The Production Manager - There’s No Place Like Home
August 20, 2009
There really is no place like home and I’m back in London this week. I’m quite sd to report that where I remember the UK as being innovative, interesting and unusual in programming, for the most part, I’ve been extremely disappointed. So many people I hear of are heading Stateside in pursuit of better opportunities and bigger budgets. Good luck to them I say, they’ll need it!
It’s extremely common to hear of production companies sending out exploratory producers to investigate the US production landscape, but more and more I’m hearing of Coordinator, Researchers, Production Managers and even Runners (or Production Assistants as you may know them) heading off to try to ‘get some work over in New York’. Most have no visa to speak of.
Now far be it for me, a Brit living (and sometimes working) in the States, to suggest that anyone shouldn’t try their luck. But I really feel the need to give a reality check to those considering it.
To begin with, working in the states is a completely different barrel of fish in terms of work ethos. Where in the UK people are often arguing over whether they get holiday pay within their weekly rate or in addition to it, you guys are probably wondering what holiday pay even is.* While the UK is currently the Wal-mart of television formats, with extremely familiar shows popping up all over the cable network (Make my Day, Secret Millionaire, Set for Life), it’s really the development producers and executives that are making the most successful transition.
I do know a number of British TV people who came out to New York and are reasonably successful (which currently means employed). However 90% of these workers have been brought over by a UK company or like myself, have dual citizenship. Trying to convince a US company that are already flooded with applications from extremely well qualified candidates, who have a proven track record working on show that the hiring team have heard of to not only take on but pay for the privilege of hiring someone else is pretty tough in the best of time. In this economy it is damn near impossible.
And the truth is that this is a shame. In my short time working in the states I have worked for both UK & US companies and while budgets may be slightly better on some of the larger channels for everyone else it’s pretty much the same. And there’s also the question of the quality that is or should, be another issue. It’s one thing to make a slightly silly progam in the UK about people who live outside of their means, it’s another altogether trying to dumb it down for the US market. And dumb shows down they do.
Commissioning editors do not see intelligence in their audiences, they want to reach as broad an audience as possible within a particular age range so they can sell make up, or a DVD or magazine or anti ageing cream or car or phone or ring tone. And market research has told someone in a comparable department that in order to sell these advertising slots they shows in those time slots need to appeal to females age 16 – 24 or tweens or a gay audience with disposable income or the DINKS (double income no kids).
Which is really a massive shame because audiences miss out. I was lucky enough to catch a show the other night on the most wonderful channel in the UK, BBC4. It was entitled Made in Manchester and showed performances from musicians who had come out of Manchester, England. There were no ad breaks so no advertiser dictating content, which allowed viewers to see old performances from The Stone Roses, Charlatans, The Smiths, Simply Red, The Hollies, Freddie & The Dreamers and so many more. I’m sure shows like that exist on US television but they’re tucked away on niche channels predicated on the notion that if you can bunch all of a certain type of show together you can pummel the viewer with advertising just for them. Because BBC4 is paid for by the TV license it can be innovative, interesting and made for pure entertainment. When was the last time you saw something like that on US television?
Now before I hear cries of get back to England then if it’s so darn great. There are some wonderful things about US TV and the US that I’d miss dreadfully if I left. It just seems such a shame that in a country with so much innovation, we’re not able to churn out anything but the status quo.
* In the UK all workers whether short or long term, temporary or contract are entitled to paid vacation. As productions leave no room for leave during production, this often takes the form for television production crew of holiday pay. You accrue something along the lines of 1 day per two weeks worked so you’d need to work ten weeks to get a weeks paid vacation. Some companies deduct any holiday pay from the weekly rate, which is not strictly legal, while most factor the holiday pay into their budget and the worker is paid at the end of the contract for any unpaid leave.
Tags: Film Blog, Movie Bloggers, Movie Blog, , Television
The Casting Director - Call Me! Call Me Anytime. Call Me!
