auditions

i really wanted to write this last night but a debilitating combination of exhaustion, gin and tonic had other ideas.

on monday and wednesday studio dynamic held auditions for an upcoming corporate video we're shooting. the process was...interesting. from the 70+ applicants, to the 40ish actual auditions it has now been whittled down to single digits.

we've all endured countless job interviews in our lives so when it arises that you are the one conducting the interview it is bound to be fraught with interesting results.

we had everyone audition as the lead role because that would allow us to see what we needed in order to determine how they would fit in any of the other roles we have. my role during the proceedings was to play the secondary parts and have small interactions with the actors.

the range was amazing. some wouldn't or couldn't make eye contact with me but others made the bullshit small talk between us very natural.

the range wasn't just confined to their acting skills. they came dressed in everything from full suits to raggy jeans and a sweater. sometimes making me question how they could possibly think what they were wearing was suitable. the ages ranged from early 20's to 60's. there were fatties, there were skinnies. all kinds of ethnicity's and nationalities were represented. truly a mosaic of actors from toronto. though some came from as far afield as brantford and georgetown.

we also did a voice test with everyone because we are casting for a narrator. it was very interesting to hear how people interpreted our script. sometimes hilariously so. one of the lines begins 'because he is web based...' yet somehow people kept saying 'because he is A web based...'. it was really odd because that seems like such a dumb and random mistake to make yet so many actors kept making it. i wonder if it wasn't one of those visual illusions where that particular sentence caused the brain to see something that isn't there.

i couldn't help but notice just how cordial everyone was. granted it was to be expected but it was just another one of those things that struck me about being on this side of the camera.

the funny thing about the whole process is that in the end we won't necessarily be casting the best actors, or even the actors that gave the best performance. there are intangibles that will ultimately be of much greater importance. things that the actors couldn't possibly be aware of, or change even if they wanted to.

as of now our narrowed down selections rest in the hands of the client and we await feedback. i suspect that will be fraught with surprises.

the process continues.