What do agents, casting directors, and directors look for in a commercial actor? What traits and skills are indespensible? What stands out in an interview or audition? And what makes the shoot a success?
Our triple-feature Spotlight on TV Commercial Casting gives you the pros' response to these questions and many more--plus inside information on working in non-union spots and actors' own takes on casting directors.
SUB: Gordon Willis, Jr., Director
One Director's Vision
"My methods with performers have changed over the years," observes Gordon Willis, Jr., a commercial director who has aimed a camera at actors for more than 13 years. "I try to avoid unnatural situations, because actors are real people, and I want them to act real and be focused on the task. I don't want them to be characters."
An actor's "natural" performance keys a spot's success, according to Willis, who is represented by New York's Emerald Films. His vision thrives on natural settings, whether it's an old man walking a horse down a rural road, or a family gathering around a holiday dinner table.
"I tend to think in visuals," Willis explains. "Philosophy is almost a metaphor for the method and tone you like to set with everything you shoot. Everyone on the set, including talent and production assistants, adjusts to my philosophy and tone. Basically, I don't create this from zero. I create something that's reality based and try to enhance it."
That enhancement requires an actor's natural reactions within a scene, which makes Willis wary of "forced" direction. "Since I deal with reality-based imagery, it's counter-intuitive to take an actor who's not emoting a real feeling and stick him in the scene and try to make them. If emotionally a scene is not happening, I don't waste time on it," he emphasizes. "I look for certain elements in the talent, and I'll change the vignette. If we find certain actors have strong assets, and it's within the environment we're shooting, we'll take the strongest elements of talent and location and run with it, redesigning the shots to make them stronger. It's very Ta'i Chi; we don't swim upstream if we don't have to."
(SUB-SUB) Starting With Casting
The process of linking talent with the director's vision begins with casting, Willis believes. Here, too, he searches for special qualities in actors beyond a character's "job description."
"A lot of times you'll get a list from the ad agency; they'll want a 40-year-old woman who looks like this and acts like that; but she may not exist, really. So, as I'm interviewing talent, I may run across someone who may be too young or too old, but has a special glow, or special skills or a way of speaking. You don't throw those people away. You want to hold on and talk to the agency about it; and maybe even create the spot around them, if you get magic people."
Willis illustrates his philosophy by relating a recent shoot for Hood Dairy in Massachusetts, via Boston's Arnold Advertising. Willis wanted to add life to a rural setting by capturing a man walking a horse down a scenic country road. To remain consistent with his reality-based dictum, he performed research.
"I didn't just say, 'I want a 45-year-old guy wearing a cowboy hat,' " stresses Willis. "You go see what real people look like, and you can find an actor who looks like that. It may be an 80-year-old man with a limp; you don't define the character prematurely."
(SUB-SUB) A Cinematic Legacy
Willis' drive to capture and enhance life through the lens is more than artistic. It's genetic. Born in New York, he grew up in a filmmaking family. His award-winning father, Gordon Willis, Sr., was director of photography for such classic feature films as "The Godfather," "Annie Hall," and "Manhattan." A graduate of Brooks Institute, a leading west coast photography school, Willis, Jr. became a photographer before shifting to commercial production. Through his directorial connection with Emerald Films, he literally has traveled the nation and the world, shooting spots for heavies such as Coca Cola, McDonald's, The Army National Guard, and AT&T.
To help him attain his intricate visuals, Willis relies heavily on an actor's nonverbal communication--facial expressions and body gestures which enhance the scene's aesthetic impact. He feels that often grows from the director's interplay with the performer.
"I'm looking for suggestions from actors," Willis says. "If I can find a talent with real hobbies and characteristics, that's what I'll work with. I want ideas from talent. A lot of times, actors are so eager to please what a script is calling for, they don't realize I'm really interested in what they think and do. I think there's a handful of directors that look for that; but in image-based stuff, not that many people do what I do."
At a recent Miami shoot for the Publix grocery chain, Willis "had the luxury of communication time to sit down and talk to the actors; to explain my tone and show them examples of what I do, so they can see how soft or subtle I want things to be. I'll even play the music for them, so they'll get a better feel for the atmosphere."
