Re: Getting Free Actors
the standard no pay line in nyc is 'no pay but food/transportation/copy provided'. also, be sure to state 'non-union' if that's the case.
recently, i posted an ad in backstage, listing a tag line for my film, 3 very short character descriptions, as well as stating that it would be a no-budget / no-pay 10-15 minute dv short: i received about 400 paper headshots AND about 350 email headshots. from that, we called about 80 for auditions but only 60 showed up. i was amazed at the talent that walked through the door - of course there were a couple of duds as well as crazies (this is nyc), but overall, i was amazed. just like us, the great acting talents of tomorrow have to start somewhere. we're all in this together.
here's my two cents on auditioning as well as shooting a no-budget film.
- make the actors comfortable by, like johnnymac said, being organized - it makes you look professional and you don't necessarily need money to be organized. and don't have a room full of people standing around during auditions; it's a nerve racking experience for actors, especially if they're just starting, so make it as easy as possible. i auditioned actors with myself (director), my producer/co-writer and a friend who fed lines. and rent a third party space for auditions; going to someone's home can seem very sketchy.
- sending out sides is key. when extracting a scene from your script, i find it best to simplify it as much as possible, which can mean changing/dropping dialogue and action cues while still retaining some important information about the character. essentially, you want to make it to read as a stand alone scene. for this last film of mine, our lead character happened to have almost no lines, so we made up sides for his character - how would this character react in a situation where he had to talk? and i'd agree that the improv approach should only be used in special situations (maybe a specific type of comedy?); it usually provides for undesirable/uninformative results.
- this is a personal choice and probably one more suited for shorts than for features, but i don't give out any more back story than what i work into a side (which is minimal at best). i like this approach because it's such a great learning experience for me as the director/writer to SEE/HEAR a fresh perspective on the characters, situations, dialogue, etc. before an actor reading this freaks out, on this last film, i picked an actress who initially took the part in almost the exact opposite direction as how we imagined her. she was just great, and we could see that despite how she took the character. the key with this approach is to keep an open mind and not just look for the actor that was able to read your mind and go with the character exactly as how you imagined. that would be unfair.
- FILM the auditions. this is very important because some actors have a lot of charisma that comes off in person but not on film. likewise, some people who seem aloof in person, glow on camera (they are actors after all). you'll be amazed at how different your reactions may be to different actors once you get home and review tape. (during auditions, don't fuss with the camera too much, but do try to get some long shots for body language and some close-ups for facial expressions).
- obviously you want good actors, but it's also important that you can work with them (this goes for crew as well). i've been on a couple of shoots where an as-yet-to-be-successful actor turns out to be a prima donna and it just makes it impossible for the director to get what they want, as well as making the set an un-fun place to be.
i worked with one actor who as a child was in a film with meryl streep; he said she was the nicest person in the world - she knew everyone's name from director down to the p.a.s and would even help carry some stuff around!
despite how big a place nyc can seem, even here it's an amazingly small world, and what goes around comes around. johnny mac is right, thank you notes are much appreciated; after all, imagine all the time actors put into headshots, auditions, call backs... all for parts they will most likely not get. also some of the actors that weren't right for this project may be perfect for you next one.
- feed them well. an extra couple of bucks per day on getting something better than pizza will go a long way with making cast / crew very happy - don't forget, on a no budget / no pay shoot, they're all essentially working for food (and experience of course). and be sure to make a schedule (start/lunch/dinner/stop) and stick to it. making people work through extreme hunger / tiredness is counter productive.
good luck and keep us posted.
the standard no pay line in nyc is 'no pay but food/transportation/copy provided'. also, be sure to state 'non-union' if that's the case.
recently, i posted an ad in backstage, listing a tag line for my film, 3 very short character descriptions, as well as stating that it would be a no-budget / no-pay 10-15 minute dv short: i received about 400 paper headshots AND about 350 email headshots. from that, we called about 80 for auditions but only 60 showed up. i was amazed at the talent that walked through the door - of course there were a couple of duds as well as crazies (this is nyc), but overall, i was amazed. just like us, the great acting talents of tomorrow have to start somewhere. we're all in this together.
here's my two cents on auditioning as well as shooting a no-budget film.
- make the actors comfortable by, like johnnymac said, being organized - it makes you look professional and you don't necessarily need money to be organized. and don't have a room full of people standing around during auditions; it's a nerve racking experience for actors, especially if they're just starting, so make it as easy as possible. i auditioned actors with myself (director), my producer/co-writer and a friend who fed lines. and rent a third party space for auditions; going to someone's home can seem very sketchy.
- sending out sides is key. when extracting a scene from your script, i find it best to simplify it as much as possible, which can mean changing/dropping dialogue and action cues while still retaining some important information about the character. essentially, you want to make it to read as a stand alone scene. for this last film of mine, our lead character happened to have almost no lines, so we made up sides for his character - how would this character react in a situation where he had to talk? and i'd agree that the improv approach should only be used in special situations (maybe a specific type of comedy?); it usually provides for undesirable/uninformative results.
- this is a personal choice and probably one more suited for shorts than for features, but i don't give out any more back story than what i work into a side (which is minimal at best). i like this approach because it's such a great learning experience for me as the director/writer to SEE/HEAR a fresh perspective on the characters, situations, dialogue, etc. before an actor reading this freaks out, on this last film, i picked an actress who initially took the part in almost the exact opposite direction as how we imagined her. she was just great, and we could see that despite how she took the character. the key with this approach is to keep an open mind and not just look for the actor that was able to read your mind and go with the character exactly as how you imagined. that would be unfair.
- FILM the auditions. this is very important because some actors have a lot of charisma that comes off in person but not on film. likewise, some people who seem aloof in person, glow on camera (they are actors after all). you'll be amazed at how different your reactions may be to different actors once you get home and review tape. (during auditions, don't fuss with the camera too much, but do try to get some long shots for body language and some close-ups for facial expressions).
- obviously you want good actors, but it's also important that you can work with them (this goes for crew as well). i've been on a couple of shoots where an as-yet-to-be-successful actor turns out to be a prima donna and it just makes it impossible for the director to get what they want, as well as making the set an un-fun place to be.
i worked with one actor who as a child was in a film with meryl streep; he said she was the nicest person in the world - she knew everyone's name from director down to the p.a.s and would even help carry some stuff around!
despite how big a place nyc can seem, even here it's an amazingly small world, and what goes around comes around. johnny mac is right, thank you notes are much appreciated; after all, imagine all the time actors put into headshots, auditions, call backs... all for parts they will most likely not get. also some of the actors that weren't right for this project may be perfect for you next one.
- feed them well. an extra couple of bucks per day on getting something better than pizza will go a long way with making cast / crew very happy - don't forget, on a no budget / no pay shoot, they're all essentially working for food (and experience of course). and be sure to make a schedule (start/lunch/dinner/stop) and stick to it. making people work through extreme hunger / tiredness is counter productive.
good luck and keep us posted.