August 18, 2009
I often think that the hardest part about being a Casting Director is that aside from the main purpose of our job, finding cast for a film, we are also self-employed, small business owners. We have to pay the bills: rent, phone, internet, cleaning supplies, printing supplies, water, beverages, food, mail etc. We have to keep the office looking pretty, something we have yet to achieve. In my head it looks very glamorous but that is me in survival mode, I know the place could use a sprucing up and I also know that if we looked a little more together, maybe it would impress a producer or give us an edge in booking a job. Sometimes I feel like the “cool, indie casting office,” but I want to upgrade to “hip/wallpaper magazine inspired casting office…”
If you ever get a chance to walk into the Firefly Casting office (Rubin/Hicks) it is the wet-dream of a casting office in my humble opinion. It is very modern, cool, and Hollywood. They have all the latest equipment and tools. I cried when I went to visit them for lunch, well cried on the inside but became motivated to get to that place where I knew that one day, one day I too would own that thingy that did that thingy to the DVD that allows you to rip a scene form a copy written film onto a blank DVD and I too would have remote access to ALL of my files! But, not yet…nope…all I’ve got is a dream and the phone number of Richard Hick’s computer guy.
But today, that dream gets a little brighter and more hopeful. Today, we are installing a proper phone system with a BRAIN, four incoming lines and up to 20 extensions! I got an amazing deal on the phones and the system and our installer is doing it for a price that seemed fair. I am one small step closer to my casting empire – a real phone system! Now if I could just get rid of all of the dog hair in my office…
Tags: Movie Blog, Film, Film Industry, Movie, Actor
The Standby Painter - Killer Vacation
August 17, 2009
No, this isn’t the title of the latest cinematic summer slashfest. I just wanted to announce that I will be on hiatus this week and next because I am going to be in Washington state looking for killer whales (Orcinus orca) via kayak, boat, shore or whatever I can afford, …
Tags: Movie Blog, Movie Theatre, Director, Film Industry, Filmmaking
The Showrunner - Art Imitates Life…and Vice Versa
August 16, 2009
Art Imitates Life …and Vice Versa
Like virtually every other self-respecting writer in Hollywood, I got ripped off early on in my career. In my case, a story editor of a prestigious TV series rejected my spec story outline for his show because he said it dealt with …
Tags: Hollywood, , Television, Movie Theatre, Movie Blog
The Casting Director - TWITTERGATE
August 13, 2009
This was bound to happen sooner then later, I just read this on another Casting Director’s blog
http://answersforactors.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/a-casting-directors-rude-behaviour/
It is in response to Daryl Eisenberg, a Casting Director (Stage), using Twitter during an audition. It’s being referred to as “Twittergate” because it has upset the confidentiality that actors feel they should have when being in an audition. I agree with this. It is very rare that I will share an audition or allow anyone besides the Producer or Director or those involved directly with the project to watch an audition. Ok, sometimes I show my Mother, BUT that is because she is my Mom and she likes to see what I do…I don’t Twitter, I think between this blog, facebook and my website, I have enough of an on-line presence, probably too much…
Twittering is something I would never do, seems like it could get you into a lot of trouble. HOWEVER, she did “tweet” some funny stuff like, “Your skirt makes me think you’re Wiccan…” & “Who is that person in your headshot? it is def not the person standing in front of me.” I cannot say I have never written similar things down on my personal notes, I just wouldn’t want to officially have them out in the open. My notes are in shorthand most of the time and reflect years of writing the same things over and over. In fact if I lost my audition notes, I would doubt that anyone besides myself would really understand what I was writing.
In response to the “scandal”, Daryl does say that she genuinely was doing it to educate actors. I think that is probably true, but again, as happened to me in the previous blog, you have to take on the full responsibility of what you write about and share with the public and if the perception is not what the intent is then maybe an apology is appropriate. My concern is that in an audition, the focus is on the actor auditioning. How do you do that when you are also writing about them at the same time?
