Major Project: Casting Auditions
Importance of Casting and Auditions
Casting is an important and key point of Pre-Production. Casting correctly is one of, if not the, most important parts when creating a film. Making sure you cast the correct actor to a role or character is paramount as they will inevitably become them and reflect the character you have created. Therefore they must be representative of them and as a director, they must represent my vision.
Casting can make or break a film. Poor casting can result in bad performance. If an actor isn't right for the role, or doesn't fit then they should not be cast. By no means should casting be a quick process, performance should be considered and should coincide with the script. The script can be flexible but not in a way that is detrimental too it.
Actors need to be aesthetically right for the part, be believable, have the talent for the role, to have a reason to commit to the role, be able to immerse themselves in them and have the right personality for it. Finding all of these correct things can be difficult. However, it is important not to settle for cast and push to find the right actor for the role.
Emily Auditions
What were we looking for?
Aesthetically, Emily was written as a petite to medium height young woman. Beautiful, with straight cut hair and a straight body shape. She is the sort of woman that takes pride in her appearance with minimalist yet always perfect makeup and hair. She is a heavily organised and professional woman, her appearance should reflect that. She is the opposite of Dan in the sense of a clean cut style.
Personality wise, Emily is an interesting character throughout the film. At times she is automatic and emotionless, while at others she wears her heart on her sleeve. She can be harsh, dismissive and cold at times but at certain points we see her love and warmth for Dan. Her 'work mode' ways at times can make her impossible to talk too and come across as rude. Her structured lifestyle makes her a tricky character, if her sense of control is threatened then she can be hostile and confrontational, to correct it. While all of these things apply, she has a deep love for Dan. Clouded by her need for control, she has come to forget and fail to realize all he does and sacrifices for her. Something she realizes in the film all too late.
The actress playing Emily has the task of conveying her many moods. Automatic to absolutely distraught, one of the key factors is that the actress must be believable at all times, producing a performance that encapsulates this complex character's conflicting emotions. Also much of Emily's emotions are not conveyed through dialogue, but instead through their actions, allowing her eyes and face to express her feeling. This requires an actress that can convey feelings and emotions within a character without saying a word. Large portions of the script are without dialogue and require this ability as Emily is a woman of few words.
Emily's emotions are very varied throughout the film. The way in which they can turn on a knife-edge within the film and her moments in which she seems without emotions, is something that is key to the character. The actress playing her needs to be emotionally invested for this reason. If not, what is strong within the script could become weaker or less significant within the film. Something that we want to avoid as we want to ensure as much detail within the script makes its way into the film as possible. Ranging from props to character performance.
Once again we had solid auditions for the role as we had a total of 10 actresses applying for the role. This allowed us to cherry pick and not need to settle for actresses, which is something we always intended not to do. We set ourselves enough time with auditions to be able to push deadlines in order to find the 'right' actress/actor for roles.
Who we Cast
Rosie Hewett
Why?
Dan Auditions
What were we looking for?
Aesthetically with Dan we were looking for them to be taller than Emily and Steph, with an athletic/muscular build. Keen to look after his body, the actor playing Dan needed to reflect this by having a physic that reflected this. Also by way of facial appearance and hair, I imagined Dan to be handsome and rugged. He is a relaxed and casual person, usually sporting a beard or stubble with bed head or natural hair.
Personality wise, Dan is a caring, kind and driven person. Someone that is always fun to be around. To his friends he is a funny yet caring person that would do everything he can to make someone else's life easier. Emily and Dan have been together for years, through thick and thin. However the years have taken their toll, Dan questions whether he even likes Emily anymore as her commanding ways and need for control have pushed him away and into the arms of Steph. A woman he shares more and more with. Following his demise, within Emily's mind, he finally is able to confront her on her ways and is able to tell her how he really feels. Out of character for him as she pushes him to the edge and snaps, becoming assertive, angry and confrontational.
