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Level Up Your Casting

Have a semblance of a package together before approaching sales and financing companies to have more productive conversations. PLUS using your independence as a strategic advantage.

Stacey Parks

Aug 11, 2023

One of the topics of discussion recently in the FS Pro Group has been on how to level up casting. This actually coincides quite well with what we talked about on Tuesday in regards to Financing Packages, since putting together financing often goes hand-in-hand with attaching talent to a project.

For instance, you could have a great script and finance package ready to go, and be gearing up to introduce your project at a fall market like TIFF, MIP, or AFM, however without actors attached you won’t have as meaningful conversations as you would otherwise. It’s why I often push clients to put some semblance of a package together before approaching sales and financing companies. Simply put, you’ll have more productive conversations.

Obviously with the current SAG strike, it limits your abilities to fully package a project somewhat, BUT you can also use your independent status as a strategic advantage. First by applying for an interim agreement (which studios cannot do) and then offering actors something they can’t get with the studios and streamers who are still mainly utilizing a buyout approach.

Your Strategic Advantage

Sometimes bigger name actors will sign on to a project because they see a path to back-end participation. They might even agree to a smaller up front fee (like Schedule F or even Scale) in exchange for a bigger piece of the pie where they can share in success of the film.

Another lever you can pull as an independent production is more flexible scheduling. The bigger the actor, chances are the less down time they have between projects - so if you can schedule your film around their various commitments and make it work for you and them, then you have a much better chance of securing them for your film.

I went through this a few years ago when we had a name actor who wanted to sign on to the project but we had to wait almost eight months until she was available to shoot with us…. and we did wait, and it was absolutely worth it both creatively and financially.

Yes you have to exercise patience but I’m here to say every time I’ve rushed into attaching someone just because they were available, I always regretted not being patient and just waiting for the right one. And you usually end up over-spending when you’re in a rush to attach and/or backed into a scheduling corner.

And finally, as an independent you can offer actors creative input on the script and their character / role in the film. I’m finding this is important lately in motivating actors to choose attaching to a smaller film versus taking another studio film where they have zero say on creative discussions. You’ll notice some bigger actors like to balance doing one or two Indies a year where they have more of a say on things, with doing bigger studio and streamer projects where they can get a bigger paycheck which enables them to take on smaller projects from time to time.

So there you have it, a few ways you can use your independence as a strategic advantage when it comes to talent packaging.

What questions do you have? Hit me up in the comments below!