Most of my previous projects at USC were helmed by members of their screenwriting program. My current USC project, "Red Bud" is being directed by Christine Berg, a graduate program directing student. The project is a spec pilot (i.e. the first episode of a series is being made for free with no promise of production) about a boy whose family thought he was retarded for 4 years until they realized he just needed glasses. Once he was fitted with new specs they discovered that he's actually a genius. It's totally sweet and exactly the kind of show I would have loved when I was growing up. A have a fairly minor part, but it's a real pleasure to work on.Tonight I attended a rehearsal for "Red Bud" that was being supervised by Christine Berg's directing teacher. This man was a pro. He's directed numerous episodes of ER, Grey's, and a slew of other projects. It was really interesting watching him work. He had a very clear idea of what he wanted with each of the student projects. He was very specific in talking about camera placement, cuts, and especially how to interact with actors and how to eke out their best performances.
He encouraged me and the two other kids (I'm playing a 17yr old, and my brothers are 13 and 8) to "do what brothers would do while they're waiting for dinner." So I had a great time, playing with my brothers – stealing food, fork fights, and generally razzing each other. The directing teacher's other note "Don't worry about acting the lines, just say them and focus on interacting with each other" was really key in getting me out of my head. It took me back to something that, A.C.T. company member extraordinaire, Gregory Wallace once said to me "Focus on the actions, if the actions are clear the words will take care of themselves."
It seems like the key to all of this is just to fully commit to the situation and let the rest take care of itself.
3 comments:
Hi Donovan -
I just searched Red Bud and came across your blog so I just had to write. The reason I searched it is because my 14 year old son auditioned for the middle brother - in fact, Christine called me and asked about availability, would he be willing to give up Halloween, said how he nailed it like no one else had etc. Between us, I thought he had it! I'm sure you've been thru that yourself. That's why I'm so curious to see what happened. Obviously, the boy she cast must have come in after and really nailed it ...So naturally, my question is, how was the middle bro?
Call me a curious stage mom!
The young actor who played the middle bro was quite professional and did a good job with the part. I really don't know what influenced Ms. Berg's casting decision one way or the other.
Having been through the experience of feeling like you have the part only to discover that you don't is difficult. It was too much for me when I was your son's age, so I got out of the business for a few years. As much as possible I now try to audition without focusing one what it could me in terms of casting. So far that has served me pretty well.
Great advice - thnx so much! I usually encourage him to do it and move on but this one stuck in my head (hopefully not his!)
Anyway, thnx again for taking the time to respond. I saw your Make Someone Happy short - nifty little animated piece! If it's not on You Tube, it should be.
Good luck with your work, both behind the camera and in front of it.
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