Spotlight News

 

Articles tagged with television

Spotlight’s weekly news roundup: 27 January 2012

Welcome to Spotlight’s weekly news roundup, where we highlight the news and blogs we’ve enjoyed and want to share with our members and others within the industry, so grab sit back and catch up on the stories you need to know. Awards season steps up a gear It’s been another big week in 2012’s awards season, with more nominations and ceremonies. All eyes were on the Oscars earlier this week, which released its nominations ahead of the big event on February 26. Hugo and The Artist led the pack in terms of nominations and there were several nods for Spotlight members with...

posted on 27th January 2012 Read full article >>

Spotlight’s weekly news roundup: 20 December

Welcome to Spotlight’s weekly news roundup, where we highlight the news and blogs we’ve enjoyed and want to share with our members and others within the industry. This is our last one before Christmas (and a special one after taking a power-cut enforced break last week), so grab yourself a mince pie and mulled wine and catch up on the stories you need to know about before the festive season. Creative Christmas There’s plenty of great performances on stage and screen this Christmas, and if it’s dance you fancy, then head to The Arts Desk, who...

posted on 22nd December 2011 Read full article >>

Spotlight's highlights of 2011

As 2011 comes to a close, we at Spotlight thought we’d look back on our highlights from the past 12 months. There have been so many fantastic performances across stage and screen - theatre, film, dance and television - that’s had us raving to fellow Spotlight co-workers in the office the next day. Of course, the tastes of all Spotlight staff vary, although if there was one play and performance that got everybody talking and featured at the top of our end of year list, it was Mark Rylance’s performance in Jerusalem. Ben, Spotlight’s managing partner, described it...

posted on 20th December 2011 Read full article >>

Cast via Spotlight: Christmas TV special

Christmas is a great time of year if you’re a fan of the small screen, with special one-offs and glorious adaptations across all television channels during the festive period. It’s also a great chance to watch plenty of Spotlight members do what they do best, and entertain millions over Christmas. Of course, castings for the big Christmas specials and dramas took place many months ago, with many of them starting on The Spotlight Link, where casting directors posted breakdowns for a number of the parts. Others were cast at Spotlight’s rooms and studios in Leicester Square, with the help...

posted on 13th December 2011 Read full article >>

Credit where it’s due: The Equity campaign on TV credits

One concern we regularly hear from Spotlight’s members and subscribers is the squeezing of credits on television, with many in the industry – from performers to casting directors – worried that all involved in a broadcast aren’t properly credited. Equity, the trade union for professional performers and creative practitioners, has launched their Credit Where It’s Due campaign and survey to address this issue. Here, Equity’s General Secretary Christine Payne (right) tells Spotlight why credits are valuable to both performers and viewers. Who cares about credits anyway? Well now we know the answer – in one week...

posted on 22nd November 2011 Read full article >>

Spotlight's weekly news roundup: 4th November

Welcome to Spotlight’s weekly news roundup, where we highlight the news and blogs we’ve enjoyed and want to share with our members and others within the industry. So, kick back and read what’s snagged our interest this week. Coming to a stage or screen near you    Plenty of announcements this week for new and returning television shows, and prime among them is a series full of Spotlight talent – Downton Abbey. Filming on series three of Julian Fellowes popular period drama, starring the likes of Dame Maggie Smith and Hugh Bonneville, starts in the new year....

posted on 4th November 2011 Read full article >>

Life of a drama school graduate: Acting on screen

Each month we’re following the progress of final year drama student Joe Gaminara from LAMDA, as he prepares to leave drama school behind and head into the world of auditions, castings and agents. Joe’s final year journey continues this month as he and his fellow students attempt to get to grips with screen acting for the first time and he tries not to kiss the casting director in a TV audition. It’s now half-term here at LAMDA, and finally we have a few sacred days to ourselves to briefly reflect on two months of TV, get...

posted on 31st October 2011 Read full article >>

BBC renews its Spotlight Interactive subscription

The BBC has renewed its casting subscription for 2011. Every BBC production employee has instant desktop access to our database of more than 35,000 actors, dancers, presenters and child performers.  Production teams across the BBC search the Spotlight database to cast shows including EastEnders, Holby City, Casualty and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, to name but a few. At the click of a button, they can view Spotlight members’ photos, credits, contact details, showreels and voice clips. BBC teams also regularly use The Spotlight Link to advertise their casting requirements to agents...