What sucks is that I have had, on many occasions, Producers paying more attention to their Blackberry then to the audition. This pisses me off and I am a pretty calm guy. Also, I hate when a Producer or Director comes to a session with food that smells up a room, but I have learned to live with that one, some battles are not worth the fight…
Tags: Filmmaker, Movie Bloggers, Film, Movie Theatre, Television
The Casting Director - TWITTERGATE
August 13, 2009
This was bound to happen sooner then later, I just read this on another Casting Director’s blog
http://answersforactors.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/a-casting-directors-rude-behaviour/
It is in response to Daryl Eisenberg, a Casting Director (Stage), using Twitter during an audition. It’s being referred to as “Twittergate” because it has upset the confidentiality that actors feel they should have when being in an audition. I agree with this. It is very rare that I will share an audition or allow anyone besides the Producer or Director or those involved directly with the project to watch an audition. Ok, sometimes I show my Mother, BUT that is because she is my Mom and she likes to see what I do…I don’t Twitter, I think between this blog, facebook and my website, I have enough of an on-line presence, probably too much…
Twittering is something I would never do, seems like it could get you into a lot of trouble. HOWEVER, she did “tweet” some funny stuff like, “Your skirt makes me think you’re Wiccan…” & “Who is that person in your headshot? it is def not the person standing in front of me.” I cannot say I have never written similar things down on my personal notes, I just wouldn’t want to officially have them out in the open. My notes are in shorthand most of the time and reflect years of writing the same things over and over. In fact if I lost my audition notes, I would doubt that anyone besides myself would really understand what I was writing.
In response to the “scandal”, Daryl does say that she genuinely was doing it to educate actors. I think that is probably true, but again, as happened to me in the previous blog, you have to take on the full responsibility of what you write about and share with the public and if the perception is not what the intent is then maybe an apology is appropriate. My concern is that in an audition, the focus is on the actor auditioning. How do you do that when you are also writing about them at the same time?
What sucks is that I have had, on many occasions, Producers paying more attention to their Blackberry then to the audition. This pisses me off and I am a pretty calm guy. Also, I hate when a Producer or Director comes to a session with food that smells up a room, but I have learned to live with that one, some battles are not worth the fight…
Tags: Filmmaker, Film Industry, Film, Movie Bloggers, Television
The British Film Director - The Green light to make a movie…
August 12, 2009
Hi, remember me? Yes I’ve been absent for a little while with my blog. Things have been quite hectic. So hectic in fact that I’ve had two movies green lit in the last six months. A $15M L.A. based thriller which I co-wrote and will direct called SIN OF MAN …
Tags: , Movie Theatre, Film Blog, Television, Movie
The British Film Director - The Green light to make a movie…
August 12, 2009
Hi, remember me? Yes I’ve been absent for a little while with my blog. Things have been quite hectic. So hectic in fact that I’ve had two movies green lit in the last six months. A $15M L.A. based thriller which I co-wrote and will direct called SIN OF MAN …
Tags: Movie, Movie Theatre, Director, Actor, Television
The Casting Director - Dear Jack & Jason
August 11, 2009
Wow! I did not realize that I was perceived this way. I have to disagree with you on the fact that I don’t see everyone. I know I see a lot of people, my wrap sheets prove it to me! I will say that in some instances it does not make sense to see everyone, especially if I know that 20 actors are going to nail the audition for a particular role. I have never said “no”, when asked by a Producer or Director to dig deeper if they were not satisfied with what was being presented to them. I always make my own lists. It is rare that a Producer or Director hands me a list. One of the films I am currently on, “Legendary: The Shocate” the Producer did hand me a list of actors to check availabilities on, but I have to present them with more ideas. Especially ideas within our budget range!
Jason, I would like to know which film and client you are talking about? For example for ‘Polish Bar’, I saw everyone I thought was right for the roles and were within our budget. For ‘Labor Pains’ I know I saw as many actors in 4 weeks as humanly possible. For ‘After.Life’ I saw actors in LA and NYC and I often get comments from Agents and Managers about my openness in finding new talent. ‘Deadgirl’ was all about finding new talent! The fact that I saw your client and then did not see your client when you were managing them doesn’t prove anything towards your argument. I saw your client once before, maybe they weren’t right for the role the next time around?
When casting young talent I feel like I am seeing everyone who is represented! I will admit that I have an affinity to certain Agents and Managers out of relationships that I have developed over the years, but that is to be expected. I know I saw more actors in Oahu for ‘One Kine Day’ then most local casting directors in Hawaii would have, in fact I did this on purpose because I wanted to see what kind of talent was available in Hawaii. I think the count of the number of actors I saw on that film was around 300. Keep in mind that there are only 600-ish SAG actors in Hawaii!
