If the writer is the author of the story, the director is the author of the performances. When casting, take great care to ask yourself:
“What kind of (insert character name here) does this actor bring to the part?”
For most parts there are the types and the clichés: Children are cute, women are beautiful, men are powerful or handsome.
There is a new idea in my head today as I look over the casting videos. While we cast for looks and performance, we should also cast for expectation and change. In good writing, the end is in the beginning. The beginning is in the appearance of the character and the expectations the audience associates with that appearance.
If I have a character who starts weak and becomes powerful, what do I cast for? The powerful man or the weak one? It all depends on acting ability of course, but humor me in saying that you have two equally talented actors, one who is six feet tall and the other five feet. Which of them is less likely to become a powerful man? Statistically speaking the shorter one.
So which one will produce a more dramatic shift in audience expectations? The smaller one. It is generally more satisfying to see a more dramatic change, one that is, in screenwriting parlance, both surprising and inevitable. Who you cast will influence both of these qualities, but it will have a major effect on the surprise element. Imagine Luke Skywalker played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and you get what I mean. Surprise that is earned (i.e. inevitable) is intensely satisfying to an audience. Nothing is worse than a predictable movie, besides one (i.e. Avatar) that ignores its own logic to get the ending it wants.
I’m not saying cast Arnold in your suburban melodrama, but there is an incredible variety of actors. Spend some time thinking about what will communicate your theme most clearly. Spend some time thinking about your audience, what they expect, and how to play on those expectations to produce a deeper result. I’m reading Georgy Tovstonogov’s The Profession of the Stage Director (out of print). In it he writes:
The only real criterion for judging a production is the power of the impression it makes on the audience.
This impression is key to remember in casting, writing, editing etc. It’s also why feedback is so important. Feedback is something film school has in droves. One could even be led to think that one of the reasons people here take so long to graduate (4+ years) is because they’re addicted to feedback.
Right now for me it’s amazing to see actors speaking the lines I’ve been writing for many months. It illuminates my characters while revealing certain sections of the script as weak or vague.
It’s also difficult to realize that the writer can only communicate so much of the story. This is one of the reasons you need a strong director, because in the end it’s the actors who are communicating the story to the audience. Casting is part of the writing process for the director, which some consider 80% or more of the job. In a city like Los Angeles, which almost compensates for its absurd production costs with a healthy pool of both talented and untalented actors, it can almost feel like an embarrassment of riches. Now the sifting begins.
During my script breakdown, I put together a list of action verbs. Learn them, learn to use them. They are an essential building block of the actor’s language. I took this from Lenore Dekoven’s Changing Direction. She’s a Columbia Film School professor. I’m a purist with action verbs, so I don’t like ones like “to flaunt my gifts: which are found in other books. An action verb is a verb in the infinitive, like “to attack.” Here’s the list, which you can add to. Have it handy when you’re looking at your script. I’m even thinking of laminating a small one for my back pocket during rehearsals.
Sundance kicked off tonight in Park City, Utah. I hadn’t heard any advance buzz about the 10/10 online series, a recent Sundance tradition that we covered last year, and so I sadly concluded that the festival had moved away from online distro for short films to instead focus more on its much-heralded pay per view partnership.
Not the case though! YouTube seems to have scored a coup, stealing the series from iTunes. Coup of course might be a bit strong of a word since, as usual, there seems to be no advance buzz or fanfare for the presence of these films, but the quality is high— I recognize several of them as winners from various worldwide festivals.
It's been a great year for online films which has made it tough for us. Nevertheless, all of us here at Short of the Week have banded together to bring to you the official top 10 online films of 2009. Like a well-balanced meal, there's a little bit of everything: comedy, drama, animation, and plenty of stuff too difficult to categorize. One thing is for sure, you're certain to find a gem. So sit back, refill your eggnog, and enjoy the best films of 2009.
“This week’s short film is short and on the surface slight to a point almost beyond belief. In that regard it is a film that does not appeal to everyone, a film based on atmosphere and poetics, where ambiguity reigns, and what is unsaid speaks volumes. But if you have come to understand and appreciate some of my predilections regarding short film, you will agree that The Most Beautiful Man in the World is a remarkable film.” -From Short of the Week
This poem by Jack Gilbert says a lot about the difference between art and craft.
