Getting actors?

[Budget:0]

Help needed--advice for finding actors

Hey guys!

This is something I've been brainstorming over for a while. I'm a "high school director/writer." Out of all the problems I have, the number one is getting actors. I've asked friends, and they basically say no. At my school, there is no theater department. All of my relatives either say no or are too young.

I don't know any other way to get actors.

I'm sure there's about 2 billion things I'm over-looking, but that's why I'm asking you. Every director was a "high school director" once.

I can't wait to hear (well, read) the reactions/answers.

Thanks guys.

 

[Budget:0]

Okay, I realize you're in Southern Virginia. But this state ain't that big. If you're open to picking up and traveling all the way to RVA, you've got one hell of a resource just begging to be tapped.

VCU is the top public school for arts, has been for a long time. And their theater department is stellar. Maybe you don't make your talent come to you. Maybe you come to them. And I'd be happy to work as a collaborator/guide to this great city.

That is something I really want to do. I've have heard before that VCU has a nice theater dep., but I eventually decided to wait until AFTER I graduated to do that. Because I wouldn't want my parents to come with me and I wouldn't want them to have to stick with me for a shoot which could take 2 days plus.

Once I get my license, I'll try to persuade my parents into letting me drive that far away. It would take about three hours.

And that'd be great! I'd def. be open for collaboration with someone.

As a side-note: Do you think the kids at VCU would have a problem taking me seriously, giving that I'd be younger than them and I probably won't be able to pay them? That seems to me like it may be a problem.

Thanks. That really gave me some things to think about for when I'm old enough.

 

[Shanked]

Start smaller

I hear ya' on the drought of talent out where you are but before you go ravaging the halls of a college campus that's thousands of miles away from you... you should first consider something...

Most film directors are wasting actors' time. I live in LA and I shoot in LA and I see waste taking place day in and day out. It is ghastly how many actors don't even get their footage. At all. Ever. They wait patiently and nothing happens. And for those who DO get their footage, it's often something so crappy that it doesn't really help their reel at all.

They'd be better off with NO reel than having something that makes them look oily and hideous and sounds awful and represents the most wretched performance they could muster.

Now, unless you're a filmmaking genius who peaked at an early age, chances are you're not really ready to compensate your actors by saying, "Look, I can't pay you, but I can certainly put you in an amazing short film that will help your career tremendously and make you glad you worked with me!"

It's doubtful you can say that at all.

So my advice is to you is to find two local actors. Two. In your neighborhood. Just two frickin people. Young or old or even a mixture of young and old. Male and male. Or male and female. Or whatever. And have them star in everything you do. Everything. And do this over and over and over again until you're capable of making a short film that gets 10,000 hits on YouTube just out of being sheer awesome sauce.

That will probably take you AT LEAST 10 to 15 attempts. But you can do an INFINITE amount of storytelling with just two actors. There are so many permutations of a two person conflict. Bad guy vs good guy. Two guys vs something unknown. Boy loves girl. Father loves son. Boss fires subordinate. Explorers search a cave. Whatever the case. Whatever your two actors are, use the sh** out of them. Over and over.

That's what Rodriguez did. That's what Spielberg did. That's what TONS of great directors did.

Now, how can you find two actors? Like other folks were saying. Try Craiglist or Mandy. You might even try your local church. (You could volunteer to do a video promo for your local church... as a way of sneaking access to the talent pool.) Or maybe a find an old folks home with a couple bored old people who wouldn't mind some SUPER GENTLE shooting schedules.

I'm basically saying you're probably not ready to marshal a fleet of 10 to 15 actors on top of a crew of 5 to 10 people. So put your epic Robert Altman script in the fridge for a year or two while you get good enough to be WORTH other people's time.

Start small. Get great. Then proceed.



Shanked

 

[VivaChiba]

Advertise. Key word.

Oh, and not ALL directors were once high school directors... Tarantino is alleged to have not even finished high school. Miike (once claimed in an interview that he) went to film school simply because he couldn't get into university.

