Casting a low-budget comedy is fun but tough.

Actors I would obviously go to are usually too expensive, not available because they are so busy or booked or just not interested in working for scale. I have to be creative, resourceful and think outside of the box. I research online and look at comedy blogs and webisodes. I go to the comedy club websites and research new talent or old talent who haven’t had a break. I search for talent who are looking to be found. The Internet has made this search much less complicated. It is still hours of work, but I no longer have to go to a comedy club and sit through bad comedy in the hopes that I find someone. Every stand-up comic or improvisation group worth their salt has an on-line presence and I bookmark them.

I must understand my director’s sense of humor. There are all different types of humor and actors with different backgrounds my have different senses of humor that do not match the director’s take on what is funny. Not only do actors have to understand the comedy beats in the script, but I do as well, because usually I am explaining the beats to actors during pre-reads.

Actors who have been on a sit-com for several years tend to come into an audition and rely on their persona as the character they played on television. This can be great if that is what I am looking for but if it is not, the role goes to someone else. An actor trained in improv can be really quick on their feet but be “too big,” and not subtle enough, not real or not listen to direction very well. A dramatic actor can often be, well, too dramatic and not come out of their shell. A stand-up may not be funny outside of their act. So, once again, a lot of auditions have to be held in order to find what I am looking for.

I want the best actors for any film that I am working on. If there are financial limitations in the budget, I need to focus the production team on realistic choices and bring those options to my director. This does not mean that you don’t offer the role to someone outside of your financial range. Casting is like applying to colleges. You have your 1st choice, safety and reach actors. The important thing is to feel like you have had your choices presented to you and that all of the possibilities have been explored and explained to you. I explore those possibilities. I target actors and try to be smart about who I recommend the production to go out to.

Producers have to be realistic about the financial burden an actor brings to a low-budget film. For example, recently, I made an offer to a well-known actor for 10k for one day of work. The actor liked the film and the role but said he would only do it for 25k. The one day of work was really 2 days of travel, one day of rehearsal and one day of shooting. That is 4 days, plus per diem, first class travel/hotel/above-the-line to/from airport/set etc… In addition production has to budget for the actors health/pension/welfare contributions. All totaled up, the actor was now going to cost the production 35k. Suddenly, a great expense when money is tight.

Getting a recognizable name into a film isn’t always the hard part; the financial ramifications of travel alone make a line producer nervous. On a film I am casting, the producer is fine with the negotiated salary of an actor we want to hire, but the first class travel, dietary requirements and accommodations are enough to make the producer rethink his choice and ask me, “can we get a name for scale?” I just smile. I know where this is going. More auditions…