Casting chaos for Pitchman II
I’m noticing an interesting pattern as I wait for Saturday and Sunday when we shoot Pitchman II. I should be more worried about the weather and it raining when we film at the beach but instead I find myself worrying about something else I can’t control, ACTORS. It’s not necissarily a bad thing, and part of it might be in my head but I’m a little worried that everyone who’s signed on to be part of the series shows up. I can get a back-up plan for one character, possibly two but as scenarios roll into my mind I’m finding myself coming up with various alternatives. I have two versions of the script now, with four variations for different scenarios. One is in case Ian who plays Dave isn’t available. (he’s at the Steppenwolf acting program right now so I’m not in as much contact as I wish I was) I actually solved some problems with the new version and would be alright if it worked out that way. I’m also adding mock interviews with some of the new characters. Even though the content for the interview portion isn’t written yet, I’m visualizing some of the editing in my mind and they’re coming together as great transitions between episodes.
I also came to the realization that we’d be filming the “girls bedroom” scene at our house and not at a set. I’m going to have to move a bed upstairs move out a table, get a lot of stuffed animals and girly stuff plus a computer, monitor and webcam plus whatever else I can find at the thrift store to make it look real. I’m doing it myself so I have to set it up and get it ready before Thursday so I can focus on the rest of the weekend.
Casting is so crucial right now and I confirmed a couple more parts and now I’m down to finding a Tiffany that fits what I’m imagining. I had an actress come into the office today with her mother who was so nervous. I knew right away that even if someone looks the part it’s only part of the package. I wrote a couple more small roles around people that I’ve seen who didn’t fit any other roles but were still great characters. I’m worried about somebody cancelling but so far things have happened for the best. I can still shift some of the roles but if the changes happen closer to filming the results might not be as positive but I’m sure we can work with whatever happens.
More good news is that Pat and Rob signed on to be on the crew both days. They both have a few lines in the behind the scenes script. In one scenario Rob would have a few more lines which got me a little nervous but he says he’s fine with it. It’s tough to have the responsibility to be on the crew plus having to deliver lines but I think it’ll go good. I talked to Lindsey a bit about coming onto the crew to help make some of the girls more comfortable with some of the Racy scenes. Hopefully she’ll work out. If not, at least some of us have worked together so that should help, and Michelle will likely be around on Sunday for the Bedroom scenes. Time to come up with another back up plan.