I've been studying up a lot on working with actors, as we begin casting on In-World War.
Good advice from friends and mentors:
- In auditions, don't waste your time if you feel someone isn't solid enough. Move on quickly.
- When auditioning, see how someone takes direction. That's key. Ask them to re-do their monologue or sides, with a suggested change. That will tell you a lot about their ability to work with direction.
- Trust your initial gut feeling on someone. Due to the speed and nature of film, the audience will be making snap judgments on the people they see. Your first impression matters.
- As you narrow down the candidates for various roles, see how the relationships and chemistry work between actors who would be working together. The relationship is often key to the performance. Test it out in auditions.
- Read up on Stanislavski's system -- it's a very compelling process.
I'm currently reading Stanislavski in Rehearsal. Very insightful and helpful. What have I learned from it? Focus on the life and world view of the role -- both backstory and off-the-page reality. Also, break everything down to goals and barriers for each character, for the whole script as a whole, as well as for each line and moment of the story.
Famous pithy quote: casting is 90% of directing. Actual percentage may vary, but regardless, the actors will carry the story -- they are everything to the success of your film.
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