HOW GREENLIGHT RADAR WORKS

This is a bit of a longer read, but if you want the detail about how we score productions, how we find the data and why some production may seem "out of date" you will find all those answers on this page. Including some better ways to actually use the greenlight Radar.

Greenlight Radar is not a casting noticeboard.

It is an actor-focused production intelligence tracker. It takes the places of hours or days or research you would need to do every week to find this data for yourself.

That means we are not showing you individual roles, character breakdowns, audition notices or guaranteed casting opportunities. Instead, we track film and television productions that appear to be moving through development, pre-production or preparation for filming, then organise that information in a way actors can actually use.

The aim is simple:

To help actors spot productions earlier, research the right people, understand where things are filming, and take action before opportunities become obvious to everyone else.

WHERE THE INFORMATION COMES FROM

Greenlight Radar is built from industry production intelligence.

Our team gathers and reviews information from a range of industry-facing sources, including production tracking data, film-office information, trade-style film and TV updates, public production announcements, studio and production company information, casting attachments, filming location booking details, funding confirmations, a huge network of insider sources, and other publicly visible industry signals.

We then reshape that information specifically for actors.

That is important. Whilst other production trackers exist that cater specifically to production teams, crews, editors, production managers, locations and catering companies, there are no production trackers for actors. Until now. Greenlight Radar is the only global production tracker specifically designed for actors.

We filter, organise and score each production to help you understand whether it looks useful for actor outreach, agent follow-up, future tracking or preparation. And if you are on Greenlight Radar PRO you get the extra layer of Casting Director data as well.

WHAT GREENLIGHT RADAR IS

Greenlight Radar is:

It helps you answer questions like:

What is filming near me? What productions are coming up soon? Who is casting this? Is there already a lot of cast attached? Does this look like something I should act on now? Should I ask my agent or manager to check for breakdowns? Should I prepare a targeted pitch? Should I simply watch this one for now?

WHAT GREENLIGHT RADAR IS NOT

Greenlight Radar is not:

There are no listed roles here. You should not look at Greenlight Radar and think: “This production is definitely casting me.”

You should look at it and think: “This production exists, it appears to be moving, it may be in a useful window, and I now have enough information to research it properly and hopefully send a direct pitch.”

WHY WE SCORE PRODUCTIONS

Not every production lead is equally useful.

We get alerted to productions the minute they are publicly known. Remember that some productions move in secret before anything becomes public.

And so by the time they become public knowledge, some productions are months away from filming and may not have begun serious casting yet. Some are in the sweet spot where casting may be active or about to become active. Some are close to shooting, which means principal casting may already be advanced, but smaller roles, local roles, day players, replacements or late additions may still be possible. Some are too far along, too heavily cast or too vague to be useful, so we leave them out.

This is why every included production now receives an ACTOR WINDOW score.

The score is our actor-focused interpretation of the available production information. It is not a guarantee. It is a prioritisation tool.

THE ACTOR WINDOW

Every production in the tracker now has an Actor Window label.

There are three public labels:

We used to include all productions in the Greenlight Radar, but we realised actors stuggled to know if they should reach out, and sometimes reached out to the wrong productions. So now, if a production does not appear useful enough for actors, we do not include it in the Radar at all. Every production receive  score out of ten.

PITCH NOW

Usually 7/10 - 10/10

This is the strongest actor-useful category.

A production marked PITCH NOW appears to be in one of the best current windows for actor research, agent follow-up or careful professional outreach.

Typical signs that affect the score might include:

The production date is several weeks away. A casting director or casting office is listed. There is no major cast listed, or only limited cast attached. The project appears to be a new film, pilot, limited series, telefilm or new scripted series. The production does not appear to be already filming, wrapped or too far advanced.

This does not mean roles are guaranteed to be open. It means the production looks worth acting on now.

Best use: Ask your agent to check whether breakdowns have gone out. Research the casting director. Look at the tone and genre of the project. Prepare a short, specific, professional pitch if appropriate.

TIME SENSITIVE

Usually 4/10 - 6/10

A production marked TIME SENSITIVE may still be useful, but the window is tighter. This usually means the production is closer to filming, or there are signs that casting may already be advanced.

