In fact, sometimes it’s the characters who only have a few lines which need special scenes. Otherwise, the actors’ audition might consist of two sentences, and you won’t get any sense of them.

I agree that scripted scenes aren’t always the most useful in casting. I just had the pleasure (and triumph) of directing my first feature film, and not only did I write (I was the writer/director) a couple of scenes especially to cast actors, but I did some fairly intense improv work them, as well.

We had many child actors in the film, and I found that doing improv scenarios with the children worked very well to really understand the actors’ range and to explore the characters on a deeper level. Also, these improv scenes brought out some really powerful moments that could then be integrated into the final performances. It was a wonderful process, I learned so much from it.

Take care, Leena

It occurs to me now, though… I’m assuming you mean this for the principal actors, and not just any extra with a line or two? And might it make sense to write a special scene that combines 1-3 main characters that interact a lot in the movie (instead of separate scenes for each part)?