Casting kids in film
January 14, 2014 8:57 PM Subscribe
As a follow up to this question, I'm still trying to find the best places to scout downtrodden American kids (18-24 age range) for a major feature film.
The responses I got to my last question were extremely helpful (thank you!) but the director has now given me more of a focus and I have more specific questions for the forum.
This spring we'll be casting non professionals from across the country so the kids need to be able to relate to the characters since they won't have acting experience to draw from. Without giving much away about the story I can only say that they need to be the type of kids who would be naive and desperate enough to fall for some sort of fantasy that promised them an escape. They also need to look very Caucasian since the story itself is set in an almost entirely white town (think Winter's Bone), so all of the characters fit into that demographic. As you can see the director has a specific aesthetic in mind. We don't want crust punks who are covered in tats and piercings, like those kids with the dogs tend to be. It's a different look. I know in my last question I said I was looking for street-kids but the director is also, conversely, looking for kids who aren't worldly and hail from fairly sheltered and poor upbringings. Maybe white trash is the word I'm looking for.
We'd like to target a cluster of neighboring states. Originally I was considering community colleges but then realized that community college is too ambitious for the kind of kids we want. We want kids who feel like they're not smart enough to succeed but have a wild, impulsive streak that would lead them to take a risky opportunity (this is what the story's about).
We're also considering the possibility of events and seasonal locations that draw large numbers over the spring like Mardi Gras festivities and spring break hotspots. Numbers are important. We're down for visiting smaller places but only if they have a central spot with a high concentrations of such kids.
1. What are some spring break locations that attract the poorer kids, not the places where sorority chicks and football stars flock? Btw, we've crossed Mobile, Alabama off the list because the casting director is concerned it's too ethnic.
2. Are there any specific neighborhoods, locations, parks, hangouts that would have high concentrations?
3. More broadly are there types of places we should target? Examples would be technical schools, Wallmarts, malls?
4. What region of the US would be best? Keep in mind the season (we're casting between February and early May)?
A few people in the responses to my last question mentioned music festivals but I'm concerned that these kids wouldn't be able to afford attendance and that many music festivals would be overrun with the hipster/pseudo bohemian types we're trying to avoid (like Coachella). If you know of festivals that specifically appeal to kids of our target demographic, though, suggest away!
Thanks a million!
The responses I got to my last question were extremely helpful (thank you!) but the director has now given me more of a focus and I have more specific questions for the forum.
This spring we'll be casting non professionals from across the country so the kids need to be able to relate to the characters since they won't have acting experience to draw from. Without giving much away about the story I can only say that they need to be the type of kids who would be naive and desperate enough to fall for some sort of fantasy that promised them an escape. They also need to look very Caucasian since the story itself is set in an almost entirely white town (think Winter's Bone), so all of the characters fit into that demographic. As you can see the director has a specific aesthetic in mind. We don't want crust punks who are covered in tats and piercings, like those kids with the dogs tend to be. It's a different look. I know in my last question I said I was looking for street-kids but the director is also, conversely, looking for kids who aren't worldly and hail from fairly sheltered and poor upbringings. Maybe white trash is the word I'm looking for.
We'd like to target a cluster of neighboring states. Originally I was considering community colleges but then realized that community college is too ambitious for the kind of kids we want. We want kids who feel like they're not smart enough to succeed but have a wild, impulsive streak that would lead them to take a risky opportunity (this is what the story's about).
We're also considering the possibility of events and seasonal locations that draw large numbers over the spring like Mardi Gras festivities and spring break hotspots. Numbers are important. We're down for visiting smaller places but only if they have a central spot with a high concentrations of such kids.
1. What are some spring break locations that attract the poorer kids, not the places where sorority chicks and football stars flock? Btw, we've crossed Mobile, Alabama off the list because the casting director is concerned it's too ethnic.
2. Are there any specific neighborhoods, locations, parks, hangouts that would have high concentrations?
3. More broadly are there types of places we should target? Examples would be technical schools, Wallmarts, malls?
4. What region of the US would be best? Keep in mind the season (we're casting between February and early May)?
A few people in the responses to my last question mentioned music festivals but I'm concerned that these kids wouldn't be able to afford attendance and that many music festivals would be overrun with the hipster/pseudo bohemian types we're trying to avoid (like Coachella). If you know of festivals that specifically appeal to kids of our target demographic, though, suggest away!
Thanks a million!
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