There may still be opportunities, especially for:

But you should be realistic. A Time Sensitive production is not usually the place to assume major roles are wide open. It is a “move quickly and carefully” lead.

Best use: If you genuinely fit the world of the project, act fast. Ask your agent to check availability of breakdowns. If you reach out yourself, keep it concise, relevant and professional.

WATCHLIST

Usually 3/10 - 6/10

A production marked WATCHLIST is useful, but not necessarily ready for direct outreach today. This might mean the production is still far away, the timing is vague, the status is early, or there is not enough casting information yet to treat it as a pitch-now opportunity.

Watchlist productions are still valuable because they allow you to get ahead of the market.

You can research: The production company. The director. The writer. The casting director, if listed. The genre and tone. The source material, if relevant. Previous work by the creative team. Whether your agent has seen anything connected to it.

Best use: Save it, track it, research it, and prepare. If it moves into a stronger window later, you will already be ahead.

WHAT GETS LEFT OUT

We do not include every production we find anymore.

Productions may be left out if they appear: Too far along. Already shooting. Too heavily cast. Too close to the start date. Missing useful casting information. Mostly background/extras-related. Unscripted or not actor-relevant. Too vague to be useful. Stale or unlikely to produce meaningful actor opportunities.

This is deliberate. The value of Greenlight Radar is not in giving you the longest possible list. The value is in cutting down the noise so you can focus on productions that appear worth your time.

HOW THE SCORE IS CALCULATED

Each production is scored out of 10 using several actor-relevant signals.

The main factors are:

TIMING

Timing is one of the biggest factors.

In general, productions several weeks away from filming are more useful than productions starting tomorrow. A production that is around 4 to 12 weeks away may be in a stronger actor-useful window. A production that is only 1 to 3 weeks away may still be useful, but it is more likely that principal casting is already advanced.

A production that has already started filming is usually much less useful for normal actor outreach, unless there is a specific reason to believe late casting may still happen.

A production that is months away may be useful as a Watchlist lead, especially if a casting director or production company is already attached.

CASTING DIRECTOR INFORMATION

Casting information is one of the strongest signals.

If a casting director or casting office is listed, the production becomes more useful to actors because there is a clearer route for research or agent follow-up. However, a listed casting director does not automatically mean roles are open.

It may mean:

This is why we do not say “now casting”. We say “Actor Window”.

ATTACHED CAST

Attached cast can tell us a lot. If no cast is listed, the production may be earlier in the process, or at least not publicly cast-heavy yet. If one or two names are attached, it may still be useful.

If a large cast list is already attached, the production may be further along. That does not mean every role is gone, but it does lower the likelihood that the production is a strong contender to find a lead role on. Large cast lists often push a production down into Time Sensitive or cause it to be left out entirely.

PROJECT TYPE

Project type matters. A new feature film, pilot, new series, limited series or telefilm may be more useful because casting may still have room to move. A returning series may still cast guest roles, recurring roles, day players and local roles, but many key casting relationships may already be established.

A major sequel, franchise or spin-off may still cast, but principal roles are often more tightly controlled, heavily agent-led or already attached.

That does not make those productions useless. It just changes how you should approach them.

WHY SOME INFORMATION MAY APPEAR OUT OF DATE

This is important. Production intelligence is not the same as a live casting notice.

A production can appear in industry tracking after some casting has already happened. A project can be newly visible to the wider industry, but not brand new to the casting office. A start date can move. A working title can change. A production can delay, accelerate, relocate, rename, recast, pause, restart or wrap before all public-facing information catches up.

A casting director may be listed because they are attached to the production, but that does not mean they are still looking for every role.

This is the key difference: Production intelligence tells us that a production exists and appears to be moving. It does not always tell us the exact live casting status.

That is why Greenlight Radar scores each production instead of presenting everything as equally actionable.

“BUT I CONTACTED THEM AND THEY SAID IT WAS ALREADY FULLY CAST”

That can happen. It does not always mean the production information was wrong. It may mean:

This is why the tracker should be used strategically.

It is not about blindly emailing every casting director. It is about identifying which productions are worth researching, which ones your agent should check, and where you may have a realistic reason to put yourself forward.

HOW TO APPROACH THE SCORES

Do not treat the score as a guarantee. Treat it as a priority signal.

