This week, we sat down with casting director Shannon McIntosh to gain insight into the reality TV casting dos and don’ts.
Shannon started casting commercials and features in Atlanta nine years ago, then began working as a regional casting director in the south for several different shows like, Joe Millionaire and For Love or Money. After moving to Los Angeles four years ago, Shannon worked on almost twenty different reality and game shows, including The Bachelor, Survivor, Average Joe, and Who Wants to be a Superhero. She also recruits regularly for several new and existing MTV shows. You can check out Shannon’s profile and find occasional casting bulletins at her MySpace page. Shannon uses Reality Wanted to spread the word about new projects that she is casting!
Let’s discuss the audition tape. Tell us the dos and don’ts when it comes to making a reality TV audition video.
The first thing an applicant should do is simple — read the instructions and follow them. Most reality TV audition tapes should be no longer than three minutes. Always be sure to label your tape with all of your contact information such as name, age, city, state, and the show you're applying to.
What about people who are really good with graphics and have the ability to add special effects, etc. to their video?
Just because someone is great with computer graphics doesn’t mean we will be interested in them. Some applicants spend too much time editing a reality TV audition tape and highlighting everything but their personality. If the personality is poor and/or we don’t get to see their personality in the tape it doesn’t matter how much flair they add.
Let’s continue to talk about pet peeves or other don’ts when it comes to making an audition video.
Don’t film yourself against a window since you will end up looking like a shadow. Make sure you have balanced lighting on each side. It’s a good idea to have someone else film you since they can view audio levels, zoom in and out, etc. If you’re shooting a scene outside you will want to do it during the day so we can see you. Don’t film yourself in a loud environment such as near a street with car noise in the background. I have had tapes with people on the beach and we hear too much background noise from planes, the ocean, and other people talking.
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