Commercial castings can be tricky. They often come in quickly, the turnaround is usually very short, and sometimes it can feel like there is absolutely no logic behind who books the job.
So before we even talk about how to nail a commercial casting, I want to emphasise something:
You might be the best actor on the planet and still not book that commercial.
And that doesn’t necessarily mean you did anything wrong.
Commercial casting really can be a lottery
With TV and film, there are obviously lots of people involved in the final decision. Commercials are slightly different because ultimately there is a client and a product being advertised.
You might literally be at the mercy of the Head of Advertising for XXX company who knows very little about filmmaking or acting but knows exactly what they want their customer to look like.
Maybe they suddenly decide they want someone with curly hair.
Maybe you remind them of their ex-wife.
Maybe somebody else simply looks more like the imaginary person they had in their head when they developed the campaign.
Who knows?!
So if you are not booking commercials, please don't take every rejection personally. There is an enormous amount you simply cannot control.
However, there is one thing I see actors getting wrong in commercial self-tapes that you absolutely can control.
Commercial acting is all about BEATS
I'm sure you've watched millions of adverts in your life.
Next time you watch one, really pay attention to how they're constructed.
You might see something like this:
The character walks into the kitchen.
BEAT.
They notice the overflowing bin.
BEAT.
They pick up a can.
BEAT.
They give their housemate a dirty look.
BEAT.
They put the can into the recycling.
Simple.
But every single one of those moments tells us something.
And when I'm working with actors on commercial scenes, one of the things I often notice is that the beats aren't clear enough.
Stop putting extra sauce between the beats
This is where actors sometimes make life unnecessarily complicated.
They'll hit the first beat... but then they'll add another little look.
Then a tiny expression.
Then look away.
Then perhaps another thought.
Then finally move onto the next thing.
We're actors. We like doing things. 😂
But commercials have very limited screen time.
An advert might have 30 seconds to introduce a situation, make us understand the problem, sell us a product and give us the payoff.
There isn't always room for all that extra sauce.
That doesn't mean I want you to become robotic.
Quite the opposite.
I want the behaviour to feel completely natural, but I also want to be able to clearly see:
BEAT. BEAT. BEAT. BEAT.
Every moment has a purpose.
So when you get your next commercial casting, go through the brief and identify those moments before you start filming.
Ask yourself:
What are the actual beats of this advert?
Then make sure I can see them.
Research the team behind the commercial
This is another thing I think actors sometimes overlook.
Look up who is making the advert.
Who is the director?
Who is the production company?
What have they made before?
Because the client has chosen that team for a reason.
They probably want something connected to the style, humour, visuals or tone that director or production company already does really well.
If you can find their previous commercials, watch them.
Are the performances very naturalistic?
Big and playful?
Deadpan?
Stylised?
Cinematic?
Don't copy another actor's performance, obviously. But understanding the world the director tends to create can give you a much better idea of the tone your self-tape needs to live in.
And if you get the commercial callback…
Firstly — brilliant.
Whatever happens after that, your tape did its job.
Secondly, unless casting has specifically asked you to do something different, I would keep things recognisable from the tape that got you there.
That includes your overall look and what you're wearing.
And then be ready to take direction.
They may completely change what you did in your original tape. That's fine. You've already shown them your interpretation. Now they may want to see how adaptable you are.
But whatever direction they give you, keep coming back to those:
CLEAR. BLOODY. BEATS.
You can't control the booking. You can control the tape.
Commercial casting will always contain an element of luck.
You can't control whether the client likes your hair.
You can't control whether they've suddenly changed the brief.
You can't control whether someone else happens to look exactly like the person they've been imagining for the campaign.
But you can control how well you understand the brief, how clearly you hit the beats, how well you research the creative team and how professionally you present your tape.
And commercial money can be very handy when you're a hustling actor trying to survive in this industry.
So don't drive yourself mad trying to work out why you didn't get the last one.
Read the next brief.
Find the beats.
And nail the bloody tape.
Want to work on this on camera?
If you want to practise hitting clear beats, taking redirection and seeing what actually translates on camera, my weekly Screen Acting Classes in London give you the opportunity to do exactly that through multiple takes and watch-backs.
If you already have a commercial casting and want professional help recording it, you can also book my Self-Tape Studio in London, with direction available if you need it.
Sending you a big hug,
Natalia
Owning It Acting Studio
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