Mindset Artistry
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Mindset Artistry
Peeking into the Casting Landscape: Mental Health and Innovation in Auditions with Briana Dunlay
Get ready to peek behind the curtains of with the unstoppable Briana Dunlay, a New York-based Casting Director who offers a unique perspective on everything from horror casting to mental health in auditions. Hear firsthand the juggling act of maintaining realism while creating the eerie aura essential in horror productions. Briana doesn't shy away from sharing her initial foray into the casting world, discovered through an internship on Playbill.com.
Briana also delves into the labyrinth that is auditioning, with mental health at its core. We highlight the importance of keeping the nerves at bay during auditions and unravel the intricacies behind not bagging specific roles. The conversation takes a serious turn as we address the ongoing strike in film and television, reflecting on how it impacts creativity and careers. Briana offers her wisdom on remaining creatively energized and mentally healthy amidst challenges and introduces us to tools like WeAudition that actors can use to keep their skills sharp.
As we wrap up, we traverse the new terrain of remote auditions, reviewing the advantages and obstacles that have emerged post-COVID. We weigh in on the evolution of self-tapes, their role in bestowing freedom and flexibility on performers, and how they compare to in-person auditions. On a parting note, we emphasize respecting boundaries in professional interactions and managing expectations around auditions. This episode is a treasure trove of insights for anyone looking to navigate the casting industry or understand it better.
Welcome to the Mindset Artistry podcast. This is Amanda DeBraux, a self-authenticity prosperity life coach and actor or actress per your reference.
Janel Koloski:And I'm Janel Koloski, a career and mindset coach and an actor as well. We are your hosts and we're here to flip your mindset, to teach you the artistry of what we learned, to keep your mind in check Over the course of our lives, we've taken on the journey of healing, living and being authentically ourselves as we successfully build our individual careers. This podcast is designed for you so you can discover your goals and courageously reach them at your highest potential, while being 100,000% yourself.
Amanda DeBraux:What you'll get from us is real dirty and a little well more like a lot of quirky.
Janel Koloski:Along with empathy edge and a safe space that holds hashtag no judgment.
Amanda DeBraux:If you're ready to build a mindset that is unapologetically you and excel beyond the stars.
Janel Koloski:You're in the right place.
Amanda DeBraux:We're so excited to have you here Now let's dive in Hashtag, just saying we are so excited to have the amazing Briana Dunlay as our guest today. Yes, yes, yes. Can I get a round of applause? She is an associate casting director and a freelance casting director in New York. The recent credits include Broadway's Grey House, which, if you know me, you know I love a good horror and a good thriller. She has other credits across all mediums and those shall be nameless for the moment as we are on strike. Feel free to Google her or check her out on IMDB. Oh, okay, so we're just going to jump right in, because why not the first thing, I want to start off a bit light, all right, so what's one word that you would use to describe you?
Briana Dunlay:I guess it's technically two, but it's one. I would say easygoing is good word, it's two, but it's basically one. Yeah, easygoing relaxed can use either one I would say is a good way to describe me.
Amanda DeBraux:I like that, I like easygoing. I'm going to take it as one word. It's fine, it's hyphenate.
Janel Koloski:Yeah, yeah.
Amanda DeBraux:Well, yes, thank you for joining us today. I'm so excited to dive in and I was going through your bio and I saw that you did the casting for Grey House. Now, I love horror and this was like the first time that they actually had like some semblance of like horror on Broadway. Tell me about that experience of casting that.
Briana Dunlay:So I was actually only. I came in towards the end so I helped with the covers and I helped with some of the kids and it is really fun to do horror, just because it is so different and just seeing everyone's like take on horror, because I feel like you have like your typical horror like Halloween, spooky, like things like jumping out of you. But this is more like a psychological thriller in a sense. So it was interesting seeing everyone's like take on it. So I actually ran like the EPAs for that and that was really interesting because it was like these people didn't really have contacts of the show to. So to see like what they interpreted just by the little description we gave, we got like some wild like takes just from all over a spectrum of scary. So it was just like cool to see, yeah, what people interpreted with like so little. Most people did go more like psychological I didn't luckily get any like masks or anything and like scary creatures, because I can't personally do that. So but yeah it was. It was really cool Just find the balance of like spooky versus realistic because it was supposed to be real, even though there was this horror to it. But that was kind of like the mystery of it. It's like what is happening, like are these people real? Are we in a real world right now or is this take place like in a different, like kind of not era, but you know, like a different vortex of some sort. So it was definitely interesting seeing people play that and getting the right balance, because it was a tricky balance Definitely, but it was a very cool experience.
Briana Dunlay:I don't really do theater very often, so it was also just like cool to do that. I love theater so much and that's that's like my number one, like that's what I kind of started in. I started casting in theater, like with my internships and my first assistant job, but now I work in film and TV primarily. So just like going back into theater, I was like so giddy, I was like, oh, I get to see a monologue, I'm excited. So that was like the biggest take of the experience was just like being back in theater.
Briana Dunlay:And also I hadn't done in person anything since pre COVID. So just being in person with auditions, it was just like that was wild and that was just fun, because I definitely missed that in person experience. It was such a highlight of my jobs. So being back in the room like that. That was also really cool. So well, casting spooky was like cool. The cooler part was working in theater again and like being in person and I'm just like a little giddy kid. I was like, yeah, and we're going to put on a show.
Amanda DeBraux:Even seeing it, even you saying it, I can see how excited you are. It's so good to see. Yeah, no yeah, it was awesome. That's great. And speaking of, like, your first job we talked about this previously, but so tell me, you went to school for one thing and then kind of fell into acting, but you found your first job on a playbill as an interview.
Briana Dunlay:Yeah, so, yeah, I went to school for like theater and public relations and I did a lot of different aspects of theater. I did acting. At one point, very shortly, I did costumes, I did like hair and makeup and then I did like PR for theater. But, yeah, I was just like I don't really like any of this and it's a problem because I'm graduating soon. So I went on playbillcom and I just like looked up internships and applied to like random ones and one of them was like a casting producing internship and I was like, oh, when I was in high school, I like worked for my children's theater as like a choreographer and we did the casting for like our little Annie Jr and I remember loving like the casting process. So I was like, oh my God, I would totally like did casting.
Briana Dunlay:It's very different than my high school experience of Annie Jr, but there's just a little bit more to it. You know, I did really like it and I was like, oh, this is cool. And then I did another internship and I was like really like hands on in the experience there and then I was like, yeah, cool, I like this, I could totally be doing this and they helped me get my first job and I've just been doing it ever since. So yeah, sometimes it's just good to do something random, because you never know what you'll like. And that's how I got into it, because you can't like study cast. I mean, actually, now I think you can study casting. I think it is like a major in some colleges, but it's not like really a thing you can kind of go to school for. It's just more like getting into it and getting the experience and going from there, you know.
