The Right Thing

Last time, I talked about the frustration of the auditon, and how hard it can be to pick the best people out of a pool of great talent. This week, I fully expected to write a post about callbacks being even more difficult, and how it was impossible to pick the people who we’re committing to these rules. Imagine my surprise when the review night went fairly painlessly!

After our callbacks, I had a mini meeting of the minds. I sat down with Andrew (our lead actor in the flick) and my wife (who aside from wanting me to succeed has no ties to the film), and we watched the callbacks. I was actually quite astonished at how quickly the process took place.  We started watching the video at about 7:30, and Andrew was out the door on his way home not three hours later.  I genuinely thought we would be chewing it over for a lot longer, in the range of days. But in this unbelievably rapid process, I did have some observations.

For starters, I now in a way regret not calling back a couple people. Don’t get me wrong, I think we got a great team for this film put together. However, what surprised me most were two people that I invited to callbacks somewhat reluctantly. In both cases, I had invited them back without feeling that they were the best fits for these roles. How wrong I was! In the end, I was so glad that I brought both of these folks back, because their second performances were absolutely spot on to my vision for the film. I did cast one, and the other I was so very close to casting, and they would have been in had it not been someone else’s stellar performance.

This got me thinking: everyone who came out last week did such a great job. I really would have liked to try a few others in the callbacks. It troubles me a little that maybe, just maybe, I would have made the wrong calls. However, I trust the suggestions I got from my writers, the online panel, and my in-person team at the reviews. I just have to accept that we got the right names for this film, and remember that I can always cast the others in my next film.

Another observation I had was that it was so good to have help from an outsider in making these calls! Obviously, as the director what I say goes and I have the last word (geez, I love that power!).  Despite that, however, I really have to brag on how great my wife has been after both auditions.  In both cases she came in and gave me a perspective from someone who is in many ways outside of this production. Her input really helped me see our candidates in a new light, and while i don’t think I took every one of her suggestions, they all DID greatly affect my thought process. So if you read this honey, thanks a bunch!

Along those same lines, it’s absolutely beyond important to have others with you, both at the auditions and while you watch the tapes. By having more eyes out there, they helped me see things I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. So for all of you who helped in this capacity, thanks to you, too!

Alright, I promised I’d finish up the FFS segment, so here it is:

Free Film School: Surviving Auditions

Once everything is set up for auditions, your fun is really going to begin! The casting process is surprisingly difficult. You have a couple minutes with an actor or actress, and in that time you need to decide if they’re worthy to have a role in your film. It can be incredibly stressful, which is why many directors will delegate casting to a Casting Director. But if you’re in the hot seat, there are a few things to consider.

• Is the auditioning actor “real” in the role? That is, are they overacting or underacting? When they perform, do you see the actor as your character, or as someone trying to pretend they’re your character? If you see their performance as the least bit fake, so will everyone who watches your film!
• Don’t be afraid to ask them to re-try the lines. Make suggestions, and see how they handle them. Remember, these people may have only met this character a few seconds earlier. They’re going to need your direction to pull this off.
• Look for people who ask questions. further, avoid people who “self-direct”. A good actor is one who can follow a director’s orders. People who ask questions about the character are trying to fulfill the vision of the director. On the flip side, I’ve had people audition for a project who self-directed to the point of creating room layouts and character interactions without checking with me. It drove me crazy! Improv is one thing, self-directing is another.

Saying “no”

Saying no is the hardest part of the process. If you have to tell someone no,  here are some reminders:

• Don’t burn bridges! You’re not Simon Cowell. Just because someone isn’t a super strong actor today doesn’t mean they’ll never be one. The filmmaking world is shockingly small. The last thing you want is to beat someone into the ground today, and get blacklisted by them years later after they worked on their skills.
• Offer ideas for improvement. Sometimes if you give the person you turned down feedback, they can continue to build their skills. They may even thank you for it.
• If posible, bring them in as a minor role or extra. Give them on-set experience. Let them work with you and your team, so they have the chance to improve. Again, you never know what the future holds. By extending a hand to new or inexperienced actors, you might wind up making a powerful ally down the road.

Bottom line, look for people who fit your vision. Don’t be afraid to direct, and if you do have to say no, don’t be a jerk!