First things first, reviews:
from IMDB
from the Seattle True Independent Film Festival (click reviews about half way down page)
Now the BLOG…
One of the biggest mistakes most indie filmmakers make (aside from not being organized, which I’ll get to at another point) is in casting. The wrong line delivery can make or break a film. Like that. A snap of the finger and you’ve lost the audience.
Ashley McGarry and I spent months casting Friends (with benefits). And I don’t just mean the six leads. I mean every supporting role. We were looking for actors who would make the characters come alive, and when needed we adapted the script to fit the actor. (If an actor really has trouble with a line, change it. Move the words around. Make them comfortable, make it real. Don’t be married to every word. Be married to the story you’re telling.)
So what makes a great actor, at least in my opinion? Or at least what makes them great to work with? Aside from talent, and fitting the role in question, which are obvious necessities. I would say the most important aspect would be the ability to recall blocking. The example I’ll give here is Alex Brown, who plays Owen in FWB. Now I LOVE oners. Long takes, that never seem to end. Life is a oner. At the end of a five minute take, I could go over to Alex, tell him to scratch his nose four minutes in when he says such-and-such a line, but do everything else the same, and he would nail it, perfectly. I know, you’re thinking, well isn’t that the actor’s job? Yes, it is. But actors that precise are few and far between. And when you’re not shooting a oner, when you want to match your close up to your wide shot, an actor whose blocking is off will drive you crazy in the editing room. If they’re holding their drink with their right hand in the close up, and using their left in the wide, good luck cutting. And granted the script supervisor should be aware of this, but some things do fall through the cracks. Having an actor that remembers blocking, and makes the blocking look natural, is a god-send.
Next, what is the actor bringing to the role? When casting, sometimes you just know. An actor reads and there it is! Your character jumps off the page and is suddenly alive. Anne Petersen came in to read for the role of Alison. That was it. We had other readings scheduled that day, and I would never cancel on such short notice, but we knew at the end of her audition that Anne had the part. We gave the all of the other scheduled actresses the opportunity to audition, but in the long run just ended up comparing everyone to Anne. She brought a spark to the character that didn’t yet exist on the page. She made her funny, charming. She made her real.
The ability to ad lib in character. Brendan Bradley who plays Brad and Jake Alexander who plays Jeff were brilliant at quick comic ad libs, many of which made it into the finished film. This helps when an actor really knows their character. The example I’ll give. Last day of shooting, overnight in a bar. We were all exhausted. It was a scene where the four friends, Brad, Jeff, Alison and Shirley (played by Lynn Mancinelli) are wondering where Chloe and Owen are, though they secretly know. The scene as written was just not working. Ashley and I could not seem to fix it, no matter how hard we tried. Finally I said to the actors, run with it. Do the scene as if this were really happening in your life right now. They added a few lines, which made all the difference in the world, and nailed it a few takes in, AS A ONER!
That said, an actor also needs to understand that not every ad lib is brilliant, not every ad lib works. And when the director says to return to the script, that what you need to do. Read the Billy Zane blog from last year, but really, throwing a hissy fit when the director won’t let you ad lib, or do the scene your way, those are not the creatures you want on your movie set. There’s no time to argue on an indie set. And if you really have questions or issues with the script, take it up in rehearsal. (I do a lot of rehearsals just for that reason.) If you don’t, you’ve lost the opportunity, it’s time to do what the director says. Honestly, yes , it’s a collaborative medium. No doubt about it. But ultimately, one person is at the helm. Everyone needs to be onboard the same ship. I can give an actor room for improvisation, but it is also completely in my right to take it away. The actor must understand that, and not take it personally. As director I need to have a view of the bigger picture, I know what I’m looking for. Trust me, as I’m trusting you with our words.
Next: the actor that goes above and beyond. We really wanted the band in the film to feel like a really band. I so hate when people are playing guitar in movies and it’s painfully obvious they couldn’t strum a G-chord to save their life. Margaret Laney, who plays Chloe, started taking guitar lessons from the moment she was cast. And it really makes a difference. I have had musician friends ask if Start Missing Everybody was a REAL band. Bringing that sort of reality to the film should be a no-brainers, but it rarely is. Margaret’s lessons really paid off beautifully. (And while that’s not her playing guitar on the soundtrack, that is her singing. And again, she worked to rock out her voice. Making it real.)
Lastly, I love when an actor brings an air of mystery to the role. When a look reveals so much more than a line. When you can see into their soul. And Lynn Mancinelli did that and so much more. She infused Shirley with a depth that was not on the page. She makes us want to know more about the character. She makes us care. She breaks our hearts with one look.
Now working with actors. Wow. Everyone is different. Some just come on set and are ready to rock. Some need hand holding. And of course other can be difficult. I try to give the actor as much freedom as possible, taking care of any kinks during rehearsals.
Sometimes an actor will ask to add an extra line at the beginning of a scene to get them into it. Y’know, if you’re shooting digitally, and not way behind in time, let them do it. It’s a few seconds. They’re be happy, and you might even have a line you can use in the film. If not, no big deal. Helping the actor get into character is more important.
One of the most difficult aspects of working with actors is when you give direction, and it’s just not coming through. It’s like your speaking a different language. I usually try to pull the actor aside and bring them to another place. Pull up something I know about them personally. Help them find the moment. (I certainly did this a lot with Jessica Bohl in You Are Alone.)
And of course, there are just actors that you want to shoot (again, see Zane blog). And once film has rolled, and you’re committed, you need to make the set as comfortable as possible. Not always a reality, but you do the best you can. And hopefully the other actors are on your side, realizing you’re trying to make the best film possible.
We were SAGindie on this film, which meant we could use both union and non-union players. Half of our six leads are union. In terms of the quality of actors, I don’t know that I saw a difference in either ability or professionalism. In fact the one supporting player who cancelled on us the morning of her first scene was SAG. Luckily Ashley saw it coming, and we had the role re-cast within a few hours.
It’s certainly an art form trying to juggle all the hats required to make a feature. I listed them a few entries back. A few things go without saying, don’t give roles to your friends or family members. Unless they’re actors…like people who go out on auditions. It’ll just take the audience out of your film. Get everything in writing. Have those contracts signed. If you have a nude scene, make sure the actor is comfortable with nudity. How: ask them to take off their clothes on a callback. (Obviously let them know ahead of time what will be expected.) Otherwise you will get burnt when they decide (or their boyfriend/girlfriend decides for them) that it’s not a good idea…as you’re a week into shooting.
Also…back to SAG for a moment. Lots of paperwork. You need a great first or second AD to be on top of that. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in the position Ashley and I did, having to send our time sheets out to the actors to be signed after the production wrapped. We thought these were being taken care of. We were wrong. Apparently flirting with extras was more important. (Yeah, go back to part three of this series.)
Ultimately what I’m saying: take your time in casting. Bring in your actors to read against each other. Tape everything. Watch the tapes over. You wrote or found a script you love. You will be spending a year or more working on this project. Find people who will bring your vision to life, as Alex, Lynn, Jake, Margaret, Brendan and Anne did for Friends (with benefits). To paraphrase a line from the film, they rock! And in doing so, they make the film rock!
P.S. Reworked the FILMS page on the Gorman Bechard website. Take a look by clicking HERE. (If you’ve never seen my short film THE PRETTY GIRL, take 6 minutes. I think you’ll like it.)
Guy With Typewriter 