Amanda DeBraux:Yeah, I love that because I was going to say and you spoke briefly to the fact that you know life happens and sometimes you got to say yes to things even though you don't know, like, what can come from it. So I love that you were open to it's probably because you know you need the internship, of course, like the reality of it, like, oh, I need a job, yeah, but you were open to the possibilities, like, well, this is what's available, so let's go for it. So I love that. I think that's great advice for anyone out there who has a distinctive, like really strong, specific goal is allow space to explore that as well.
Janel Koloski:Yeah, oh yeah, and it's been fun because I would. I think a lot of the cast directors we've had on here have mentioned that they're like, yeah, I tried acting and then had audition or was like this was not for me, so it's been cool to see that transition. And also, you mentioned, well, and Amanda spoke to you and everything you told us that you teach quite often and also we were so grateful for you and all the other casting directors that are, like the actors hero, like you want us to be sane and let go of the audition, and like mental health and everything, which is why we're so excited to have you on this podcast. So I'd love to know more about, like, why you love teaching and why mental health is so important, especially in this industry, from your perspective.
Briana Dunlay:Totally yeah. So I like teaching. I love teaching, just because I feel like there's so many myths about the industry and casting in general. Like you watch TV shows still, like still 2023. You're still watching TV shows. And like casting directors are like behind a table, like not smiling, being rude, and like bringing you in and out and cutting you off, and like I remember like when I did theater in high school, I did have directors that were like that and I was like, oh, this is it. But it's like that is not the case at all. See what you just did. And people don't know that. And so it's crazy.
Briana Dunlay:Like I come, I teach and people ask me these questions. I'm like who are? Who are? Like who's telling you this information? It's so incorrect. Like we just want you to book the role. Like if you book the role, then our job is done and we can move on. Like it's a win-win situation. So like we want you to be able to do your best work so that you can book it and then we can continue on to the next role. Like that is as. Like that is it, that's where it comes from. So it's like we don't want. Like I don't.
Briana Dunlay:I like to think I'm not like an intimidating person and like people come in and like they're so nervous for my classes, I'm like, am I? That's like I feel, like I'm pretty chill, like I don't know. Like why are you so nervous for me? And they're like, I don't know, it's just the pressure. Like your projects you work on. I was like, yeah, the projects I work on are cool, but like I'm just like a regular person and it's like I want to bring people in to book my projects. It's like that's all that it is. It's like there's no, there's no like high stakes in the situation. Like I also tell people it's like go in audition and then leave the audition and just don't think about it until you have to Like and people come in and they put so much pressure on auditions and I think the pressure from like that they think that we're put.
Briana Dunlay:We like expect from them. They get themselves nervous and then they can put their best work on it. It's like I don't expect, like I just expect you to come in and know the work and put your best effort in. Like that's all I expect from you and like I hope, like you expect me to like come in and like know the work and like know what the team is looking for and bringing you in because I think you're right and I think you have a chance. Like it's like a mutual like, as long as I'm putting my best effort in and you're putting your best effort in, like that we're going to get the best results and like that's it's a job. Like no, no, no.
Briana Dunlay:People like I feel like there's like Pat, like I don't know, like sometimes I feel like people get so nervous and they think we're like these powerful aspects that like determine their entire career. And it's like I promise you, like I have like no power, like I I'm just, I'm just working with you, I'm here with you, like we're doing this together. There's no power dynamic, I promise you. So I just like want people to remember that and I also like do, in my classes, stress like the mental health then, because I mean I personally have struggled with mental health most of my adult life and teen life.
Briana Dunlay:Like majority of people, especially since COVID, I feel like everyone's got anxiety, which I respect, and especially our industry loves to shut down. Um, so you get, you get anxious, you know. So I just always stress it's like it's a job. It's an audition like you get the audition, that's amazing, but if you don't get it, there's going to be a million auditions left Like that's going to happen. So it's like one, don't stress and hold yourself to it and don't put so much pressure on the audition Cause when you put the pressure on the audition, then it's like the nerve start hitting. Once the nerves start hitting, you're not going to give your best performance, and so I always like to create like a really relaxed, chill setting in my classes and I want people to know that like that's what it's going to happen when you audition.
Briana Dunlay:For me it's for relaxed, chill setting and we're just here to do our job and to do work, and then we're just continue Like it's not. It doesn't need to be all this, like I don't know. Yeah, like it doesn't need to be so intense. It's like you're auditioning for a movie or TV show Incredible. We're not doing brain surgery. We don't need to have that type of stress on us. You don't have to have those type of nerves. If you mess up in your audition, no one's going to die. You'll just redo it, simple as that. It's crazy, like it really is that easy. And so people get like so hounded and I just want to like spread the message. It's like this is chill, we are like we're just doing our work and yeah, it's that easy. And like, if you do stress and get so heavy, that's when your mental health is going to take a toll, you know. So that's also why, like focus, like it's okay, you don't get a role, there'll be more roles.
Briana Dunlay:It's like there's so many different reasons why someone doesn't get a role it has. Most of the time, I would say the majority of people come in and they do great work and we send those tapes and they do great work. It's just there's so many different entities to a role than being really good, like being really great, you're like, oh yeah, that's all I need. But it's like there's looks, there's height, there's people that have been previously cast that we're comparing with it. You might have to have like a specific stereotype that matches someone else.
Briana Dunlay:It's like there's so many little details that it's like the reason you didn't book the role is most likely not because of your performance. I'm sure you gave an amazing performance and like you just have to go into that. It's like, even though I didn't book it, it had nothing to do with, like what I did and the work that I put in. There's little entities that came into it and it might have absolutely nothing to do with your looks or your performance or the fact that that role got cut or they switched the gender, or one of someone's friend wanted to do it on the like, one of the writer's friends wanted to do it. That's happened before and you're like oh okay, like there's, so it could have absolutely nothing to do with you.
Briana Dunlay:So that's also why I don't like when people stress so much and get so nervous. It's not worth it, it's not I'm. I like to live my life stress free personally, and so I'm always, I'm always like pushing that and it's like don't, don't let little things like that stress you. It's not, it's not worth it. It's there'll be other roles, there'll be other auditions, and just like remember that. And so that's a big thing I like to tell people when I teach and because they people like they don't know that it's crazy. They just put so much emphasis and I think people do like. They're like you must, you got an audition, you must accept every single audition you get, no matter what, and I'm like no, if you don't feel like you're right for the role, you can pass. Like that is perfectly fine and I recommend it.
Briana Dunlay:Like I always tell people I want to see, like I don't really want you to play a role, I kind of want the role embodied in you and if you don't see yourself in this role and you don't feel it embodying you, you're probably not right for it and you're not going to be right for 100% of the roles. So just pass, it's OK. But people put this pressure. It's like you must figure it out. It's like, no, if you really, if you put the work in, if you tried and it's just not clicking, just pass. It's like OK, nothing, we're not going to hold you to it. We'll remember you for something else that you're right for.
