All Aboard the Online Casting Bus
Web casting (not to be confused with webcasting) seems to be the latest gimmick to catch the eye – and mouse – of the indie film community. Worth pondering is whether the example of two such projects, It’s Our Movie and MyMovie MashUp, heralds the start of a bona fide trend or is destined to amount to little more than cyber sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Nominated for an Oscar in 1999 (as producer) for Best Live Action Short, UK-based director Alex Jovy launched It’s Our Movie earlier this year, combining the collaborative culture the Wiki generation has come to expect with the televoting culture popularized by reality staples like American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance and more recently, On the Lot*. Besides investing in the film, registered visitors to Jovy’s site can download the script, and even audition for the part of their choice by uploading a video to YouTube or one of its competitors. Jovy is allowing webcam and even camera phone submissions, and while traditional face-to-face open call auditions are also being held in London, site visitors will ultimately choose who is cast by voting online or by text message.
Similarly, THR reported last week that the UK’s Film4 and Vertigo Films are turning to MySpace to launch something called MyMovie MashUp, an online talent search that hopes to use the social networking site to assist in casting the romcom “Faintheart”, shooting in October. With a $2 million budget and a director already chosen by MySpace members, the call for video submissions will be augmented with a “casting bus” that will visit major UK cities armed with laptops and video cameras to make the process even easier.
Sadly, the tale of the tape reveals that neither has drawn the kind of visitors needed to be called a resounding success – Jovy’s site is growing stale, with the last update of the director’s blog (linking a related “news peace” [sic]) all the way back at the beginning of June. And while the MySpace model is likely to be somewhat more successful given its built-in pool of viewers/talent, it remains to be seen if online auditions will be a brilliant (and inexpensive) talent scouting vehicle, or if the stigma of DIY proves too insurmountable for aspiring actors looking for their first break. Given the amount most up-and-comers are wont to invest in professional post-production for their demo reels to ensure they’re taken seriously, it seems unlikely that YouTube will be replacing CAA and ICM any time soon. Obviously, professionals looking for work with the majors are not the group this is aimed at, but for the next lonelygirl15 looking for a foot in the door, the viral possibilities alone may be worth the risk. What do you think?
(*Sorry, Zach! One would think if they allowed a Canadian to compete, they’d allow Canadians to vote, but such wasn’t the case. Because so few of our countrymen figured out how to exploit the Skype loophole, you’re back at home instead of on your way to the finals right now! )
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