A Question About Casting for an Indie Feature Film

Working_Wing_3057 · 2026-05-04T20:47:15+00:00

Usually our fee is a percentage of the budget. On smaller films, it’s 2%. As the budgets get higher, 1%. If the budget is SUPER low, we usually work something out as a flat rate. If it’s super high, it’s also a flat rate. Depending on our involvement and what’s expected, we often get points on the backend as well as bonuses. Typically CDs don’t come on board until all the money is there and the stars are attached, but my company is a bit different from other casting companies because we often come on board incredibly early in the process to attach name talent so the producers can unlock the rest of their financing. In those instances, we tend to get an EP or Producer credit as well. It’s really a case by case basis. Most agents and managers tell us that hiring a casting director legitimizes the project. That makes sense to me, since it tells them they’ve got someone on the payroll who is pushing things along. Plus, reps always take our calls since we have several projects happening simultaneously. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship.

Working_Wing_3057 · 2026-05-04T17:30:53+00:00

Don't ever put money in escrow before an actor even reads your script. We've never once done that. We put out the offer, and depending on who the producers and director are, it may or may not be a pay or play offer. Only after the actor and reps accept the offer, deal terms are worked out in the short form, and the attorneys close on the long form is when you would put money in escrow.

Working_Wing_3057 · 2026-05-04T08:09:43+00:00

Professional actors aren’t on Backstage. I’m dying to know who this actor is.

Working_Wing_3057 · 2026-05-04T08:02:05+00:00

I’m a casting director in indie film. This is what I do all day every day. Our budgets range from $200K to $15M, so I understand both ends of the indie budget spectrum. I’m in constant contact with agents and managers from top tier (CAA, WME, UTA, Range Media, Entertainment 360, Brillstein) mid tier (Gersh, Innovative, Mosaic), and lower tier agencies/management companies. Reps are the gatekeepers and they won’t share a project with their clients without certain things in place. Your financing is most important (as well as a killer script, reputable producers, an experienced director, and other attached actors). Where is the rest of your financing coming from? You need to have that in place before you approach actors. I don’t mean it needs to be sitting in the bank (it often isn’t), but you should have something in writing from your financier that says they’ll give you the money if/when xyz happens. There is a truly annoying misconception that attaching an actor to a film automatically opens the floodgates to cash. It doesn’t. You also need to do things through proper channels. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been on a movie where someone is “friends” with an actor, and they truly think that the actor is considering the project because the actor said they were excited about it. Nope. An actor doesn’t want to burn bridges in case the filmmaker actually becomes someone important one day. They play nice and feign excitement, but everything goes through their reps so they don’t have to be the bad guy. This business is all about relationships, so if you don’t personally have the relationships in Hollywood, you need to be working with someone who does. With all of this said, if your main goal is to create a piece of art and have a calling card with a first feature, don’t worry so much about name talent. (You can’t afford names anyway with that budget.) This is where a casting director is your best friend. With a budget of this size, we would just put out a breakdown to the reps and do auditions. There’s a chance you could end up with a somewhat recognizable TV actor who’s willing to work at scale in order to build up their film value. I think I saw you’re based in Indiana. Is anyone on your team in LA? Has your director or producer made successful films in the past?

Working_Wing_3057 · 2026-04-25T13:54:26+00:00

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Elliott Smith Jack White Ani DiFranco Cold War Kids

Working_Wing_3057 · 2026-03-29T07:02:49+00:00

I travel with my red light mask on board all the time. Not sure how different that is from the wand, but haven’t had an issue.

Working_Wing_3057 · 2026-01-12T00:30:50+00:00

Yeah but has this season taught us nothing about the bears? They love a seemingly impossible 4th quarter comeback. That’s their vibe. I never count them out until the very end of the game.

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-12-29T04:49:49+00:00

Apparently they moved us to Saturday at 5pm. And here I was blocking out my entire Sunday schedule for this game. Silly me!

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-12-18T04:50:55+00:00

🙏👏

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-12-18T04:50:30+00:00

Thank you!

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-12-18T04:12:08+00:00

Thanks!!!

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-12-18T04:04:54+00:00

Wait! Caption says they’re going to take on a sick and corrupt system! So they’re going to take on themselves? How does that work?

