Casting Spotlight: Brent Anbe, background casting director, Hawaii Five-0

by Charles Uyehara                                                                                                       

Brent Anbe

Brent is a local boy who graduated from McKinley High School. He received his degree from the University of Hawaii in Communications. In 2004, when Lost, North Shore and Hawaii came to Hawaii, Brent was one of the new staffers added to the Hawaii Film Office. In 2010, local casting director Laurie Foi hired Brent to be her casting assistant on the new ABC-TV program Off the Map. Brent credits Laurie for being a great mentor. Following Off the Map, Brent was hired as the local casting director for The River. Brent subsequently went on to work for Hawaii Five-0.

Hawaii Five-0 background casting process

Principal roles are cast by Rachel Sutton and background by Brent, Lan Deal and Johanna Bautista. Each department has its own talent pool. However, there are actors who are in both files. When a new script is received, Brent compiles the list of scenes where background actors are needed. After meeting with the assistant director, the background breakdown is given along with the budget, which dictates how many background actors can be hired. For featured background actors, photos are selected and given to the director and the producer for final selection. Brent looks for diversity unless the script calls for something specific. 

Inside the actor’s file

Front and center is your photo taken by the Five-0 staff, along with your information sheet showing contact info, height, weight, etc. If a resume and headshot are submitted, they are added to the file. However, casting looks at their own photo first because they can trust it is a true representation of how people look. Nothing is digitized for use on the computer.

How are actors categorized?

Brent has three files that he works from. The first file contains union background actors, the second one has non-union background actors, and the third file has actual police officers, firefighters, EMTs, nurses, etc. Each of these files is broken down into what the casting directors determine are the actors’ “portrayable” ethnicity and age range. Note: The casting directors determine your portrayable age range.

Casting sources

If he needs specific people, like football players, Brent will look to outside sources. He goes through people he personally knows to arrange contacts. He does not use social media sources such as Facebook or Hawaii Actors Network to search for talent.

Union talent

Brent wants to hire union members. They are reliable, professional and know the process. However, budget drives everything. Hawaii Five-0 is an AFTRA legacy show that by contract is required to have 21 covered background performers, including stand-ins.

Background versus principal work

If your ultimate goal is securing a principal part, let the casting office know. They will add the tagline "do not feature" to your information card. This means you won't be cast in a scene showing your face front and center. Hawaii is a small community, and Brent and Rachel are aware of the actors who are aspiring and training in their craft. Brent believes acting is a craft, and that you can't just do it once a year to keep in shape. He also believes that doing background work is beneficial because it exposes you to the way things work on the set.
 
Brent’s pet peeves about background actors

It really bothers him when background actors don’t respect the set, the crew or other background actors.

Casting Spotlight: CBS Vice President, Casting Fern Orenstein in Honolulu

by Charles Uyehara     

Fern Orenstein

On Wednesday, Aug. 1, SAG-AFTRA members in Honolulu had a rare opportunity to meet with and hear from Fern Orenstein, vice-president of casting at CBS. Although the event was about “diversity in casting,” the topic most discussed was improving the odds of “getting the call.” She provided great insight on how TV shows get cast, along with many tips on how to improve actor submissions.

The Process

Fern explained that when casting a role, the casting director will determine what kind of actor is needed by reading the script breakdown, which offers three key pieces of information: character "type," i.e. nurse, detective, senator, etc.; the character’s name; and the character’s age. Most casting directors then have their assistants select from the data file seven or eight people that match the breakdown specifications. The hard-copy submission is not what casting directors usually look at. They see thumbnail-sized images, which are displayed 45 on a page. They only look at the thumbnails at this time, not the resume, so your photo has to “pop.” 

Photos

Fern could not emphasize enough how important your photo is. She feels it is really the best information, even before your resume, that casting directors have about you. It is important to make sure your photograph is current, ideally less than a year old. Play up your strong points. If you feel comfortable walking in and booking the role of a cop, then gear your photos toward the performance of that part, but do not wear a costume. Your photo should have the "essence of a cop." Be subtle. Have two to three different photographs that you feel reflect roles you strongly fit. An "essence of" image may be suitable to get you four or five jobs with just that one shot. The problem with many photo submissions, Fern said, is that the actor sees himself one way and everyone sees him another. Too many people, she said, see themselves as glamorous. Your photo should represent what everyone else sees when they look at you. Ask others to give you an honest opinion of what type of roles they think you could play. And don’t submit composites. The photographs will be too small to show up in thumbnail form on a computer screen.