The actor playing Dan needs to also be believable. Dan's looks need to reflect his character. He is someone that would avoid confrontation as much as possible,, but if things did start off, he could look after himself. The actor playing Dan needs to reflect both sides of this character. The loving, caring and gentle side, but also the strong, wound up and frustrated side.
It would greatly help if the actor was emotionally invested in the role. Dan's character is one that looks at the build of frustration that can occur within a dysfunctional relationship. His behavior within ranging from kind and submissive to frustrated and angry is one that can be difficult to portray. It is key for the actor to represent Dan within this, being able to reflect and bring out Dan's deep emotions is something that the actor needs to be able to do.
So far we have had a total of 10 auditions for the role of Dan. This is fantastic as we have been able to get notes from actors on their takes of the character, the way in which they view him and his intentions and also the way in which Dan as a character has been performed has been varied and none the less interesting from a casting and performance point of view.
Who we Cast
Tommy Alexander
Why?
Steph Auditions
What are we looking for?
Aesthetically, Steph was written as a petite to medium build young woman. She is sporty, in shape and beautiful. She takes pride in her appearance away from work and has a straight body shape. Steph was originally written to be better looking and more attractive than Emily. However, we found that within the script this was not a necessity as it would make more sense that Dan has fallen in love with someone else who is more like himself. Rather than someone who is simply better looking. This makes more sense to Dan's character and also more to Steph's.
Steph's personality is warming and funny. She is attractive not only physically but with her sense of humour and common interests with Dan. In moments of confrontation she would actively try to avoid it, as a passive person she only tries to make people feel better/happier, if she makes anyone feel the opposite then she would remove herself from the equation or go out of her way to apologize. Only in moments of deep concern, worry or fear would Steph ever confront anyone. In doing so she has the potential to be intimidating.
Steph's character has less screen time within the film but is none the less an integral part of the story. The catalyst of Emily's downfall, she is seen in the story around three times. Each time we see her conveying different emotions. While the first two times she is shocked, submissive and scared, the second she is worried, frustrated and confrontational. These very different and visually emotional moments are ones that are key. The actress much be believable and convincing within these scenes as they are the moments that the story turns on. A less than par performance in these moments risks the overall result of the film more than some others.
We had 9 auditions overall for the role of Steph, something that originally we were surprised at as we thought we may have issues casting for the shorter role. All of the auditions were beneficial and proved interesting, seeing the different ways in which actresses were portraying the character.
Who we Cast
Gabrielle Finnegan
Why?
Casting is an important and key point of Pre-Production. Casting correctly is one of, if not the, most important parts when creating a film. Making sure you cast the correct actor to a role or character is paramount as they will inevitably become them and reflect the character you have created. Therefore they must be representative of them and as a director, they must represent my vision.
Casting can make or break a film. Poor casting can result in bad performance. If an actor isn't right for the role, or doesn't fit then they should not be cast. By no means should casting be a quick process, performance should be considered and should coincide with the script. The script can be flexible but not in a way that is detrimental too it.
Actors need to be aesthetically right for the part, be believable, have the talent for the role, to have a reason to commit to the role, be able to immerse themselves in them and have the right personality for it. Finding all of these correct things can be difficult. However, it is important not to settle for cast and push to find the right actor for the role.
Emily Auditions
What were we looking for?
Aesthetically, Emily was written as a petite to medium height young woman. Beautiful, with straight cut hair and a straight body shape. She is the sort of woman that takes pride in her appearance with minimalist yet always perfect makeup and hair. She is a heavily organised and professional woman, her appearance should reflect that. She is the opposite of Dan in the sense of a clean cut style.
Personality wise, Emily is an interesting character throughout the film. At times she is automatic and emotionless, while at others she wears her heart on her sleeve. She can be harsh, dismissive and cold at times but at certain points we see her love and warmth for Dan. Her 'work mode' ways at times can make her impossible to talk too and come across as rude. Her structured lifestyle makes her a tricky character, if her sense of control is threatened then she can be hostile and confrontational, to correct it. While all of these things apply, she has a deep love for Dan. Clouded by her need for control, she has come to forget and fail to realize all he does and sacrifices for her. Something she realizes in the film all too late.
