Casting Friends

mrbigchin

mrbigchin

So I need some help with a flakey actor(my friend). I'm trying to cast him and all I got was maybe, idk. What's the best way to get your friends to work for you?
 
I don't know. Tell him you won't be his friend anymore?

If you can't get him to commit to your project by just asking, maybe he's the wrong person to be working with - that's just my opinion.
 
Last edited:
If all you get is an idk, move on. He/she is not interested. Find someone who is. When you ask a friend if they wanna be in your short, their initial reaction should be nothing but enthusiasm, or else they're not the right one for the part.

Pitch it, everywhere you go. Be enthusiastic. Someone will want onboard.
 
They won't work for you for free. Period. You can't change their mind. I tried lol.
What is in it for them? You want to make movies, they don't.

Its just like asking a girl out - you can't keep walking up to her after each rejection (unless you re some creepy dude).

Keep asking friends, on first "naah" move on. If you ll run out of friends to ask - film urself. ;)




Or another way of doing it is asking - "well, what do U want to do in a movie'? I'm sure u ll find somebody that wants to be that "cool guy" with guns.

Or buy em beer.
 
Im wary of even the ppl who seem enthusiastic because that enthusiasm usually lasts two days when working for free.
You have to pick carefully but in the end when working for free, theres only so much you can do by way of keeping people interested and committed.
 
Ernest Worthing said:
Im wary of even the ppl who seem enthusiastic because that enthusiasm usually lasts two days when working for free.
You have to pick carefully but in the end when working for free, theres only so much you can do by way of keeping people interested and committed.
Click to expand...

Ain't that the truth. Even people who are initially enthusiastic will just not show up. Such is the life of a startup nothing-budget filmmaker. Frustrations will happen, but over time, the rocks you can fall back on will show themselves. And, eventually, of course, you need to look outside of your circle of friends for casting, but this is a good place to start.
 
erg...i feel like casting from a website...nowcasting or LA casting or whatever...is usually more successful than asking your friends, just because they don't usually take it as seriously.
 
Working with friends is usually a harder dynamic anyway. Especially when there's several on set, it can turn into a buddy-hangout thing instead of work.

Also, correcting directing a friend or giving them an order (as a director will have to do) is harder because you have to be friends later.

Try craigslist, there's plenty of actors who will give time to help expand resumes and what not.
 
Exactly, don't work with friends. It will be a problem. The last set I was on; I was co-producer. One of the actresses was in a discussion with me and said, "...yeah, but we're supposed to be friends".

No, first of all, we weren't close friends. Second, I co-producer, you actress. Period.

The chain of command is sadly abused when you have a bunch of buddies making a film. If you're goofing around, fine, get your friends to be in it.

If you're serious about making a movie, find some money and find some actors.
 
Dude, not to seem like a jerk, maybe I am. But phuk this dude. He knows this is something

important to you, and if he was a true friend he would jump on board. This IDK business is BS. Be

his friend but I wouldnt work with him. And I speak from EXP. I've already dropped 3 friends a,nd

counting from my film making plans because they are unreliable. I still drink a beer and watch the

game with them but credit titles they will not get. JMO
 
Unless your friend is a well-known A-List Hollywood actor, why are you pushing your friend when you can audition a bunch of actors to find a suitable actor?

I'm dealing with people recommending cast and crew people to me and my reply is actors will need a head shot and resume and must be auditioned. Crew people need resumes with references and demo reels. There is no free ride for someone, until they prove themselves.

Flakes come a dime a dozen when you are making a movie. Once you can ID who the flakes are, cut them loose. Otherwise, they will destroy your production.
 
I've always shot with friends, mainly because hiring semi-professional actor's here in the Philippines can be a real drag, coz they ask for too much. Also because friends are more accessible, you could contact them easily, and depending on the "level" of friendship you're in with them they're a lot easier to talk to. Not to mention they're comfortable with you directing them.

Also I sometimes write roles and characters which are actually based off my friends. So it kinda makes sense to actually use them. I don't really offer money up front, but I always make sure to compensate them after the project as a thank you.
 
I think the advice, 'don't work with friends' is horrible advice...at least with that sort of blanket styling. Yes, you typically don't want to work with friends...that is of course unless your friends are actors.

Our company are all great friends. There are never issues.

Maybe the above statements agree with me, but I just wanted to be clear. If your friends are professional, and are in the biz...it's another story entirely. Asking your beer buddy to star in your picture ain't a good idea...of this I agree.
 
M1chae1 said:
I think the advice, 'don't work with friends' is horrible advice...at least with that sort of blanket styling. Yes, you typically don't want to work with friends...that is of course unless your friends are actors.

Our company are all great friends. There are never issues.

Maybe the above statements agree with me, but I just wanted to be clear. If your friends are professional, and are in the biz...it's another story entirely. Asking your beer buddy to star in your picture ain't a good idea...of this I agree.
Click to expand...

This is true, I do have a lot of friends that are pro's at what they do (camera op, DP, editing, etc) and I do try to work with them as much as I can, we always make a better product working together.

My above statement is more geared for sure towards non-pro friends :)

Our big production (a short for festivals) is actually shooting this weekend, and pretty much everyone involved knows each other with a few exceptions. I made sure to introduce some new blood to help minimize the buddy dynamic. It's easier to be professional around strangers haha.
 
Oh my God, I just shot a short today, using friends as my talent. And my friends are all restaurant workers, not actors. Jesus, I forgot what it's like working with non-actors. This is not an experience I want to repeat very often.

God bless 'em, I'm grateful that they put in the time, and they did their best. And, we did have fun. But yeah, unless you happen to be friends with actors, this is not the best move.
 
I made a short recently that has inspired a few of my friends to be more motivated with making short films, but before that I was having a lot of trouble finding actors.
So my advice is to film something that will impress your friends, then hopefully they will want to join you (:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top