How to Cast Your Short Film with Little to No Budget
Summary
Learn from an Oscar-qualifying producer and award-winning director whose short films have screened at Cannes and secured international distribution
Get a sample casting notice you can use immediately, plus proven strategies for attracting and landing real talent for your short film — even with little to no budget!
PLEASE NOTE: This exclusive Stage 32 webinar is now available to watch on-demand and no longer live.
The right cast doesn't require a budget. It requires the right approach.
You have the script. You have the vision. Now it's time to bring it to life with the people who can make it real. And here's what most filmmakers don't realize — talented actors aren't just available, they're actively looking for projects worth their time. Yours can be one of them.
The filmmakers who consistently attract great actors aren't the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones who know how to present an opportunity that actors genuinely want to say yes to — with professionalism, clear communication, and something worth their while, whether that's a strong reel piece, a well-run set, or a creative collaboration that actually means something.
When you lead with clarity, respect, and a real vision, actors notice. The right casting notice, a confident audition process, and consistent follow-up don't just fill roles — they signal that you're a filmmaker worth working with.
That's exactly what Kate Rees Davies is here to show you.
Kate is an Oscar-qualifying producer and award-winning director whose work spans narrative features, short films, music videos, and commercials. Her feature Altered Perception, starring Jon Huertas of Castle and This Is Us, is streaming on Amazon and qualified for a DGA Newcomers Award after its theatrical release. Six of her directed short films screened at the Cannes Short Film Corner and secured distribution. She's shadowed on Amazon's Transparent under Joey Soloway, and she has a documentary nearing post-production. Kate hasn't just studied no-budget casting — she's mastered it, repeatedly, at the highest levels of independent film.
In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, Kate walks you through the entire casting process from the ground up — and she's leaving nothing out. You'll learn how to define your goals, identify the talent your project needs, and understand exactly what draws actors to no-budget productions. You'll discover where to find talent, how to research and approach actors — including emerging names and even Oscar-nominated performers — and how to use tools like IMDb and the power of six degrees of separation to your advantage. Kate will show you how to write casting notices and character descriptions that compel people to say yes, how to run auditions and callbacks with confidence, and why table reads and rehearsals are non-negotiables for getting the performance your film deserves.
By the time you walk away, you'll have a clear, actionable casting strategy — and the tools, language, and confidence to attract the talent your short film has been waiting for.
PLUS! You will receive this handout to help you:
- Sample Casting Notice
"Kate was excellent and inspiring." -Dele F.
"Kate Rees Davies was not only knowledgeable, but open about her experience, warm and encouraging. I appreciated the broad scope of experience she brought to the topic. Excellent webinar!" -Jane A.
What You'll Learn
What is your strategy?
- What Are Your Goals with Your Project?
- What Talent is needed?
- How Do You Attract Talent?
Finding the Talent
- Where can you find Talent
- Identifying the Talent That Can Deliver
- Taking your time
- To go union or non, that is the question
- Key lessons Through the Process
Approaches to Getting Good Talent
- Your Script Quality and Length
- How to Use Six Degrees of Separation to Your Advantage
- Email Example
How to Research Talent
- Who is the Ideal Talent?
- Using IMDB and other sources
- Finding Emerging Talent
- Approaching Oscar Nominated Talent
How to Approach Talent
- Using Your credits to your advantage
- Tips on creating professionalism in Meetings and on Set
- Networking Tips
- Believing in Your Project
How to Cast Talent
- Posting your casting notices
- Making your project appealing
- Creating Loglines that entice
- Writing compelling Character descriptions
- 3 Factors that attract talent?
Auditions and Callbacks
- Self Tapes, virtual or in person auditions?
- The importance of First impressions
- 3 Things to look for in the Call back
Making Table reads and Rehearsals a Priority
- Organizing a Table Read
- Understanding the Character
- Tips and Tricks to help with performance
- Being open to feedback on the script and characters
- Rehearsals and why they are so important
- Understanding your talents process, needs and wants
- Getting the performance you want
- Examples of Short Film Successes That lead to the Oscars
Q&A with Kate
Who Should Attend
- Emerging and independent filmmakers who are preparing to cast their first or next short film and want a clear, actionable roadmap for attracting the right talent
- Writers and writer-directors who have a strong script but aren't sure how to translate that material into a compelling opportunity for actors
- Producers who are working with tight or no budgets and need practical strategies for finding, approaching, and securing quality talent
- Film students and recent graduates who are ready to take their short film projects to the next level and want to compete with more experienced filmmakers
- Creatives who have cast before but struggled with low response rates, mismatched talent, or disorganized audition processes and want to know what they could be doing differently
- Filmmakers who want festival success and understand that a powerful performance is often the difference between a film that gets noticed and one that doesn't
- Anyone who has ever wondered how to approach — and actually land — established or Oscar-nominated talent for a no-budget project
- Storytellers at any stage of their career who are ready to stop guessing and start building real, lasting relationships with actors as true creative partners
Executive
Kate is an Oscar qualifying Producer and an award winning director with experience in narrative features, short film, music videos and commercials. Kate’s feature “Altered Perception,” starring Jon Huertas (Castle, This is Us), is currently streaming on Amazon. After a theatrical release, it also qualified for a DGA Newcomers Award.
Six short films she directed screened at the Cannes Short Film Corner and picked up distribution. Kate was a shadowing director on Amazon’s Transparent where she was mentored by Joey Soloway. Kate has a documentary that is nearing completion and should be entering post production later this year.
Testimonials
"Kate was excellent and inspiring." -Dele F.
"Kate Rees Davies was not only knowledgeable, but open about her experience, warm and encouraging. I appreciated the broad scope of experience she brought to the topic. Excellent webinar!" -Jane A.
Credits