 

[Budget:0]

I hear ya' on the drought of talent out where you are but before you go ravaging the halls of a college campus that's thousands of miles away from you... you should first consider something...

Most film directors are wasting actors' time. I live in LA and I shoot in LA and I see waste taking place day in and day out. It is ghastly how many actors don't even get their footage. At all. Ever. They wait patiently and nothing happens. And for those who DO get their footage, it's often something so crappy that it doesn't really help their reel at all.

They'd be better off with NO reel than having something that makes them look oily and hideous and sounds awful and represents the most wretched performance they could muster.

Now, unless you're a filmmaking genius who peaked at an early age, chances are you're not really ready to compensate your actors by saying, "Look, I can't pay you, but I can certainly put you in an amazing short film that will help your career tremendously and make you glad you worked with me!"

It's doubtful you can say that at all.

So my advice is to you is to find two local actors. Two. In your neighborhood. Just two frickin people. Young or old or even a mixture of young and old. Male and male. Or male and female. Or whatever. And have them star in everything you do. Everything. And do this over and over and over again until you're capable of making a short film that gets 10,000 hits on YouTube just out of being sheer awesome sauce.

That will probably take you AT LEAST 10 to 15 attempts. But you can do an INFINITE amount of storytelling with just two actors. There are so many permutations of a two person conflict. Bad guy vs good guy. Two guys vs something unknown. Boy loves girl. Father loves son. Boss fires subordinate. Explorers search a cave. Whatever the case. Whatever your two actors are, use the sh** out of them. Over and over.

That's what Rodriguez did. That's what Spielberg did. That's what TONS of great directors did.

Now, how can you find two actors? Like other folks were saying. Try Craiglist or Mandy. You might even try your local church. (You could volunteer to do a video promo for your local church... as a way of sneaking access to the talent pool.) Or maybe a find an old folks home with a couple bored old people who wouldn't mind some SUPER GENTLE shooting schedules.

I'm basically saying you're probably not ready to marshal a fleet of 10 to 15 actors on top of a crew of 5 to 10 people. So put your epic Robert Altman script in the fridge for a year or two while you get good enough to be WORTH other people's time.

Start small. Get great. Then proceed.



Shanked

I'm sorry that I haven't responded to this yet. Great comment. All the points are spot on.

 

[AcespadexXx]

I was actually just about too post this same question. That largest problem in my production is as well finding reliable actors and mainly actresses. On my past productions theyve been comedy so i could just have one actor double a few parts and it actually made it a bit funnier. Now that im branching out to more serious productions i want to avoid that at all cost. what are the actors listed under on craigslist?

 

[DannyMac]

I use Mandy.com for casting...always get lots of responses.

 

[MaximusXXX]

Websites are great. For reliable actors however you need to give good incentive.

Depending on what your film is about and how long it is.


If it's a light-hearted topic and short, you may get away with offering $20 or so for a day, especially High School.


I hope you got a job.

 

[samuelbebbs]

Hi,

I recently used a site called StarNow in my short film, it's really easy to use and put details of the actors you're looking for and what the film is about. It seems that everyones in the same position on there they all want experience, however most people will work for free.

I'm not sure if you're from the UK but i managed to get 18 applicants for my first short film admittedly I'm putting everything into this film so i provided them with a load of information. Definitely take a look at it.

Sam

 

[simondo]

For the début film im working on, we had a good producer, who was able to get a lot of guys who are into army and combat stuff, who have regular meet ups discussing kit. So when they got a chance to be extras in a combat based sequence with lots of guns, helicopters planes and explosions, they jumped at the chance. Other roles we just got our friends involved, and they did a good job, its not the best performances you will see but for our first production it could of been a lot worse.

For the next film im doing, I have turned to starnow and so far ive got 30 people on a short list, all who apply are willing to work for free because they just want to be involved.