The scene dealt with a family holiday gathering, and Willis wanted to know what such a scene meant personally to each actor. "I want to know if they have kids. Have they experienced a death in the family. That gives me life experience to play off. If you set that up, up front, and establish a personal relationship with them, it will come across on camera."
If he has time, Willis will make a point of sitting the actor with him in front of a monitor, and reviewing a just-completed scene. "It becomes a very collaborative thing, rather than a patronizing one of 'Me director. You actor.' It just gets better and better."
Willis does admit that there are times when an actor isn't willing to communicate, and the shoot may have to turn to 'Me director.'
"I encourage talent, young and old, not to second-guess the process," Willis explains. "There may be times talent thinks we don't get it, we don't appreciate their performance. So I'll talk about an emotion that doesn't have to do with the performance itself, but with the emotion it will evoke from the viewer.
"And there are times when you just get actors who think they know better than the director. They'll tell me what they'd do. They have no idea as to what the agency's goals or mine are; they're there for that day, and we've been working on the spot for a month. Sometimes you just can't do anything about it. It's a bad choice. But I believe it usually gets back to showing them what you're all about. If you can show them the type of work you do beforehand, they trust you, have respect for what you've done before, and they'll do it.
"Spot work is very confusing," Willis continues. "When shooting, not a whole lot of people know what's really going on," meaning few on the set understand how that particular scene will fit within the commercial's entire design.
Usually, as in the Publix spot, the actors still respond both professionally and artistically. "You're talking about eight people who never met before--complete strangers who you direct and they develop the real emotions of a family gathering."
(SUB-SUB) Some Actors' Dos & Don'ts
What suggestions does Willis offer actors coming in to interview and audition?
"First, don't take it personally," he says flatly. "It's business. Pay attention to grooming, being on time, and being polite. Generally the actors will listen more than talk. They look you right in the eye and truly listen to what you say. I pay close attention to that. If they're looking at me, I know. I don't necessarily want them to be friendly. I want them to listen to what I say. I'm not trying to be their friend; I want them to understand.
"Don't try to be everybody's friend," he suggests to the interviewee, stressing that the director and agency may have to see 40 people that day. "It's not a party. Some actors feel they have to shake everyone's hand; you don't have to. Be friendly, and be aware of everybody in the room, but focus on the director."
Willis pauses a moment, obviously moving into the actor's place. "I truly do think that talent has a hard job," he reflects. "It's hard to come into a room of strangers and do something obtuse and out of context, and I have sympathy for that."
Willis' suggestions for behavior on the set nearly mirror the audition environment. "It's a focus thing," Willis says. "Everybody talks on a set. Listen only to me. Don't be offended if I talk about your body or the way you move; it's meant to enhance you, and everything depends on the camera."
On location, Willis often will have an actor peer through the camera to get a better idea of the director's intent. "On the set or location, the actor deals with a 360-degree world," Willis stresses. "I'm dealing with a little box. It's important for an actor to see what the barriers are, and give them their stage."
Willis concludes with a perspective on the actor's experience within the entire commercial process, from the audition through the shoot: "It's harsh at the beginning, with such a limited time for interviews and auditions. It can be a cold, annoying process. Still, it's good to remember that I'm really interested in what they have to say, and what they think. And on the shoot, it becomes collaborative. I don't want a dog at my side. They can act; and I tell them what I'd like to see. If they can deal with the coldness up front in auditions, from there on, the process can be very nice."
--ROGER ARMBRUST
SUB: Joy Weber, Casting Director
Celebrating the Individual
New York City-based casting director Joy Weber brings 30 years of experience to her office, where her signature park bench welcomes visitors in her waiting-area. She began her career as an agent, eventually starting the on-camera department at Oppenheim-Christie Associates, Ltd., also in New York. Never having been interested in performing herself, Weber became an agent because, "I always liked being on the buying side rather than selling." When she made the switch to casting, she worked for six directors, including Michael Ulick and Bill Hudson at Wild Films. She also cast the 1971 film "Made for Each Other" with Renee Taylor ("The Nanny"), Joseph Bologna, and Olympia Dukakis. At that time there was no videotape, and Weber tells us, "Directors' and clients' attention spans could only last through three or four actors' live auditions for each role." Now, with the magic of videotape many more actors can be auditioned and screened; tapes of Weber's choices are reviewed by directors and ad agencies.