Briana Dunlay:Like so yeah, I just I want to take the pressure off of auditioning because, like when I did theater in high school, I would get so stressed auditioning and like that's why I could never pursue acting because I can't handle that stress level. But if I can tell people that they don't need to handle, have that stress, then it's like OK, what I'm doing is worth it. And it's like I'm little Brianna going to be help, but like someone else can help me. Don't need to feel this way. It is so stressful for no reason.
Janel Koloski:We appreciate it. Oh, my God, no. And every cast and director said that. Right, amanda, like, but it was like the cool one, like there was a time where she was literally like talking me off a ledge in Woodstock, remember. Well, it's like. A time is like I was finally getting on just before the pandemic. Then the pandemic happened and I finally got one and exactly like I put so much pressure on it that it's just I couldn't move, I couldn't embody, yeah.
Briana Dunlay:Yeah, so those nerves when you have like a little camera, you're right there, those nerves they show. They show really well. So you just can't have them because I'm not sure, like auditioning for a nervous role or something, like they'll show and they'll take over and then there goes the audition. So yeah, I mean, if you have, you need an anxious person. I mean I know, yeah, obviously like it's easier said than done. Oh anxious it's like. Ok, thank you, but no like. But actually don't be, it's not that big of a deal.
Amanda DeBraux:Yeah, no, I think everything you're saying is I think someone out there I know I can relate to it at some point in the career because as actors you're right you put so much pressure on getting that role because, if not now, when, if at all? Because you've heard these stories of people 10, 15 years and they then they got the breakout role and it's like all this pressure that goes into this is all I want to do. And then you hear other actors. I've had other actors, you know advice. Their advice to me was live it, breathe it, eat it everything, sleep with it. And I agree with you.
Amanda DeBraux:But you also got to have some type of life, some type of joy in between, because then you're bringing that art into the audition room, right, that makes you you're weekly, you, and that's what, like you just said, like that's what you want to see.
Amanda DeBraux:You want to see how myself is going to embody the character Willa versus Janelle, because sometimes, right, exactly, it's like what can you bring to this role that maybe wasn't on the page, wasn't in between the lines, you know? So I love that you're sharing that, because it took me a while to embody that myself and sometimes it comes up as well, and so I love that you are such a big advocate for keeping sane in an industry that is chaotic, especially in today's world. And speaking of that, what is your advice for actors? As far as like right now, in this industry where everything's a bit unsure of you don't know when the next job is going to come. As far as you know, the bigger the industry and bigger of the industry, and what can we do in between? What is the best way that we can stay creative, sane and still be able to love this art?
Briana Dunlay:Yeah, totally, I know that's something I have struggled with. I'm doing a lot better now than like when we shut down during COVID. I remember COVID I really just like couldn't watch TV or movies. I totally like went away from it because it just stressed me out so much that like not knowing what was going to happen and like that inserted me. And now that I've experienced it once, I feel like I'm a little bit more relaxed this time ahead, because you just have to think about the fact like yes, this strike has taken is a lot longer than I think anyone planned for. I mean, I remember telling people I'm like, yeah, july, totally, and now it's like four in September OK, I'll be wrong. And as it continues, like I'm starting to feel that stress.
Briana Dunlay:But for a while I was just like I need to take advantage of this time that I never have. Like I never get the summers off ever. I spent a lot of time with my nephew and my family, like I went on vacation. I had family coming from like out of town that I got to hang out with a lot, and I really just like focused on them a lot and just kind of put all my energy, and that's something that I never get to do and just like focusing on my mental health and like things that bring me happiness, like I went hiking a lot and I went to the beach and just really enjoyed myself, and I did it in like a way that I was trying to like save my money and not go overboard. But you have to think about like yes, we're dealing with the strike, but it can't go on forever. Film and TV is going to like there's no way film and TV just disappears. You know, we're industry forever and one day the strikes will end and there's going to be so many projects that are going to start up again. Like remember once COVID kind of settled down and the boom. I remember I was working like three projects and it was crazy and like that's going to happen again, and so we just have to remember this that this isn't permanent and we will work again. We just don't have the timeline, which is stressful, but take advantage of the free time that we have, because once everything's back, it's like no one's going to have any free time. You're going to be working on all these projects, you're going to have a million auditions, like it's not, free time won't exist anymore and you'll be like oh, I remember sleeping until 10. That was so nice, and so I like have personally just been telling myself that.
Briana Dunlay:And then, as far as just ways to stay creative, I just have everything updated, have your resume and your headshots updated, have all your reels in place, have your website like locked and loaded and like catch up on TV, see what shows we're filming in New York that are going to eventually come back to New York. Like and keep yourself updated with that. If you want to like record your own stuff Like I definitely have had actors send me stuff that they recorded just for fun, that are just silly and playful and just kind of took their mind off of things Like that's awesome, but also like it's okay, I think, to be nervous and stressed a little bit. It's okay to not want to do any of that and to just want to like like take a step back, because this is a stressful time and it's like everyone deals with stress differently. So I don't think we need to be creative like 24-7 because we're not working. We have to be consistently like building ourselves and getting ourselves ready for when the strike's over, just because I don't think that's realistic.
Briana Dunlay:I remember in COVID.
Briana Dunlay:I did that like I was keeping myself so occupied because I felt like I needed to and then I had a crash and and that crash was not fun.
Briana Dunlay:So I've definitely been like taking it a lot easier this time around and I think that everyone like should just kind of listen to themselves and like what they need.
Briana Dunlay:Like if you want to stay active creatively, like do it. Like find like groups of people who you can do shows with and play readings and stuff, or just like read a script or get those new scenes to audition with, like if you want, if you want to do that because you feel like you're creatively missing something, totally do it. But if you feel like I'm so stressed right now everything is tumbling and I don't know what's happening and the unknown is freaking me out and I just need to step back, then like take that step back. So I don't think there's any like clear answer, but it's just like kind of whatever is best for the person. But I know I'm kind of doing like an in the middle thing because during COVID I couldn't I like could not be creative whatsoever. I just stress me out so much and I'm definitely in a much better place than I was during that shutdown.
Amanda DeBraux:So are you an actor who has struggled to find a reader last minute, adding on the pressures of the audition process? And time is ticking, tick, tick, tick. You just want to concentrate on breaking down the script and getting that bold take. You've exhausted asking your mom or friend or even your landlord, and the pressures of finding a good scene partner has become overwhelmingly pressured.
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Janel Koloski:Yeah, that's, that's wonderful and thank you for kind of giving people the permission. I think, even with like the pandemic, like I know, when I just didn't want to like face it. So I literally joined a monologue challenge and did all these things and that was really great because I was joining community with people from like LA and London. It was all virtual and you know, but now I've definitely relaxed more. So thank you for that. And while you were speaking and talking about like the reels and headshots and things, and made me think of something that a lot of times we'll hear about, it's like your branding and what opinions you have on that, because it does matter quite a bit, because, like it kind of took me a while to figure out.
