It may very well be stated that 2023 was the yr of Natalie Jane Harvie, as she led the cost of Casting Guild of Australia (CGA) Award nominations.
Nominated for 4 of the celebrated trade awards (twice in each the Finest Casting in a TVC and Finest Casting in a TVC – Neighborhood classes), it was no shock Harvie walked away with no less than one trophy from the night time.
Harvie’s company, Citizen Jane Casting, was based in 2010 and is predicated within the Eora Nation (Sydney, New South Wales). Regardless of being simply over a decade previous, Citizen Jane Casting has shortly established itself as a number one participant in Australian TVC [television commercial] casting.
We lately sat down with Harvie to debate avenue casting, audition recommendation and far more!
You began within the leisure trade as a singer earlier than turning to casting. Are you able to supply us slightly perception into your journey to the place you’re at the moment?
I used to be knowledgeable singer till I used to be in my 30s. I used to be touring as a backing vocalist with some huge names in addition to attempting to forge my very own solo profession. However, like performing, it’s a troublesome trade. After some time, I made a decision to begin dabbling in another profession choices as I wasn’t getting any youthful.
I began working in occasion manufacturing and once in a while, that concerned casting style exhibits, in order that was my first style of casting. Then good friend of mine who was beginning out as a business director on the time, Fiona McGee, prompt I do some avenue casting, so I began avenue casting for a few of her early jobs and apparently, I had a watch.
From there it simply snowballed till I noticed I had turn into a casting director! I’m solely simply beginning to lose the imposter syndrome, nevertheless it does nonetheless creep in once in a while. Fiona is now a massively profitable director—and we’re nonetheless buddies and nonetheless work collectively.
Citizen Jane Casting has gained a repute for pulling collectively extremely compelling, various casts. How do you go about discovering expertise?
As I began out in avenue casting, I all the time have a tendency to use that “actual folks” eye to each job. I like an excellent character and promoting loves contemporary and new faces, particularly for bigger casts. In an ensemble, everyone seems to be normally on display for just a few seconds, so they should make a visible influence shortly. We normally begin with conventional expertise after which usher in some avenue forged to spherical out the general appear and feel of the spot. However it’s actually script-dependent.
How—if in any respect—are you and the Citizen Jane workforce approaching casting in another way in mild of current conversations surrounding equality, inclusion and illustration?
Since I began in casting, this has all the time been necessary. I don’t bear in mind a time after we weren’t being inclusive. Being a visible medium, promoting tends to spotlight these points early on and is instrumental in encouraging change. It’s nice to be part of that shift.
Final yr, you received the CGA Award for Finest Casting in a TVC on your work on the Telstra advert, That is Footy Nation. What distinctive challenges or delights did this transient current?
As this was taking pictures in Goulburn [New South Wales, Australia] and surrounds, we did numerous neighborhood casting in these areas. We discovered some nice characters together with the lead, Jackie—she simply epitomized a salt of the earth, Aussie nation girl. When the director determined she would doubtless be driving a bus, that was a possible subject because the expertise would most likely really want a bus license, [but it] turned out Jackie is a bus driver!
All of the expertise in that spot had been distinctive and thrilling to look at on display—a mixture of actors and avenue forged. We’re actually happy with that advert.
What did the CGA recognition and win imply to you and the workforce?
It’s all the time nice to be acknowledged by your friends, however we additionally know each casting company works simply as exhausting and faces as many challenges every day—we work to strict deadlines and the stress is actual. We had been fortunate to have Telstra in our combine for this spherical of nominations because it was an excellent script, nice director and really character-driven. But it surely was good to have the ability to share the win and a number of other drinks with my wonderful workforce and our fellow casting neighborhood!
Given TVCs are your specialty, what recommendation do you sometimes supply actors who is perhaps new to the medium?
Use any audition as pure expertise. On the finish of the day, particularly with promoting, it is going to come all the way down to a mixture of good performances, appears to be like and the way the advert flows from one position to the following. So, lose the nerves and don’t place an excessive amount of stress on your self. Simply see it as a chance.
What’s a efficiency (or three!) you’ve been blown away by lately?
I watched The Holdovers the opposite night time and Paul Giamatti was sensible, as common. Additionally, Sarah Snook in Succession—I’m gutted that it’s over, however can’t wait to binge the entire thing once more. And let’s go along with Jackie enjoying “Mick” in our Telstra advert!
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Particular because of Harvie for her time. Control Citizen Jane Casting’s Fb and Instagram pages for normal notices of upcoming open calls.
This text initially appeared on Casting Networks.
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Written by Tahlia Norrish
