Casting Isn't For The Weak

I made my decision to become an independent film maker  for the same reason that I have made most of my life's decisions - to meet girls.  One would think that of all the components that are necessary for one to be a competent indie film maker, casting would therefor be high in the enjoyment range.  Not so.  Today's post is a brief discussion of the pitfalls and recommendations which represent the scars I've received while casting film parts.

1) Beware the MFA!  A Master's in Fine Arts degree shows that someone has taken the time (and money) to invest in themselves and their career.  They toss their degree into the back of their Volkswagen, and head to LA or NYC.  They find no work, and turn to alcohol, licking toads, or worse, acting for nothing in independent film.  They will come onto your set, tell you what you don't know (this may take some time) and display much angst.  BONUS: If you can catch this angst on film, you may win a Spirit Award.

2) Beware of the gainfully employed!  Schedule your auditions on weekdays between 9 and 5.  Think about it.  If the actor can't make the one hour audition, how are they going to make a ten hour shoot day?  Here's to the economy staying in the toilet. 

3) Don't audition friends!  Doesn't that sound terrible?  It does, until you have to tell them they didn't get the part.  Just give them the part, or don't.  Unless you're trying to get rid of your actor friends, which is a whole other post.

4) Having read the above, if you're now thinking that you may just want to hire a casting agent, you are well down the path to enlightenment.  There's a reason there are two or three in the credits of every film you have ever seen in the theatre.  As for me meeting girls, is there an existing phrase for blog-groupies?

Tom Kennerly will be directing '...And The Radio Still Plays' in June 2013.

Do you know what a showrunner is?  I'll tell you.  A showunner is the person behind the Movie or Television Show that, whatever his or her title technically is, runs the show.  Decisions need to be made, toes need to be stepped on, and bubbles need to be burst.  I know - sounds like something that I would do for free, or perhaps as a winter hobby.  But brother, it is exhausting, expecially in the world of Indie Film, where there's no money at the end of the day.  The last two features had the Silver Fox working as writer, director, producer, and actor.  I didn't get into this to work, man, it was mostly for the chicks.

Enter Jay Robert Scott.  Mr. Scott has written and is producing "...And the Radio Still Plays", and surprised the Starbucks out of me by asking me to direct.  No running for lunch, no negotiating free locations, no aranging for babysitters for other people's kids.  Mr. Scott, I thank you, and of course condone your artistic sensibility and decision making capabilites.  So, let's knock it out of the park.

Like me as Tom Kennerly on fb.

Da Mirror Don't Lie

It is so embarrassing to keep learning the same lessons over and over again in this life, but that's me. I just experienced a 'walk a mile in another man's shoes' situation, and it was a valuable lesson.  It has been a long time since I have worked on a project that wasn't based on one of my scripts, but I decided to take a flyer and work on someone else' independent film.  Wow.  It was rough.  And all the time that this poor kid was self destructing, all I could think was, is this not too damn different from me on one of my projects?  Do I come off with all the charm of a drill sergeant in the rain?  Is it that obvious when I'm directing that I couldn't care less about anything outside of my goals?  Am I that afraid to admit that I was wrong?  I really hope not.  Lesson learned.  (I swear!)

Quote for the day...

"Ability will never catch up with the demand for it." - Malcolm Forbes