Casting Handbook

Suzy Catliff has a degree in Dramatic Arts from Bretton Hall, and worked in stage management before attending the directors’ course at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She assisted and directed in regional repertory theatres, before becoming casting assistant to Sarah Bird and Michelle Guish in the 1990's, working on 'Sense and Sensibility', 'The English Patient' and 'Wilde' as well as numerous other films, television series and dramas. Suzy was casting director for BBC 1's flagship drama 'Casualty' for three years amongst other TV and Film projects, including the award winning 'D-Day', 'Silent Witness', 'Sir Gadabout' and UK casting on two series of 'Primeval' for ITV. She is currently UK casting consultant for Shaftesbury Films. Suzy works in drama schools, universities and film schools as director, casting director and teacher. Jennifer Granville has worked as an actor in repertory & West End theatre, film and TV. Her screenplays have won the La Femme, 21st Century and Latino Screenwriting Competitions. Producing credits include: The Secret Songs of Butterfish, which won the Gold Plaque, Chicago Int. Film Festival and Special Jury Award at the New York Expo; On the Roof, a Fuji Award-winning short; The Real Fawlty Towers, for Anglia Television directed by Lindy Heymann and the experimental Winesburg, Ohio adapted from the Sherwood Anderson book of the same name. Her experimental screenplay, MSI: The Anatomy of Integers and Permutation,s, is currently being adapted into a graphic novel by Princeton University Press. She taught at the Ohio University School of Film in the USA and since 2005 has been Director of the Northern Film School at Leeds Metropolitan University.

"This is by far the most comprehensive and informative compilation of facts and professional guidelines on the infrastructure and process of casting for all live and recorded media. A wide range of essential information, step by step instruction and tips are arranged in an absolutely clear and thoroughly engaging manner and interspersed with specifically relevant in-depth interviews with some of the most prominent industry professionals. With their admirable attention to detail, Catliff and Granville have demystified casting and have created an incredibly useful source of reference for all theatre and film practitioners. A ‘must have’ for actors, directors and all involved with casting."- Amir Korangy - President, Theatre of Arts, Los Angeles"From the opening chapter ‘What is Casting’, to ‘Where to Look for your Cast’ and ‘Casting Children’, the book will give you the right information in a clear and concise way of going about choosing the right actors for any project …It outlines the potential foibles and pitfalls, whether it is giving advice on budgeting for actors or helping with ideas on how to remunerate people who are going to work for free…If you are after some more knowledge on this subject and the best way to approach agents and the like, this book really does have all of the answers."- Ben Taylor, review for Raindance Film Festival

• Introduction How to Use this Book Definitions of Casting A Brief History of Casting Chapter 1. Where to Start? Chapter 2. The Breakdown Chapter 3. Where to Look for your Cast Chapter 4. Casting Directors Chapter 5. CVs, Showreels & Planning the Session Chapter 6. Setting up the Session Chapter 7. The Session Part 1 Chapter 8. The Session Part 2 Chapter 9. The Session Part 3 Chapter 10. Casting Children Chapter 11. The Business of Casting The Interviewees: Quotes & Case Studies Glossary Appendices