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What do casting directors really do? "Usually I work very closely with the producer and the director and get a feel for what they want," says casting director Michael Shortt.

"If you tell me that you want upscale mom, country club mom, tennis or soccer mom...I'm not going to throw in someone who looks like they should be working at a 7-Eleven."

Amazingly, talent isn't the only consideration in deciding who gets the job. In many cases, it's simply a matter of genetics. If the main actor is short, a casting director wouldn't choose a tall woman to play his wife.

But how do you find the talent in the first place? You put out a casting call. Shortt explains that for a casting call, he could call people he's already familiar with or use people from his talent agency or other agencies.

Actors who are interested would then submit their photographs -- which are called comp (or composite) cards -- and resumes to the casting director.

The casting director then sorts through the pictures and resumes and decides whom he wants to see.

"If it's an open call, you meet everybody who shows up. If it's by invitation, you only call the people whose picture you're interested in, which is preferably how I like to work.

"Then you start putting them together. After they all leave, you take thumbtacks and stick them up on the wall in groups."

But the job isn't necessarily over after a casting director makes their recommendations.

"If it's a big movie, once you cast them and if you're high enough up, then you're done. If it's a smaller film, you have to drop back and do extras. It depends on the kind of production you're doing," Shortt says.

It's very difficult to get started in a career as a casting director. It's important to work your way into it through other areas and learn the field.

Shortt recommends being a production or casting assistant for several years. "I'd recommend anybody to be a production assistant to start with, because you need to learn a little bit about everything."

Casting director Brian Hughes always wanted to work in the film industry. After considering the different departments in the field, he chose to be a casting director. "Since every production needs a casting director and there are so few of us, it seemed the route to go," he says.

What does Hughes' job involve? He is one of the first crewmembers hired in the early stages of pre-production.

As soon as Hughes gets the script, he lists all of the characters according to how many scenes or lines each has. Then he categorizes them as lead, principal, actor or extra.

Then he meets with the director and discusses each character in depth "with regard to look and personality, and I put all of this information into a cast breakdown."

Hughes then submits the breakdown to all of the local talent agencies. The agents go over the breakdown and submit their actors for the characters that suit them.

"After you've received the submissions, you wade through them and decide whom you would like to audition. You also distribute 'sides' to the agents to give to their actors. Sides are usually scenes in the script that you would like the actors to read during their auditions," Hughes explains.

When the auditions are complete, Hughes reviews the videotapes and casts actors for the smaller roles. He chooses callbacks for larger roles.

"Scheduling the callbacks is similar to scheduling auditions except that there are usually new sides, and some people may be called back to read with other actors to see how they look and work together. After the callbacks, the cast is chosen. Sometimes there still will not be anyone who fits the character, and then you just audition more people until you find someone."

Hughes thoroughly enjoys his work. "Most of my job is done in the comfort of my home, talking on the phone and sending faxes. When I'm on set, I'm just there to say hello and watch without having to work over 15 hours every day. And overall, it's a lot of fun."

What advice would Hughes offer to anyone considering this field? "First of all, move to a city with a large film industry," he says.

"Get familiar with some of the people in the industry by doing production assistant work. And get a real job so you can pay the bills while you're establishing yourself.

"If you can, work for a casting director, help out during auditions and let them know that you're interested in it as a career choice. Also, doing some extra work or acting can get you to meet the casting directors."

Casting director Dolly Legge enjoys her career. "It's fun to be involved with an exciting industry like the entertainment industry. I enjoy working with artists and producers and being creative. I feel satisfaction when I cast someone in a role and they perform well.

"[But] it's sometimes frustrating working with low to no budgets or when you cast someone and they don't show up or don't perform up to expectations."

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