Ramani Leah, CSA, Author at The Casting Director's Cut

Monday Myth Debunkers: If You Don’t Get a Redirect…

September 30, 2026March 21, 2022 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Monday Myth Debunker: No Redirect?. Do not do the math on what it meant.

That moment when you’ve finished the audition and you’re doing calculus in your head to try and figure out what the CD meant by, “That was great, we don’t need to do it again.” 🧮➕🧐💭⁠ ⁠ And the ruminating thoughts that follow and even haunt you?⁠ ⁠ We get it. ⁠ ⁠ 𝘞𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰.⁠ ⁠ That’s why today’s #mondaymythdebunker is about giving you some peace of mind in regards to getting a redirect… or not. ⁠ ⁠ 1️⃣ Every …

Monday Myth Debunkers: Your Self Tape is a Short Film.

September 30, 2026March 9, 2022 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Monday Myth Debunker: Short Film?. It is an audition, not a production.

Pilot season has us like 😵‍💫 so please excuse today’s 𝘞𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺 Myth Debunker.⁠ ⁠ We’re coming in with a hot myth today 🔥⁠ ⁠ Music, sound effects, title cards, sets—make your self tape stand out as much as possible, right?⁠ ⁠ 🚫🚫🚫⁠ ⁠ 𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨.⁠ ⁠ While we greatly appreciate your passion, effort and creativity, the fact is: your self tape is an audition and nothing else. ⁠ ⁠ 2 main reasons you should not …

Terminology Tuesday: Cross-Boarding

September 30, 2026February 22, 2022 by Ramani Leah, CSA

You may not know (or even need to know) what cross-boarding is but as we say a lot over here, #𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄, the better. ⁠ ⁠ Cross-boarding is a term that TV productions use when they plan to shoot two or three different episodes at the same time. ⁠ ⁠ This method is primarily used when a specific location is needed across multiple episodes and can only be used for a certain time frame. This is also more cost effective: long …

Monday Myth Debunkers: Having IMDB Credits Other Than Acting…

September 30, 2026February 21, 2022 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Monday Myth Debunker: Other IMDb Credits?. Being a multihyphenate is normal in this industry.

Have you ever had this thought or heard someone say it before?⁠ ⁠ We’ve been surprised to hear how many actors are concerned about this.⁠ ⁠ The very cool thing about our industry (other than creating intricate worlds and complex characters), is that a lot of us are multihyphenates.⁠ ⁠ How many times have you been introduced to someone who is an actor-director-writer-producer? Throw yoga instructor in there and now you’re really in LA 😉⁠ ⁠ Point is, this is …

Terminology Tuesday: Photo Approval

September 30, 2026February 8, 2022 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Once you get into some bigger, fancier deals as an actor (and you will!), among some of the fun things your agent will get to negotiate for you is photo approval. ⁠ ⁠ Photo approval, or sometimes called “likeness approval,” is the amount of input an actor is able to give for a still photograph or drawing taken of them for a project.⁠ ⁠ On the high end, some agents are able to negotiate 100% photo approvals when the actor …

Monday Myth Debunkers: It’s Harder to Book Off Tape vs. In Person

September 30, 2026February 7, 2022 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Monday Myth Debunker: Harder Off Tape?. Connection comes through on tape too.

Here are just a few of the concerns we’ve heard from actors during the overall shift from in-person auditioning to self taping:⁠ ⁠ “We can’t connect with anyone in the room anymore.”⁠ ⁠ “They no longer get a sense of my personality.”⁠ ⁠ “They don’t get a feel for my energy.”⁠ ⁠ While there may be some truth these statements, at the end of the day, they are rather irrelevant. ⁠ ⁠ Connection, personality and energy are all nice things …

Monday Myth Debunkers: All CDs Share the Same Opinions.

September 30, 2026January 31, 2022 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Monday Myth Debunker: Same Opinions?. Casting is an art, and no two artists are alike.

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙮𝙩𝙝 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙪𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.⁠ ⁠ You may have not thought of it this way, but casting is an art. ⁠ ⁠ It requires a certain taste and appreciation for storytelling. ⁠ ⁠ 𝔸𝕟𝕕 𝕟𝕠 𝕥𝕨𝕠 𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕤 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕒𝕞𝕖.⁠ ⁠ The casting process certainly has a business aspect and process. ⁠ ⁠ And the process does have many similarities across platforms and mediums. ⁠ ⁠ But that does not mean CDs share the …

Terminology Tuesday: Pilot Season

September 30, 2026January 18, 2022 by Ramani Leah, CSA

It’s official! Pilot season is… 𝘏𝘌𝘙𝘌!⁠ ⁠ Anyone feeling it yet?⁠ ⁠ Pilot Season is the time between January and April when networks are casting for and shooting pilots (the initial episode of a series) as a test run for the show. ⁠ ⁠ Traditionally, shows begin to air in the fall, which is why it made sense for Networks to start the pilot process in early spring.⁠ ⁠ And thus “pilot season,” (aka, the casting dark ages) was born.⁠ …

Monday Myth Debunkers: You Need to be Wealthy…

September 30, 2026January 10, 2022 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Monday Myth Debunker: Need to Be Wealthy?. Acting is a business with an initial investment.

Acting Classes, Headshots, Casting Site Memberships, Dues, Coaching, Personal upkeep…⁠ ⁠ Acting can feel expensive. ⁠ ⁠ Here’s the tea ☕️⁠ ⁠ Just like any professional career: medicine, law, teaching, IT, engineering, real estate, beauty etc., there is a level of initial investment for education and a certain amount of materials to start your business. ⁠ ⁠ Yes, we want you to embrace your craft and relish in the art, but your career 𝘪𝘴 also a business. ⁠ ⁠ What …

Monday Myth Debunkers: You’re Too Good for Co-Star Work.

September 30, 2026January 3, 2022 by Ramani Leah, CSA

Monday Myth Debunker: Too Good for Co-Star?. Co-star work is a valuable step.

Let’s start off the new year with a myth we hear allll the time. ⁠ ⁠ We get it, you want to hop the fence and skip to the good part. ⁠ ⁠ But doing co-star work is actually an incredibly valuable (and important) step in your #actorjourney⁠ ⁠ Once you’re thrown into the guest start & up pool, things can get a lot more… competitive. ⁠ ⁠ And while we are always interested and eager to meet new actors, …