Casting About

Casting About follows a group of actresses in five cities as they audition for parts in an independent film that the director, Barry Hershey, was intending to write and direct. There are three leading female roles available and these actresses pour their hearts into the auditions. Initially the auditions were to blend with the fictional narrative. Some actors signed waivers for this 'second film' that we are seeing, others were not willing to do so. But what we get is a thoroughly compelling group of attractive, convincing, and very talented professionals. They are in effect doing double duty, both performing and auditioning. But then that's the nature of the professional audition. There is none of the usual comedy associated auditioning that we often see in fiction films. This is serious business. They bring their lives and their souls to these moments, so much so that it can become uncomfortable at times. But that is the uncomfortable truth of auditions. Often men are the ones holding the audition and so there is an added element of power relationships involved.

The filmmakers make the interesting choice to keep the camera only on the actors, mostly in close up and extreme close up. We examine their bodies, hands, feet, eyes, lips, skin and creep into the emotional core of the actor's 'truth'. Though an actress friend I was with found the shooting style manipulative, voyeuristic, and exploitive - isn't that the nature of film? Ultimately, it seems uncomfortably appropriate to allow us the privileged gaze (male gaze) of cinema. To step back would break the spell. The audience comes away with a pained respect for what actors must go through over and over again and often (most often) to no avail. Some of the performances are really stunning. Some bring very challenging life situations to these auditions. If you are an actor you'll squirm with recognition. For the audience you'll come away with a great respect for the dedication of the acting profession and for what often seems an invisible art.

I had a negative reaction to this film and submit an opinion that may be unpopular, but I think still valid based on the fact that I have auditioned a lot of actors in my time.

I think Mr Hershey errs in ways that for me make the film a painful experience. He misrepresents what it is to film an actors audition in any standard industry fashion, by using inappropriate and counter-productive camera-work.

Most film and TV is shot in long and medium shots. Close-ups are used, but extreme close-ups rarely. Why then does Mr Hershey shoot these actors in extreme close-up? By doing so it robs the actor the opportunity to present themselves in a practical way, and refocuses the attention to the camera and the director. This technique also obliterates any pretense of an objective documentary. One would think that the very nature of observing an audition would allow for an easy objectivity. If ever a film-maker needed to use simple photography, it is here. You just want to be able to see the actor act. One is reminded of what Fred Astaire demanded - that his movement only be filmed in long shot. But Mr Hershey fails us.

This technique is particularly shoddy when the actors are asked to move. I've seen certain actors perform with their backs to the camera, effectively, but you have to be darned good to do it. And have a darned good director. But to show someone acting in extreme close-up in an audition becomes a laughable device. One can imagine the footage being reviewed and the question raised - Who's ear was that, again?! I also reacted against a montage of hand gestures, robbed of their context, unnecessary shots of cleavage and teeth and hair, and footage of actors preparing to act. The latter is particularly disturbing because it is something that directors are not privy to and should not be privy to, because it is ultimately irrelevant to the result. Yet expressions of anxiety, bravado, examination of the text, and the natural dislike of the monologue form to audition with are presented as if to score points off individuals.

I would like to think that Mr Hershey's motives were noble, and that he did not intend to deliberately mistreat the actors that had agreed to show their work to him. He could have been accused of being naive, if not for the fact that this is not his first credited directing job. But intended or not, he does these women a disservice, in my opinion. To be fair, I point out that the person I saw this film with did not have the same reaction as me, though that person is someone who has never held auditions.

The film was a stroke of genius. Even the title has infinite entendre--Casting About--for players, for a real persona, for the nature of women, for the shortfall of male-female relations, for the fine line between reality and illusion for the actresses who are drawing from real life experience or creating their own fantastic expression of the unreal character, for the internationalism touching on the universality of the polymorphic feminine--the film had both subjective and objective points of engagement. Finally the opening quote by Rilke suggests the framework for the film--this is about the face to face encounter, the very essence of encounter--as embodied by the actress who amplified her second performance of the same reading when face to face with a body representing the man she was speaking to in intensive care.

The film was also a film within a film where film to be made interacts with the lives of each actress who read for the film about which is now made about them auditioning for the film that "was never made," not to mention the montage of edits which revealed an incredible aesthetic blend with the music. The film is a study in beauty--all kinds of beauty--body parts in the constant state of self-expression and flow: an implicit sensuality is also there as men coach woman who produce intimate and poignant private responses. I suppose the edit could have been more purposeful with the film pointed towards a specific direction, but the director is Casting About searching for something which is revealed by the ending reader--the epitome of the Jewish woman who makes him cry--the men and camera are fascinated with her--the treatment is static and focused if not classical, the subtitles show a serious intent to appreciate every moment of her performance.

Needless to say, my interpretation might not be right, but I enjoyed the film--very interesting.

I saw this when it was in New York - and was completely surprised by the experience. I was intrigued by the idea of a movie all about auditions and acting, but didn't really know what to expect. The whole film is made from audition tapes - actresses who are auditioning for parts in a movie. I wondered how this could be pieced together to make a whole film. It's not a 'behind the scenes' kind of movie - you don't see the director narrowing his choices and making final picks (like some reality show) - it's more about watching the process of the casting unfold. And it unfolds in a beautiful way.

The first part of the film has a kaleidoscopic flurry of images of many actresses, catching you by surprise; then you begin to settle down and spend more time with individual people. It's amazing how much detail you can pick up from just watching them coming into this room to audition - their quirks and ticks and how they're feeling - anxious, or excited, or confident, or detached. You see a whole range of personalities and responses. At times it's wonderfully entertaining, then moving and sad. You don't know what's coming next. And you have access to all of this like a fly on the wall.

There are a couple of great scenes where you get two actresses acting the same material - showing the different approaches that can be taken, with no 'right or wrong,' just the incredible variety of choices that exist. And how do you choose the ONE person to play the part?

Clearly there was a huge amount of material to choose from - the number of actresses in the film is overwhelming. But you do get to know certain women really well, getting in touch with who they are as people. The whole story (although there isn't really a 'storyline') is fascinating to watch. All the pieces feel like they've been carefully chosen to fit together, like a jigsaw puzzle.

(Viewed at the Midwest Independent Film Festival, Chicago, 2006)

Imagine interviewing for a job. Now imagine that you are asked a myriad of questions. Add on top of that you will be asked to perform your job--whether you are a cook, a fireman, a plumber or an accountant--right there. Now imagine it being filmed and shown to audiences around the globe.

"Casting About" opens such a window in the world of actor's auditions. Actresses from London, New York, Germany, Los Angeles, and Chicago came in for an audition for a movie that eventually lost its financing and has been shelved.

We get to watch the audition process from introduction through prepared monologues to cold readings of the script.Each step of the way we are witness to the angst, the nerves, the revelry, and the artistry of acting.

The single camera forces the viewer to really take in what the actors are experiencing. We never see director Barry Hershey or producer Lewis Wheeler. But their deft touch for performances and their ability to mine for deeper truths resonate throughout the film. What's more, we catch tantalizing glimpses of what they could have done with the original film

Another positive note is that we see Hershey and Wheeler's respect and love of actors. They let us see some amazing actors doing their craft. Nothing to hide behind. No effects, no wardrobe, no set. Just one person speaking to the camera.

Some of the performances make you laugh. Some make you cringe. Some leave you wondering why anyone would open themselves up to possible ridicule and criticism. And one or two special pieces confirm that despite Hollywood's desire to crank out movies and not films…..there are a few actors out there who can stir the soul and touch you deeply simply by their words and their inspiring talent as actors.