Janel Koloski:Like I've noticed, for TV, people like to bring me in for Waspy characters, which is funny because I'm from Backwoods, pennsylvania, and people had to dress me when I arrived because I didn't know anything, so like. But then, like this film I just did like Indies, I literally played a woman with a trailer and it felt at home literally and I was like I am being myself. But you know, I didn't. I don't know like I didn't get called in quite a lot until I had this little fancier photos. But I mean, how much does this matter? I know it's obviously helpful and we can play anything, but it seems like with TV especially, like there are stereotypes.
Briana Dunlay:Yeah. So I'm not a big fan of stereotyping yourself, just because I think that once you get stereotyped it's very hard to get out of it and as casting, that's kind of like we definitely do. I wouldn't say complete stereotypes, but there's definitely a little bit of stereotyping within our job, just figuring out people's types and kind of grouping them together. So I don't ever recommend actors to stereotype like kind of let us do that, especially because we know the rules a little bit more, a lot more. We have the scripts we talk to the team, so Are stereotyping are a bit more correct and accurate than yours, because we have a more of a three dimensional version of them, while your Take is more two dimensional. So I'm not a big stereotype fan.
Briana Dunlay:I personally recommend people to have their headshots Fit more for worlds. So specifically like, if you're from New York and you're working in New York, new York has specific types of television. We don't over like reach, you know. So you should have a comedy headshot which is just like a nice headshot that just shows your personality and by show like comedy. I don't want you like making a funny pose or like winking like. I don't want that, like I hate those, to be honest, I want just to see you like a genuine smile, like a genuine laugh, like something like wardrobe. That is something you would actually wear, not like your professional headshot shirt, like if you wear hoop earrings, show those hoop earrings like little things like that, just like little quirks, like tell me something more about you, because so much of comedy is based off of real people's personality. So I want to get your real personality in your comedy shot. So I think you should have a solid comedy shot and then I think you should have some more, a couple drama shots.
Briana Dunlay:Until New York you're going to have your like your corporate CEO tight job and there's many different roles within that world but something business professional, because you could be CEO, you could be receptionist, you could be that middle man, you could be hedge fund, you could be real estate like there's so many different like roles within corporate. But you should have like that professional looking resume that can also go into procedurals, because we love our procedurals in New York. So you should have something that matches both corporate and procedurals, because there's going to be so many job, but it should just been in that world. It shouldn't fit a specific type, because there's so many types and jobs and roles within those two worlds. And then I think you should just have a classic like New York City headshot, like where you know New York City's, they, we have a look, and there's New York City shows that are based and revolve around the fact that they take place in New York City. So you should have like a New York City type look. And then I think you should also have like a suburban slash, maybe like more rural type headshot, because New York films a lot in the Hudson Valley and so that suburban like would see vibe, we have a lot of that and then we're not that far from farms if we wanted to do like a more rural setting. So you should have something that fits like suburban, rural and so fitting having headshots for those different world.
Briana Dunlay:You can play a variety of different parts in that, but it's clear that you fit within the setting that the TV show or movie takes place. So I personally recommend more like those type of headshots and then specific like the girl next door, nerdy, like, like those like when people have like glasses and like a pole shirt and like this isn't you, you're putting on a like. This isn't natural, this isn't, you're putting on a character and I want to see real people, you know. So that's how I recommend branding yourself. I don't know, even consider branding. It's just like I want to see you in those different worlds as you. I don't want to see you as a character, because I think every role should be an authentic version of yourself, and so you playing a character is not an authentic version of yourself.
Amanda DeBraux:That's so good. Yeah, I can do this and I am like the book. I'm the Bronx girl and so it comes out. I've worked in corporate very long time so I have the corporate and like naturally. But my dad was a cop, so like I have that very like cop and I was an ROTC so I so that's great to really be able to explore that without like the uniform on or being in an office.
Briana Dunlay:Yeah, I just yeah, I don't need to see you, I don't need to see anyone in. Like a nurses grow up in a cop hat, like I don't need to see any of that in headshots. If I don't, yeah, I can tell that you could be a nurse without you being in scrubs. You'd be surprised how many people have those type of headshots and I'm like, who told you this? Like someone did. Someone told you this.
Janel Koloski:I don't give them a chance, even though they were. Yeah, you do.
Briana Dunlay:But it's just like you're like that's like oh, goes back to my classes. It's like what information was telling this information that you felt like you had to go out and buy scrubs to for people to think that you could play a nurse like oh for?
Amanda DeBraux:sure, that's great because I feel like as actors we constantly I was told early on get all the uniforms like especially associated with New York, like get your nurse outfit, get your doctor, get you you know, a corporate out, like all these things. And I remember going thrifting or just going shopping and like having that in my wardrobe stocked up, ready to go.
Briana Dunlay:No, yeah, you don't need that.
Janel Koloski:Yeah, I got the military jacket and I definitely. It's nice. It's good for these fall armchains. I used to have my dad's and then somebody stole it at a bar. Oh my god, rude, yeah, rude, his former name.
Amanda DeBraux:I love that. So you spoke about comedy and so you've done a variety of casting and casting projects. What is the difference between a comedy audition to a thriller, to a dramatic, even if it's from TV to film? What are the differences that actors should know when either going into the room when fingers crossed hopefully will be soon to self-tapping?
Briana Dunlay:Yeah. So the big difference is comedy is definitely a lot looser and there's a bit more freedom when it comes to auditions. I have worked with a lot of different stand-ups and comedians and a lot of them improv is a really big part of their process. So we highly recommend it, we encourage it, we do it with them and adding that improv is really what makes your role, like your audition, unique. It makes it true to yourself, it's what makes it authentic. So having that freedom to kind of change a little bit of the words to make it true to yourself is a freedom that you don't necessarily have when doing like a drama or thriller. Those are definitely more to the page and as if you think about comedy versus drama and obviously this is like not all comedy and dramas like this but drama is usually more focused on the story while comedy is more focused on the people. So when you're auditioning, drama should be on the page because you're telling a story that we're engaged in, but comedy it's like most of the time they're pretty similar stories about an average person with an average life doing daily activities, but we're so engaged because of the person that is kind of leading that story and their encounters, and so that's when, like I said, I love to see your authentic self.
Briana Dunlay:It really comes into comedy because if you think of so many great comedians, like their first couple projects are projects that are like loosely based off of their real life and that's how they kind of got into comedy and then expanded from there. And so I want to see like a character that is like based off of you. So with an audition it's like you get the role and that role is like a two dimensional character and I want to see it become three dimensional. And how to make it three dimensional is bringing yourself to the work. It's like the description of who they are is there and you can do that and do a great job. But everyone's going to kind of do that.
