Film Front Online
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... INSIDE A CASTING CALL ::
It was going to be a good and busy day; that much was clear.
One small group of men and women arrived well ahead of the scheduled start time. The looks exchanged between casting call staff were a mix of pleasant surprise and percolating anxiety. Was this an indication of the level of interest? Time would tell. And, it did.
After twelve hours of non-stop typing, distributing, forms checking, photographing and videotaping, Saint John's first-ever comprehensive talent database was propelled one step closer to reality.
Throughout the day, the experienced and inexperienced alike made their way through forms, photos, and videotaped cold reads. In the far corner, two Saint John filmed feature films were playing, to help while away the time; The 4th Floor, starring William Hurt and Juliette Lewis, and, In Her Defense, starring Marlee Matlin.
One by one, actors and those interested in acting moved through various stations. While some were new to casting calls and the strange vocabulary, the overall quality of the talent was exciting. The diversity of the talent, refreshing. Saint John’s faces have many colours and looks; her people many styles. Age and wisdom mixed with the intensity and vigour of youth. A number of cold reads were genuinely sensational -- the quality of the read and sensitivity to the character were surprising given that talent had only a few minutes to review the material provided.
It all left an indelible impression. Says Kendra Black, organizer, “We were so pleased with the turnout and with the calibre of the talent. Those who had little experience had very good instinct. We know there are others out there who would like to be a part of this project, as they began contacting us prior to the call, struggling with work conflicts and transportation from other cities. We want to include those who are serious about acting for film and television, so we’re working on the possibility of another call. In the meantime, we suggest they visit and bookmark www.4frontfilmservices.com for notices of further casting calls.”
4Front Film Services is grateful to The Women in Red, tireless casting call staff members Joanne, Lori and Erika, for their incredible work ethic. They appear above with Kendra Black, organizer of the casting call.
A special thank you is extended to the following companies for their valued assistance: John Law Corporation; Innovative Video Solutions; HIT! Media; Time Capsule Studios; and, the Law Office of Bruce M. Logan.