Before the drum roll and the big reveal, let's begin by understanding that this casting secret is for ADVANCED would be commercial actors and actresses. This is NOT a basics course on the entire 'casting for television commercials' genre.

Information on taking the right classes and getting agents and posing for head shots and picking your commercial acting niche appear elsewhere.

But for now, we concentrate on the big game...getting you cast in a commercial.

Okay, here's the process. Roll it. You've already come in and, with the casting director and her assistant running the camera, you've recorded your lines. More than likely you've done this with someone else from the same commercial or with the casting director themselves.

Things go only one of two ways...the creatives and the producer at the agency say 'nope' in the blink of an eye and you're gone...off to audition for that new dish soap spot, or they say 'play that guy one more time' and you're brought back. Hmmmmmm.

You want to be the second kind.

So now, you come in for call backs. This is where you do the same lines, but you do them much more in depth.

Here's the first real trick the casting director might not remember to tell you... WEAR THE EXACT SAME CLOTHES YOU WORE IN THE FIRST CASTING SESSION.

How come?

Because this way no one will differentiate between your first call and your call back. Meaning, there won't be an EASY way to tell if you've been properly directed on the tape by the creatives.

It's very important for you to realize that ultimately, your goal is to please the copywriter and the art director MOST. Endure the casting director (although they're usually very nice people) but embrace the creatives!

You wearing the same clothes is very important to the creatives, because you may do something in the first round of casting (the reason you got the call back in the first place) that you forget to do in the call backs. And get this, it might be something you're not aware that you do...

Remember, you got the call back because of something they saw in you. And if they don't see it in the call backs and they still want 'that special thing you do' then they'll always have it on the first tape. This is vitally important for you to cover this base as you go on more and more calls...assisting the process will get you cast.

Also, creatives like to be in control when presenting their selects to the client.

The casting selection is very important to a great spot and if you are on their favorites list from day one, you want to stay there.

Here's how to make sure that happens...

Make sure you ask the casting director if there was anything in particular the creative may have given him or her in terms of feedback.

Interested in Part 2?