Tag: micro budget filmmaking

Having worked pre-production on several microbudget projects ranging from short film to full feature movies, I have seen the full spectrum as it relates to casting. I can honestly say casting can make or break your film. Here are a few commandments I think every micro budget filmmaker should include in their casting process.

Give yourself ample time to audition.

As a rule of thumb, you should start your casting three to four months from the start of principle photography. In theory if you follow this you have two to three months to cast and thirty days to allow the actors to study their script.

For example, if you give yourself 90 days then your first 30 days will consist of posting and reviewing several hundred: head shots, reels (if any), and resumes. The next 30 days will be auditioning the top 10 percent and converting the 10 percent into your top three actors. This process is duplicated for each role. You take the top three actors and discuss them with your production team. You weigh the pros, cons, and potential scheduling conflicts before making a decision. Never rush this step. If you need to push the film date back, then push the film back. This is the one step you must get correct.

Audition multiple actors for each role.

This sounds like a no brainer but trust me I have cast roles after auditioning just one actor. I did it for my last feature and it worked out fine. I wish, however, that I auditioned more, even if it’s just for the sake fortifying your bet/gamble on the actor you choose. Another reason why you should audition several actors is in case of a recast. You will have to recast at some point in your film career. I have recast on every single film project I have ever produced but if you have three actors who you have auditioned and vetted it’s easier to simply pick the next actor on your list.

Don’t cast the look. Cast for talent.

Film is such a visual medium that it’s easy for us to get caught up on how actors look. As a producer you get wrapped up with who you envision playing the role. I can’t tell you how many times I wrote a screenplay for Denzel Washington, Michael Ealy, or Idris Elba while knowing I couldn’t cast them. Or wrote screenplays with those actors in mind. When it is time to cast, I would look at every actor through my Denzel Washington casting glasses and be utterly surprised when none of these actors hit the unrealistic marks I had in my head.

You can also get caught up with how actors look on camera and forget about their acting abilities. Focus on whether or not the actor has range. Does the actor have craft? These are the important aspects every producer and director should pay attention to.

Make sure the Actor can take Direction.

Good actors want direction from directors. They crave this. They see this direction as a way to gauge performances and keep from over overacting. In casting it is slightly different. You want to know if the actor can give different performances when given notes (suggestions) or adjustments from the director. You also want to know if they are willing to take notes from the director on the set. You can see how this could be a huge problem and a guaranteed showstopper to your film. You would not hire someone if they could not perform work related task. Actors taking direction is a work-related function, so be certain.

As always be inspired be encouraged and be collaborative.

Saki Bomb

So many new filmmakers limit themselves to scenes where they plop the actors down across from one another. They set the camera on a tripod and they yell, ‘action’. The actors run their dialogue and that is pretty much it. This would not be a big problem, if it were not for the entire movie being full of talking heads. The movie resembles more of a documentary than a narrative feature. Blocking and camera techniques should be used to help tell the story and maximize performances. Blocking can save your film from boredom.

Go Handheld. Go handheld, but only if the movie calls for it.  There is something that screams cinematic when you go handheld. Micro movements add to the scene’s cinematic signature and it’s a natural energy that seems to breathe life into the scene. There is also a certain familiarity and intimacy with handheld films. Check out some of my favorites – The Blair Witch Project, City of God, Children of Men, and Open Water.

Tracking Shot. Tracking shots are when the camera moves and follows the actors through the real life of the movie. They are generally long film takes but not always. A tracking shot can be a simple shot following the actor from point A to point B. They can also be more in depth and complicated.  Check out, GoodFellas (1990) and The Shining (1980). In GoodFellas, the camera follows Henry Hill and his date Karen Friedman through the back of the Copacabana. In this complicated sequence we are introduced the criminal underworld and bear witness to the power and respect Hill has. In The Shining the camera follows a boy on a tricycle throughout the eerie empty hallways of the massive hotel. This is an iconic shot as the audience follows a child as he explores the hotel and his creepy interaction with the supernatural. Tracking shots can be a game changer in your film project.

Give your actors chores. If the scene takes place in the kitchen why not give one actor the blocking where they: wash dishes, make coffee, make dinner, or sweep the floor. The other actor enters, and the dialogue begins. In my experience the actor almost always gives a more believable performance if they have a playable action. Visually it’s more interesting when there is movement in the scene. You can decide if the actor continues the chore while running dialogue or stops when the dialogue continues. Or do the chores intermittently by stopping on certain lines and continuing other lines.

High Status/Low status. If one character is an employer, parent, or teacher and the other is an employee, child, or student the blocking should reflect that in the scene. It is normal for people to act or talk to authority figures in a particular manner. Why not show that in your movie? Mannerism and body language are tools directors and actors can use. If a scene opens on an employer and employee and the employer sits and puts his feet on the desk, the employer is at a high status and employee is at a low status.  Let’s take this same scene and have the employee put his feet on the desk thereby reversing the statuses. If you can show how the status changes between the two characters as the film progresses, then you have a more compelling film. You have also showed the arc of both characters. We will explore character arcs in the next blog post.

These are not one size fit all solutions for your production but rather suggestions that can add some color to an uninspired film production. It can also lead you to your own discoveries or blocking and camera techniques.

As always be inspired, be encouraged, and be collaborative.

Saki Bomb