The actress playing Emily has the task of conveying her many moods. Automatic to absolutely distraught, one of the key factors is that the actress must be believable at all times, producing a performance that encapsulates this complex character's conflicting emotions. Also much of Emily's emotions are not conveyed through dialogue, but instead through their actions, allowing her eyes and face to express her feeling. This requires an actress that can convey feelings and emotions within a character without saying a word. Large portions of the script are without dialogue and require this ability as Emily is a woman of few words.
Emily's emotions are very varied throughout the film. The way in which they can turn on a knife-edge within the film and her moments in which she seems without emotions, is something that is key to the character. The actress playing her needs to be emotionally invested for this reason. If not, what is strong within the script could become weaker or less significant within the film. Something that we want to avoid as we want to ensure as much detail within the script makes its way into the film as possible. Ranging from props to character performance.
Once again we had solid auditions for the role as we had a total of 10 actresses applying for the role. This allowed us to cherry pick and not need to settle for actresses, which is something we always intended not to do. We set ourselves enough time with auditions to be able to push deadlines in order to find the 'right' actress/actor for roles.
Who we Cast
Rosie Hewett
Why?
- Rosie's performance during her audition was fantastic. She is able to become the automatic woman written within the story while also being able to produce raw emotion. Her spoken dialogue was intense exactly where it needed to be, not overdone or too much but able to steadily build and also switch on intensity when needed. What made her performance stand out what her non spoken acting ability. One of the key things we was looking for she was able to produce. Her dancing background seems to facilitate this as the subtle looks and posture just added more and more to the character and performance.
- Another reason was her attention to detail and the character. She was able to analyse and get to the core of the character with her emotions. Something we will develop on more but her ability to pick through the script and pull out as much as she could about the character only aided her performance more. This also is a fantastic indicator as her ability to understand and learn the character is something that will improve further and, through collaboration, we can refine her character.
- Aesthetically she fits the character to a tee. Her hair, eyes and looks she gives when acting combined with her persona really makes the character come off the script and turned to life.
- Fitting the looks of a character and being able to act the role of them is one thing but what Rosie brought an understanding of the character. Her interest in the character and the subtle, more finer elements of communication and acting really made her stand out. We took this as a sign in the future that she is not only fitting of the role but could also be very interesting and good to work with on set.
Dan Auditions
What were we looking for?
Aesthetically with Dan we were looking for them to be taller than Emily and Steph, with an athletic/muscular build. Keen to look after his body, the actor playing Dan needed to reflect this by having a physic that reflected this. Also by way of facial appearance and hair, I imagined Dan to be handsome and rugged. He is a relaxed and casual person, usually sporting a beard or stubble with bed head or natural hair.
Personality wise, Dan is a caring, kind and driven person. Someone that is always fun to be around. To his friends he is a funny yet caring person that would do everything he can to make someone else's life easier. Emily and Dan have been together for years, through thick and thin. However the years have taken their toll, Dan questions whether he even likes Emily anymore as her commanding ways and need for control have pushed him away and into the arms of Steph. A woman he shares more and more with. Following his demise, within Emily's mind, he finally is able to confront her on her ways and is able to tell her how he really feels. Out of character for him as she pushes him to the edge and snaps, becoming assertive, angry and confrontational.
The actor playing Dan needs to also be believable. Dan's looks need to reflect his character. He is someone that would avoid confrontation as much as possible,, but if things did start off, he could look after himself. The actor playing Dan needs to reflect both sides of this character. The loving, caring and gentle side, but also the strong, wound up and frustrated side.
It would greatly help if the actor was emotionally invested in the role. Dan's character is one that looks at the build of frustration that can occur within a dysfunctional relationship. His behavior within ranging from kind and submissive to frustrated and angry is one that can be difficult to portray. It is key for the actor to represent Dan within this, being able to reflect and bring out Dan's deep emotions is something that the actor needs to be able to do.