Weber became an independent casting director in 1972 and has since chosen to do "99%" of her work in the area of commercials. She likes the quick turnover both financially and because commercial casting projects provide "immediate gratification." Her office works with SAG actors, and while she first goes to her files as a main resource, she is constantly looking at newly mailed submissions, too. Weber also relies on agents to be her casting eyes and ears, getting performer suggestions from them. When you come to audition for her office, you'll fill out a size-information card for the files. This lets the office know if you're interested in doing commercial extra work. Higher paying than film extra work, it's a one-time payment deal without the residuals a principal performer receives, so some actors choose not to do it. As a general rule Back Stage found that casting directors prefer you list your choice on all your materials. This is a timesaver for them, avoiding unnecessary calls.
Casting a commercial at Weber's office first involves looking over the "storyboards" (a comic-book-like mix of illustrations and ad copy that is often used at auditions instead of just a straight script) and meeting or phone-conferencing with the director and ad agency personnel. This helps Weber find out how they visualize the spot. "Casting is very subjective," she explains, and it's important to know where the spot will be running and its customer market. For example, a look or "type" used in a traditional spot (sometimes referred to as "P&G," because for years Proctor and Gamble has done so many ads in this style) is very different from a character or comedy look. When a client asks for a truck driver who will be seen by viewers in New York, what he wants is very different from a truck driver who would be seen in the Midwest or New England. The important thing is that everyone be in sync. By the end of her meeting, Weber has a wish list of what the director and client want; then she goes to her files and turns to agents for their input.
When we ask her about the possibility of actors someday being replaced by computer-generated images, Weber observes, "I think this is a very personal business. Directors and ad agencies still like to meet with the talent and hear their copy being read." This same personal touch is what she looks for in performers. Although certain spots obviously require more stereotypical looks, Weber values equally the performer who is able to be an individual in both looks and acting talent. "Each commercial is different," she declares. "I look for how that performer makes his audition different, too."
Weber also looks for professionalism, adding, "You wouldn't go to visit your banker with a chicken sandwich in your hand. The way you dress and even what you do in the office waiting for the audition show how professional you'll be to work with."
In her own nonprofessional life, Weber unwinds as a welder-sculptor, creating 10-foot-high creations in an upstate New York studio. She's studied with a furniture cast-iron welder and works primarily with junkyard metal.
--AMELIA DAVID
Valerie Adami, Casting Director
School Ties
When Weist-Barron Casting's Valerie Adami graduated from New York City's High School of Visual Arts, she studied acting at H.B. Studio, danced, and did dinner theatre and operetta. To support herself, she used her hobby of photography on assignments known in the industry as "table tops." (These "set-ups," or shots of objects on table tops, would be seen in a publication like McCall's Needlecraft, for instance.) Adami also taught dance at Carnegie Hall for Socrates Birsky, and aerobics at Body Works. She was a competitive ballroom dancer and a regional champion, but began to realize that dancers' bodies aren't meant to last forever. Although she had felt since an early age that she wanted to be some kind of artist, in 1980 Adami saw the need for a change in how she expressed her creativity. Feeling she wasn't good on camera--"too animated, too broad"--she found she did enjoy working as a receptionist-office assistant at the Weist-Barron acting school. By 1985 she had begun managing the school, known especially for its on-camera training, and Weist Barron Casting had opened its doors with Adami working alongside Joyce Barron.
The office uses both union and non-union performers and does accept and use mailed submissions from performers who don't study at the school. She has extensive files and calls agents to find actors with specific talents. Her office handles casting for training/safety films and corporate videos, but primarily casts commercials.