Briana Dunlay:It's the people who bring themselves and make it to three dimensional and have quirks that are true to themselves and feel like we're just watching a person communicate versus watching a person play, a person communicate. And those are the auditions that stand out. And you can really do that by incorporating improv into your audition. So that's why it's always highly encouraged. That's like the big differences Drama every now and then will allow you to do improv, but we don't really encourage it very often. And then, like theater, we don't encourage a prop at all.
Amanda DeBraux:That's great. I was speaking of comedy too. There's a word going around that your cat Moose also loves watching cell tapes. Do we have a casting director? That's the Moose in the background. Do we have, like, a potential casting director on our hands there in the back?
Briana Dunlay:He loves to make an appearance every time I'm on Zoom, every time I'm watching auditions, he's just like every time I'm teaching, like people are like where's Moose? I'm like, oh, he's right next to me, like he loves to come. He's been in my room literally all day. Now that I'm on Zoom he's out in my living room Like he's just always making love.
Briana Dunlay:He's not doing nothing. I'm not here, yeah, usually I have, like when I'm teaching I have my camera turned, so like my back is against my couch and he loves to like walk back and forth. Sometimes, if it's on my table, he loves to walk on the laptop.
Amanda DeBraux:He loves.
Briana Dunlay:He loves to show his face. So I was not, I was not lying when I said that he, he said to this he's probably looking for a go-to casting director.
Amanda DeBraux:I mean, it's to be like a comedy skit. I had this thought. I was like what if there's like rumors around this like it casting director who's arising from the tops and all these things and knowing those, because he stays in the shadows during the audition process and then? You find out. It's Moose the cat. I love it.
Briana Dunlay:I was like I'll pull. I have like pictures on my phone of him Like I'll be watching something and he's so engaged in like the audition I'm watching. I was like this is so weird. Like why are you like this?
Janel Koloski:He was like a casting director past life and he's like no, maybe my rapid jumps into my slate sometimes and I'm like you know what, whatever, yeah.
Briana Dunlay:Honestly fun, like love to make an appearance. Yeah, Like so many I feel like so many actors who've taken my class like no Moose just because he's always showing up and again, was in my bedroom the entire day, just came out now.
Amanda DeBraux:Yeah, he heard the camera on. He was oh no, no, no, they're inside. They need to know who they absolutely. I love all of that. Love all of that. My dogs bark when I'm on, but they're outside right now being walked, so that's the benefit. I'm going back to the interview I was thinking about. Just you know the times of the industry and just where it was to where it is now. What is your hope for the industry once this strike is over, for casting directors as well as actors?
Briana Dunlay:My hope is that we won't shut down again in three years. It's big hope that we'll stay. We'll stay running for a while because in my like I don't want to like reveal my age, but I have had two shutdowns in six years of my career, which is like crazy. So like half of my career has been shut down. Like we've had shut down almost, or a third of my career I have shut down. So I'm really hoping no more for a while.
Briana Dunlay:But I don't know. I mean I think like a big perk of post COVID was kind of going to remote and letting self tapes be more of an option, because in the past like we never really recommended self tapes, like we would only offer them if it was like you couldn't come in at all and you weren't going to be available before we had to send the link. But self tapes, I just felt like they didn't hold us strongly as regular auditions, just because when you're in a regular audition you have us and so you're just getting a little bit more info. But now I think just having the ability to self tape when we like we've always done self tapes but having more of the ability to do it, I think just gives everyone a little bit more freedom and it's like you don't have to commute to our office during rush hour and sit for like, because it's like you know the city. It's like you have to give yourself a half hour or you're going to fix 15 minutes and then it's like you got to be early and so now I have to give myself even more time and it's like an hour and a half goes by and you were in the audition for like five minutes and it's like that I always felt so bad for, because I'm like, oh God, like when we were ran late, I'm like, oh, people are like, oh, they're just sitting there and they took all this time to get here and then they probably have somewhere else to go, and I always just felt so bad for like, and I'm sure you guys wouldn't call it a waste of time, but I'm just like, oh, like the commuting aspect for such a like, a little like just there's so much commuting for like a five minute audition, so being able to self tape and not having to deal with like, oh, now I have to rearrange my schedule so I can go into audition, like. I think that flexibility just gives people so much more time and freedom and it's like if I'm away, like I can audit self tape or I can zoom audition and I think that is really great.
Briana Dunlay:I do personally miss in person auditions quite a bit. It was definitely one of my favorite parts about the job. But I do appreciate the fact that self tapes have given people freedom and it's given us freedom to like. We used to do self tapes like audition to all day and then we would have to do like our catch up on our work on the rest of the day and sometimes you just have really really long hours and it was not like, if you like, head on in a project. It's like we would work like 12 hour days and like we still do, but it's definitely there's some flexibility. It's like it's one thing to work 12 hour days and then have to commute home, but there's another thing to work 12 hour days and like the comfort of your home where you can like at least eat while working and, yeah, and like drink water, because you're not like having to like go out and get it, and that flexibility it just makes it a little bit, a little bit better. So I do like the freedom and the flexibility that came with post COVID and I think we're going to get a little bit of a more of a mix after the strike. I think we'll be doing more in person auditions or zoom auditions, so we'll have a little bit more of like a happy medium, because I know some people aren't into self tapes the same way. So I think a happy medium will be good for everyone involved. I think it'll just cover the basis but yeah, I think that will be like benefit everyone where they just feel like they can be represented in every single way possible that fits best to everyone's schedule, versus like in person auditions I think was harsh for both of our schedules and I think self tapes it just we lose a little bit of that like the connection aspect. So I would love like an intermediate and I think that's what's going to come from the strike. It would be fantastic.
Briana Dunlay:I'm missing people. Yeah, I know Like it's so crazy, just like we hire people and then we go to the rat party and or the premiere and it's like they don't know who we are, they never met us and we're like congratulations and they're like we're casting and they're like oh my God, but it's so crazy to not like be there, like we are there, obviously, but to not like go to a premiere and be like, oh my God, they don't know who we are, like it's just, yeah, it's just weird to not have that connection anymore and I definitely miss it. So I would love to be a little bit more hands on and in the room but still have that flexibility with self tapes, because I do think it is important and helpful, especially if you don't live in the city and like, but you live right outside the city so you can easily work as a local hire, but like you don't have to commute to the city. It's just such a hassle, you know like traffic and all these congestion.
Janel Koloski:Yeah, yeah, it's, I don't you know, we'll take you with the greatest what happens, as as it comes along right At least for callbacks, right, because I was saying, even I have this callback and they did the, so, like you know, you have your thing. But then it's like she would talk and there was like a delay. And then I found myself like looking over here, as you do, and then I mean I booked the job, but then it was weird. And then I got there and the producers were like yeah, we were all there, like. So I was like, oh, I felt like embarrassed because, you know, I really like put everything out there, which is great, obviously they liked it, but it's kind of weird not knowing who's in the room, you know, yeah, it is weird when people just like keep their cameras off.
