Here I Go Again--Recasting

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC

After a primary actress dropped out from a role and the 3 backups cannot fill in for that role for all sorts of ressons, I have to open the doors to auditions and take more money out of the production budget again. So, we are recasting on Mother's Day. Maybe then some die hard actors will come out to audition and stick to their commitment.

So much heartache and heartburn goes into just the casting of a small production. It's just very stressful.:(
 
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Is Mother's Day the best day for casting? It's THE busiest restaurant day of the year -- lots of people out celebrating their awesome moms, might not have time to audition.
 
We are too far behind to put it off.



You may find it surprising that the theater group I use only had one free available room. All the others are taken. So, other productions are doing stuff that day too.
 
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Thank you for the kind words.

I've asked the rest of the cast to return their paperwork with signed agreements and releases and to send me their measurements for their costumes to save some time. Two out of 19 did so, so far.
 
Just got an e mail from my main actress she felt that the film was going nowhere and she has dropped out. Just had some take up scenes to do. so i am gong to have to recast, I'd say 85% done. This will be my first short.
R.
 
Recasting

Have any of you , when recasting been at the supermarket, mall etc...and approched some stranger and asked then to come and read for the part you are trying to recast? I'm out shopping with the wife and seeing a lot of shoppers that I want to ask but the way our society looks at strangers just coming up and talking to someone about reading for a film the first thing they ask "Is it porn?" I get enought of that from co-workers.
Just asking
R.
 
I carry business cards with my website so they can see samples of my work online... I encourage folks to do so as well. I mention it to lots of random strangers.
 
@RJFort
I've grabbed random people for infomercial testimonials. Like Knightly says, give them a business card. For us, telling them they'd be paid and put on TV meant about 99% would show up.

For a film I probably wouldn't do it because a random person might or might not have acting ability. I've been frustrated trying to use models to act -- and that's a related field. A showreel is what you need to assess or live audition.
 
I live in Los Angeles and honestly I would never approach a stranger in grocery store. 90% of the actors that show up for casting suck really bad paid or unpaid roles, SAG or non-union doesn't matter. Nine out of 10 are terrible actors. The odds of you running into someone who can act in a store is probably less than 1% seriously. I actually found my lead actor from searching online through casting websites even though we had over 900 submissions for 7 roles. You should be able to find someone online who lives in the nearest big city. Hopefully you can see their demo reel on youtube or their site.

However, maybe someone's run into a great actor on the street and got lucky. Please share your story.

I wish you the best of luck.

RJFort said:
Have any of you , when recasting been at the supermarket, mall etc...and approched some stranger and asked then to come and read for the part you are trying to recast? I'm out shopping with the wife and seeing a lot of shoppers that I want to ask but the way our society looks at strangers just coming up and talking to someone about reading for a film the first thing they ask "Is it porn?" I get enought of that from co-workers.
Just asking
R.
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finderskeepers said:
I live in Los Angeles and honestly I would never approach a stranger in grocery store. 90% of the actors that show up for casting suck really bad paid or unpaid roles, SAG or non-union doesn't matter. Nine out of 10 are terrible actors.
I wish you the best of luck.
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I did a Hollywood audition for my short, and in retrospect, I found this to be true as well. Surprisingly a lot had advanced degrees from good schools in drama and theater and fat resumes and were otherwise talented people, but just seemed to have no acting aptitude at all. It's mystifying. It's like a bunch of 4'9" people trying out for the Lakers. Don't most people gravitate toward things they're good at?
I thought acting was something a lot of people can do, I've been thrown in to acting positions and directors seemed happy enough -- and have very little training and even less experience, so that should mean any one can do it. Then I had a model friend, she was 18 at the time, perform a scene I wrote and I thought she nailed it -- and she'd never acted in anything prior to that, so more evidence that acting is easy. Well, turns out it's not easy after all. If anyone is interested, here's the scene a green 18 y/o did. I think she's good, and more to the point, an outlier.
http://exposureroom.com/members/tedramasola/fd2b5ba9619944f4a803656a272e09e7/
 
It's becasue of all of this trouble and headaches I will use the major talent method for taking on new actors as I said in another thread. We will only take on actors that people in my cast or I have worked with before who are reliable.

As far as nobody actors leaving productions they think are going nowhere, ask them what have they done before that they starredd in that has brought in sizable profits for a production. Tell them too that distributors give distribution according to "The names in their cast." There are a lot of delusional actors who literaally need to be brought down to size.

Have you ever seen Hollywood actors going at it on who has starred in the biggest movies to garnar the most fans. Studio execs do that enough with actors. So, they do it to each other.

I also will not give a chance to any actor who ducked out of IC2 with IC3. They screwed themselves.
 
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brianluce said:
I did a Hollywood audition for my short, and in retrospect, I found this to be true as well. Surprisingly a lot had advanced degrees from good schools in drama and theater and fat resumes and were otherwise talented people, but just seemed to have no acting aptitude at all. It's mystifying. It's like a bunch of 4'9" people trying out for the Lakers. Don't most people gravitate toward things they're good at?
I thought acting was something a lot of people can do, I've been thrown in to acting positions and directors seemed happy enough -- and have very little training and even less experience, so that should mean any one can do it. Then I had a model friend, she was 18 at the time, perform a scene I wrote and I thought she nailed it -- and she'd never acted in anything prior to that, so more evidence that acting is easy. Well, turns out it's not easy after all. If anyone is interested, here's the scene a green 18 y/o did. I think she's good, and more to the point, an outlier.
http://exposureroom.com/members/tedramasola/fd2b5ba9619944f4a803656a272e09e7/
Click to expand...