When we ask her opinion on computerizing casting files, Adami replies that--while someday college interns talented in programming will probably be able to transfer her office files to computer--for her this would not save time. She elaborates, offering the example of a recent job that required finding rock-climbers, aka rappelers. "Imagine asking agents for actors that repel!" she adds, laughing. Between files and agent contacts she found 40 audition candidates. "With a computer it would have been 400, and I don't have the time to screen all that."
On a typical office day, Adami doesn't always have a script to cast from. Sometimes she's already casting before the client has signed off on the ad copy. She has always found her clients willing to look at new people, and often works with and enjoys guiding beginner clients. She advises auditioners to remember, "Even 15-second commercials need to have a beginning, middle, and an end. Actors have even more of an opportunity to be creative, unique, and original because of the current interest in ethnic diversity. Twenty years ago there was a 'commercial' look. Now I can walk into a room and honestly say that every person there could be cast."
Adami explains the differences between New York and L.A. casting by offering, "In L.A. it's about beautiful faces. In New York, with so many people in your face, it's about individuality." She counsels that beginner actors aren't likely to book big spots on their first time out, but that non-union jobs, or union spots that aren't big nationals, are still very important for the experience and the income they can provide. She offers an example of a non-union commercial voice-over that over time earned $10,000 for the actor she cast. Adami looks for "happy people who obviously love their work and feel they have something creative to offer."
--AD
David Burke, Actor
Being Comfortable With Yourself
Although David Burke has appeared in only one commercial--the year-old national Tums spot--he says it was one of the best career opportunities he ever had, and he hopes to do more TV ads.
"Tums has enabled me to do theatre," he says frankly. "The money is good and it takes very little time. I can therefore afford to pursue my own interests." Burke is the artistic director of the Basic Theatre of New York City, an Off-Off-Broadway operation.
A legit actor--and a SAG and AFTRA member prior to his ad gig--Burke never thought of commercials as a possible source of income for himself. He got into the field almost accidentally. "I had a theatre agent at Fifi Oscard Agency, Inc., who brought an agent from the commercial department to see me in a showcase I was doing," Burke recalls. "The commercial agent thought I might be good for ads and sent me out to the Tums audition. And that was that." In the spot, he's a man eating a hamburger and has no lines. The actual shooting was simple and pleasant, not unlike doing a TV or movie, says Burke. "It started at six in the morning and lasted until three in the afternoon. And," he chortles, "they served food on the set.
"The ability to do cold readings well and be comfortable in your own skin are, I believe, the most important elements," Burke stresses."You don't come to these auditions to do characters. If that's what they're looking for you'll know about it ahead of time. Otherwise assume they're not. Your success at these auditions has nothing to do with talent, but rather your look."
Since the Tums commercial, Burke has not had much luck in landing any others, despite the fact that he tries to go--his agent sends him out--to three or four commercial auditions a week. Still, he has no interest in enrolling in any formal classes that specialize in training actors for commercials. Furthermore, he doesn't view the lack of training as a loss: "These classes are very expensive; they cause a great deal of angst; and there's no evidence that those who go through them do any better than those of us who don't."
Burke says he would like to do two national commercials a year, especially if he were cast in roles that were anonymous. Any role in a commercial that is too vivid may be counter-productive. "You start getting identified with a certain character and product and then run the risk of becoming typecast out of other kinds of parts. If I became too recognizable as the [benign] man who eats the hamburger on the Tums spot, for example, the odds are I would not be readily cast as a killer."
--SIMI HORWITZ
SUB: Cyrena Esposito, Talent Agent
Being There for Actors
We asked the ever-helpful Cyrena Esposito to give us an idea of her day and what she looks for in a client. One of 10 talent agents who work in the commercial department at New York City's Don Buchwald & Associates Esposito has participated in a number of popular panels for Back Stage. She has been with Buchwald for five years and takes great pride in being known as an "actor's agent," because she has a performance background. She ran her own theatre company--Olympia Productions, in Buffalo, N.Y.) and performed for many years, most recently in cabaret. She began her New York job training at Reeves Television (producer "Kate & Allie," among others) in development. When that job finished, she decided to became an agent because she saw it as a way to combine her theatrical expertise with the opportunity to "be there for actors"--unlike some of the abrupt agents she was familiar with. She had "always toyed around with the idea of being an agent"; because she wanted to stay in New York, friends suggested she work in a commercial and voice-over department.