He keeps the valley like this with his heart.
By paying attention, being capable, remembering.
Otherwise, there would be flies as big as dogs
in the vineyard, cows made entirely of maggots,
cruelty with machinery and canvas, sniggering
among the olive trees and the sea grossly cast.
He struggles to hold it right, the eight feet
of heaven by the well with geraniums and basil.
He will rejoice even if the shepherd girl
does not pass anymore at evening. And whether
or not she ate her lamb at Easter. He knows
that loneliness is our craft, that death
is God’s vigorish. He does not keep it fine
by innocence or leaving things out.
Vigorish
noun informal
1 [in sing. ] an excessive rate of interest on a loan, typically one from an illegal moneylender.
2 the percentage deducted from a gambler’s winnings by the organizers of a game.
When I started at UCLA I was suspicious of these practices. They seemed to be exclusively relied upon by a difficult acting teacher of mine, one who seemed to turn every scene into A Streetcar Named Desire.
This is a style of acting that can be very powerful, but is certainly not suitable to every situation or style of film. One of the things I learned in that class is that a director always gets what he wants. If a director does his director’s notes you can see where his performances come from. Whether that is good or bad depends the clarity and originality of his vision, as well as his ability to convey that vision to actors.
Sense memory and personalization were a means by which my teacher would bring actors into a drugged emotional state, where they would play everything as if they had come from a funeral. I grew a great dislike for this kind of acting and vowed not to use it with my actors. I worked with them from the outside in, establishing clear goals and actions to play. We shaped the blocking together.
Still a level lacked in my performances, which were very praised. After presenting my piece, the theatrical version of my Bergman Scene, to the excellent Barry Primus, he looked at my actors for a while. He asked me some questions, and praised my analytical capabilities. I wasn’t making it personal for the actors though. Oh boy, I thought, here comes “Stella! Stella!”
That was not how it worked though. Barry took my actresses through a relaxation exercise (it was finals week) and then we played a game where we tried to be as silly as possible to relax them. He then did a personalization. It brought that level of personal emotion that the performance had been lacking up until then. It was a different take, but a powerful one nonetheless.
A book that I am reading right now is Truth by Susan Batson. She was Nicole Kidman’s coach on the Hours and Tom Cruise’s on Magnolia. Two very solid performances.
She has the most succinct descriptions of Sense Memory and Personalization I have seen.
For Sense Memory:
The actor thinks back through her memory to remember an event that carries an emotional sensation like one in a script. The actor must then ask these questions regarding the memory.
How long ago did the event take place?
What was the time of year?
What was the time of day?
What was I wearing?
What did I need in that moment?
What was the place? Outdoors, indoors, temperature, smells, sounds?
What is the one thing about the place that I will never forget?
Was there a significant person there with me? What was their strongest physical feature? Their strongest human quality? Something the person said or did that I will never forget? Something I wanted to say to them but didn’t?
Was there a certain behavior I kept repeating?
Was there anything I wanted to say or do at that time but didn’t know? Release it now.
Why didn’t I say or do it then?
Personalization is a means of creating strong feelings toward a real person for your life, say an ex boyfriend, when you’re acting with someone who is not that person:
Begin the personalization exercise by examining a person from your life whom you associate with an unfulfilled need. Ask yourself to remember:
The strongest physical feature of that person.
The strongest human quality of the person.
Was there something the person said or did that I will never forget?
Is there something I always wanted to say or do to the person that I never said or did?
This is heavy stuff though, and not to be used lightly. There is more explanation in Batson’s book, as well as in Delia Salvi’s Friendly Enemies.
One of the pleasures of “Up in the Air” is that its actresses — including Anna Kendrick, who plays Bingham’s colleague Natalie — share the frame with Mr. Clooney as equals, not props.
This is a follow up to my previous post on casting. We’re in the full swing of casting for our six-minute films and these are some notes I’ve made to myself based on assisting a casting session.
Choose a moderately difficult scene. Don’t choose the most emotional scene from your script for the first audition. Odds are, if you have anyone to act with the actor, they are probably not as skilled as the actor themselves. Also, actors take a while to warm up. They might not be comfortable with you, yet.
