Why Your Application was Sent Back

Most applications on enCAST go to the production the moment you click Submit Application. Some applications are checked by our team first. If something the casting asked for is missing, we do not forward it. Instead, we send you a message in your enCAST inbox telling you what is missing and how to add it. This page explains when that happens and what to do.

When we check an application before forwarding it #

Your application is sometimes held for a check by our team: when the casting has asked us to check every application before it is forwarded, when the application is poorly formatted, when a flag is raised, or when it lacks a required item.

To apply to any casting on enCAST you need:

• An active Pro subscription.
• A confirmed email address.
• Two headshots on your profile.
• At least one showreel on your profile.
• A CV on your profile, as a PDF.
• A playing age, gender and ethnicity that match the role.
• A voice reel in the required language, if the role asks for one.

If one of these is missing, you cannot apply, and the casting page shows a message explaining why instead of the Apply button. Read more here: Why Can I Not Apply to a Casting?

What "required material" means #

When our message says your application is missing required material, it means one or more of these:

• the standard items every casting needs: two headshots, a showreel and a PDF CV;
• anything the casting itself names: a voice reel in a given language, a specialist reel such as a travel or presenter reel, a self-tape on a given subject, a website or YouTube or Instagram link, or answers to questions attached to the casting.

The items the casting names are listed on the casting page under each role, in the Role Description. Compare that list with your profile and the gap is usually obvious.

How to find the casting again #

Our inbox message names the casting. To open it:

1. Log in and go to My Applications (it is also in the Castings menu). This lists every casting you have applied to, with the date.
2. Click the casting to open its page and read the Role Description for the role you applied to.

If the casting is no longer listed there, it has closed or been taken down. Reply in the inbox and we will tell you where it stands.

A showreel is required for every casting #

You need at least one showreel on your profile to apply. This is the same for every casting on enCAST.

If you have no filmed work yet, that is fine. A self-tape works too. Film a short introduction or a scene, put it on YouTube or Vimeo, and add the link to your profile as a showreel. Read more here: Your Showreels.

Read the role before you apply #

Some castings ask for more than a showreel. These extras are listed on the casting page under each role, in the Role Description. For example:

• A self-tape on a named subject or a specific scene.
• A natural photo with no make-up and no editing.
• A video that shows a skill, such as singing or dancing.
• A comedy reel, or a reel in a specific language.

Read the Role Description carefully before you apply, and apply only if you can provide what it asks for. If a casting asks for a self-tape on a subject, a general showreel is not enough.

How to add a self-tape or a special reel #

We do not host videos on enCAST. All videos on your profile are links to YouTube or Vimeo. To add a self-tape or a special reel:

1. Upload the video to your YouTube or Vimeo account. The video must be public and must allow embedding. We cannot accept videos that are unlisted, private or password-protected, and we cannot accept YouTube Shorts. Casting directors expect a normal landscape video. Read more here: YouTube Links on enCAST and Vimeo Links on enCAST.
2. Log in to enCAST and go to Edit Profile.
3. Click on the Media tab.
4. Scroll down to the showreels and click Add Showreel.
5. Add the YouTube or Vimeo link.
6. Give it a title that says what it is, for example "Self-tape: Romeo balcony scene" or "Singing: Ave Maria". Make it clear, because this title is how you and the casting director tell your videos apart.
7. Select the language of the video.
8. Scroll down and click Save Changes.

You can have up to 15 showreels on your profile, so you can add a self-tape for one casting without removing your main showreel. If you do not want the video on your public profile, set it to Private: we can still attach it to your application. Read more here: Public and Private Media.

Website and social media links go in the Extra Info section of your profile, not in the inbox message.

Voice reels are different. They are MP3 files and go on the Languages tab, not the Media tab. Read more here: Your Voice Reels.

Photos and PDF documents go on the Media tab. Read more here: Your Headshots and Your Documents.

After you have added the missing item #

You cannot apply twice to the same casting yourself. If you try, you will see a message saying you have already applied. So when you have added the missing item to your profile:

1. Reply to our message in your inbox. Tell us the item is now on your profile and which one it is, for example the title of the self-tape.
2. We then complete the application for you with the new item and forward it, or we reset it so that you can apply again. We tell you which in our reply, normally within one working day.

If we reset it, go back to the casting page and apply again as normal. The Apply button is there again, and this time include everything the role asks for.

Do this before the closing date of the casting. If the closing date is very close, say so in your message. Do not assume you have missed it.

Read more here: How to Apply for a Casting Call and When enCAST Asks for Extra Material on Your Application.

If you cannot work out what is missing #

Reply in the same inbox conversation, name the casting, and say you have checked the Role Description and cannot see what is missing. We will tell you the exact item. Please do not open a new conversation or use the contact form for this: the reply in the thread keeps everything about that application in one place.

What happens next #

When your application is complete, we forward it to the production and tell you in your inbox. After that, any reply comes from the production, not from enCAST. Read more here: After You Apply to a Casting on enCAST.