Esposito's morning usually begins with "returning 20 phone messages--the phones never stop." Days are hectic: She has to make sure that her voice-over clients are getting to their recording sessions; she schedules auditions, callbacks, and bookings for the clients she is personally responsible for; and is available for whatever else is needed by the department. She spends a great deal of time on the phone with casting directors, and needs to be able to spend that time cultivating and maintaining her relationships with them. This especially means getting to know their individual needs. She has three or four meetings a day with new actors, lunch is usually also a business-oriented meeting, and she has to follow up pitch calls by doing mailings--or, as she says laughingly, "Sell, sell, sell!" She sees actors as having to do the same thing. "It's all about you walking in that door and getting that job."
So how should an actor go about trying to "get that job?" Esposito suggests that an often-overlooked first step actors is to "listen to commercials first. Even if people say you have a great voice or look for commercials--can you read copy?"
We ask whether there is pressure on an actor to be quickly booking commercials in order to stay in the agency's good graces. Esposito explains that, because Buchwald has only "signed"--not "freelance"--talent, it takes a long time to decide to work with a client. Of course she'd like to see performers get bookings, but after watching them develop--sometimes for years--before being signed (this is especially true for stand-up comics), she is so sold on their talent that she doesn't worry about losing her commitment to them.
Esposito looks for acting training, both because of her own interest in theatre and because the Buchwald agency is known for the talent of its commercial actors. With her a good acting school like Yale or New York University goes a long way on a resume, though sometimes, she admits, decisions can be based "a look." To get her attention with a mailing, an actor should have a professionally done package and a great picture.
The booking trends Esposito's seeing are about casting "real" people. She considers this "a blessing--in the '80s it was only all-American types that could get work." She attends showcases and comedy shows and hopes in the future to produce in the theatre and record.
--AD
Alyson Reim, Actress
Personality and Product
"I was absolutely opposed to the idea of doing commercials," says Alyson Reim, who has changed her mind and been appearing in them for 15 years. "Initially I was convinced it would reduce my credibility in legit theatre circles."
That did not happen--the appearance of major stars in commercials altered those views, she notes--but, more important, "I found that doing commercials was a way for me to support myself and do other things as well--be in theatre and have time for my family. I also discovered that commercials are, in their own way, as challenging as legit theatre, film, or TV.
"You have to be able to read copy cold without stumbling or fumbling, make clean, strong decisions, and do it all quickly. Within a few seconds you have to be able to establish your own personality and sell the product."
Among the many commercials Reim has starred in are Sensodyne toothpaste, Brand X jeans, Fruit and Fiber cereal, and Ameritech, a cellular phone. Once she decided to try her hand at commercials, she enrolled in a six-week commercial-acting course in Dallas, Tex., where she was living at the time.
"It was definitely worth the time and money. We were taught how to work with the camera, when and how to make eye contact with the camera--that's especially important in an audition--and, most important, learn how to be comfortable in front of the camera. If you're not, the camera picks that up quickly. And if you're feeling negative or frazzled, the camera picks that up, too. One of the most valuable aspects of the training," she stresses, "was having the chance to see ourselves on tape. The first time is very shocking for everybody. Nobody knows how he looks or sounds." Reim landed her first commercial--and SAG job--through the efforts of her Dallas-based agent. She was non-SAG at the time.
In the decade and a half that she has been doing commercials both in Dallas and New York, Reim has noted that the scene has changed a bit. For starters, she says, there's greater diversity in casting, which means that for someone like herself--an actress with a"WASP-y Proctor and Gamble look"--there are fewer opportunities, and that becomes even more problematic with age. In addition, commercials are being shot all over the country now, especially in Los Angeles and Florida; that, too, contributes to a loss of employment for the New York City-based actress. "In the '80s, successful New York City-based commercial actors could make a fortune. Now most of them have to do industrials, as well."