Don’t assume the actors have read your script. And don’t talk their heads off about it if they haven’t. Find a short, simple synopsis to give them. Think about having a second one that places their character in the forefront, or a short character bio.
Don’t ask them what they thought of the script. You are not there to be flattered, you are there to find out whether these people can play the role. If an actor comes to an audition, they are at least interested in the part. An actor will always tell you you’re brilliant in auditions, if only because they drove for a half hour and paid ten dollars for parking to be there. It makes them feel better. Ask about their character, but honestly most of these discussions can be reserved for the 1st callback.
Don’t argue with them on their interpretations of the script. Again in depth discussions are better for callbacks, and even better if you actually cast the person. It’s best discussed in a one on one or after the first read through.
Know what an improvisation is if you are using improvisation. An improvisation is not, “you’re in a parking lot and you’re really upset.” Improvisations, like dramatic characters in well written scripts, rely on goals. What does this person want? Is it an achievable goal? To end world hunger is not an achievable goal in an improv on a sound stage. To get someone to loan you their car is.
Keep it brief. Don’t go into endless conversations on the weather, political views, their personal history. Talk briefly to make them comfortable, give them a summary of the script if necessary, and get on with it. Respect the actor’s time. Major discussions are for rehearsals, minor ones for callbacks.
Complete your director’s notes before you start casting. The Director’s Notes are your golden understanding of the script you have in front of you. It tells you how you see characters, and gives you a blueprint on communicating that vision to the actors who you find promising enough to give extra direction to.
Don’t tell actors what you’re looking for in their performance. This will only get them into their head. “I want to see your vulnerability and your power” coming from a director prompts an actor to self-direct: “Am I being vulnerable enough?” or find you incompetent: “Who is this asshole?” DIRECT the actors to give the qualities you’re looking for in their performance. Then you can see if, given actable direction, an actor can produce a result you’re looking for.
Ask the few basic questions of yourself while they’re performing. What kind of character is this actor presenting? What kind of story is that character telling? Do I believe it? If I do, can they take direction?
Name all your characters. No one wants to play “drunken man” or “beautiful woman,” especially for no money. Make a role seem appealing. A name helps a lot for that.
Frank Hauser’s excellent Notes On Directing, far more sage and articulate than my humble self, offers excellent advice on casting. My favorites:
30. Don’t expect the character to walk in the door.
If he does, hesitate before casting him. It’s all too common to see the perfect audition lead to a performance that’s lacking.
Why is this? A walking, talking character is quite different from a trained, professional actor. A true professional will grow into a role, analyze the script and develop insights, anticipate and deal with problems, create the required illusion, and develop a relationship with the other characters and the audience that no amoung of “typing” can easily achieve. In short, a pro will know what to do. … An important distinction, then, to make at this early stage in the process is not, “Is he convincing as the character?” but “Can he play it?”
31. Put actors at ease, but don’t befriend them.
When auditioning, actors know they are being looked at, listened to, evaluated, and judged. Their livelihood and self-image may hang in the balance. Everything you do or say as the auditor can have enormous emotional impact, so put actors at ease by letting them know you know what you’re doing.
Be informal and polite. Be conversational. Be efficient.
You cannot expect the actor’s best work in an audition situation; it’s too early in the process and too stressful. To maximize the actor’s comfort and ensure the best possible work, be encouraging but keep complimentary remarks general – “That was fine.” “Nice reading.” -lest the actor misinterpret your praise as an indication of promised employment. Never be rude. Never make any promises. Don’t make final decisions while the actor is in the room; no matter how stellar his audition, the next actor is sure to reveal possibilities you never imagined.
Do thank the actors. And let them know how and when they’ll be contacted if there is interest.
As William Ball says in his equally biblical directing book A Sense of Direction; “The right person in the role represents eighty percent of the work done well.” He’s talking about theatre, but for film he’s not far off. No camera, be it the red one, or 70mm, will cover up a bad performance. And performance is one of the few areas that is the director’s sole responsibility.
So we are now in the full swing of production for our six minute films. The six minute films were written in a writing class last quarter. Now we are adding (hopefully) finishing touches as well as learning how unbelievably expensive it is to produce them. The winter quarter schedule is much different than the fall 410 (first year directing student) schedule.
