5 Things Video Production Companies in NYC Will Ask When Casting Your Production

5 Things Video Production Companies in NYC Will Ask When Casting Your Production

Video production companies in NYC want to work with you to achieve your video production goals. Whether it’s to enhance your sales, create brand awareness, advertise or simply for a creative project, your production company will be your ultimate partner in steering your project down the right path…the path to success!

As you start working with video production companies in NYC, they will help you through the production process. But, It always helps to know what kind of information and input they’ll be needing from you to get started or move forward.

One of the many important details addressed in pre-production (the planning stage of film or video production) is casting, and they’ll need input from you to cast just the right talent in your video production.

Why Is The Casting Process So Important?

Casting is a catalyst for bringing your 2-dimensional characters to life. Whether you’re using actors to deliver scripted dialogue or hiring extras to stand in as employees, customers, audience members and so on, getting just the right people in those roles can make or break your connection with your target audience.

People become invested in videos that use visuals and people that they can relate to and that they enjoy watching. The more strongly they identify with your characters the more they pay attention and the more information they retain, so casting the perfect talent for your next film or video production in NYC is critical!

Here are 5 things video production companies in NYC will ask you when casting for your next production:

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1. What Characters or Roles Need to be Cast?

Is your video is a scripted piece featuring a diverse family, including a younger mom, older dad, adopted daughter and live-in nanny? Or, are you filming a corporate product demo, requiring actors to look like middle-aged business professionals. Perhaps you’re filming a commercial and need highly-fashionable retail customers.

OK, last one: Maybe you need a bunch of happy babies and puppies. Talk about creating audience appeal!

The first thing to thing about are the roles you will need to cast and the physical descriptions of each of your characters or extras. Consider their major descriptors: from hair and eye color, to physique, ethnicity, special talents required and even details like their general disposition.

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2. What Look And Style Can Be Applied To Your Talent?

I won’t name names, but I can think of a recent television commercial where the spokesperson’s style looked ridiculous and messy! When I hear the name of the company I can’t help but think they missed the mark with their disheveled spokesperson.

If you’re investing in a video production of any kind, the last thing you want is your audience to be paying attention to something other than your intended message, so I can’t stress enough how beneficial it is to identify the authentic look and style for each of your cast roles.

Style may seem like a minor detail, but it’s precisely the small details that help your video achieve a more authentic quality. Authentic details help create characters that your target audience can identify with, thereby enhancing the connection with them.

These details also reflect the quality of your brand, demonstrate your competence and show that you have a true understanding your target audience.

Authenticity can be created not only by casting the right people, but also by how the script is written, how the talent is directed, and how the cast is styled.

Video production companies will offer guidance from their producers, strategists and creatives and can also provide expert hair, makeup and wardrobe styling professionals to work on your video production.

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3. Where Else Might The Talent Be Used?

Many times, actors or actresses are cast for a role in a commercial or online video advertisement only to later be asked to extend the use of their image or voice to a print or radio campaign.

It’s fantastic to see a video campaign become so successful that it grows larger; but, in the interest of planning ahead, it helps to know from the get-go what else the talent might be used for in the future.

Will their image be used in print? Will their voice be used for radio ads or voice overs in subsequent videos or audio recordings? Are they intended to be a spokesperson, and will their image need to embody the brand they are representing?

Consider these potential future opportunities to create brand cohesion between videos, commercials, and other corporate campaign assets. This will help you find the best candidate for the role from the very start!

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4. What Level of Experience Is Required?

Actors’ experience can range greatly. Many ‘amateur’ actors are more than competent enough to handle a basic role, while someone with more diverse experience might be able to deliver a more complex role on camera. The differences in an actor’s capabilities may reflect in their day rates, but the value of their experience is worth the investment!

Will they need to speak on camera? Will they need to speak while performing actions? Or, maybe they’ll need to interact with an animal, perform a dance or lift a heavy item while delivering scripted lines!

It’s can be beneficial to find someone with experience on camera, and someone can deliver multiple different takes and options for you to choose from in post-production.

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5. How Will You Evaluate Them?

Knowing how you plan to evaluate talent – what you have time for and what your budget allows – can help your NYC video production company know what they will need to be arrange and coordinate. Here are some typical options for evaluating talent during the casting process:

  • Live casting sessions
  • Skype sessions
  • Phone calls
  • Virtual casting online

If you’re casting the perfect spokesperson to be used as a brand representative for years to come, a live session is best as it allows you to hold in-person auditions and run film so you can evaluate how each person looks and sounds on camera.

This can require a few hours per session, renting a casting studio, a small crew to run the session, plus the time afterward for you and your producers to review the actors on film.

A virtual cast involves placing a casting call on a website where actors submit for a roles. You can see your applicants, their photos, resumes, reels or samples on their site profiles. While this can be less costly than a live casting session, it still requires the time investment for your producers to look through and review all applicants.

Mapping out your answers to the above five questions above will give both you and your video production company a head start in casting for your next video production in NYC.

Most importantly, don’t forget that truly bringing your character or role to life requires creating a sense of authenticity. It’s incredibly beneficial to never under-estimate the value of stylistic guidance from creative directors, producers, as well as hair, makeup and wardrobe stylists.

Remember, that a production team with great experience has cast for many projects and has worked with many actors over the years, so they already have developed the knowledge of how to evaluate and select a stellar cast member!

If it seems overwhelming, never fear, for an expert video production company in NYC will guide you through every step and advise on best choices.
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