Briana Dunlay:You know mystery, I do. I do prefer when people are like hello, this is me in the room. I had my first in person callback like a month and a half ago and it was crazy. But you could tell people were rusty like oh no, and I was myself rusty. I myself was rusty. I like thought I packed two, two cards and I only packed one and the like my card filled up and so then I had to stop midway to like transfer the videos and a lot of people were late and they got lost and they couldn't find the entrance.
Briana Dunlay:And I was like, oh my God, I forgot this stressful part of doing in person auditions because, like I was only one there, so I was doing all the scheduling. I'm like, did they not get my email? Did I send the wrong time? I was like, oh God, this is. I forgot. This could be stressful Totally. I miss my mind. I just remember being like, oh, in person auditions, like I forgot the stress of it For everyone involved. Yeah, there was like the first three people on the schedule were late and I was like there's no one. I can't even bring someone else in Like they're all late. One didn't show up, she overslept, she slept there for a long time. I'm like, oh my God, yeah, yeah. So I want to get used to that again.
Amanda DeBraux:Yeah. Yeah, I gotta get used to it I don't even know how it acts. I'm like people give me a hug because yeah no, I don't know.
Briana Dunlay:Everyone was rusty. It was crazy Again, including myself. I was like, okay, this was a learning experience. You haven't done this in three and a half years. The next one's got to be better. You got to be like I thought I was prepared. Nope, there was a lot more I could have done. They're also used to. My setup was different because I used to these have these computers that, like they would transfer the videos like straight away, so your memory card never got full because it just goes straight where you could delete a video because it was already on the computer. So I kind of forgot that memory videos take up a lot of space and that they also take a really long time to upload when they're not doing it on the fly. Learned so much, oh yeah, what is your advice?
Amanda DeBraux:to doctors when doing a self-tape Like what are the things that we should keep in mind when, hopefully, we'll go back to the room? But at home when doing a self-tape, because we've heard like, let it go, do it maybe a few times, how many scenes do we send, if we have it one way and then be like, oh, you know what, I have this creative idea and I want to do another, is that okay to send?
Briana Dunlay:Yeah, I'm a big, you should send two takes, just because you don't have a lot of context when on the room kind of direct you, and if you see it two ways, you should definitely send it two ways. If you only see it one way and you're like I think this is great, then just send the one take, but I definitely recommend sending two if you have two takes. As far as self-tapes, I think people again just like take it a little bit too seriously. As far a good self-tape, I can hear you, I can see you, your lips are in line with, like your words. You did the right thing. I mean, that's all the technical aspects. You need A background that, like, is not overly distracting, but it doesn't have to be blue or green necessarily. Back when we did in personal auditions, we use a brick wall, so we didn't even do blue. I've had people ask me. They're like I have two different shades of blue, do you prefer one over the other? And I was like no, I'm not thinking about that, I want time to have someone ask me, like do you recommend doing your close-up slate and then your far slate? We're having them next to each other, and I was like the slates are really for us. They're not being sent to the team a lot of the times and if they are, I'm sure they don't care that. If it's one after the other or they're next to each other, I would say do one after the other, less editing for you. Yeah, I think people put a lot of emphasis on like the itty bitty details and think that will like make or break, but it's not that serious. I know like sometimes we can't give you that much heads up and so you do what you can and again, as long as I can see and hear you, that's fine.
Briana Dunlay:As far as like the number of times you do a scene, I personally don't recommend doing it more than like three times. I just think that pre-COVID, when we'd be in the room, you would never have an opportunity for the most part to do it more than three times. Two is usually the max, so that's a very specific skill that you've kind of mastered and being able to get it on the first or second take. So I think giving yourself the opportunity to do it like oh, it's just me recording, let me do it eight or nine times, it's like you never get. You're not gonna get a chance to do it eight or nine times in the room and even if, like, it's a self-tape, like once there might be a callback and that callback we're gonna have to get on the first or second time. So I personally recommend keeping it at like three, just to keep that skill up, cause I just think it's really important and it is gonna come be useful. Even if everything is just self-tape and zoom, there still will be an opportunity where you'll be in front of the team at one point. So that's like my big recommendation when it comes to self-tape.
Briana Dunlay:But other than that, like just treat as an audition, talk to the person like you would in the room. People are like do I look at the camera? Do I look at this? It's like just have the person to your side and make, have a conversation and use them just like you would in the room. Again, like with the camera, like having kind of made shoulders at the top of your head is perfect. The same way that, again, you wouldn't do in the room. If you wanna sit, sit, if you wanna stand, stand, if you wanna move, just make sure you're you don't go out of the frame. But it's the same way, just like how, yeah, how it would be in the room. Just treat it the same, because there will come a time when you'll need that skillset Again. Even if it's on zoom, it's still still like in live and in person. And so I just tell people to treat it the same. Don't put so much like like.
Briana Dunlay:I feel like people think that because they're doing it on their own, that it has to be perfect, like more perfect in a way, and that's not the case at all. Like, they're just like putting. They're like oh, like. They think like oh, I have more time to do it, so I have to like it has to be better than it's if it's no, no, I'm not thinking that even slightly. Like yeah, people, just, I mean I am an overthinker, but I'm not an overthinker in that sense, and so I think people like.
Briana Dunlay:People think casting is just like like. We're definitely detail oriented, but not in the way that we. It's not against, it's not with actors. It's like with making sure all our roles are booked in our schedules and then we know the payment, like that stuff. We're very detail oriented when it comes to auditions. It's like we just want the best performance. It doesn't need to be like high, like star quality, big fancy lights, like booking a studio and a reader every single time, like it doesn't need to be like that. So I feel like all booked off of blurry auditions, really like I've done callbacks in people's where they're like fairly like in their childhood bedrooms. It's really chill.
Briana Dunlay:One time I did a callback and the woman was in kind of want to say she was in South Korea at the time visiting family, and her wifi gave out like multiple times throughout the audition and so we kept losing her and she came back. She booked it still Didn't really matter, didn't affect us at all, she still was able to do it. But I remember she sent me this huge apology Like I'm so, so sorry, I'm so unprofessional, like I can't believe, like I'm like visiting family and I'm in a different country, and I was like it's fine, we still got your audition, you're good, we still got to meet you. Can we still get to do it in person? Like we're good. And she booked it and she was like I remember she posted like an Instagram thing, like shock, like telling the audition story, and she's like I cannot believe, she's like I messed that up, I left that audition, being like there's no way I would ever get that and I can't believe I did.
Briana Dunlay:It's like, yeah, like we know that everyone's working at home we're working on zoom or working with funky wifi. It's like we get that, like we all, we take that into consideration and I think people forget that we take them to consideration cause, like we're also on zoom or wifi also, every now and then you can be unstable. So it's like it's not just you guys, we're also dealing with it. Yeah, and people forget that.
