I am having trouble casting teenagers for my academic short film. Some context before: I'm twenty years old, live in Brazil and study media at a (nice) public university.
This semester we're making a short film (that is not actually indie, since it is vinculated to the university, but it is a no-budget), the story is about teenagers (14, 15 years old) in the winter of 2009 when school was cancelled due to the swine flu. The characters are one girl and three boys.
A member of the crew knows a girl who takes drama lessons, the producer contacted her (on Facebook only, we don't know her personally) and asked her if she wanted to take the role. I didn't liked her, so we still had in mind to do a casting call that would include her.
We got the opportunity to partner up with a social project for some support, the project give video (and other types of media) workshops and classes at local schools. Today I went to one of those classes and we had a real nice conversation about the script, scene by scene, line by line, and they helped me a lot on the writing! I invited them to a casting call, they loved the idea, but I didn't confirmed anything yet. I would really like to have some of them in the movie.
Here comes the trouble. Teenagers have really big egos and they are easy to get upset, and none of them are professionals. I don't want to make a casting call, test a handful of young boys and girls and have to choose four out of all the other kids!
I wouldn't mind doing this if we were indie, or a real studio, or if they were young professional actors, but since these are young boys and girls members of a social project and really excited, I think doing this would be bad. What should I do? We start shooting in a week.
Some other information: it is a four day shooting (afternoons only) with equipment from the university (DSLRs, professional lights and audio). I am the only one in the crew who is really into it, and I'm writing and directing.
Thank you and sorry if I messed up my english.
This semester we're making a short film (that is not actually indie, since it is vinculated to the university, but it is a no-budget), the story is about teenagers (14, 15 years old) in the winter of 2009 when school was cancelled due to the swine flu. The characters are one girl and three boys.
A member of the crew knows a girl who takes drama lessons, the producer contacted her (on Facebook only, we don't know her personally) and asked her if she wanted to take the role. I didn't liked her, so we still had in mind to do a casting call that would include her.
We got the opportunity to partner up with a social project for some support, the project give video (and other types of media) workshops and classes at local schools. Today I went to one of those classes and we had a real nice conversation about the script, scene by scene, line by line, and they helped me a lot on the writing! I invited them to a casting call, they loved the idea, but I didn't confirmed anything yet. I would really like to have some of them in the movie.
Here comes the trouble. Teenagers have really big egos and they are easy to get upset, and none of them are professionals. I don't want to make a casting call, test a handful of young boys and girls and have to choose four out of all the other kids!
I wouldn't mind doing this if we were indie, or a real studio, or if they were young professional actors, but since these are young boys and girls members of a social project and really excited, I think doing this would be bad. What should I do? We start shooting in a week.
Some other information: it is a four day shooting (afternoons only) with equipment from the university (DSLRs, professional lights and audio). I am the only one in the crew who is really into it, and I'm writing and directing.
Thank you and sorry if I messed up my english.
