A casting session plan
that makes every read comparable.

Storyflow is built for the planning side of casting: breakdowns drafted from the script, the sides, a slot timetable, a scoring table with the redirect in its own column, and the recorded reads beside the scores, then callbacks laid out in pairs. Posting the breakdown, receiving submissions and sending audition times still belong to a casting platform such as Casting Networks, Backstage or Spotlight.

Writing the breakdowns, posting them, sorting submissions, choosing and sending sides, timetabling slots, booking the room and the reader, confirming each actor, running the session, naming the recordings, scoring the reads and telling everyone the result. Storyflow takes on the breakdowns, the sides, the timetable, the scores and the shortlist; a casting platform handles posting and submissions.

Fifteen minutes for a lead, ten for a supporting role and five for a part with a line or two. That leaves time for a first read, a redirect and a short conversation. Add a five minute gap after every third slot, and never run a block longer than about four hours. In Storyflow the timetable is a table with a row per slot, so the gaps are written into the plan rather than hoped for.

For a small production, six to eight per lead and six to ten per supporting role in the first session is plenty, if your shortlist from the self-tapes was honest. Then call back two or three per lead. Seeing more people rarely helps; seeing them in the same conditions does.

The sides with one line of context per scene, the deadline, the framing (a mid shot at eye level against a plain wall), landscape orientation, a slate with name, role, height and agent, the file naming rule, and where to send it. In Storyflow, keep that request as one document on the casting board so every role uses the same instructions.

Keep the conditions the same for everyone reading a role, score straight after each read, and score the first read and the redirect separately. In Storyflow, a scoring table with star ratings and an Average in the footer keeps every read on the same scale, and the recorded read sits beside its row for anyone who disagrees.

Yes. Attach the script and Storyflow's AI lists every scene with its speaking parts and its length in eighths of a page, so each character's scenes are in front of you. Ask it to suggest two contrasting scenes per role under two pages each. It suggests; the director makes the choice.

As few people as possible: the director, the casting lead or the producer, one reader who is the same for every actor reading a role, and someone running the camera and the door. Write who does what on Storyflow's board. A crowded room makes actors play to the room instead of to the reader.

Call back two or three actors per lead with new pages or a harder redirect. For chemistry, pair each possible combination for a short scene and record it the same way. On Storyflow's board, put each pair side by side with their recorded reads so the director compares pairings, then carry the choice to the casting board.

No. Storyflow does not post breakdowns, receive submissions or self-tapes from agents, let actors book slots, or send messages to actors or agents. Use a casting platform such as Casting Networks, Backstage or Spotlight for that, or email for a small production. Storyflow holds the plan, the timetable and the scores.

The session plan is about running the auditions well: the breakdowns, the sides, the timetable, the room and the scoring. The casting board comes after: headshots and reads side by side for comparing candidates and making the final choice. In Storyflow both sit in the same project, and the shortlist moves from one to the other.

No. Storyflow runs in the browser and there are no native mobile or desktop apps. Run the session from a laptop in the room, and the director or the producer can open the board in a phone's browser from a view-only link.