ON-CAMERA

MUSICIAN CASTING

NOTHING BEATS A REAL MUSICIAN PLAYING A REAL MUSICIAN

We have had the pleasure of casting and contracting on-camera talent for dozens of films, tv shows and commercials. Whether playing /singing live or “sidelining”/miming to a pre-recorded track, we have a vast network of musicians and can find the perfect fit for your needs.

Are you a filmmaker looking for musicians who are comfortable in front of the camera? Reach out to us for information on how we can help you.

We can choose the right singers and musicians for on-camera musical roles. Since the musician and singer union rules are different than straight acting or “background acting” rules, we can help budget and cast for these specific parts. Sidelining (or “mouthing” when applied to SAG/AFTRA Singers) refers to musicians or singers on screen simulating playing or singing to a pre-recorded track for either motion picture or television. The believability on camera of true trained musicians or singers “playing” their instruments and looking authentic is something Encompass Music Partners has taken pride in for over two decades.

We have worked alongside many great studios and directors to give their films, tv shows and commercials an authenticity and realism that adds to the overall quality of the visuals and emotions of the scenes that involve these talented musicians and singers. We take pride in the fact that we work side by side with production to “cast” the perfect musician or singer that the director and production want. We submit photos of all candidates, we coordinate the use and rentals of authentic instruments, and provide the sheet music that matches the pre-recorded track the musicians or singers mime to in order to capture a breathtaking and realistic performance. We can even coordinate the recording, production and delivery of all specific Pre-Record elements for on-set playback.

A few of our past projects include: Candy Cane Lane, The Morning Show, Joker: Folie à Deux (Not Yet Released), A Star is Born, La La Land, Love and Mercy, Get On Up, Jersey Boys, Gangster Squad, Water For Elephants, The Soloist, Get Smart, Transformers: Dark of The Moon, LA Noir, I Love You Man, A Thousand Words, 13 Reasons Why, The Mentalist, The Cape, and $#*! My Dad Says.

Let’s work together.

Are you an instrumentalist or singer who is interested in working as a Sideline musician? Submit this form to be considered for our database of on-camera musicians. We can't wait to hear from you!

Vocalists:

If you are a singer who is interested in being considered for our Sideline Database, please email Sondra@EncompassMusicPartners.com for our Sideline Singers Survey!

Instrumentalists Submit Here:

 FAQs

  • “Sidelining” is the industry term for musicians who appear on-camera in any type of scene. In the context of vocalists, the industry term is “Mouthing”. These Sideline or Mouthing musicians are usually miming along to a pre-recorded track, or they are actually playing/singing along to the track but their live performance sound is not being captured. If you have any questions regarding how to sync a pre-recorded track during filming and have Sideline musicians play or mime along to the track, feel free to reach out to us for advice at info@encompassmusicpartners.com

  • Hiring real musicians to mime along to a pre-recorded track provides your production (whether it’s a feature film, a short film, a commercial, or a TV episode) with a higher level of authenticity. Without hiring real musicians to play instruments or sing, a producer and/or casting director runs the risk of noticeable mistakes and inaccuracies appearing in their scenes. We provide our clients with the best talent possible for their scenes, so that nothing will distract from their storytelling.

  • Often times when a scene is being filmed, a lead actor who is not a musician may be playing a musical role. They may need coaching or guidance on how to make their performance look believable, and we have worked on dozens of sets to help both lead actors and Sideline musicians bring their best performance possible to the scene.

    For example, we have provided on-set music consultation services for The Morning Show on Apple TV, and guided lead actors such as Reese Witherspoon, Hasan Minhaj, Jennifer Aniston and Billy Crudup for scenes where they are singing on-camera. Having someone with deep musical knowledge on set is very helpful in cases like this, because we can help make sure that the performance looks legitimate, and that it is synced perfectly to the music.

    There also may be times when there is a large group of musicians on camera, and someone from the Encompass team serves as the point-person on set to make sure that the group looks great visually, and that everything is synced properly.

    Other projects that we have provided on-set music consultation for include La La Land, A Star is Born, Candy Cane Lane, Hunters, Joker 2, Gangster Squad, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, and many others! We have worked on many of the top music-focused films of this generation, providing our clients with the best and most authentic results possible.

  • Sideline musicians are often hired according to either AFM or SAG-AFTRA union rates. Reach out to us at info@encompassmusicpartners for a quote based on what your needs are, and what the project entails.