Directions | Production Notes: Casting

When I read the brief for this unit, this was the part that I felt the most nervous about.  Shooting a film with people I know is daunting enough, but reaching out to strangers to help with my work seemed a scary prospect, especially as this is not the area of production that I would like to go into.  However once I started to get into contact with actors, I was pleasantly surprised at how affable the actors were once they had responded to my advert.  I had previously only considered that I would have to direct them, and so they would be relying on my for direction and help, when in reality, they are also benefiting from working on my film by experience and as something to add to their showreel.  This led me to the understanding that casting actors is a mutually beneficial necessity and not something to be afraid of (I may change my mind when it comes to shooting, we shall see).

I used Casting Call Pro to post my advert.  I found the process fairly straightforward, here is the advert I posted:

I made sure to emphasis the fact that this is a student project and that I would only be able to pay for travel expenses, food and drink.  I also decided not to attach a reference photo of the original actors (Andrew Lincoln and Jon Bernthal), as I wanted to focus on the acting talent rather than how closely they resemble the actors.

Rick Grimes

I had many actors put themselves forward for the role of Rick and I was pleased that some seemed genuinely interested in the role.  I looked through each showreel and carefully considered which actors I felt fit the role best.  Some simply didn't fit the brief - for example, one actor was of a large build, which frankly would not be fitting for a serving police officer who has been in a coma for a month.  Another was able to play roles 40-50, where I advertised the role as 25-35.

However, I have narrowed my choices down to two potential actors.  After contacting both choices, I am yet to hear back from them and I am becoming worried that they may not get back to me in time.  Therefore, I have reached out to a friend of mine who acted in my first unit piece.  Whilst he previously played a younger character, I feel that he would make a good Rick through his physical performance.  He also has the look I am going for, which can be enhanced through makeup.  I will keep him on standby if my actors from Casting Call Pro do not respond - I feel that either option would be effective in playing Rick.

Shane Walsh

I had several actors put their names forward for the role of Shane.  As I did with Rick, I sat and watched each showreel, however there was one actor in particular that stood out most for me.  He fit the physical appearance and his performances in his showreel were good, but he clearly had read the brief in full and he knows the original show.  I feel that with this knowledge of the character, he will be able to give a more convincing performance, so I reached out to him.

He has since replied and agreed to play Shane in my film and I have provided him with the script and details as to when and where we will be filming.