5 Easy Ways To Find Actors For Student Films.

5 Easy Ways To Find Actors For Student Films.

When starting in your filmmaking career it is unlikely you will have the money to pay actors. Beginner and student actors are on the lookout for film projects to work on. If you are new to filmmaking feel free to ask friends and family to act in your films. Even if they are not actors this is an easy way to cast your film and practice directing. here are 5 Easy Ways To Find Actors For Student Films.

1. Drama Schools And Clubs

School and College drama classes or local drama clubs. Where ever you live in the world there will be an acting club near you. Ask the drama teacher or club organiser if you can talk to the acting students about your production. I used this method for casting the short films I made in school, it is an easy way to approach a large pool of actors all in one place.

2. Online Casting Sites

There are several actors casting sites online. I will list the major ones but you may need to search for local sites that feature actors near you. Even a student film can attract a professional actor if they like the screenplay. Backstage a has a huge dictionary of actors (Mainly for USA and London Work). There is a monthly fee but this might be worth it for larger independent productions.

Star Now allows you to post a casting call for free (There is a small monthly charge if you wish to use all of their services). They have a few countries featured on their lists. *I found Star Now to be particularly useful for casting child actors my last short film. I provided my details and they have done a CBS check on me which allowed me to set up auditions for the child actors with there parents.

3. Facebook Groups

If you are not already using Facebook groups to interact with local filmmakers online you may be missing out on a trick!

To find cast and crew for your film use the Facebook search bar as you would Google to find groups near you. For example – I type into the search bar Actors in the UK. I make sure I am on the group board tab and check out the results – how to find actors for student films.png
Most countries and cities will have Facebook groups dedicated to Cast and Crew. Uses Search keywords words such as Filmmaking, Casting, Actors, Film Crew as well as your Cities name. When I type in Chicago Film I have a lot of search results with groups featuring casting calls and film crew jobs.

4. Posters And Advertising

The old way of casting actors for a movie was to put up ads in local newspapers. This may still work if you want a large number of local people for production. Creating posters and leaflets can work. Place these posters in Drama schools, Drama clubs, Community noticeboards and local theatres. When you approach actors in Drama schools you could always pass them a leaflet with more information about the project.

5. Agencies

A professional ‘even well known’ actor might take an interest in your project if they like the script. Occasionally professional actors perform in shorts films to try out different roles they wouldn’t normally be cast within. An agent may also cast their actor in a low budget film to improve their showreel or expand their acting experience.