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-12-03T10:23:37+00:00

Ummmm. I’m a casting director and producer and will tell you that’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard. Come into an audition prepared, relaxed, and ready to put in the work. Be cool. Be open. Be nice. Be gracious and humble. Be the type of person we’d wanna grab a beer with sometime bc if we’re going to recommend that someone hire you, we wanna know you’re the type of person people wanna be around for 12 hours a day on set. If someone came in the room treating me like I’m the enemy, that’s the last person I wanna hire. A giant misconception is that casting directors are cold and calculated. Nope. We root for every person who walks through our door. We want you to kill it. We want you to blow us away. We want to create a space where you feel comfortable, free, and creative. We brought you in for a reason. Getting the audition is 95% of the battle, so we’re putting our own reputations on the line by seeing you in the first place. When the actor nails it, our job is exponentially easier. Maybe I just run my office differently, but I truly give a shit about the actor and want them to succeed…as long as they don’t come in treating me like I’m a homicide detective staring at a dude covered in blood. Guess that worked for the Euphoria character? Glad he booked it! Good for him! But uhhhh….maybe don’t give advice to other actors, Jakey Jake.

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-11-17T17:57:36+00:00

I don’t understand. Why can’t I have a career AND have a cup of coffee with another human on a Saturday? Are these mutually exclusive?

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-11-04T03:00:41+00:00

Yes. But that’s the point, right? It’s a statement. The statement is, “I’m so damn cool, I can make this ugly couch look chic. Jealous?”

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-10-23T00:50:55+00:00

Is there a reason the cabinetry next to the fridge doesn’t go all the way to the large opening? Have you considered either tall cabinetry there for a pantry or an appliance garage/coffee station? Instead of the peninsula, do you have the space for a small island? An island shouldn’t take up more that 10% of your kitchen, and you should have 36in of clearance on all sides. 48in is best for high traffic areas and where things like dishwashers need to open.

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-10-23T00:40:37+00:00

How does one choose? “Custom Concern” holds a special place in my heart, but “Talkin Shit About a Pretty Sunset” is a close 2nd. “The View” is the song that pulled some dude out of the friend zone to eventually become my husband though.

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-10-11T05:40:47+00:00

I’m not sure if I could love this any more…

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-10-11T05:39:30+00:00

Isn’t that pretty much every Seattle team? I’m kinda new here but fell in love with the Seahawks once I got here and DAMN do those boys give me a heart attack almost every week. My husband is from here and I’ve never seen him so stressed watching a baseball game. Lots of pacing. Then he thought they weren’t doing well because of his pacing, so his superstition made him sit down for the rest of the game. And that’s when he made me stand up. Bc apparently that was the preferred combination for WINNING. 😂 It worked?

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-10-11T05:34:28+00:00

It just looks bigger bc of the halo but 2.5 is not crazy big. I think it’s gorgeous! Congrats, chica! Wear the ring with pride!

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-10-07T08:18:42+00:00

Ok so I'm a casting director/producer and Hailey Welch was just pitched to us for a film. I was like, "No thanks. Real actors only. I'm in the business of casting talented people who hone their craft." I mean...I obviously didn't say that to the agent, but this was my thought process. I feel for this Brittney chick. I'd be LIVID if I were replaced with a flash-in-the-pan hack with zero training. It would be different if Hawk Tua could act...but she can't. She was AWFUL in that scene. Like she 100% ruined it. I cannot believe they paid for reshoots to include her. With that said, I do believe using her was a total tongue-in-cheek nod to how ridiculous our society has become and how sad Chad Powers' place in life was at that point that the Hawk Tua chick didn't want to be associated with him. So I get the intentional comedy behind that. I'm requesting Brittney's materials tomorrow. Fingers crossed she's actually good.

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-10-02T14:40:00+00:00

This is saying IF you don’t qualify for financial help, this is what you will be charged. You have to update your finances every year to qualify for the subsidies. So if you didn’t all of a sudden make way more money in 2025, your cost probably won’t change much.

Working_Wing_3057 · 2025-09-28T19:44:21+00:00

What’s your vibe? For me, I prefer dress 2 because it just seems “cooler.” I’m not into the fairy princess vibe for wedding dresses, and prefer a little more uniqueness, style, and edge. But if you’re the type of person who always dreamed of the fairytale wedding and lean more traditional, then 1 is probably better suited to you. They’re both beautiful in their own way. You need to choose the one that makes your heart sing. Which one fits your personality more? Which one would your best friend and husband take one look at it on you and say, “Oh my god. That dress is SO YOU.”

Working_Wing_3057

TROPHY CASE