Actors as the Windows to the Script
I can’t remember the exact percentage or who said it but there’s a quote that goes “Casting is X% of directing.” The mighty oracle that is Google tells me that the percentage was 65 and the person who said it was director John Frankenheimer.
With my very finite experience I’d argue that that percentage is probably a lot higher.
If the script is the blueprint and the production is the construction then the actors must be the windows in this structure that is a movie. Without the performances to bring everything together you’ve got no way to see inside what you’ve made, no connection to the outside world - the audience.
We’re wrapping up two months of shooting (weekends mostly) on Refrain and the truth is I’d sooner have traded in my HD camera and all my fancy peripherals for a cell phone camera than have traded in one of the performers we managed land. And I mean, forget about the perfomances per sey (which have been phenomenal), but to have people on board who just understand their role and are committed to the cause and come to the shoots as prepared as you are - that’s just indispensible. Because through that preparedness come the performances. And when - as a one-man crew - you’ve got two dozen other things to look out for at a shoot that’s when you realize just how imporant making the right casting decision was.
It all comes back to being prepared I guess, and casting right is the equivalent of storyboarding before shooting, or writing an outline before laying down a script.
How did we cast Refrain? A number of ways that all started with me getting over my self-deprecating notion that I’d never be able to find like-minded souls out there willing to go balls-out and make a movie with me. Once Vidya smacked that idea out of my head, we put the word out to every drama school, association and federation in the area. Want ad sites like Craig’s List and Mandy.com were also really helpful in bringing in potential candidates. And of course putting the word out on the street to friends and family. The ads were short and to the point, log line, nature of the project (short or feature), character breakdowns, budget (don’t dick around, if you don’t have a budget just say so) and whether you’re taking on union or non-union talent.
That’s what worked for us anyway. I’ve already covered the actual casting process a little in a previous post.
So there you go. My advice for what it’s worth - it’s my damn website - is find the right people for the job. Next week: Water quenches thirst and more fairly obvious factoids!