One thing I’ve been learning a lot about lately is casting. We (the film group I’m now a part of) have been putting out casting calls in order to find trained actors for our films who are willing to work for free. And it turns out that it’s easy to find such people, because actors need demo reels that show how well they can act.
I went to a seminar a few months ago about how to direct actors, and the instructor said that 85% of direction is casting the right people. If you just cast your non-actor friends, you’ll need like five rehearsals before you can get them play the part well enough. And casting the right people isn’t just about finding people who can act—it’s about finding people with a good attitude, who will help and not hinder your production, and who are reliable and professional.
