total upgrade: background to speaking roles

Sarah Cayce
Feb 7
4 min read

Imagine GLADIATOR without a crowd? Ridiculous. Background acting is super important for all films. Whenever you can get on set as background, I highly recommend it - it's a great way to learn, work with the people you want to be working with, and connect with folks.

The Process Changes

There are so many more hoops to jump through with principal (speaking) roles, and casting offices are looking for different things with background and principal roles.

Background Process

You submit a selfie with your availability.
If you're selected, you're booked, and sent all the info we have as soon as we have it.
You head to set, shoot, and go home when you're finished.
You head to a screening at your local theater to see if you made the cut of the movie!

The Principal Process

You train with processionals in the acting styles you'd like to pursue
You submit your professional tools: Headshot, resumé, demo reel, and websites to talent agents, who then submit you to casting offices
Agency submissions: We filter hundreds, sometimes thousands, of submissions from talent agents for each role, and select folks we think have the best shot of being what the clients want to see.
Auditions - We send audition information to only the selected folks and watch all their auditions. Our office presents all the auditions and a folder of our favorites.
Callbacks - The clients want the tapes, and let us know who they want for callbacks. We schedule those callbacks, host them in-person or online, and upload them for client review.
Booking - The clients let us know who they'd like, and we take care of all the paperwork in the booking process. We give your info over to production, and they get in touch with you with more info.
Set Days - You head to set, work, and head home.
Post-Production - You could be called for ADR, additional photography, or a myriad of other things needed to finish the movie. Those days are paid in addition to your shoot day rates.
Premiere - You'll be invited to the premiere! Get dolled up, my friend! These are usually more exclusive
Screenings - Take your family and friends to see the movie when it's out now that you're off the red carpet!

New Expectations

Like all industries, training comes first
You’ll be treated as professionally as you present yourself. Actor tools:
- Headshots
- Resumés - Get the free template at forge film acting
- Demo Reels
- Actor Websites
You’re a CEO, not a hobbyist - welcome to show business. - You need to know when invoices are owed, what contracts say, and what they mean. Don't get caught in the rain relying on everyone around you. While your agents job is to take care of you, make sure you know what's going on within your business just as well as they do.
- Your team - Finding the right coaches, teachers, mentors, agents, and collaborators is your job just like other businesses. Make sure you have a team that fills your gaps and pushes you forward!
- Be the pony they send to the race - Your agents have a stable full of ponies. Staying sharp and letting them know what you're up to is your job. Their job is to send you to races you don't have access to. If you don't tell them how much you're growing, your new goals, etc. how are they going to know how to help you best?
- Sling spaghetti - There's not one secret formula for success, so sling spaghetti at the wall and see what works for YOU as an actor. What works for you works for you, and throw the rest out the window.
- Tell us who you are - not the other way around. - It would be insane if McDonalds let us walk up and we got to tell it to cook whatever we want. Instead they tell us what's on the menu, and if that sounds good to us, we pick something off the menu. While actors are a lot better than fast food, it's the actor's job to tell the casting director who they are - not the other way around.

Background Rates	SAG Theatrical Rates ('25/6)
$15/hour	$1,246/8 hours

Quick Dos and Don'ts - BG to Principal Work

Follow all the instructions - Pay attention to the instructions, then follow them closely!
Have a clear background in your audition tapes - limit the number of distractions for us, my friend!
Make choices that make your opinion clear - We're looking for your opinion as casting directors, so make sure your character choices are clear. Stay in classes or coaching to stay sharp!
Ask questions if needed - If you don't have enough information, like any other department head, you need to ask questions. You're the expert here, so ask the questions you need to get your job done.

The expectations are different, the pay is different, the hoops to jump through are different, but they're all part of the casting process. If you ever have questions, you're always welcome to book a consultation with Lauren or me to ask all the questions. We're here to help!

Good luck out there,

Sarah