Amanda DeBraux:That's pretty cool. That's pretty cool Just how, like again, we put so much emphasis on the audition process and when we flub, it's like, oh my gosh, I did, I messed up. They're never going to call me again. I was horrible, my first impression was terrible and it's like it's. I love it. Briana said she's easy going, easy going, relax. That she said at the beginning. Right, yes, yeah.
Briana Dunlay:So it's good. I personally love a little flub, I love a little stutter, I love a little you forget and go back, just because those are natural things that humans do and I just make sure audition is more realistic. So I personally like that, I wouldn't like ever stop as someone like flubbed or stuttered or skipped a word. I just think it makes it more real and natural. Yeah, so I, if you flub in a word, I don't care, like I like it.
Amanda DeBraux:Yeah, that makes me feel good. I used to always think about my speech because, again, I'm from Bronx and New York, so it would come up and then when I speak too fast, we blur the letters and words together and I would be so self-conscious about it. And now I'm just like embracing it because that's who I am, that's a part of me, like I would bring that to the character. So I love that you're touching on that as well, because I think that's really important for anybody out there. I wanted to ask because it came up for me. When I have questions sometimes I'm like oh, I don't know why it's coming up, but I'm going to ask it anyway because it's my intuition. For anyone out there who is thinking about tapping into the casting world, like becoming a casting director, what is your advice for that? And like where would they start? I know you did, you know you went for that internship and the play bill, but like what would be a difference now, today, and something for anybody who's kind of interested in going behind the camera?
Briana Dunlay:Yeah, it really is like a job you learn through experience and just like being in it. Like, obviously there's some aspects that make people like a great casting director, just like their taste and their creativity and stuff. But the actual job it's not something like you can study, it's something that you learn doing and so I think if you're interested in it I mean, if you're just starting a career, like doing internships is like how I got into it and how I probably recommend doing it but if you're like an actor trying to switch over, just keeping in touch with people like casting people that you talk to in audition form, being like, yeah, I'm kind of interested in doing the flip and seeing if they maybe need someone to kind of help out, because sometimes we'll have an intern, sometimes we won't, just depending, sometimes maybe you can. Just it's a little bit more difficult now that we're not in the room, but in the past it was like you could just sit and kind of watch the process and go from there. I mean you could still do that, just like see kind of what the overview is. So yeah, like if you're just starting and you're trying to get involved, I think internships are definitely the best way to go. But if you already have been working in this career and this industry for a while, just like getting in connecting with people who you've networked with before and just have auditioned for taking classes and letting them kind of just bring you in, like helping us bring you and showing you the process, Because I think it is casting, there's definitely like people think it's one thing and it is a little bit different than I think with the average person thing.
Briana Dunlay:So it is cool to see what it's like in it because it would surprise you, it's not exactly what you think. There's a lot more to it than just like oh, we're casting like this project and we're auditioning Like. There's a lot that goes into it that I don't think people realize. So it is definitely interesting to watch and I'm sure people like if you've made those connections, they would love to like bring you in and let you see it a little bit more from like an inside. But yeah, I would say that's like the best way. It's how I know everyone who's done it. They've either like started with internships or they did a crossover just from connections that they had previously made.
Janel Koloski:It's very cool and I've talked about wearing different hats and how that invokes much empathy and a better understanding, and Amanda and I coach a lot of people and I try to remember it's a reminder of models and hosts and actors I work with. You're just such a small part of such a large situation and it's really cool, so it helps take some pressure off where it's like it's long. It's just about you. There's a lot that happens before you and then you're producing Amanda's produced and then, even when I was doing this film, they were like have you ever, if you want, to leave acting work in production? Just because I was like so quick response because I knew they were the most responsive actor we've met.
Janel Koloski:You learn how important it is. And, my goodness, we can keep talking forever. We have to go soon, but Amanda and I have a few quick questions. Yeah, quickly. The last thing is all of us want to respect the right way to keep in contact with casting. We want to tell you we're alive and we're still in the game, but also we don't want to be annoying. So what advice do you have for that?
Briana Dunlay:Yeah, I'm a big email person. That's the best way to stay in contact with me personally. We just get postcards when we're in the office and just a waste of your money, I think Wasted paper, I think email. I'm a very I don't print anything. I love everything on my computer. My computer's very organized, so I keep everything on email.
Briana Dunlay:But yeah, I think this is for me specifically as long as you email me Monday through Friday, business hours E I mean our business hours obviously are a little different than average business hours, but not at midnight, actually not after 9 pm. If you email me before 9 pm during the week, great, I will respond. I will answer. I will look at your emails. I do feel a little bit different when they're after 9 pm or I'm getting them on a weekend.
Briana Dunlay:People email me all different things. They email me their headshots, resumes, reels, updated reels, updated headshots, when they book something, when it's airing a click with something they fill. People will just send me emails to stay in touch. I don't care what you email me. I'm not specific and I only want this or this. As long as you're not emailing me every single day, multiple times a day, I'm fine with keeping in touch the best way that you want to stay in touch and just don't email me on weekends. That's really all I ask. However, you prefer to stay in touch, I don't mind what it is. People sending, dog pictures, animal pictures in general. I'm not specific in what I need or don't need.
Amanda DeBraux:Yeah, that's good to know. Respect her weekend. Everyone out there respect her weekend, unless they email you personally. Do not email them on the weekend.
Briana Dunlay:I can't have any unread emails on my phone. It drives me crazy. I will look at it, but then I'll be annoyed that I'm on my email. So yeah, just don't email me on the weekend it was great or after 9 pm, but that feels like a fair request.
Amanda DeBraux:I think that's very fair, that's very realistic. I think just who are a human being? You have a life outside of being a casting director. Everyone, we all, have lives, yeah as we should.
Briana Dunlay:We should all have lives outside of our careers. Big believer in that.
Amanda DeBraux:Yes, enjoy your weekend.
Briana Dunlay:Don't focus on this. Nothing's happening. Almost every now and then it is, but most of the time nothing's happening. Yeah.
Amanda DeBraux:If they need to reach you, they'll reach you. That's just how it is your manager or somebody will reach you or they will reach you. But be respectful. I think. That's the most. I think, because actors are just like oh, she's contacting us, oh, she's responding to my email, that's great and responding right away. And it's like wait, just just. I think, as my brother always told me, think twice, speak once and think about that E-mailing somebody. I love that. Oh, I like that Right.
Briana Dunlay:Right, what am I?
Amanda DeBraux:thinking Okay, I love that and so email. Can I provide that email for them in the comments, or would you like to share that?
Briana Dunlay:The best email for actors to reach out to me because I have two I kind of like an agent manager and I have an actor on. Best one is actors is Dunlays, which is my last name D-U-N-L-E-Y casting at gmailcom. That's the best one to keep in touch.
Amanda DeBraux:Perfect, perfect. And what's one thing that has been on your mind that you've been wanting to let actors know lately, like something that's been ruminating and like actors need to know this. Just keep this in mind, something that came up recently, anything.
