Charlie Productions : Cast A Film

We've cast all of our films to date and, generally we've been exceptionally lucky. It is nice to think that this is partly because our scripts are strong enough to attract a high calibre of talent and partly because we a both very good at spotting a gifted actor from their audition. It's possible though that we've just been lucky..

Generally we either find our actors either by meeting them socially, searching the pages of Spotlight and then asking their agents or through open calls (posted in trades like the Stage, PCR or Shooting People) . In all cases the first thing we look for is how close they are physically to the character in our imaginations. There are also actors who we audition just because they're persistant or especially nice. Femi Houghton (Tony in "Burnt Bernard") had sent his CV to us on three or four occassions before we made "Burnt Bernard" and although he didn't look how either of us imagined the part we were just interested to finally meet him. He turned out to be fantastic and exactly the sort of chap we were after. There have been cases when we have given actors auditions on the strength of their CV, but usually CV's are full of such nonsense and lies that it's usually easier and safer to just see if they look right and then meet them in person.

When auditioning generally what happens is that I give the actor a copy of the script when they turn up, give them a cup of tea to read through it and prepare their thoughts, get them to read it - then discuss the part and sometimes have another go. I like to see how they interpret the part without any prompting, if only because this often throws up interesting readings and can lead you in interesting directions. With less experienced actors I always like to do a second reading to see how well they take direction.

After that it all boils down to gut instinct and a feeling of how well they will together with the other cast members. For instance, when casting the part of the Angel Islington in "Russell Square" both Keely Ford and Jo Harper gave superb readings and both would have played the part fantastically. In the end we went with Jo, partly because her height not only made her interesting visually but also contrasted nicely with the other actor, Keith, who is comparatively short. There was also a nice sense of 'otherness' about Jo's performance which was important to how we saw the role. Most importantly though there was just a feeling from the moment she came into the room that she was the right girl for the part. Jo's performance in the film is quite wonderful and it took very little work on our half to get what we wanted from her - she was just right.

Jo Harper and Keely Ford . Two of the best people we've ever cast.

Of course the other way in which we cast is before we start writing. Keely impressed us so much in her audition that we wrote the part of Susie in "Burnt Bernard" for her to play and in many ways her performance pulls the film together. In this way, the more films you make and the better they get, the easier casting becomes.

The biggest thing comes down to trust. When playing any part an actor is trusting you, as director, not to make them look like a complete twat. This is truer in film than any other medium since the photography and editing are so vital to the audiences understanding of an actors performance. In our time we have ruined some great performances by shooting them wrong and we have also made some pretty ropey ones look great simply but cutting them together cleverly. Obviously this trust is something that takes time to build up however if you look for it you can usually see the cracks in an audition - especially in a low budget production.

No one wants to make a film for little or no money. In many cases actors choose to take a pay cut in order to work with someone who they trust, however, often they end up having to take a pay cut because there is no other work going. Actors, especially those without agents, will work for nothing if they feel that working will be better than staying at home. Many actors will, once they commit to a part, work unstintingly whatever they are recieving - this is because they are being professional and usually because they trust the director and believe in the project. However being an out of work Actor is not an especially healthy occupation and the swings of arrogance and fear are probably felt more heavily here than in the more successful end of the profession. As a result actors will take on work they don't want to do and, as a result, they will bugger it up.

These are the ones that you really need to watch out for. Actors who aren't any good are easy to spot and easy to deal with. Actors who you probably would like to cast but who will actually ruin your film because they don't trust you enough to put their heart and soul into it are harder to tell and, once cast, impossible to deal with.

Watch out for that tell tale look of self doubt in their eyes. Watch out for long CV's full of second string stage roles. Watch out for the pause before the smile when they are offered the part. In short if they hesitate or prevaricate before excepting, they need to discuss some issues with their agent, if it depends on other commitments - you have a choice - either impress the hell out of them right now, or cast someone else.

Charlie Productions believe passionately in doing things and always trying to stop in time for tea.
Brook House Design Studios, Bluebridge Road, Brookmans Park, Herts AL9 7SX
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