Wow excellent lighting and the visual quality is amazing. What camera and lens did you film with? I'm surprised she's never acted before. Maybe she could get into acting and you've discovered her!

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC said:
It's becasue of all of this trouble and headaches I will use the major talent method for taking on new actors as I said in another thread. We will only take on actors that people in my cast or I have worked with before who are reliable.

As far as nobody actors leaving productions they think are going nowhere, ask them what have they done before that they starredd in that has brought in sizable profits for a production. Tell them too that distributors give distribution according to "The names in their cast." There are a lot of delusional actors who literaally need to be brought down to size.

Have you ever seen Hollywood actors going at it on who has starred in the biggest movies to garnar the most fans. Studio execs do that enough with actors. So, they do it to each other.

I also will not give a chance to any actor who ducked out of IC2 with IC3. They screwed themselves.
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Just found this thread and it hurts to hear my fellow filmmakers in a bind. I seriously don't understand how some of my business friends think directing and movie making is an easy job. It's not. It may not be the same as trying to become an astronaut but we go through a lot of hardships and it's a mix of people management, business, and importantly a creative art, which I don't think everyone can do.

What is the current status of the dilemma? Have you found someone that could take up the role? Also how do you feel about working with that person that left the production? On one of my past projects, one of my main actors was horribly and openly rude to our crew. They're willing to work with us again and for free, but I don't think I can look at them the same way after that. Is IC3 the one that's currently going into production and is there a way to see IC2?
 
MrDirector said:
Wow excellent lighting and the visual quality is amazing. What camera and lens did you film with? I'm surprised she's never acted before. Maybe she could get into acting and you've discovered her!



Just found this thread and it hurts to hear my fellow filmmakers in a bind. I seriously don't understand how some of my business friends think directing and movie making is an easy job. It's not. It may not be the same as trying to become an astronaut but we go through a lot of hardships and it's a mix of people management, business, and importantly a creative art, which I don't think everyone can do.

What is the current status of the dilemma? Have you found someone that could take up the role? Also how do you feel about working with that person that left the production? On one of my past projects, one of my main actors was horribly and openly rude to our crew. They're willing to work with us again and for free, but I don't think I can look at them the same way after that. Is IC3 the one that's currently going into production and is there a way to see IC2?
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It is still in post. We expect to shoot pickup footage between April and May of this new year. It is light years ahead of the original I, Creator in every way. I am looking to get a Matt Painter and 3D animator this year to take it to the next level. By the time we are officially casting IC3, we will be going SAG with a SAG stunt coordinator and new cast members for new roles. We will add TV actors to the cast since our market is NATPE and cable TV networks.
 
We cut out roles from the script when we had drama the week of rehearsal and the following week of shooting. The roles will be recast with SAG actors for IC3.

Here is a current clip on vimeo that will have additional footage added to it with pickup footage.

http://vimeo.com/33727279

PW is mdmpllc

Daniella, the actress playing Artemis has been on the TV series, Law And Order a few times. She has also been a supporting actress in a big screen production. So, I managed to get some actors in the cast with previous TV experience.

Both the editing and compositing was done with Sony Vegas Pro 8.

We are also reshooting the last 2/3s of a fight scene to follow the script because the action in the script will better sell the production.
 
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That's a nice performance, Brian! It's really funny how few actors can do an effective voice over without sounding fake. There truly is talent out there. Just hard to find. ;)

brianluce said:
I did a Hollywood audition for my short, and in retrospect, I found this to be true as well. Surprisingly a lot had advanced degrees from good schools in drama and theater and fat resumes and were otherwise talented people, but just seemed to have no acting aptitude at all. It's mystifying. It's like a bunch of 4'9" people trying out for the Lakers. Don't most people gravitate toward things they're good at?
I thought acting was something a lot of people can do, I've been thrown in to acting positions and directors seemed happy enough -- and have very little training and even less experience, so that should mean any one can do it. Then I had a model friend, she was 18 at the time, perform a scene I wrote and I thought she nailed it -- and she'd never acted in anything prior to that, so more evidence that acting is easy. Well, turns out it's not easy after all. If anyone is interested, here's the scene a green 18 y/o did. I think she's good, and more to the point, an outlier.
http://exposureroom.com/members/tedramasola/fd2b5ba9619944f4a803656a272e09e7/
Click to expand...
 
finderskeepers said:
That's a nice performance, Brian! It's really funny how few actors can do an effective voice over without sounding fake. There truly is talent out there. Just hard to find. ;)
Click to expand...

Yes, I actually thought a v/o would make it easier for her since she had zero experience/training. She's used that audition to get a lot of paid work too, including a lead in a feature.
 
Recasting

Lot of imput here thanks folks. Think I'm just going to put a blurb in the local paper about holding auditions and see what i get.
Lots of good info.
Thanks
 
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