Most of the films I cast are low budget, so I have to see as many actors as possible. I also make it a policy to return every phone call. I think there is a perception that I have a huge staff, but most of the time it is just me and if things fall through the cracks I am sorry about that, but I do my best to service everyone’s needs. I think it is the nature of this business that I can’t see everyone (I don’t have endless amounts of time to!) and by the way it goes both ways, there are numerous times where I request to see an actor and I am told they are “offer only” or they will only meet with the Director or I don’t or can’t get an Agent or Manager on the phone to answer a question.
Jason, as far as this being a vanity piece, well, this is your perception. I can see how that may come across, but if it was truly a vanity piece, I would have been more current with my weekly blogs; in fact I have been lazy about writing anything because I didn’t feel like I had anything important to say. You changed that! Truthfully, I don’t think of this blog as a vanity piece or self-promotion. If it did get me more work, that would be great for me, wouldn’t it?
When I teach a workshop, I encourage actors to read the blog in order to get to know me better – If they want to! I encourage actors to join my facebook casting page. This allows me to keep in touch with as many people as possible. The feedback I get from actors, in general, is that I am very easy to talk to, reach out to and audition for. As far as this being a “promotional blog,” I was asked to do this blog and agreed because I wanted to show a little bit about what goes on in my world.
I have worked for casting directors before I became a CD and I like to think I have my own style and way of doing things, but I think I am as open and good-natured as possible. When I worked at a studio, it is true we saw fewer actors for a role but this was more the nature of the beast of the studio and I was more likely answering to my superiors then having a say in the way I would do things, which is probably why I don’t work for anyone and like to do things my way.
What I will say is that I have many Directors and Producers who have been very happy with me working for them and very satisfied with the talent I have brought to them. I have tried to be very open and professional when writing this blog. Jason, feel free to email me directly (lessallcasting@gmail.com) or call my office (323-965-2104) I would be happy to understand more of why you feel this way.
Jack, yes, it is true; sometimes it feels like we are glorified secretaries! I can tell you from personal experience that it is not a nice feeling when it is happening. One day you wake up and realize that you are on a film and the Director or Producer isn’t fully utilizing you the way that you think that you could best service the project. For me, I have had that happen and I hated when it was happening, but overall I have been lucky enough to be part of a team; a team that finds talent. I have stated this over and over in this blog, putting a cast together is a team effort! I think, on the films I have worked on, especially ‘Mean Creek’ and ‘Rocket Science’ I was not a glorified secretary. Those films were journeys to find those kids. More exciting then any films I have ever worked on! I will see talent if an Agent or Manager is passionate about them. It happens all of the time! I do generals with talent several times a month and I am always asking Agents and Managers about new talent that they are representing. I look at reels, go to showcases, go to the theater, films, teach, coach, etc… I do not feel that I need to defend myself, but, I will say I am qualified to do what I do, I do think I have an eye for talent and I do need to let you know that I take what I do very seriously and I try to do the best that I can on every job that I work on.
I hope that with this blog I have been able to illuminate the challenges of independent film casting. I want the readers of this blog understand what I do and get a sense about what it is like to do the job. There are a lot of Directors who love working with a Casting Director. I have formed some good relationships with many of the Directors and Producers I have worked with. I love what I do, I hope that comes across in the blog.
Jack & Jason, as far as your opinions on Casting Director you like or do not like, I will not comment on this. I respect all of them. In fact, I admire them for having longevity in this business and being able to keep the films and television shows they work on fresh and exciting. You are allowed your opinion, I respect that, but try to put yourself in other people shoes, try to keep an open mind. We (Casting Directors) try every day to keep an open mind, we really do. Nobody is perfect…
Thank you for reading and commenting on the blog. I appreciate your criticism and look forward to your thoughts in the future.
Sincerely,
Matthew
Tags: Movie Theatre, Movie Blog, Movie, Film,
The Standby Painter - So You Want to Be a Painter… Are You Sure?
August 11, 2009
Every few weeks I get an email from someone who wants to know how to get into this business as a scenic artist or set painter for film. So, because I don’t usually have the time to repeatedly answer these emails, I thought I’d go over that question and try …
Tags: Filmmaker, , Oscars, Movie Bloggers, Movie
