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Casting director skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical casting director skills. We ranked the top skills for casting directors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 24.6% of casting director resumes contained contract negotiations as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a casting director needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 casting director skills for your resume and career

1. Contract Negotiations

When a contract is negotiated, an agreement is reached on a series of legally binding terms before it is signed and made official. Two or more parties agree on the terms of their relationship. When negotiating a contract, the focus is usually on risk and return.

Here's how casting directors use contract negotiations:
  • Conducted contract negotiations between performers, agents and production companies.
  • Contract negotiations Transportation On-set food and beverage coordinator Official Selection, New York Film Festival

2. Music Videos

Music videos are short films or videos that feature a song and imagery and are produced either for artistic or promotional purposes.

Here's how casting directors use music videos:
  • Screened and selected new talent to cast principal roles and extras for Film, Television, Commercials, and Music Videos.
  • Assisted in casting background for major motion pictures, television, and music videos.

3. RAN

RAN stands for "revenue anticipation note," which refers to a practice where an organization (often the government) borrows money to support a specific project. When these funds are then repaid, the money given to the lenders comes from the profits generated by the business originally funded.

Here's how casting directors use ran:
  • Directed casting sessions by organizing hundreds of actors; ran all video and technical equipment during casting sessions.
  • Followed casting requirements for each episode, wrote sides, scheduled auditions, and ran auditions.

4. Feature Film

A feature film is a film with a playing time long enough to be deemed the main or the soul movie to fill a program. The term feature film was first used for the main, full-length film in a cinema program that included a short film and sometimes a newsreel. The notion of how long a feature film should be varies according to time and place but most feature films are between 75 and 210 minutes long.

Here's how casting directors use feature film:
  • Pushed the bar on storytelling and voice over recording techniques to capture audio that is similar in quality to feature films.
  • Provided expertise in sourcing, presenting, and hiring talent for television commercial, print, and feature film production companies.

5. Art Directors

Here's how casting directors use art directors:
  • Consulted with client art directors to assess need and ensure production requirements.
  • Collaborated with photographers, art directors, and creative directors to produce and style front-line advertising campaigns.

6. Comedy

Here's how casting directors use comedy:
  • Attended comedy festivals and competitions both locally and nationally including The US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado.
  • Interacted with the comedy development department and brought them ideas for the creation of television programming.

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7. Photo Shoots

A photoshoot is a series of photographs that a photographer takes of someone, usually of a model or a famous person, to be used in a newspaper or a magazine. The goal of a photoshoot is to achieve a predetermined visual objective. Later, these images can be used for editing or post-production..

Here's how casting directors use photo shoots:
  • Arranged television commercials and magazine photo shoots with national photographers and TV stations, publications.
  • Served as primary liaison to modeling agencies and was responsible for casting and booking all product and editorial photo shoots.

8. Real People

Here's how casting directors use real people:
  • Interviewed over 800 plus talent for real people casting for reality based television and print ads.
  • Specialized in Real People Casting throughout the United States.

9. Makeup

Makeup is the process of using cosmetic products to enhance the beauty of the face. The makeup process includes improving all facial features like the eye-lashes and brows, cheeks, lips, and sometimes neck. Makeup can also be used in other terms as the combination of the various constituents of a particular thing.

Here's how casting directors use makeup:
  • Designed and applied all makeup to the actors in all three attractions.
  • Formulated casting call Contacted casting agencies Arranged and held auditions Corresponded with actors Hair and Makeup Designer

10. Film Production

Here's how casting directors use film production:
  • Managed and supervised a 10-20 plus employee freelance film production team, from small to Large scale media productions.
  • Assist background talent on set with preparing invoices, release forms and tax papers for film production company.

11. ABC

ABC commonly stands for the American Broadcasting Company. It is an American commercial television broadcast network and the flagship property of Walt Disney. It is also a part of the Disney General Entertainment Content. ABC was founded on October 12th, 1943. The company's headquarters is based in New York.

Here's how casting directors use abc:
  • Completed extensive research for projects with major networks such as ABC and CNBC !
  • Assisted through casting process for the ABC television pilot, 'Missing'.

12. Skype

Here's how casting directors use skype:
  • Interviewed all candidates via Skype; edited all casting reels.
  • Conducted and recorded in-depth interviews via Skype, webcam and in-person interviews.

13. NYC

NYC stands for New York City.

Here's how casting directors use nyc:
  • Cast and hired background actors for major movies and television productions filmed in NYC.
  • Assisted casting team at NYC open casting call.

14. Production Schedules

The project plan of a film or a documentary that highlights how a production budget will be spent over a given period until its completion is called a production schedule. The scheduling process starts with writing and analyzing the script, which is then broken down to determine and allocate the budget for each scene. The production schedule also includes several elements of the film including; cast actors, special effects, wardrobe, special equipment, stunts, extras, silent bits, production equipment, and many others.

Here's how casting directors use production schedules:
  • Negotiated contracts for talent, oversaw cast budgets and coordinated production schedules.
  • Communicate production schedule and casting process to auditionees.

15. Film Festival

Here's how casting directors use film festival:
  • Received official nomination for student short at the International Monarch Film Festival
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List of casting director skills to add to your resume

Casting director skills

The most important skills for a casting director resume and required skills for a casting director to have include:

  • Contract Negotiations
  • Music Videos
  • RAN
  • Feature Film
  • Art Directors
  • Comedy
  • Photo Shoots
  • Real People
  • Makeup
  • Film Production
  • ABC
  • Skype
  • NYC
  • Production Schedules
  • Film Festival
  • Executive Producers
  • Facebook
  • Creative Direction
  • MOW
  • Sag-Aftra
  • Open Calls
  • Print ADS
  • Editorials
  • Network Executives
  • PSA
  • IMovie
  • ROSS
  • Television Show

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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