Acting styles have also changed a tad, she says. "Now the goal is to be real; it's not unlike movie acting. When I was starting, actors in commercials had to be more 'presentational.' That's not to say we were dishonest, but we were selling a product with a nice, warm smile. Today there's more of an emphasis on the personality of the actor with whom the audience identifies the product."
Reim stresses that in her experience landing the gigs is a "numbers game. You just have to keep on auditioning and not get discouraged. Also, it's a mistake to believe that the client knows your resume or cares."
Reim usually works an eight-hour day--rarely two--for any one commercial. If special effects are involved, or more than one locale, obviously it can go on longer. And then there are the unexpected intrusions that may extend the time needed to complete the spot. But that's not totally bad, because overtime monies can be earned. "One time a plane flew overhead, and the whole commercial had to be shot again. The worst experience I had was shooting an all-night commercial in a supermarket. Within a few hours everyone had faded away to nothingness and began losing it. By the time we wrapped, early in the morning, we were laughing hysterically and my voice was gone. I had been talking for 12 hours."
Reim says that if she had her druthers she'd be doing commercials almost every day, instead of three or four a year, if it's a good year.
On the subject of commercial agents, she recommends, "for younger, less-known actors, I'd really suggest smaller agencies. In the smaller agencies, you are probably not competing against stars and you will not get lost in the shuffle." Her agents--legit and commercial--are affiliated with the Fifi Oscard Agency.
--SH
SUB: Joan Lynn, Casting Director
What You See Should Be What You Get
Joan Lynn's more than two decades' casting experience began even before she started working in casting, when she moved to New York City to attend New York University, majoring in English with a minor in Speech and Drama. Originally a tennis champion at Arizona State (she still enjoys playing to unwind), when she transferred to New York she was lucky to live with three girls who worked in advertising. Upon graduation, when she set out to look for a job, they handed her the mighty "Madison Avenue Handbook" (a large industry bible listing all of the ad agencies), and her search led her to work at Compton ad agency, in the film library.
Lynn loved working there and married an ad man. The only problem was that company policy wouldn't allow them to work at the same office. Running into a college friend who worked at Young & Rubicam, she heard about a job opening in the casting department. Lynn remembers her friend warning her, "Casting is so popular, 85 girls want that job and the company only promotes from within." The girlfriend suggested that Lynn get a job at Y&R to work her way up. Instead Lynn met for four and a half hours with the powers that be and got herself the casting job, which she stayed at for two and a half years. She was a "natural" for casting and began a love affair with attending New York theatre. She still sees plays today, three times a week.
Before opening her own casting office 13 years ago, Lynn spent nine years working for Bob Giraldi, a commercial production producer. Her company is small, but mighty. There's only one assistant because Lynn both enjoys and believes in staying totally hands-on for all projects. Her mornings begin at 8:30 am, with three mornings a week set aside for general interviews (either new performers sent from agents, or actors she's seen in mailings or in a show) She enjoys being able to interview actors prior to bringing them in for specific auditions. She works with SAG actors only, often receiving 300 pictures a day, which are looked at once a week. She doesn't own a computer. Primarily casting commercials, she also does films and takes great pride in her work and in being a casting director. Lynn would love to direct, but feels "It's a hard field for a woman."
When we ask her for some advice for actors on their mailings, Lynn confides that what surprises her and puts her off the most is how many actors look totally different from their pictures. They are often noticeably older than their pictures (thus making them wrong for the audition they've been brought in for), or their photos have been retouched to hide bad skin. Asked if a different hair cut/style requires a new photo, she replies that this isn't a problem.
The new trend she's seeing is that stand-up comics are once again hot and often requested. While she agrees that she's seeing some ethnic diversity, she'd like to see even more.
--AD
SUB: Meredith Jacobson Marciano, Casting Director
Preparation Is Key
Meredith Jacobson Marciano, owner of and casting director for New York City's Amerifilm Casting Inc., prepared for her life's work by studying film at University of Southern California and working in every area of film production, including directing. She worked on friends' films as well as her own and studied acting as a kid growing up in Boston. Moving to Manhattan in 1986, she worked at different entry-level jobs on low-budget features. This led to her being put in charge of extra casting, which she "really liked."
