So the next stage is to get the casting right. You get that spot on and 80% of your film is pretty tight. I have always felt that any movie can get away with lots of things from dodgy costumes, cheap sets or a questionable plot but the only thing that is truly unforgivable is a performance that is not relatable or believable. A film can be carried on the performance alone at the same time many a character can fail and be as flat as the screen it's projected on. Just look at anything Philip Seymour Hoffman has done. Not all great films but he brings an honesty to his characters that is just natural, every move might be carefully considered or thought about but in the moment you feel that person is alive with free thought. It's one thing to know how to act but the beauty in acting is when you are not acting, that's the skill.
So what am I looking for? The story will require intensity from all three characters in the film. It starts off intense and the baton gets passed on to the next character to have their moment.
I am holding open casting sessions as there aren't any agencies here in Sri Lanka. The industry is not fully fledged and the only full time actors on the island are the Sinhalese/Tamil speaking actors that are part of the daily soap scene. However, there are lots of actors on the theatre scene here with multiple productions from various theatres companies. Only problem with that is the stage requires an actor to 'GO BIG' while film requires a, 'go small' approach and express yourself in smaller movements and speech. Having this casting session will be a challenge not only for actors but also my skill as a director to guide and encourage out a something that the film requires. I will be recording all the actors sessions and reviewing how it goes. Thoroughly looking forward to this as I haven't really done major casting sessions since I was part of the casting team for 'Charlotte Gray' back in 2001. I have shot several commercials here in Sri Lanka but the casting sessions here were not great as no one really reads the brief of each part and they just ferry as many models past you as they can.
What is next? A place to hold the session.