Friday 21 January 2011

Auditions 2

Another group of actors came in today for the roles of Will, Cary, and Audrey.
The guy I had written Will for and who had been on board since the beginning had to drop out so I've been looking for every actor to do both the Will and Cary roles for the film.
We had a lot of hopefuls for Audrey this time. 3 out of the 4 auditions were for Audrey and two of them are going to make it hard. Caitlin and I have decided to have 2nd rehearsals because it's been such a tough desicion and have the girls do their lines with people we are considering for Will. At this point, Conner is looking good for Will, because we have found a great Cary today.
Oddly enough, he's an American and brings that Mr. America/ supehero feeling to Cary. He is also so energetic, he comes off mad, which is perfect. So I think he will be perfect for the role of Cary. It starts to get exciting to see actors feel out your script and has given me a lot of hope.
You always worry that it will come out weird when your work is read, but it's great to see that people actually understand what the whole film is all about and the vibe to it.
Sadly, I can't focus on the film too much at the moment because a 6,000 word paper is calling my name.
Location hunting on Sunday but until then, VISUAL CULTURE IS DUE FEB. 1st!

Thursday 20 January 2011

And the Results Are In.

And I got a 1st (a.k.a. an A) for my first semester.
Thank God, as I had put so much time into it. My evaluation paper didn't do as well, so it's kind of knocked me back a bit on getting motivated for my evaluation paper.
Anyways, today has been very productive. After my meeting I went into the retro lounge to have auditions for Chaz's film, "Just Squeeze". He's already signed Conner Mckenzy on board to play the main role of Gary. I had suggested Alan Medcroft, who's playing Donnacha in Will and the Worry Dolls. He came in and NAILED the role of the boozey lad of Danny.
Seeing them work together gave me hope that Conner will be a good addition to Will and the Worry Dolls too. The chemistry was hilarious and he'd make a great Will or Cary. Either way, I feel more confident as the cast and crew start to fill in.
Colan Belshaw is a determined 2nd year who's more than happy to do sound on my film, which I'm grateful for. Now, I just need a runner, Audrey, and either Cary or Will, depending on which role Conner fits better.
The second part of the day was planning out locations for "Just Squeeze". We have a huge crypt-like location under the church on Coronation Road. It was eerie being there because a funeral was going on above us. It was nice to understand the area a bit better and talk to John and Chaz to start to communicate with each other better. Some area of the location are too clean and need to be sectioned off to kill the massive echo. Besides that, it's perfect.
I am starting to finally get my head around "Just Squeeze" and my role in the film. It's so much more then directing. From re-writing parts of the script to placement of shots I have a lot of responsibility for this film now. With the last update of the script, I'm excited to become a stronger member of the team.

Tuesday 18 January 2011

And... Back Again

After a week of jetlag and a massive hand in I'm back to working on Will and the Worry Dolls.
I had one final draft, just slight changes to make it feel more natural. Today I worked as a butler for Camille Brito's short film and saw a familiar face. Conner Mckenzy auditioned for Chaz Hood's short film, "Just Squeeze" which I'm directing in February. Chaz had nothing but good things to say about him and seeing Connor in Camille's film just proved his abilities again.

He enjoyed the script and wants to audition on the 21st or 27th. I'm excited for this, as he would be perfect for either Will or Cary. Seeing him gave me the hope that this film can come together and be good. It's motivated for a meaningful chat with Caitlin today and start to do more research.

I've already started to look at songs/ chemistry used with a ukulele. I love the ukulele in films and need to have it used at the end when the worry dolls make a band. These two examples are both sweet and lovely. Finishing the film in this tone is exactly what I want. Seeing the trailer for "Blue Valentine" even gave me new ideas on how to finish the film. I think I'll have the ukulele song continue while clips of Audrey and Will play to the song. Then at the end, it's revealed the Worry Dolls are playing the instruments. Look at the clips to get the lovely atmosphere I want: