The next post in our blog series Cast Away is in progress. I've already written most of it, but I'm still waiting for commitments from several actors and there are still several roles I'm still trying to assign. I also want to post the actor's headshots, but those will have to be edited too.
I know you're "starvin' like Marvin" (how's that 4 an old school reference) for a new post, but don't worry it's "Coming Soon".
In case u missed them:
Cast Away
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Cast Away 2 or How I Met Ms. Holley
No this is not about a sequel to that Tom Hanks movie, but it is a sequel to my previous blog post Cast Away
In total we had 13 actors to audition. Most of them came from Stonehenge (see Cast Away 1). Some of them came from a good friend of mine LaFonde Holley.
In casting I wanted to explore the avenues open to me through my contacts with the local African American theater community. A main advocate of mine in that quest was Ms. Holley.
Ms. Holley called a list of her best actor friends and several were available to audition. Ms. Holley also surprised me by showing up to my auditions. Of course I invited her to sit next to me and she helped me audition the actors. It was such a pleasant surprise. Even though we have talked over the phone I hadn’t seen Ms. Holley in years. I met Ms. Holley when she was the stage director of a televised play I wrote called Love, Rhythm, & Blues. She has always been an advocate of my “great writing” (Her words, not mine, but I can agree that her words are pretty accurate. LOL) and even referred me for a nice paying freelance writing job.
Anyone who knows her know Ms. Holley is a force of nature and I’m blessed to have her as a friend.
From the auditions I cast many of the roles, but exactly what those roles are and who will be playing them will have to be in a future blog post. I know how wicked of me. >:(
In total we had 13 actors to audition. Most of them came from Stonehenge (see Cast Away 1). Some of them came from a good friend of mine LaFonde Holley.
In casting I wanted to explore the avenues open to me through my contacts with the local African American theater community. A main advocate of mine in that quest was Ms. Holley.
Ms. Holley called a list of her best actor friends and several were available to audition. Ms. Holley also surprised me by showing up to my auditions. Of course I invited her to sit next to me and she helped me audition the actors. It was such a pleasant surprise. Even though we have talked over the phone I hadn’t seen Ms. Holley in years. I met Ms. Holley when she was the stage director of a televised play I wrote called Love, Rhythm, & Blues. She has always been an advocate of my “great writing” (Her words, not mine, but I can agree that her words are pretty accurate. LOL) and even referred me for a nice paying freelance writing job.
Anyone who knows her know Ms. Holley is a force of nature and I’m blessed to have her as a friend.
From the auditions I cast many of the roles, but exactly what those roles are and who will be playing them will have to be in a future blog post. I know how wicked of me. >:(
AAQ
No AAQ is not that new fraternity you heard about it, it’s not that new sorority either. It stands for ANTICIPATED ASKED QUESTIONS. These are not questions that I’ve been asked, but I anticipate that they will be asked. Does that make me psychic? Not really, just very insightful.
Can you tell me more about the script?
Not really. The script is SO SHORT that if I reveal any more you will figure out what “the part” is and ruin the surprise of the story.
Why is the script so short?
For the people lucky enough to read the script, it is very short. I wrote it that way for two reasons. 1. To put it on the Internet. A lot of sites don’t allow you to upload anything longer than fifteen minutes. 2. Because I’m aware that my cast and crew have “day jobs” and I didn’t want to commit them to successive weeks of shooting for an extended period.
I wrote this with a ONE-DAY shoot in mind. I want to get it on and over with so I could move to the next production phase.
What is the “next phase”?
Editing it. Cutting the scenes together. Adding ambient (background) noise and then music. After that it’s marketing it to film festivals.
Why not put it on the Internet when you finish editing it?
Because for film festivals stronger consideration is given to films that have NOT had significant prior exposure and that means the Internet.
Is this film going to make money?
No. Short films don’t make money. Plain and simple. No one is going to pay more than $5 to see a film that is only 15-20 minutes long.
Why make a short film if it’s not going to make money?
Because feature length films take a lot money to make, at least if the film is going to look like anything. Short films are a representation of the skills of the cast and crew and a means of advancement. No one can see what you can do until they…see what you can do.
How do you say your name anyway?
