plausible excuse if you fail to attend the casting based on the premise that you didn't receive the details. 

If you cannot make a casting due to illness/ changed circumstances you will need to let us know immediately. 

Please refer to/ refresh your memory with this blog post on First Casting Jitters to help with preparation once your casting has been confirmed! 

A Fool Proof Guide to AT2 - Part 3

The Nitty Gritty

Part 3 of 3

This last section on our guide to AT2 will focus on the Video and Resume features that are available. The most commonly asked question about these features is 'Are they necessary?' There are certainly uses for both of them, regardless of experience. The more information the better!

Luckily with our AT2 package, the video function is accessible to us all. The video could contain a few things:

1. The most common video is a 'Showreel'. A Showreel is a collection of featured work and is always requested in the adult acting world. If your child has a few TV commercials or featured work examples under their belt, collate the clips together to create a visual example of all recent jobs. If your child has completed one TV commercial (or video clip, featured in TV series, background of TV series, extra in film etc.) simply show a video of just that experience.
2. If your child hasn't received any work, the video could be one of a dance concert, school concert, musical production performance or something similar that demonstrates skills and abilities.
3. With the absence of both of the above, it is acceptable and often helpful to upload a video of your child talking to the camera or playing/laughing/moving so that clients can visualise outside of the limits of a photo to gauge interaction skills.

Uploading a video is similar to uploading a photograph (please refer to Part 2). Simply go to the 'Video' tab > press 'Edit' > and upload your video.

Once it is uploaded - your child's profile will look like this:
Sorcha has uploaded a video of her acting at home to display her skills:

And Dominic has uploaded a video of a Worksafe TV commercial he is featured in:

Let's move onto the Resume section.

There are two types of resumes that you can use on the AT2 site - one is a generic PDF resume, and the other is a credit resume which means you can secure attachments of examples of work.

When you click the Resume tab this will appear:

PDF Resume: Irrespective of whether your child has experience or not - it is still possible to have a resume should you so desire. For a child without any experience it can be helpful to simply fill out a resume detailing your child's hobbies, interests and personality. Make sure that you include any extracurricular activities or achievements to date as well. For children that have had work, make sure that you put all of the jobs and dates in chronological order. You may also jot down the castings you've attended (even if you didn't get the job!) because every bit of experience counts, and all castings contribute to confidence and as a stepping stone for the next one.

See below for an example of a PDF resume for Dominic detailing paid work:

 Example of a PDF resume for Keshika complete with all skills, education and relevant experience:

A Credit Resume is a great way to show examples of work your child has completed to correlate with the written description. Click 'Add Table Section' to start. The below will pop up and this is where you enter the names of jobs:

So for example, you could put in: Target May 2013 or Australian Country Spinners 2010
On the right hand side is a little icon of an image - this is where you click to upload the Target image or the Australian Country Spinners image.

Once entered it should look like this:

This type of mini resume is probably ideal for parents who have lots of copies or images of printed work or links to videos of ads. It is a quick, concise way to get an overview of all experiences. For other children, a simple PDF resume will suffice.

Last important things to note:

There is a tab for Skills that has an array of tick boxes from accents to dance experience to singing to sporting ability. Whilst we do have on our file most of your child's abilities, these do change or exceed (for example beginner, intermediate, advanced) - be sure to edit when needed. This will make it easier for clients when they are searching for specific abilities on the AT2 database. 

Finally, of course any help needed with any aspect of AT2 can be directed to our Bettina HQ to email address: info@bettina.com.au. We want everyone to make the most of their AT2 membership. Hopefully this 3 part series has been able to help some of you to gain a stronger grasp of the AT2 site. Remember, if you have any ideas or questions that you would like to see in further posts please email: jade@bettina.com.au

Thanks everyone! 

A Fool Proof Guide to AT2 - Part 2

The Essentials

Part 2 of 3

Now that we have The Basics covered, it's time to take a look at the aspects of AT2 that can significantly help or hinder your progress.

Sizes

Changing clothing sizes is imperative to ensure your child is being submitted for the right jobs at all times. As soon as a clothing or shoe size changes we need you to update this on AT2. We won't know it has changed unless you tell us! And we know how fast theses things can happen, kids grow.. all the time!

In order to change the clothing size click on the tab 'Profile' and then where the tab says 'View | Edit' press 'Edit'. The screen should look like this:

To get to clothing size, scroll down! Look at the arrow below for where you need to change the shoe and clothing size:

It is also beneficial to call us and let us know too, so we can alter it on our internal database!

Photographs

With our package on AT2 - you have the option to upload 10 additional photographs of your choice.

Before we learn how to upload the images, let's make sure they are in the right format first!

> It's much easier if the image is formatted to a 'JPEG.' file If it is not already in a JPEG, go to the photograph where you have it stored and press 'Save As.' Underneath the 'File Name' there will be a drop down box for 'Save as type' as shown below. Simply make sure the 'JPEG' option is selected.

Alright, now for the fun part. Follow the instructions to upload a photo:

1. Click the 'Photos' tab.

2. Where it says 'View | Edit', click 'Edit'.

3. The screen will then look like this:

4. When you click 'Add New Image' this screen will pop up:

5. Click 'Add Files' and find the photograph/s you are wishing to upload. You are able to upload more than one at a time which is handy and saves time!

6. After the photo uploads, the next screen will show the images one by one and have a button that says 'Auto Crop & Resize' - click that button, then press 'Submit & Finish'. All done!

NB. If you have wish to change the default picture at any time throughout the membership, please let us know first. Sometimes, if a parent puts up a photograph that is not suitable for our clients as a default without alerting us, we will not be able to submit the photograph forward to the client on account of professionalism.

Similar to the extra photographs, even if not serving the purpose of a default photo per se, the photographs can and will still be looked at by clients and casting directors alike. Some photos that look great on the fridge may not be appropriate for AT2! They should still retain an element of professionalism, despite being taken at home for fun.

Below are a few examples of appropriate and inappropriate photos for AT2.

Here are some good examples:

In these gorgeous photos we can see the child's face front on, we can see his unique features i.e. blue eyes, shape of face (nose, mouth) and also, with the first photo - a bit of character in his smirk. Note the below photograph too:

It can be easy to simply stand your child in front of a wall in the house as naturally as possible and get them to show you a big smile. The clients need to see exactly what your child looks like in an everyday situation. We don't encourage fanciness and frills, clients are searching for cute and happy kids.

Now for some inappropriate examples:

Despite the undoubted cuteness that radiates from each of the above photographs, things such as food, baths, not looking at the camera, being too far away and hiding the face with a hat are features that aren't ideal to be presented to the client. Also, for the older kids self taken images 'selfies' aren't necessarily appropriate either, but please check with one of the staff first. 

We are always available should you require further assistance with AT2! You can email info@bettina.com.au  with any images for us to check or for help.

Stay tuned for Part 3! Also, if you have any questions that we have not yet covered (next part will cover videos and resumes) please let me know: jade@bettina.com.au

Thanks everyone!