INT. IHOP – DAY
It’s 6:30 in the morning and I feel lumpy. I can’t think of another word that actually describes the way I feel. Lumpy, like bread dough waiting to rise I suppose. E.P. (Executive Producer) Dan and Head Script Writer Danielle look like they could be feeling the same way. We’re not quite sure what the day will bring and we’re all a little tired, possibly from anticipation the night before. This really is the beginning of the movie. Sure, we’ve put in a lot of work up to this point (especially Danielle), but this is the true beginning.
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EXT. STUDIO – DAY
It’s now 7:45 AM and we arrived to find a line of would-be hopefuls lining up. You can actually see the dream on their faces. Because I use the studio where we are casting on a daily basis, I quickly setup the things we’ll need to get rolling. We set out about a dozen chairs, a giant patio umbrella, a sign in station, and begin to shuffle in the hopefuls. Our P.A. (Production Assistant) for the day was Bree and I don’t know how we would have gotten by without her. (Thanks, Bree!)
INT. STUDIO – DAY
The organized chaos begins. Actors cycle in, actors cycle out. Thank you, we’ll call you. Can you wait a moment and read for us again? Can you switch roles and try it again? We’ll be making our decision soon. Can you cold read this for us please? Do you have a monologue prepared?
We gave some of the hopefuls a what-if situation and asked them to adlib. The situation, to the amusement of E.P. Dan and Danielle was “The Director has just slept with your wife. Tell him how you feel about that.” Or for the ladies: “The Director has just cheated on you with your best friend. Tell him how you feel about that.” So would-be hopefuls hurled insults at me for the rest of the day. It was all in the spirit of “finding the perfect actor”, but at the end of the day I was thinking “Why don’t I remember sleeping with all of these people?” and “Man, what am I going to tell my wife?”
FADE OUT
FADE IN
INT. STUDIO – LUNCH
Subway for lunch just rocks. (Thanks, Dan!) So we took a break, relaxing and discussing who we thought during the morning sessions was good and who was just not right for the parts. Lunch was too short and very soon we were back into the grind.
INT. STUDIO – CONTINUED
Here they come. By now those of us involved in the casting project have the script memorized. A few actor friends that I haven’t seen in a while drop by. It was nice to see them and watch them audition. But, the wheel turns and, on we went. It’s now about 3:00 PM and we’re starting to get a little tired. And, that’s when we get a really great bunch of hopefuls. We watched, catching a second wind. There were some great auditions, but at 4:45, we called it a day. We put away the chairs, packed out our trash, and headed for the doors, very tired.
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EXT. STUDIO – DUSK
We said our goodbyes, piled into our cars, and prepared for the drives home. Danielle and I lived close enough that it wouldn’t be too bad. I felt sorry for Dan, whom I knew was really tired, as he had about an hour to drive. All the way home I played the actors over in my head, trying to get a feel for the ones that really stood out. There were a few. Some are coming back next week to play against some of the other actors we’ve looked at. If you’ve never sat through the process before, it can be quite daunting. Something a kin to American Idol and America’s Next Top Model. Think about this. You watch these shows for 1 – 2 hours. That’s all compressed from an entire days worth of auditions. The judges have to sit there all day and watch people parade in and out. It’s no wonder Simon can get a little testy. Anyway, I’m tired now too. Going to catch some sleep and post this in the morning. Next Sunday will be here before I know it.