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How to go about submitting off the breakdowns

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March 06, 2012, 12:29 PM
quazimoto
How to go about submitting off the breakdowns
If you get the breakdowns, how do you go about submitting to them?

Most of them say submit electronically...So should I....

1. Contact my agent that I freelance with and tell them that I noticed a role that would be good for me.

2. Email casting directors directly if I find their email on imdbpro?

3. Hard copy submission if the audition date is at least 4-7 days away?

Thanks
March 06, 2012, 12:44 PM
LADelight
quote:
Originally posted by quazimoto:
If you get the breakdowns, how do you go about submitting to them?

Most of them say submit electronically...So should I....

1. Contact my agent that I freelance with and tell them that I noticed a role that would be good for me.

2. Email casting directors directly if I find their email on imdbpro?

3. Hard copy submission if the audition date is at least 4-7 days away?

Thanks


I guess any of those, but none of them are likely to work. No. 1 might piss off your agent. No. 2 will probably piss the CDs off. And by the time you get the breakdown, the audition slots have probably already been determined.
March 06, 2012, 01:29 PM
TRUTHTELLER59
Hard copies will get shredded by major CDs.

Emailing them will piss the CDs off. They RARELY give out their emails for a good reason. If they do, then it's an email they ONLY check in their FREE time. Note: FREE time, something they don't always have.
March 06, 2012, 02:47 PM
marbar
You can email an agent that you're freelancing with IF you have something worthwhile to add.

ie.

Hey - I saw that breakdown for BLAH BLAH that John Smith is casting. I thought I would be pretty good for the role of Joe. John Smith knows me pretty well, I took his on-camera class last month and he gave me great feedback.

Those are the kinds of emails agents don't mind.

If you just say "Hey I saw this breakdown and I'm right for it", then you're doing their job and they're going to get annoyed.
March 06, 2012, 04:32 PM
Mominbiz
Are you referring to breakdowns you see on public casting sites, or breakdowns that are not open to the public that you obtain privately through another source?


- MIB -
"If you can dream, you can do. Making it happen is up to you!"
March 06, 2012, 05:35 PM
TRUTHTELLER59
quote:
Originally posted by quazimoto:
If you get the breakdowns, how do you go about submitting to them?

Most of them say submit electronically...So should I....

1. Contact my agent that I freelance with and tell them that I noticed a role that would be good for me.

2. Email casting directors directly if I find their email on imdbpro?

3. Hard copy submission if the audition date is at least 4-7 days away?

Thanks


Yeah, are you getting illegally obtained breakdowns? Or are you only looking at the crappy ones that the public sees?
March 06, 2012, 08:32 PM
quazimoto
They may be illegal. who is to tell, I don;t know...but yes the good ones
March 06, 2012, 08:37 PM
TRUTHTELLER59
quote:
Originally posted by quazimoto:
They may be illegal. who is to tell, I don;t know...but yes the good ones

Because the CDs ONLY release those to agents and only those agents who are allowed to see them can submit electronically.

With pirated breakdowns, you either use them as expensive toilet paper or you go to their offices IN PERSON as soon as you get the breakdown and be prepared to get A LOT of "GTFO of my office!"

Also, are you actually in a real market? No LA or NY CD is going to respond to someone from Wyoming.
March 06, 2012, 08:50 PM
LADelight
quote:
Originally posted by quazimoto:
They may be illegal. who is to tell, I don;t know...but yes the good ones


How do you get them? A hardcopy pdf at the end of the day or the next day? Too late for TV. For films, you have to get the CD's address and then usually somehow get on a studio lot.
March 09, 2012, 10:58 AM
Megatron
So basically what all you guys are saying is that its pointless to get the illegal breakdowns and submit to them. I know a bunch of actors that do this, some spend a lot of ca$h for them too.

I guess it can't hurt to check 'em out just to know what's casting and who's casting what though.
March 09, 2012, 11:29 AM
workinactor
I was getting the "good" breaks via e-mail until dude got popped by the popo for it last summer. another guy I've known personally for years did time in county for doing the same thing. That said, if you got a good source, generally it's e-mail first thing in the morning. then you use mobile mailbox to have it messengered to the casting offices same day. I think mobile mailbox is still around..and, no, I don't feel bad about it. Those actors access dudes financially rape you every time you want to upload your reel..even their shitty iphone app is overpriced. Fuck 'em. I need to work.
March 09, 2012, 11:33 AM
TRUTHTELLER59
quote:
Originally posted by Megatron:
So basically what all you guys are saying is that its pointless to get the illegal breakdowns and submit to them. I know a bunch of actors that do this, some spend a lot of ca$h for them too.

I guess it can't hurt to check 'em out just to know what's casting and who's casting what though.


What you do with pirated breakdowns is as soon as you get them, you actually go to the CD's office and give your stuff to the actual CD, NOT the assistant who works the front desk and is usually ordered to shred any unsolicited headshots. You'll get a lot of "GTFO out of my office", but some might be nice enough to let you audition. You better bring it if they let you!

But the difficulty with going to their office is it's either on a studio lot or the listed address is the CSA mailbox which they hardly check. Only a actually give out their real address, but if you know it, you can try.
March 09, 2012, 07:19 PM
TRUTHTELLER59
*Only a few actually give out their real addresses.
January 05, 2013, 03:31 PM
OnDisplay
Would love to know more thoughts on this
January 05, 2013, 06:04 PM
TRUTHTELLER59
Another way of using pirated breakdowns is if you do get them, you can also use it in better targeting CD workshops. Say you get them in the morning and see something by Jeff Greenberg for Modern Family that is totally right for you. An lo and behold, Jeff happens to be doing a casting director workshop later that night. Now is your chance to wow him and maybe he might bring you in. DON'T go to the workshop and say "I heard you're casting this role..." Pretend you don't know and just do a good job.

Another way I use them, is if I see something and I recently got a 4 or 5 from the same CD, I tell my agent that I've gotten 4s and 5s from that CD. BE SURE TO CHECK IF YOUR AGENT IS COOL WITH THIS! SOME AGENTS AREN'T!