Briana Dunlay:I feel like I feel like I covered a lot of it, but I think when it's important that, like actors know, if we're giving you all these pages aside, if we're giving you like a quick turnaround, it's not us, I promise you. It is not us, it is someone else telling us we need to do this. We never want to give you like I personally think that the scene, four pages, five series, regular, great, that's all you need for a first audition to really get it. I don't think you ever need more than that. Callbacks are different stories, but, like, if you're getting all these pages, we tried, we tried so hard to not do it. If you have a quick turnover, it's because they added a role last minute or they realized they like changed the schedule and we thought we had more time when this role was working and now it's working sooner. Or we had been auditioning and then they changed, like what they wanted from this role. Those are reasons why you have such quick turnaround. I never want to give you a quick turnaround. I know that it takes time to record a tape or learn audition. We're very aware of that and we don't want to do this. But we have to Long pages, have to Quick turnaround, have to. I promise you no one wants this, because, also, it's like you have to think about okay, so we're sending out all these auditions and they're doing a day, and it's like we might send out auditions on a Tuesday and have them do Wednesday, but it's because we have to send a link Wednesday night and now we're like scrounging, like watching all these tapes all day for so quickly because we have to get it done. It's like we don't want to do that either.
Briana Dunlay:I like to sit and take in the self-tape like an audition we received. I like to watch them, sometimes multiple times, just to get a feel. And it's like when you have a deadline that's like, oh, it's due Wednesday and we have to send a link Wednesday night. It's like we don't get to. It's just like a rush. Everyone has that rush stress feeling and I don't get to like really take in the self-tape the way that I want to, so I don't like it either. It's like you have a quick deadline, but we also have a quick deadline. It's not like you have a quick deadline for us to just like sit and chill, like no, it's, it's a mutual so, and then it's like I don't want to watch 10 pages of the self-tape.
Briana Dunlay:I don't mind watching 10 pages when you're like in a room and you can see two people like actually interacting, but 10 pages for self-tape no one's see that. You guys don't want to record it, we don't want to see it. So it's like if that's happening it's not us, like I think that's the the big, because they I feel like everyone especially I know what the strikes like actors have felt, like they somewhat I mean there must be someone doing it that people are like upset but and you guys have that right to obviously should be upset of someone doing that because like having 10 pages for an audition that's due a day like that's crazy for you guys. But it's like I promise you we don't want to do it and we're it's it's cause we have to. That's a yeah, I guess I can say that, but I feel like everything else that's been on my mind. I said it.
Amanda DeBraux:Yeah, that's great. Can you ask for an extension? Like, how do you feel Like, say, for example, you know you get that 10 pages and you're like, oh my gosh, I don't know if I can like memorize this by tomorrow. Is it okay to ask for an extension or does that look bad on the actor?
Briana Dunlay:So the thing when it comes to extensions, it's totally okay to ask for it. It just sometimes we can like give them to you or we can, but we are just like it might be too late and it's like if you're have such a fast turnover, it's because they want, like me, this link right away. So it's like, yes, you can have an extension, but it just it might not, it just might be too late and that's just, unfortunately because of timing. If we're giving you like for serious, regular roles when the process is much longer, it's like extensions are perfectly fine because we're casting for a really long time. But most of the time extensions are there because we're working off of a schedule and we need to cast this role by a specific time. So we have to send the link with enough time for the team to review it and hire the actor.
Briana Dunlay:So that's so you can totally ask. And sometimes we're like, yeah, totally like give them another day or two. But sometimes we're like, yeah, you can, but it just might be too late and it's just because we're on a schedule like that we have to follow. So totally feel free to ask and it won't like hurt you by any means asking. It's just like if we say no, it's not because we don't want to give you an extension, it's just because we can't for your tape to be like considered, because this is how logistically, we're doing a job, as we all are too, so I appreciate that and thank you.
Amanda DeBraux:So thank you so much for joining us. I will leave it with this. What is your favorite quote or thing to say, either dealing with, like when you're dealing with a challenge, or when you're in the class dealing with an actor who's like. I'm so overwhelmed I don't know what to do with my career. Help me.
Briana Dunlay:I'm always like it's not that serious that I say that a lot Like I sometimes.
Briana Dunlay:I feel like sometimes I stress my bosses out because I I don't personally like to get stressed and I don't let like things that are like overwhelming get like I don't let myself get to that point where I'm stressed just because I never do good work myself when I'm at that level. So I always try like stay pretty calm and collected and it stresses people out to see how calm and collected I can be. But it's just like I can't work well with stress, so I don't allow myself to get it. So I just have to remember like I'm not it really like, yes, this is a job and yes, it's serious, but it's like I'm not saving any lives, no one's going to die from my mistakes Not that I'm trying to make mistakes, but if something were to happen accidentally, like no one is going to be injured or hurt, like, so I always remind myself like it's not that serious. So I don't get to the point where I'm stressed and I'm freaking out because then that's when mistakes actually happen and like when I don't do the work I need to do. But if I stay in like a calm, collected, like, just like manner, I do my best performance and so and that's why I, this whole thing, I like have been saying that like be, like, allow yourself to be chill, because you will put on the best work and it will definitely be a lot better than if you're stressed.
Briana Dunlay:So, yeah, I just I'm always like it's not that serious, we're going to get through, everything's going to be okay, like just keeping that mindset. And it always does. Everything always works out, even my most stressful projects where I've worked like 14 hour days and it's like there's never like there's just not enough time. We got through it, like. So, yeah, I think that's just like the best thing to keep in mind. It's going to be okay, we're going to get through it. It's cool for actors, not that serious If you don't get this audition, there'll be another one for us. If you don't get stressed, you'll not mess up and with your work. So, yeah, I tell people that a lot and I believe in it and I follow it.
Amanda DeBraux:Good. Yes, yes, yes, I always tell it, yeah, it'll always work out. I mean, janella, always saying that, like you know, as much as we stress and overthink things and overanalyze as beings and like, well, could it should have, would have all the things, it's like trust in the process. If you love what you do, keep going. You made that decision early. Like you said, you know what Auditioning wasn't for you being an actor, but you found the art within that which is being a casting director and you're so and you love it and look at that. You gave yourself the freedom to say yes to exploring. So I love, love, love that. Yeah, where is Nelly?
Janel Koloski:No, I'm so happy. This was just so wonderful. Thank you for hanging out with us.
Amanda DeBraux:Yes, yes, I'm so glad. Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much If you haven't already, follow us on Instagram, as we post content daily and provide helpful tips that you don't necessarily get. With the podcast, you also get to dive in deeper into our lives, personal stories and get involved in the conversation. Dm us if you have any questions and if you're ready to dive into the life that you desire, book that consultation today.
Janel Koloski:Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Mindset Artistry.
Amanda DeBraux:We hope you found our stories and tips motivating and helpful.
Janel Koloski:Be sure to follow us here on Spotify for more episodes to help you master the art of your mindset.