Casting Craziness!

The next leg of this journey has been CASTING, which is almost complete. And WOW! Has this process been interesting and revealing. More than anything, I’ve learned about the incredible craft of acting. I absolutely LOVE ACTORS. They are the life force energy of any film, particularly a character driven film like The Shickles. From the very beginning, as a director, I knew FULLY that this film is going to live or die based on the casting.

However, my first steps in the casting process were a little wonky. In my eagerness, I cast one of my lead roles without first reading them on-camera. I just assumed and hoped based on previous work that they would embody everything I imagined this character to be. This turned out NOT to be true once they were on camera reading the scenes. It absolutely NOTHING to do with their performance, it just wasn’t the right fit after all. It’s interesting how even the most talented actors can be wrong for certain parts and you really can’t tell until you actually see them in it. This left me with the most UNCOMFORTABLE and unpleasant situation of having tell someone that I cast, that I no longer felt I could “hire” them. It was HORRIBLE. Actors experience so many ups and downs and so much rejection and to be someone who offers an “up” only to deliver a huge “down” did NOT feel good. It sucked big time. HUGE lesson learned about collaborating with others. Do NOT make promises you do not fully intend on keeping which means making decisions VERY carefully and thinking them out completely before involving others. LIVE AND LEARN.

That said, I have so much admiration and respect for actors. Being a WORKING actor takes great skill, commitment, dedication, focus, and a really really thick skin! There’s so much rejection. As an independent director with a micro-budget, I do not have the luxury of a casting director. I’m the casting director. I also do not have the luxury of a ready-at-hand roster of amazing talent I can just call upon. I had no choice but to send out a casting call to the entire Los Angeles community of actors. I received close to 3000 resumes with only 7 roles available in the film. That’s insane. The process of discovery and elimination was overwhelming.

As I was going through all of the submissions, I found myself constantly making a “what-to-do” and a “what-not-to-do” list for actors. With 3000 submissions and 7 roles to cast, I had to quickly devise a criteria for sifting the “yes’s” and the “no’s.” First of all, if you’re an actor in this day and age, you HAVE TO HAVE A REEL. I eliminated every submission without even looking at it if they did not have some type of VIDEO.

What was clear as I was doing this is that Actors think that they have to have worked on something in order to have a reel. Obviously, actors who have more experience are going to have tons of tape of themselves. But I’m sure that there are plenty of talented people out there just beginning, trying to get work and have yet to amass a “video resume.” Most of these people were obviously NON-UNION and just sent pictures. NO GOOD! If you’re a non-union actor and have an iPhone, put yourself on tape doing SOMETHING! Anything.

I was genuinely searching for talented people with PRESENCE and could careless whether or not they had ever worked on anything before. I remember watching the submission of an actor who performed a monologue on tape using what was likely their phone. The framing was a close up so it felt intimate, and then they delivered the most heartfelt, real, engaging performance EVER. I was deeply moved. And I thought every actor should have tape of themselves doing something like that. Even if you have worked and have material, if you’re bikini-girl #1 in the scene and it shows nothing about your skills as an actor, what’s the point?

And the absolute WORST type of reel is a tape of someone acting in a play. It’s like applying for a job as a dancer and sending tape of yourself playing the drums. Someone who is trying to cast a film wants to know what you look like on camera and how believable you are in your performance within a very intimate frame of space. Theatre productions are just terrible examples of that. The sound sucks. The camera is far way. You’re not performing in an intimate space so its going to seem like you are overacting. Just…don’t do it. Bad.

I probably eliminated more than HALF of the submissions based on these factors alone. So there you go! Actors if you’re reading this and you want to actually get noticed and have the opportunity to work with independent filmmakers (your best bet for building a resume, getting more work, and establishing yourself), then create a REEL for yourself that SHOWS what you can do.

There were now only 1000 submissions to go through! This was when the HEAD SHOT was most important. Does the person remotely look like your image of the character. Right age range. Right hair color. A pretty blond communicates a very different “feel” and energy compared to a dark brunette. This part was easy.

What was left was still 100’s of actor reels to watch and sift into piles of YES’S and NO’s. And YES, I watched them all! But it was amazing how fast it was to tell the skill level of an actor. They exude an effable PRESENCE. Great actors make it seem effortless, but it is not. Even in life it takes some work to stay present in the moment. We think about the past, future, but when we interact with the world around us, we have no control over what others do or say. Life surprises and delights us in the present moment.

But actors have an interesting job, they know where the story is going and have to pretend that they don’t. THAT takes skill. There’s nothing more satisfying then watching a performance that feels completely BELIEVABLE. You don’t even question it. Great performers transport you to a time and place and situation and make you feel as if you’re a fly on the way peaking in on someone else’s life. They have PRESENCE. The actor is present and therefore you feel present with them and they get to take you for a ride. Searching for this key factor widdled the submission pool down to a very small select few.

Out of the 3000 submissions, I found about 70 people who I could possibly cast. And several of those people did NOT submit at all, I found them on my own.by going on random treasure hunts— sifting through on-line actor databases such as Backstage and Actor’s Access. And then there was one actor, who I immediately sent to the “NO” pile because they had a crappy reel. Then I got an emailed from them saying that they had researched the film on their own, loved the project, and really really wanted to audition. How do you say no to that!? The narcissist in me was like, “if you’re interested in my work than I’m interested in you!” I told them to put themselves on tape. They did and they were probably one of the best auditions I saw.

I invited about 50 people to audition in person and the rest I asked to “eco-cast” ie. send a tape of themselves performing scenes from the script. As a writer, watching different people read your lines over and over is REALLY eye-opening. Obviously it’s informative about the writing itself, but what’s really fascinating is experiencing what the actors bring to the table. Nothing is more delightful than to watch an actor breath life into your words and find moments that you never even thought of before.

I’d been struggling with a particular line in the script for weeks. A simple line. In my own head, I couldn’t figure out how that line should be delivered. Then I watched an eco-cast from a young actress and when she got to that line, she whispered it. And I was like YES! OF course! Perfect. That’s what that moment is all about. Everything about this audition was surprising and engaging. That’s when you truly appreciation the gifts that actors bring to the table.

As a director, it’s so much more fun playing with people who DO NOT need direction. The sign of true artistry is when a musician has honed their craft and can make the notes come alive on their own. The job of the conductor is to just gently guide the flow. There’s just no time on a small production to be wasted on trying to pull out a performance from an actor. Auditions, daunting as they are, are the opportunity for an actor to show up fully present, make clear choices, embody a character, and perform their craft. Any literate and mobile person can read out loud off a sheet of paper, move around, and say words with inflection. And yet, that’s how most actors approach an audition. You can see quickly why some actors work and some do not.

Luckily, most folks came FULLY prepared and were really fun to watch, but their energy just wasn’t quite right for the role. There is SO MUCH that goes into casting. It’s crazy. I found it a bit heart-breaking because there were several actors that came in that were so talented and really wanted to be apart of this film, which was so flattering, and yet they just weren’t quite the right fit. I want all actors to know that if you’ve done your work, you show prepared, and you do not get cast, it’s NOT REJECTION. It’s just chemistry.

So, out of 3000 submissions, I am thrilled to say that I not only was able to find my cast, but I found true collaborative partners that are going to elevate the words on the page to a new level. I couldn’t be more excited to work with these folks.