R+P Post 16: Casting

Originally, we wanted an actress who was actually in her twenties to play the role of Stacey. However, none of us knew anyone who matched this description and so we thought that we should go with our second option: to use one of us.

We want to follow a professional process. Basing it upon acting capabilities and having the overall 'look,' we have narrowed it down to Amy and Shayam. I will take individual pictures of them so that we can imagine visually who suits the part more. This reflects the industry, as at auditions, auditionees bring a professional 8"x 10" photo called a "head shot."

Shayam Head Shot

Amy Head Shot

We chose Shayam in the end, and practical aspects also helped us to make this decision. As we are filming at Shayam's house, it will be more convenient for her as she can get ready beforehand, in the comfort of her own home. Additionally, Shayam has a large variety of outfits suitable for that of a femme fatale character.

Normally, there would be a casting call. However, we do not believe that this is necessary as we only have one actress. Another thing we are choosing not to do is to create a call sheet. In the film industry, this is essential because not all actors are necessarily needed for some days of filming. For our short opening sequence, however, Amy and I share the roles of director and camera operator and Shayam has her role of actress. We are aware that we will all be required for the days when we shoot our sequences and at no point can we afford for someone to not be there, hence why a call sheet is not necessary in our case.