What's the best way to finish my last scene?

[harmonica44]

I have one last scene left for my short film. It's been delayed because I've had to keep finding replacement actors for two of the roles. I don't want to have to my lead actors show up that day, only to find out that one of the replacements didn't show for a third time now.

The two characters are masked the whole time though, and wear gloves. So I was thinking that I can keep shooting different parts of the scene each time with a new person, that matches the height and weight of the original actor, that is since I can't keep an actor interested more than a couple of weeks. I would just have to find replacements ready and willing to go that matched, so the disguise would look the same.

It's a fight scene, so if only one guy showed up, I could shoot the fight scene in a way, in which only one masked person was on camera at a time. Then do one characters side of it, with the lead actors, then the other characters side of it. I would have to watch very closely for continuity errors though, if I shot two halves of a fight apart. I would like to get all of them to show up on one day, but in a microbudget, it just doesn't seem to be happening, and the more we have to cancel, the more actors are likely to leave again.

I have put out adds on Craigslist and Kijiji and are able to get guys interested for a couple of weeks at a time, before they change their minds, but perhaps when it comes to having to find emergency replacements, I should be looking elsewhere? One of my leads is moving soon, so I don't have as much time as well. Hoping to get it done in January. One draw back is with everyone not showing up there is not much time for rehearsing such a physical scene, but what else can I do when I can't guarantee they will show up each time.

 

[harmonica44]

I tried the acting schools on campus but they are never open. The office is there but no one is ever in, and no one on campus can help me. They all say you have to talk them but they said they never know when someone is in, cause it's not their department. Not much help they are obviously. Thanks, I will try a theater arts center, where all the big plays are held at in town. But if not there, then I need to be ready for a back up plan and fast, since one of the actors is planned on moving soon.

I could rewrite it so that the hostage takers are killed off right away, in the climax, which will lead to to twists and turns not near as good, but will competently end the story, and I barely emphasize competently. One of the lead actors though, will have to kill the hostage takers, but I need to shoot it in a way, in which she can kill them, without being seen on screen with them, so therefore, I can find two actors later, and just shoot their deaths separately. That's the extremely hard part. I will also need to shoot everything prior of her being taken hostage in the process, by them, without having them on the screen at the same time.

Even having to kill them off right away there is still going to have be a short fight or struggle to make it convincing. Any movie fight scenes, online for examples of how to shoot a fight, with the two actors, at different times? I'm guessing in the no budget world, this had to be done for a serious thriller some time. Sounds crazy, but I am out of ideal solutions.

Another thing is rehearsal, actors keep losing interests, so I feel that if I put them right in the middle of the suspense, murder scene, and have them act it out, without taking a day to rehearse I can just get it done. But it may look fake, without rehearsing it for a day first.

One person suggested on here that if all else fails to hand out business cards to strangers who you think might look good for the part. I could make some and do that. I was thinking of going to a martial arts class and asking guys there, and giving them cards. Cause since they are use to fighting, I can just throw them right in, without rehearsing so much. That way perhaps I can get the film done, before anyone else looses interest.

My friends not only do not look the parts at all, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be able to get into it convincingly, plus they always put their paying jobs first. I've tried using them on days off, but they always got called into work, and took the shift. I need someone who has that acting passion, cause they seem to be the only people you can rely on. I put a lot of fliers up before, but not many people responded. Not many on Craiglists either, besides ones who just couldn't be relied upon. What about facebook? Since that sight seems to be so popular, any casting call things on there that a lot of people respond to? I looked but couldn't find one yet.

I still don't need to have a fight scene if I cannot get actors to do it, but I will need the kidnapping hostage crisis, for the plot to make sense to the previous shot scenes. I will need actors strong enough to pick up my other actors, and carry them out, and one of them is quite heavy.

 

[sfoster]

bump


so whatever happened to this ?