A higher score means: Start here. Research this first. Ask your agent about this first. Consider a careful direct pitch if you are genuinely relevant.

A lower score does not always mean “ignore forever”.

It may mean: Track it. Wait for more information. Research the team. Prepare materials. Do not pitch yet.

The smart way to use Greenlight Radar is not to contact everyone. The smart way is to shortlist.

Look for productions where: You are local or can realistically work as a local hire. You fit the world of the project. Your casting type makes sense. The tone matches your materials. A casting director is listed. The timing is not too late. You have a clear reason to reach out.

HOW ACTORS SHOULD USE PITCH NOW

When something is marked PITCH NOW, do not send a generic message.

Do not write: “Please consider me for any roles.”

Instead, think: Why this project? Why me? Why now? What material can I show that proves I fit this world?

A better approach is: Research the casting director (already done for you if you have Greenlight Radar PRO). Check whether your agent has access to breakdowns. Watch previous work by the director or producers. Look at the tone and genre. Choose one strong demo reel/showreel clip or self-tape that fits. Send a short, professional, specific note only if appropriate.

Pitch Now means “worth action”. It does not mean “spam them today”.

HOW ACTORS SHOULD USE TIME SENSITIVE

When something is marked TIME SENSITIVE, move quickly but stay realistic. The production may be close to shooting. That means big roles may already be cast, but smaller roles may still be moving.

This is especially relevant if you are local to the filming area.

If you fit the project and have suitable material, this may still be worth a quick agent check or a concise pitch. But do not spend hours building a campaign around it unless it genuinely makes sense for you.

HOW ACTORS SHOULD USE WATCHLIST

WATCHLIST productions are where smart actors can get ahead early. Do not ignore these. A Watchlist project may become more useful later.

Use this stage to:

The actor who prepares during the Watchlist stage is often in a better position when the window opens.

WHY LOCATION MATTERS

Productions often prefer local actors for certain roles. This is especially true for:

Smaller roles. Day players. Local characters. Regional shoots. Short-notice casting. Lower-budget productions. Telefilms. Regional filming blocks. Roles where travel and accommodation are not worth the extra cost.

That is why Greenlight Radar is organised by country and city/region.

Start with what is filming near you. Then expand outward.

HOW TO USE THE TRACKER WITH YOUR AGENT

If you have an agent, Greenlight Radar can help you become more useful to them.

Instead of saying: “Can you get me more auditions?”

You can say: “I saw this production is listed as filming in Manchester in August. It has this casting director attached. Can we reach out? Do you know if breakdowns have gone out?”

That is a much more specific, professional conversation. Agents are busy. The easier you make it for them to check something, the better. Greenlight Radar gives you the production title, timing, location and casting information so you can ask better questions.

HOW TO USE THE TRACKER WITHOUT AN AGENT

If you do not have an agent, you can still use the tracker. But you need to be even more careful. Only reach out when:

 Your aim is not to demand an audition. Your aim is to put yourself on the radar in a professional way.

WHY WE INCLUDE CAUTION NOTES

Every production includes a caution note because production and casting information changes quickly. The caution note tells you what to be aware of.

For example: The start date may be close. The cast may already be heavily attached. The production may be a returning series. The casting director may not be confirmed as actively casting. The project may be better for tracking than immediate outreach.

These notes are there to help you avoid wasting time or approaching a production in the wrong way.

THE RIGHT MINDSET

Greenlight Radar is for proactive actors.

It is for actors who want to stop waiting for public casting notices and start understanding what is moving in the industry. But proactive does not mean reckless.

The best actors using this tracker will be selective, specific and professional. They will not contact everyone. They will not assume every production is open. They will not treat the tracker like a casting site.

They will use it as intelligence.

They will research. They will shortlist. They will prepare. They will ask better questions. They will pitch only when they have a strong reason.

FINAL NOTE

Greenlight Radar gives you a head start. It does not guarantee the finish line.

The productions listed here have been selected because they appear useful to actors based on available production information. Some will be in a stronger casting window than others. Some may already be further along than the available information suggests. Some may become more useful later.

That is why we score them.

Use the tracker wisely:

The actors who get the most from Greenlight Radar are not the ones who email everyone. They are the ones who use the information strategically.