VOD – Casting

There was a huge transformation we seen between the 90s and the millennium world. Initially, people were bound by time and hours, be it a working professional or a homemaker, entertainment was the buzzword, which attracts all generations in all forms. Whether we speak about mythological shows, which gained huge popularity like Ramayana/Mahabharata/Krishna, or movies like Sholay/Anand/Zanjeer/Deewar/India, all used to be telecast in a specific time or channel or date.

However today in this digital age, it is extremely difficult for one to plan their day for a program or movie according to the scheduled telecast time, and thus people have shifted their interest to other modes of services like VOD (video-on-demand), which bring the desired content regardless of time, place and of course specific device.

The core meaning of VOD, which basically stands for video-on-demand in simpler language means watching a video whenever you choose to watch and it is just a click away. VOD enable to watch a video, as and when you wish to, like online steaming, downloading videos, etc. Some of the perfect examples are YouTube, in-flight entertainment systems, even videos posted on the Facebook feed.

When you talk of the internet, it is just a touch away and preferably on competitively-priced mobile devices. Some of the popular platforms are Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Hotstar, Zee5, and Voot. These platforms are very popular with our young generation who spend a lot of time watching online content of their choice. One can enjoy these platforms unlimited with a subscription agreement, which grants access to the service typically to watch until one drops down.

In short, a superb way of story-telling or any form of entertainment is VOD. There is an excellent opportunity, which came in limelight in this era of VOD. Casting is a prominent and integral part of filmmaking. It is about selecting the actors to play various roles, though sometimes a part is written with a particular actor in mind. But the goal is to discover the right people to narrate a story. Storytelling is the common theme in all forms of media and getting the fitting actors means that a film, TV show, play or advertisement can screen a compelling story to its audience. A casting director is a middle man between actors and directors. A casting director can play a significant role in the process of filmmaking and determines the eventual success or failure of the film. He needs to understand the director’s vision and utilize his range of view to convert actors into characters. In all these VOD platforms, one can probably notice quite a few fresh faces who are doing a remarkable job which compels the audience to find out their names.
VOD, combined with OTT, is undoubtedly a big shift, promising brillant actors with fascinating stories.

Moreover, when the entire world is going through the COVID-19 crisis, where all are locked down in their homes, totally unconnected frpm the outer world, VOD plays a vital part. A huge chunk of our population is tech-savvy and these platforms are designed to rescue them, at large.