The term casting is originally from the English language but is also accepted by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ). The notion allows us to refer to the process of choosing models or actors for a certain job .
For example: "My daughter asked me to take her to a casting since she dreams of acting on television" , "The appliance brand organized a casting to choose the next figure for its commercials" , "The young Argentine woman was selected in a casting and will participate in the famous director's new film .
In a casting, participants must demonstrate their skills to convince those responsible for defining the cast or distribution of a work. It is common that, in the case of actors, participants must play the role for which they are applying: in this way, selectors can compare the different qualities of interpretation.
Suppose a TV director is looking for a child of about ten years old to play the role of the son of the protagonist of a soap opera. In order to find the right child for the role, he leads a casting that takes place at the channel 's facilities. In this way, all the young people who participate in the process are asked to perform a short scene alongside the adult actor. After observing the evidence, the director can choose the little one who seems most appropriate to add to the novel.
On the other hand, there are artist selection processes that require a certain degree of improvisation on the part of the applicants, something that may involve greater or lesser difficulty, depending on each one. There are actors and singers who prefer to express themselves with total freedom, without being subject to a script or score, since in this way they can make the most of their creativity and show themselves as they really are.
Of course, the ability to improvise a play or a song is not so normal, and that is why many castings choose to give participants a sheet with the material they hope to see represented in the test . One of the advantages of scripting the casting is that all candidates can be compared taking into account the same parameters; Regarding improvisation, we must not forget that sometimes it is the element that modifies the script on the fly and turns a good work into a gem of cinema, theater or the world of music.
Organizing and carrying out a casting takes a lot of work, as well as an investment of time and money that can be quite considerable. First of all, we must understand that screenwriters and composers write their works with different points of reference, either thinking about ideal performers or even being inspired by people in their circle; When the time comes to see them represented by strangers, they must go through a very particular adaptation process.
According to some of the anecdotes of those who have organized various castings, surprise is a recurring element most of the time, both for better and for worse: sometimes they encounter applicants who do not understand at all the role they must play, but also There are those who offer a better interpretation than the writers expected, and this has an impact on a revision of the work that can enrich it considerably.
It should be noted that there are television programs that combine the concept of casting with the contest mode. Those who participate must show their skills (for singing, acting, etc.) while competing against each other. A jury and/or the public are responsible for choosing the winner.