Well I wrote about that in another blog right here
If you have real questions to ask me please email them to me. The email is info@notherbrother.com . If you do email me you’re giving me consent to publish your question in whole or in part. If you don’t want it published just say so and that’s fine too. If I do publish your question, don’t worry I won’t use any “real names” except my own. :)
Can you tell me more about the script?
Not really. The script is SO SHORT that if I reveal any more you will figure out what “the part” is and ruin the surprise of the story.
Why is the script so short?
For the people lucky enough to read the script, it is very short. I wrote it that way for two reasons. 1. To put it on the Internet. A lot of sites don’t allow you to upload anything longer than fifteen minutes. 2. Because I’m aware that my cast and crew have “day jobs” and I didn’t want to commit them to successive weeks of shooting for an extended period.
I wrote this with a ONE-DAY shoot in mind. I want to get it on and over with so I could move to the next production phase.
What is the “next phase”?
Editing it. Cutting the scenes together. Adding ambient (background) noise and then music. After that it’s marketing it to film festivals.
Why not put it on the Internet when you finish editing it?
Because for film festivals stronger consideration is given to films that have NOT had significant prior exposure and that means the Internet.
Is this film going to make money?
No. Short films don’t make money. Plain and simple. No one is going to pay more than $5 to see a film that is only 15-20 minutes long.
Why make a short film if it’s not going to make money?
Because feature length films take a lot money to make, at least if the film is going to look like anything. Short films are a representation of the skills of the cast and crew and a means of advancement. No one can see what you can do until they…see what you can do.
How do you say your name anyway?
Well I wrote about that in another blog right here
If you have real questions to ask me please email them to me. The email is info@notherbrother.com . If you do email me you’re giving me consent to publish your question in whole or in part. If you don’t want it published just say so and that’s fine too. If I do publish your question, don’t worry I won’t use any “real names” except my own. :)
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Cast Away
I know the blog title is corny, but that’s the best I could think of on short notice. I want to talk about my cast and my casting process.
On Sunday, May 18, my producer and I attended Stonehenge. This is their description:
Stonehenge is a one-day casting event held several times throughout the year in various cities. If you're an actor, think of it as a mass audition. You'll be able to perform a monologue in front of 20 or more production companies looking to produce films in the near future. If you're a filmmaker, think of Stonehenge as a mass casting tool, showing you over 100 actors whom you might call back to read for a specific part.
I was hoping I would some fantastic actors and I did. From this casting session I found
Kesha Afrika Oliver and she will be playing “Mary”.
Tony Martin and he will be playing “Kenny”.
The last casting I found wasn’t really through Stonehenge, but he was there.
I met Archie Williams in 1996 when he was cast in another televised play I wrote called Without a Doubt. I’ve been in touch with him over the years and even worked with him when we volunteered for the Maryland Film Festival. He will be playing “Uncle George”.
Insight on my creative process
On Sunday, May 18, my producer and I attended Stonehenge. This is their description:
Stonehenge is a one-day casting event held several times throughout the year in various cities. If you're an actor, think of it as a mass audition. You'll be able to perform a monologue in front of 20 or more production companies looking to produce films in the near future. If you're a filmmaker, think of Stonehenge as a mass casting tool, showing you over 100 actors whom you might call back to read for a specific part.
I was hoping I would some fantastic actors and I did. From this casting session I found
Kesha Afrika Oliver and she will be playing “Mary”.
Tony Martin and he will be playing “Kenny”.
The last casting I found wasn’t really through Stonehenge, but he was there.
I met Archie Williams in 1996 when he was cast in another televised play I wrote called Without a Doubt. I’ve been in touch with him over the years and even worked with him when we volunteered for the Maryland Film Festival. He will be playing “Uncle George”.
Insight on my creative process
- The character "Mary" was named after my favorite female singer whom I’ve loved since What’s The 411? Since she is worldwide and “mainstream” now, you can probably figure out who she is.
- In keeping with the “music theme” I named Mary’s husband after Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds.
- “Uncle George” was named after my dear departed uncle who was every bit as raucous as the character I wrote.
I’ll reveal the inspiration for the other character names when I cast those roles. I know you can’t wait, but you’ll have to. LOL
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