The Euphoria of Casting

I love what I do. I say this all of the time. When I am in the “casting groove” I really can get carried away with the euphoria of putting together a cast. I have figured out that the way I get that euphoric feeling (similar to a “runners high” which I have yet to attain, I mean how many miles does one HAVE to jog?) is by having a Producer who truly understands the casting process, a Director who is creative and goes with the flow. I find that the best cast comes from a lot of digging, hard work, but most of all determination and a sense of camaraderie that, while I may (loosely) be the figure head, because I am the CD, the reality is that we all know what we are up against and that the best cast comes from the work that we all put into it.

I spoke to my Producer yesterday to find out what she thought of the cast of “After.Life.” I wasn’t concerned about the namey actors, I knew they were great, I wanted to know about the day players and how they did on set. Where they as good as I thought they were going to be and did they add to the creative process? The answer was a “Yes”, I am happy to report, with the exception of two: “Maybe we should have picked someone else for such and such role…” is par for the course and as my Grandma used to say, “You live and you learn,” meaning, at the end of the day your best effort will be better then most and if you were perfect then you would be God…I’m trying. I know some people in Hollywood think they are God, but that’s another story.

I am now back to work, it’s a new year with new work to find. I am not a fan of December. It tends to be a slow month for me and anything that I am working on is shooting up to December 15 and then nothing. I like the Holidays, but really, I want to get back to making films. First up is “Polish Bar,” which is shooting in L.A mid-to-late January. We have the main cast on board, now the question becomes scheduling and if the cast we want is going to be able to work around other conflicts like, television shows and films that are paying them big bucks. Our little film is low budget, so no paydays for anybody, which is always a challenge, but the cast so far is amazing, if it holds together. It will be amazing either way.

As the film is called “Polish Bar,” every Polish actor from here to the Mississippi is leaving messages on my phone. Which is great and annoying all at the same time. Great, because I need to know who is out there and annoying because if I don’t call back in under an hour, I get another call saying that they left a message but nobody called them back. They must not get a lot of returned calls in Poland. I always call back, but I do try to call with something to say or else I find myself always on the phone. I like order to my chaos.

I also am looking for Orthodox Jewish Men to be in the film to play, well, Orthodox Jewish Men. Shouldn’t be that hard and yes I know who Matisyahu is, so don’t call me to leave a message about him. :0)

I am also working on some shorts and consulting on a film that is shooting overseas. I expect a few features to start up soon as well. Sadly, I am not going to Sundance this year, and to be honest, I wasn’t really into going. I will wait for the films to come out on DVD (ouch!) and I will have to find somewhere else to ski this year. I am also video blogging on my Facebook page (Matthew Lessall Casting) so join and become a fan. I don’t VBLOG everyday, just when I have something to say.

Happy New Year!