FINAL CASTING SESSION

Today: 11 am to 12:30

Where: 80 Austin Street
between Pine & Bush, off of Polk Street
sign says "Frank Norris"

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9/19/09 - FINAL AUDITION SCHEDULE (San Francisco)

11 AM - ALICE KUNG

11:15 - MEREDITH MARX

11:30 - JEFFERY DAVIS

11:45 - LARISSA KASIAN

12:00 PM - CHRISTABEL SAVALAS

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Contact: 510-965-1685 for info

A gentle "no" from the heart

Today I received a personal phone call from Carol Dean, Executive Director of From the Heart Productions. Earlier this year I had submitted a grant application for production funds for this film. My initial thought... "Wow, she's calling me personally to award me the grant," dissipated into thin air as I heard the words "I'm sorry but we aren't going to fund your project this year." I'm pretty sure it felt like Taylor Swift after Kanye West deflated her award balloon.



She went on to tell me what a wonderful, funny, charming script I had written, and how much talent I had, and encouraged me to keep writing. She was kind, but it was still a resounding rejection. I asked her to keep an eye out for any potential donors, that we were moving forward with casting and pre-production, and that we were making pitches to individual donors. She listened with a heart, and for that I thank her. But I realize in the end that the ball's still in my court.

I didn't ask her who won or why we didn't. Perhaps my mind could have gone there ultimately. But I was proud that I could make my pitch to her, still, even after the rejection, believing ultimately in my film and its potential. In all honesty, I really don't care who got awarded the fabulous production prizes... I have work to do.

On that note, I hope that everyone who reads this clicks on the DONATE button at the top of this blog and sends $50. If 100 people send in $50 then we are well on our way to covering some important expenses.

Here's to tomorrow, and our final casting session. The light is on.

Last Lap of Auditions... dreaming our little dreamy dreams

Good casting in a film isn’t small stuff. It shows the ability to see beyond a picture, beyond movements and initial interpretation. I think of Joan Cusack when I say this. She’s strong and female and unique. And while her look is unusual, and her speaking style is peculiar, she makes it come alive and creates a character from it. Instead of trying to bury it, she uses it as a tool and becomes someone you want to watch and see and hear. In the end, you don’t see the flaws, you see the character and embrace it as real.

I thought of this when I replayed the auditions from last Saturday. I want to be open-minded and aware of actors that can offer anything unique and special and wild in a way. My personal philosophy is to try to always maintain a sense of abandonment in life, in whatever you’re doing or creating. Freedom within a character, that’s what I’m looking for.

For Round 2, we had different actors, mostly men. It was interesting to watch how and in what manner they chose to create the father figure of Gil. For one actor, I wanted to interrupt him and remind him that in his youth, he was a hottie… the mother had remembered him and mourned the demise of their relationship. Oddly, the guys were stuck in dad-mode, and not communicating the vision of older hottie-dad, which is actually the pivotal element of the character. That’s why I had them read from the table scene. (Jim Jarrett, where are you?) One woman gave the most heartbreaking read for Joan. She was lovely and sweet. And while she struggled with the “angry and mean” Joan, her delivery of the discovery scene was dead on. The close-up made me melt.

But we couldn’t absorb much more. My casting team was tired. We had two 6-hour days of actor after actor. By the end, I’m not sure how much we were able to digest so I’m grateful we shot all of it on HD.

Now, as we move into the final lap of auditions, each character will have another actor trying on the role, and at the end we’ll have a beer, watch the videos and see who makes us believe the story.

So we’ll end here with a poem, best remembered from the classic Willy Wonka movie. It’s from Ode (1874) by Arthur O’Shaughnessy.


We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;—
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.
…
…
A breath of our inspiration
Is the life of each generation;
A wondrous thing of our dreaming
Unearthly, impossible seeming—
The soldier, the king, and the peasant
Are working together in one,
Till our dream shall become their present,
And their work in the world be done.

Round 2 Audition Finalists

With a room full of talent, visualizing the character and watching him or her come to life is an amazing experience. That being said, there are always those people who simply stand out--not only with their talent and interpretation, but more importantly by virtue of their fit for the role. Congratulations.

Actors still under consideration from Round 2:

JENNIE FLOYD
JULIET HELLER
JEFFREY WEISMAN

Pictures and summary to be posted later.

Round 2 Auditions

We've notified all the actors for Round 2 about their audition times. Now that we have seen a group of actors we have a better idea of what's out there and who can work for the part. Looking forward to seeing the group this Saturday!