Reels

If you submit a reel, make it no longer than a minute and a half. Anything longer, no one will be watching it.

Member Spotlight: Jeff Cadiente, Stunt Coordinator  

Jeff Cadiente and his daughter Jaycee.

Hawaii Five-0 stunt coordinator Jeff Cadiente received his seventh consecutive Emmy nomination this past July. This nomination was in the Outstanding Stunt Coordination category for the Oct. 3, 2011, episode 203 entitled Kame’e. The stunt involved Jeff Haberstat, as Steve McGarrett, skydiving over Mokuleia to rescue an unconscious falling U.S. Navy SEAL who had been pushed from a plane.

Cadiente’s work on the show was recognized previously with a nomination for the first season’s May 8, 2011, episode in which Danny Williams was exposed to neurological poison. He also received nominations for his work on the television show 24.

Congratulations Jeff!

Agency Corner

Franchise: Currently, Hawaii has only two SAG-franchised agents. Although the two unions have merged, agency regulations continue to be administered separately until such time as SAG-AFTRA renegotiates a sole contract covering all agents working within its jurisdiction.

Commissions: The following applies to both SAG and AFTRA franchised agents.
No commissions shall be payable on the following, no matter where you live:

• Travel expenses, living expenses or per diems
• Reimbursement for travel, mileage, wardrobe, special hairdressing, etc.
• Penalty payment, i.e., late pay, meal period violation, forced call. Rest period violations, etc.
• Extra (background actor) work, unless negotiated at scale plus 10 or greater.

If you are employed through any union agency, your compensation shall be net, except for deductions or withholdings that may be required by law or by the union contract. The producer, not you, is to pay the agency fee for securing your employment, and you cannot be required by the producer to pay the agency fee directly or indirectly.

Please be advised that if you work under a SAG or AFTRA-approved special agreement, contact your local union office to determine rules of “commissionability.” You are encouraged to familiarize yourself with the printed union guides that provide details or check online.

Member Q&A

We encourage you to let us know your questions.

1. What is the number of union background actors hired for a show?

Answer:
a. West Coast Zone: The minimum number of covered background actors (excluding swimmer, skaters and dancers, but including stand-ins) is 21. Stand-ins are included in the count of covered background actors in long-form television programs (i.e., mini-series). One stand-in per day is excluded from the count of covered background actors in half-hour and one-hour programs. This number covers all units working that day.
b. No one who is currently on the producer’s payroll or any of the producer’s hiring, cast or payroll agencies will be engaged or utilized as a background actor in any program for which they also render services.

2. Are residuals commissionable on television work?

Answer: Yes, in many instances, subject to the limitations in the respective Legacy SAG or Legacy AFTRA agency regulations. If you have a question about what is commissionable, do not hesitate to contact your local union office for guidance. It is important to note, however, that in Hawaii your agent would have to negotiate scale plus 10 in initial compensation in order to collect its fee on original employment. 

3. How many union jobs do I need to join the union?

Answer: Minimum of three union-covered background jobs or one union-covered principal job.

Important: We Don't Want to Lose Track of You

Keep us up to date with your current contact information. If your email address is not listed with the Hawaii Local, you are not getting the latest news on productions, conservatory workshops and what’s going on. If you have changed your email address, please send us your new one so we can keep you informed.

Important Phone Numbers & Websites

SAG Pension & Health: (800) 777-4013, sagph.org
AFTRA Health & Retirement: (800) 562-4690 aftrahr.com
General Information: (800) 724-0767
SAG-AFTRA Website: sagaftra.org
SAG-AFTRA Production Center: sagaftra.org/ProductionCenter
AFTRA-SAG Federal Credit Union: (800) 826-6946, aftrasagfcu.org
SAG Foundation: (323) 549-6649, sagfoundation.org
AFTRA Foundation: (212) 863-4315, sagaftra.org/AFTRAfoundation

SAG-AFTRA Membership Mixer on Aug. 1, 2012 with CBS Executives

CBS Vice President, Diversity and Communications Tiffany Smith-Anoa′i; Arts Education Director East/West Players Marilyn Tokuda; and CBS Vice President of Casting Fern Orenstein

The audience

Lynn McRee, Colby Haines and Dee Rogers help set up SAG-AFTRA's August mixer.

Members at mixer

Mixer guests, staff and board members