So far we have had a total of 10 auditions for the role of Dan. This is fantastic as we have been able to get notes from actors on their takes of the character, the way in which they view him and his intentions and also the way in which Dan as a character has been performed has been varied and none the less interesting from a casting and performance point of view.
Who we Cast
Tommy Alexander
Why?
- Before Tommy's audition we saw his work his the showreel and through pictures we were able to see that aesthetically he fit the part as Dan. We were impressed with his intensity within his showreel and saw that he would be able to play this type of character. However, the casting process for Dan was a very close competition as we had auditions prior who were fantastic.
- Tommy fit the part by way of looks. During the audition, as the writer, I saw that he looked, acted and spoke how I perceived Dan would in the script. The thing that impressed us however was his attention to detail within the script and delivery of it. In the scene in which Dan confronts Emily, he built the character's frustration levels from calm to high with the tone of his voice. His movements, eye contact and confidence playing this type of role made for a fantastic audition. What was also very interesting was that we were not bombarded with Dan being angry. He focused on his conflicting emotions, looking at Dan as a person rather than an angry man, which brought Dan to life as a character. Also being believable and convincing as Dan.
- Also Tommy came prepared. I am very keen on actors who discuss lines, want to know more about their characters and actively try to pick a director/writers brain and Tommy did this. We discussed areas as he wanted to know more behind the film, things about the character Dan that weren't in the script, which filled us with confidence in him as we could see his work ethic and interest in playing the role. It also gives us an indication that working with him would be a collaborative and communicative effort, which is something we are looking for.
Steph Auditions
What are we looking for?
Aesthetically, Steph was written as a petite to medium build young woman. She is sporty, in shape and beautiful. She takes pride in her appearance away from work and has a straight body shape. Steph was originally written to be better looking and more attractive than Emily. However, we found that within the script this was not a necessity as it would make more sense that Dan has fallen in love with someone else who is more like himself. Rather than someone who is simply better looking. This makes more sense to Dan's character and also more to Steph's.
Steph's personality is warming and funny. She is attractive not only physically but with her sense of humour and common interests with Dan. In moments of confrontation she would actively try to avoid it, as a passive person she only tries to make people feel better/happier, if she makes anyone feel the opposite then she would remove herself from the equation or go out of her way to apologize. Only in moments of deep concern, worry or fear would Steph ever confront anyone. In doing so she has the potential to be intimidating.
Steph's character has less screen time within the film but is none the less an integral part of the story. The catalyst of Emily's downfall, she is seen in the story around three times. Each time we see her conveying different emotions. While the first two times she is shocked, submissive and scared, the second she is worried, frustrated and confrontational. These very different and visually emotional moments are ones that are key. The actress much be believable and convincing within these scenes as they are the moments that the story turns on. A less than par performance in these moments risks the overall result of the film more than some others.
We had 9 auditions overall for the role of Steph, something that originally we were surprised at as we thought we may have issues casting for the shorter role. All of the auditions were beneficial and proved interesting, seeing the different ways in which actresses were portraying the character.
Who we Cast
Gabrielle Finnegan
Why?
- Gabby's audition was very impressive. Her ability to portray a deeply emotional, scared and intimidated Steph set her apart from the rest. When performing the intimidated Steph, she was very effective, the use of bod language and her eyes sold the performance. However, what was also very interesting was her performance of a returning Steph. She portrayed her to be frantically worried about Dan, near confrontational. A take on Steph that we hadn't seen and stood out as she brought the feeling behind the character, rather than a read off script line.
- Her look suited Steph's character very well. Not only her performance but the looks she gave, her drive behind the character very much made her believable as a worried and loving person.
- Another area that helped our decision was her attitude away from filming. Gabby was asking lots of questions about the character, and motivations away from the film. Something that makes the collaborative effort of making a character come to life much easier and more productive of a process. She has also experienced directing behind the camera, a skill that can be very helpful on set as she has an understanding and ability of how a film is blocked and filmed.
- Table read with cast and character discussions
- Cast collaboration
- Shot-list checks and Blocking
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