The coronavirus pandemic is presenting us all with new challenges. Our popular castings also had to be completely changed from one day to the next. UFA’s editorial teams worked on alternatives to in-person castings at an early stage to ensure the health of applicants and employees. In order to be able to continue the ongoing application processes, our casting team very quickly used online casting tools that had already been prepared and tested internally and thus converted the entire process to online casting within a very short time. Online-based casting is now actively used by all UFA productions to acquire suitable applicants and candidates. How is the casting process going after a year of the coronavirus pandemic? Can online casting replace the in-person application process and what experiences have our cast members had? We spoke to them about this.

From TAKE ME OUT to SUNNY – WER BIST DU WIRKLICH?, DER GROSSE FAKE – DIE WIRECARD STORY, DEUTSCHLAND SUCHT DEN SUPERSTAR, GUTE ZEITEN, SCHLECHTE ZEITEN, DAS SUPERTALENT, SPOTLIGHT, DER KÖNIG VON PALMA, EVEN CLOSER – HAUTNAH and various development formats – online casting has now established itself in all productions.

Tobias Hött, Head of Casting at UFA Show & Factual, sums up after a year: “At UFA Show & Factual, we were the first to use online casting across the board within a very short space of time and have now been working with the tool for over a year. Since then, we have cast many thousands of applicants online. We currently have 50 colleagues in eight formats using this casting option.” Applicants and actors across UFA are also responding very well to the online-based service. “The general number of applicants has remained constant thanks to the switch to online casting. Seasonal fluctuations are also normal for castings depending on upcoming projects, but we have clearly noticed that online-based casting has been well received across all projects,” reports Selua Christen, Head of UFA Talentbase. There has also been positive feedback from the fictional sector: “Thanks to Castforward’s virtual casting studio, we very quickly found a really good way to compensate for the loss of studio castings. We were pleasantly surprised at how much we were able to glean from these virtual meetings and are extremely grateful that we were able to cast our roles despite the pandemic ,” says Nina Haun, Head of Casting at UFA GmbH.

In order to ensure that the casting tool meets the zeitgeist and requirements of applicants, actors and casters, the user-friendliness is constantly being further developed during the ongoing process. For example, after just a few weeks, group castings in the show area and constellation castings in the fictional area were introduced, in which several applicants can come together with a cast member at different locations. “Thanks to the virtual casting studio, we were even able to test important ‘chemistries’ and try out and cast close character constellations such as couples. We even held our annual UFA young talent casting online and are delighted that we now have the acting graduates of 2020 in our database and hopefully soon in one of our productions ,” Nina Haun continues.

Our casting editors are consistently very positive about online casting. “The applicants feel more at home and are usually not as nervous and come out of their shell more. You also get a direct impression of how the applicant lives at many castings and can ask questions if necessary,” says Marius Braun from the TAKE ME OUT casting editorial team. “Online casting also makes it easier for many applicants to get into our formats, especially if they can’t travel,” emphasizes Tobias Hött.

Thanks to the digital one-on-one appointments, every second applicant who previously booked a casting appointment actually attended one in 2021, which is partly due to the greater exchange and faster build-up of trust between the casters and applicants. David Müller is casting editor at DAS SUPERTALENT and emphasizes that online castings are “much more candidate-orientedand contemporary“. The candidates feel comfortable at home and are therefore less tense than at an on-location casting. This has a correspondingly positive effect on the quality of the content and the format, David continues.

The amusing incidents that many people know from their own video conferences are of course also part of online casting. Our casters report on bizarre and funny situations. For example, there are always pets that want to be part of the casting and make themselves comfortable on the keyboard. Some applicants clearly felt comfortable at the casting and lay in the paddling pool in their garden during the casting or tried to convince us of themselves as a passenger during a car ride. The casters are happy to receive every application: “No matter what: Try it out! It’s just as easy as making a phone call!” encourages Tobias Hött.

However, in addition to the many advantages, online casting also comes with limitations that anyone who has already taken part in digital conferences knows well. “Personal contact at a casting is more informative than digital contact. Online casting cannot replace on-location casting,” emphasizes Ingrid Cuenca, Casting Director at UFA Fiction. The charisma and stage presence of the applicants cannot be captured by the screen camera, nor can sarcasm and humor, adds Stephan Dorsch, Editorial Director at ROLLING – DAS QUIZ MIT DER MÜNZE. “Sometimes the candidates make a little less effort online with their outfit, styling or performance,” agrees Robin Schwellenberger, editor at DEUTSCHLAND SUCHT DEN SUPERSTAR. “You can’t get a 100% feel for a candidate’s charisma, presence and nerves online,” Robin continues.

How long the pandemic will last is uncertain. However, it is clear that online casting will continue to exist after the pandemic in addition to on-location casting: “Online casting, like mobile office, has become part of our everyday lives and will always remain so. It’s a useful addition,“ Tobias Hött, Head of Casting at UFA Show & Factual, is certain.