SOME PERSPECTIVE: Most of the actors in the project you are being asked to demo to score were probably cast via a somewhat similar auditioning process for landing their part in the project. The life of an actor is typically a never-ending push to get auditions.
If they succeed at getting those opportunities they go from audition to audition in competition with many other actors up for the same roles.
AUDITIONING INVESTMENT
Actors spend time, energy and expense in preparing for these auditions. This typically means getting, learning, practicing and rehearsing “sides” (scenes from the script) prior to the audition. If they are submitting a video audition, the actor also shots this themself with varying degree of self-financed levels of production.
Among the many financial investments an actor can pour into their their auditions are hiring a coach to prepare, hiring other actors to rehearse with, paying for hair, makeup, clothing, transportation and video production. These can be in addition to ongoing expense like acting classes, seminars, headshots, etc.
All of this is in hopes of getting a callback to audition some more against a narrower group of other actors for that role that repeats until one actor eventually lands the part.
ISN’T MY RESUME ENOUGH?
While some actors get cast without auditioning based purely on their notoriety, resume and relationships, the vast majority of actors and roles get cast via the auditioning process.
DEMOING IS AUDITIONING
Similarly, there are many times the process of selecting the person to score a project involves auditioning composers for that gig. Similarly, even getting the opportunity to demo/audition is challenging. There is investment of effort that goes into creating the demo or preparing for the audition.
The demoing composer is in competition with other composers. And like with an actor, all of this is done as a gamble with no assurances of success.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE AUDITIONING PROCESS FOR ACTORS AND COMPOSERS?