Marciano continued to learn as she went along, casting student films and music videos, and moving to TV after-school specials and SAG principal roles. She learned hands-on from the pros, working for Maureen Fremont and especially jobbing in for large projects with Deborah Aquila, now vice president of film casting at Paramount Pictures.
One mistake Marciano sees repeatedly is that promising actors are their own worst enemies, arriving unprepared for auditions or uninformed by their agents. While she wishes that agents would give performers more information (and make sure they're actually available for the shoot date and have no complications about leaving early for other performances), ultimately she feels, "Actors must be responsible and ask more questions: Know what someone has said you can do." She advises, "When you're sent to an office, know the name of the person you're there to see instead of wandering around saying, "My agent sent me here, but I don't know any details.' It's a shame when someone who would be just right arrives and then tells me they'll be out of town the day of the shoot."
Marciano is always surprised at actors who, when asked for a picture and resume say, "I thought you had one already," or, "Didn't you get one from my agent?" She strongly advises actors to get in the habit of carrying more than one photo-resume around at all times. She often requests at least two.
Marciano has mixed feelings about actors' use of beepers and pagers. "At first I thought the idea of an immediate response was great, but now everything is very complicated, with people giving you five numbers to reach them. It causes more work--and with actors spending so much time on subways, they're still out of call range. Or people don't return calls." She fondly remembers, "It used to be a lot less work when there were a few phone services everyone used, and you could make one phone call to book 20 actors' appointments." While she can see using American Online and computers for extras casting when she hasn't been able to find anyone through agents and breakdown services, she relies on pictures-resumes and says her files won't be replaced by a computer any time soon. She adds that the hottest trend she's noticed is clients wanting exotic looks.
There is very little time for preparation on her jobs. Meetings are often held over the phone and Marciano describes her office day as being "Madhouse--the phones never stop." Unlike Joy Weber, Marciano prefers the even keel of a month-long film project to the quick-turnover pace of commercials, but of course she still casts the latter. Boating helps her unwind, and she spends as much time as possible with her kids.
Marciano always looks at mail submissions, both union and non. She likes receiving postcard updates, but suggests that you wait to mail them until you have something to tell her you're doing, rather than send out blank cards. Never assume that casting directors who know your work will remember your union status, so make sure the information is on your picture postcards and note whether or not you're interested in doing extra work.
--AD
SUB: David Leach, Director
Directing Aesthetic Comedy
David Leach was born and raised in the Burbank-Los Angeles area, the heart of the motion-picture and television industry. On graduating high school, he enrolled in UCLA, whose film school is a mecca for aspiring directors. So that's the path this future commercial director naturally followed, right?
Wrong. "I was an economics and English major," relates a pondering Leach. "I don't know what the hell happened."
What the hell happened was that, after UCLA, he realized he possessed an innate visual sense, an eye that loved the camera. So he naturally moved in to filming commercials. Right?
Wrong. "I became a still photographer," confesses Leach. "For about five years, I stayed in L.A., doing that. I still shoot still photography today."
So, how did he flow from still frame to action footage?
"I moved to New York about 10 1/2 years ago, and continued doing still photography," he explains. He's snapped for such major clients as American Express, Coca-Cola, Honda, and Apple Computers. "My print work has a very story-like quality to it--a voyeuristic, filmic feel. My motivation was to expand upon that. Visually, I'm attracted to three-dimensionality, but in print you can't move around and get that."
Gradually over the past four years, Leach found himself combining still work with commercials. "I began doing some spots on spec," he says. "Also, some print clients would say, 'Hey, would you shoot some TV for me?' "
(SUB-SUB) Humor Emphasizing the Human
Before Leach knew it, he had compiled a reel, which led three years ago to his association with the New York-L.A.-based commercial production company Big Picture Communications, Inc. Since then, he's filmed some 30 spots for clients including Oscar Mayer, Bandai Toys, and most recently a public-service spot for Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
"The issues I bring with me to commercial filmmaking are aesthetic issues," Leach observes. "From my still background, I've brought my objective to create as beautiful a picture as I can. Story is also extremely important. The challenge is making a complete story in 30 seconds, having it build and end properly. I do a lot of comedy, so how a story plays out is extremely important to me."