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9/12/09 - ROUND 2 AUDITION SCHEDULE (Santa Rosa)

10:15 AM
JULIET HELLER

10:30 AM
GEORGIE ANAYA

10:45 AM
JON INGBRETSON

11:00 AM
SHANNON CLARK

11:15 AM
-

11:30 AM
JACLYN LA ROCCA

11:45 AM
-

12:00 PM
MORGAN OWENS

12:45 PM
OSCAR GUAJARDO

1:00 PM
JENNIE FLOYD

1:15 PM
JEFFREY WEISMAN

2:00 PM
ROSS TURNER

2:15 PM
KARI WISHINGRAD

2:30 PM
ALLISON MARKS

2:45 PM
-

3:00 PM
JIM BREWER

3:15 PM
NANCY SANDOVAL

3:30 PM
GREG ISERNHAGEN

3:45 PM
BREANNA COX

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9/19/09 - FINAL AUDITION SCHEDULE (San Francisco)

11 AM - ALICE KUNG

11:15 - MEREDITH MARX

11:30 - JEFFERY DAVIS

11:45 - LARISSA KASIAN

12:00 PM - CHRISTABEL SAVALAS

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Cast from the original Star Wars film

Actors from Round 1 that are still under consideration will be notified if they have made the final cut by September 30. If there are still questions from the casting team after Round 2, we'll have an October call-back with more extensive readings.

To everyone: Break a leg!

Making a Work of Art: DP Mike Epple

There are directors who have their favorite actors -- think Martin Scorcese/Robert DeNiro -- think Tim Burton/Johnny Depp. And there are directors who only work with great Directors of Photography -- think Emmanuel Lubezki/Terrence Malick -- think Roger Deakins/Coen Brothers. And for this short film, we're working with DP Mike Epple.

Mike is not only a creative force who understands his gear and his light, he's also a great listener and someone who can see the big picture while making smart decisions. Most importantly, he's easy to work with. Never pushy nor opinionated, he's not a "know it all" who questions his director, but a true artiste who absorbs all the details, challenges himself and works relentlessly to find the best solution. My favorite memory of Mike is watching him move the ladder around, climb up it, look for the right shot, and move it around again... while of course working with John O. for lighting so he could figure out what worked and what didn't. Or, when we had a narrow hall and had to shoot through the keyhole: we put Mike in a wheelchair and pushed him through the doorway while he bent his 6-foot frame into a ball so he could get low enough to keep the shot at one take. Smooth.

Right now, Mike's in Las Vegas shooting a documentary, a mere 8 days before his wedding. We're lucky to have him on our team. To see his reel and website, click here.

MICHAEL EPPLE
Director of Photography
Cinematographer
Camera Operator

Michael Epple is a freelance Director of Photography and Camera Operator who is equally proficient in both film and digital motion picture formats. Based out of the San Francisco Bay Area, Michael has clients all over the United States. Whether it’s a feature in Texas, music video in Oakland, or industrial in Los Angeles, he has what it takes to create a high production value. Helping to realize the director’s or agency’s vision, and crafting a visual aesthetic through cinematography that both reinforces the story or campaign, is at the heart of his philosophy and work ethic.

Round 1 Reviews

The actress Betsy Randle once told me that acting is a calling. "You do it because it's the only thing you ever want to do and there's no other dream in the world." I don't know if all actors feel that way, but at some level there has to be that deep commitment. Years of dedication, hundreds maybe thousands of rejections, glimmers of opportunities, and long-delayed dreams and ambitions. It is a hard road and I admire anyone with the skill and stamina to stick it out, because sometimes, just sometimes, you see passion, charisma, magnetic charm, and it is magical.

On Saturday Aug 29, our casting panel saw actors for 5+ hours auditioning for this film. They were all positive, nervous, excited and just plain charming. And while there were some who were truly gifted, there were others who were just better for the part.

Here is a list of the actors that are still under consideration, in no particular order:

DEE MARSHALL
HEATHER SHAW
RANDY HURST
MAWIYAH JOHNSON
JAN HALEY-SOULE
ERIKA SAN MIGUEL
HOLLY NUGENT
JENNIFER LINKOUS
MELANIE BRENNER
DOROTHY GALLAGHER

We're currently prepping the list for Round 2, and due to the limited response from male actors it looks like we may have to have a third session as well. In the meantime, we still have a whole group of actors for Sept 12. Once we have seen that group, Round 1 actors will be cut more, with a final cast list to be announced sometime in mid-October.

I wish there were parts to give to all them. And I'll keep that in mind with the next script I write.

Audition times for 9/12 to come.

NOTE: Betsy Randle is family. She is my father's cousin, the daughter of Helen McCreary Miller, my grandmother's sister. Betsy has had some impressive acting gigs and she is the songbird of the family. You can check her out on IMDB here.