posted on 7th January 2011 Read full article >>

September at Spotlight is ‘Presenters Month’

This September we are operating a series of industry seminars/networking opportunities as well as career advice 1 on 1’s with a Spotlight expert for all our presenter members.  In addition we’re offering discounts on show reel uploads and 2010 copies of Contacts throughout the month.  Our first seminar is aimed at those just starting out as a presenter.  John Byrne (Career Advisor to The Stage newspaper) will be in discussion with Kathryn Wolfe, (Senior Lecturer, Media Performance University of Bedfordshire and author of 'So You Want To be a TV Presenter?') about the...

posted on 24th August 2010 Read full article >>

Interview with Lauren O’Neil – 2009 Spotlight Prize Winner

In 2009 Lauren O’Neil graduated from Guildhall School of Music and Drama and won the Spotlight prize for best actress. This year she opened in her first professional stage role in ‘Women Beware Women’ at the National Theatre and will also be appearing on our TV screens in ‘Lewis’ on Sunday.  Will Davies, Spotlight Casting & Agent Liaison, spoke with her about her origins as an actress, her training at Guildhall and her industry experiences since winning the Spotlight prize. · Obvious question but did you always know you wanted to be an actress? Not at all, when...

posted on 20th May 2010 Read full article >>

Recent actor, dancer and presenter projects cast via Spotlight

The following are just a selection from the many hundreds of projects which have been cast via Spotlight recently: Film and Television The Sarah Jane Adventures The IT Crowd Taggart Merlin 4321 Inbetweeners River City Untitled Ken Loach Project 2009 Hollyoaks Sex and the City 2 Stage Dunsinane (Hampstead Theatre, London) Enron (Noel Coward Theatre, London) The 39 Steps (National Tour) Really Old, Like Forty Five (National Theatre) Columbo (National Tour) Canterbury Tales (West Yorkshire Playhouse, Liverpool Playhouse,...

posted on 19th March 2010 Read full article >>

Top television audition tips from BBC casting executive

Julia Crampsie, casting executive at the BBC, was guest speaker at a Spotlight Graduate Programme event last week. The seminar was an amazing opportunity for the graduates to meet Julia and to hear all about casting at the BBC. Julia’s top tips: Always prepare your script – you must be familiar with all the text Practise sight reading to camera – record yourself and learn from your mistakes If you are not sure about anything in an audition, ask Keep...

posted on 23rd February 2010 Read full article >>

Recent projects cast via Spotlight

The following productions were cast recently via the Spotlight Link: TV & Film Waterloo Road My Family Law & Order Moving On Brighton Rock (Film) Whitechapel Holby City Robin Hood (Film) Chatroom (Film)  Stage Private Lives (Bath Theatre Royal & West End) Columbo – Prescription Murder (UK No 1 National Tour) Hi-Di-Hi (Touring) ...

posted on 4th February 2010 Read full article >>

ITV renews Spotlight subscription

Good news for all Spotlight members  - ITV has renewed its subscription to Spotlight's casting services again, continuing to give all ITV employees instant access to our database of 35,000 actors, dancers, presenters and child performers. Spotlight is used to cast a wide variety of ITV shows such as Law & Order, The Bill, Coronation Street, Primeval and Whitechapel.  At a click of a button, ITV production teams can view photos, CVs and showreels for every Spotlight member, directly from their computer desktops. They can also send out their latest casting briefs exclusively to Spotlight agents and...

posted on 4th February 2010 Read full article >>

Spotlight at the BBC

The BBC has renewed its unique subscription to Spotlight, which gives every BBC employee instant desktop access to our database of more than 35,000 actors, dancers, presenters and child performers.  Production teams across the BBC search the Spotlight database to cast shows including Eastenders, Holby City, Doctor Who and Casualty, to name but a few. At a click of a button, they can view Spotlight members’ photos, credits, contact details, showreels and voice clips. BBC teams also regularly use The Spotlight Link to advertise their casting requirements to agents and, in some cases, directly to Spotlight...

posted on 26th January 2010 Read full article >>

Latest projects cast via Spotlight

The following are just a selection from the many hundreds of projects which have been cast via Spotlight recently: Feature films Sherlock Holmes Sex and the City 2 Brighton Rock Clash of the Titans Untitled Ken Loach project 2009 Nowhere Boy Nine Harry Brown 1939 Centurion Commercials Vodafone Coco Pops Samaritans ...

posted on 18th November 2009 Read full article >>