Most TV viewers may recognize Leach's work through the Novartis Sentinal's belching dog--which has just gulped down a Sentinal heartworm pill--but his usual subject is the actor, at least one of whom has filled his lens for every commercial he's helmed. In fact, actors will be glad to know that they sit at the highest plateau of Leach's aesthetic evolutionary table if you can believe his resume: "He developed his style through a series of stages," it reads, "from shooting still life to motorcycles and cars, eventually conquering the most complex of all subjects, humans (as he is fond of calling them)."
That wording should also warn you that Leach will subtly slip in humor when you least expect it. Which he does in the new Drug-Free PSA, with performing humans who play critical roles in pulling off the comedy.
"The spot concerns the way parents choose to speak to their children about drugs," he relates. He opens with a nervous suburban couple who sit down with their 11-year-old (Jody Esposito). "We have to talk to you," the mom (Susan Mansur) stammers soberly. Then she suddenly places a boombox on the table, and music blares through the room as dad (John Hillner) jumps up and raps to the kid about drugs. Mom then rotates to a turntable where she performs the deejay record "scratch" accompanying the rap.
(SUB-SUB) Emphasizing the Actor's Focus
"Here's a situation where the casting worked out exactly," smiles Leach. "It's a very positive experience when actors really get involved in the collaboration, take it seriously, and really stay focused on the task at hand.
"What's not good is when actors want to tell me their life stories, or talk about their latest diets," when they should be concentrating on the shoot, Leach adds. "They must stay focused on what they're doing."
Leach relates a specific instance of how an actor should not perform on the set: "We had hired an extra for a toy spot. She was a counter worker in a donut stand. We had some great takes of the principals in the foreground, but in the background you could see her at the counter, moving around like a sex kitten. It may have been funny for me to look at, but it wasn't appropriate for the scene."
But don't think Leach's response to the cuddly counterworker means he shuns flexibility. "I believe in experimenting when working with actors," he emphasizes. "If someone's really involved in a project, he might perform something which isn't perfect, or it may be unexpected. That can give me an idea for shooting the scene another way; it's a way we build on something together."
(SUB-SUB) Seeking Auditions With Focus
As far as dealing with actors in auditions, Leach says, "The first thing I want is for the actors to understand the project and what I want to accomplish. If an actor comes in and is not just reading lines, but really understands the point, he can add a special interpretation. It's good for the actor to be prepared with a couple of interpretations. If he's unclear as to what the point is, he should ask for clarification. Any good agency or director should be able to articulate what the hell they're doing there."
Leach feels the most important qualities for an auditioning actor are honesty and simplicity, rather than trying to "make an impression." "I know a lot of actors who feel the audition is their one shot at it; they have four minutes to impress a room of people. That's really a difficult thing. If you try too hard, it more often than not will blow up in your face. I can't imagine spending eight hours on a set with a person who is trying to be my best friend or over impress us. The important thing is to stay on the task. Or as I tell my children, 'Keep your head in the ball game.' "
His advice for actors on the set: "It's pretty much the same thing as the audition," he says. "Stay focused and be professional. This isn't the time when you're going to form lasting bonds you'll carry with you the rest of your life. We're all working hard, and generally there are time constraints. We're all trying to do the best job possible."
Finally, he encourages actors to keep the faith:
"Obviously acting is a very important part of this process," Leach concludes. "Like every part of the business, it can be very difficult, so what's important is to persevere and remain true to yourself. My feeling is the cream will always rise to the top. Know you will rise be confident about that. Don't get bogged down in what others are doing, or what's not occurring, but stay on track. The wonderful thing about this business is you could be in the worst possible situation, then the phone might ring, changing that in an instant."
--RA