This is how it breaks down this quarter. 21 students (18 directors and 3 cinematographers) are divided into three groups of 7 for the six minute film. This time we fulfill the same positions as on the two minute shoots but have more freedom in terms of hiring outside crew. Typical extra crew includes
Make-up artist
Casting director
Second assistant camera
Script supervisor
Costume designer
Producer
Production Assistants
Second Assistant Director
Production Designer
Set Builder
Caterer
And so on. It adds up quickly. They say that a decent rule of thumb for budgeting the six minute film is $1,000 a minute, but even with my fairly simple project I am straining to reach that number. Movies are very expensive.
Our schedule for this quarter is as follows:
Monday
12:00 – 4:00 PM Cinematography with Tom Denove. Here we do some more advanced work, such as lighting faces, as well as reviewing what we already learned.
5:00 – 7:00 PM Symposium with Becky Smith, our 410 Teacher this year, as well as three older TAs. In symposium we go through all the nuts and bolts of producing our six minute films. Some people, myself included, will be using SAG (Screen Actors Guild) actors, which requires a lot of paperwork. We also discuss casting, locations, rehearsal, postproduction, and other various production issues.
Tuesday
10:00 – 1:00 PM 410E Production with our various teachers, Becky Smith, Gyula Gazdag, and AP Gonzales. Here we workshop our scripts and talk production in our groups of seven.
Thursday
1:00 – 4:00 PM 410E Production This is the second section of our production class.
This is the entire schedule for the first four weeks of the quarter. After the first four weeks there is no more cinematography or symposium and we meet once a week from 5-8 in our individual groups.
This is when production begins. Each person rotates through the 7 positions of seven different films, all shot from Thursday to Sunday of each week. It will be a grueling, and I’m sure very rewarding quarter.
Casting is Writing
If the writer is the author of the story, the director is the author of the performances. When casting, take great care to ask yourself:
For most parts there are the types and the clichés: Children are cute, women are beautiful, men are powerful or handsome.
There is a new idea in my head today as I look over the casting videos. While we cast for looks and performance, we should also cast for expectation and change. In good writing, the end is in the beginning. The beginning is in the appearance of the character and the expectations the audience associates with that appearance.
If I have a character who starts weak and becomes powerful, what do I cast for? The powerful man or the weak one? It all depends on acting ability of course, but humor me in saying that you have two equally talented actors, one who is six feet tall and the other five feet. Which of them is less likely to become a powerful man? Statistically speaking the shorter one.
So which one will produce a more dramatic shift in audience expectations? The smaller one. It is generally more satisfying to see a more dramatic change, one that is, in screenwriting parlance, both surprising and inevitable. Who you cast will influence both of these qualities, but it will have a major effect on the surprise element. Imagine Luke Skywalker played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and you get what I mean. Surprise that is earned (i.e. inevitable) is intensely satisfying to an audience. Nothing is worse than a predictable movie, besides one (i.e. Avatar) that ignores its own logic to get the ending it wants.
I’m not saying cast Arnold in your suburban melodrama, but there is an incredible variety of actors. Spend some time thinking about what will communicate your theme most clearly. Spend some time thinking about your audience, what they expect, and how to play on those expectations to produce a deeper result. I’m reading Georgy Tovstonogov’s The Profession of the Stage Director (out of print). In it he writes:
This impression is key to remember in casting, writing, editing etc. It’s also why feedback is so important. Feedback is something film school has in droves. One could even be led to think that one of the reasons people here take so long to graduate (4+ years) is because they’re addicted to feedback.
Right now for me it’s amazing to see actors speaking the lines I’ve been writing for many months. It illuminates my characters while revealing certain sections of the script as weak or vague.
It’s also difficult to realize that the writer can only communicate so much of the story. This is one of the reasons you need a strong director, because in the end it’s the actors who are communicating the story to the audience. Casting is part of the writing process for the director, which some consider 80% or more of the job. In a city like Los Angeles, which almost compensates for its absurd production costs with a healthy pool of both talented and untalented actors, it can almost feel like an embarrassment of riches. Now the sifting begins.