Casting with Debra McCarthy

Absolutely the best part of this project is working with some of my favorite people ever! Not only are they amazing at what they do, but they are also good friends of mine. Debra is a perfect example!

We met doing a project called PERFECT several years back and from that point, she's been my casting director on each of my projects (LOOK@ME, THE WEDDING VIDEO, LAST CALL AT MURRAY'S). Besides Debra's unique talent of reaching cast and pitching projects, she is quite the cheerleader. Her enthusiasm for what ever she works on is contagious and she often gets involved in other facets of the project.

We've worked together as producers, we've worked on product placement, and she was a production coordinator for me. My favorite part of the casting process though, is the visualization of the character and Debra's endless search for the right actor. Often times we think the same way but then she challenges me to think outside the box, creating even more exciting and memorable characters.

Our actual casting for HALLOWEEN PARTY will start in late April and stretch into May. She has a challenging job this time, finding some of the best improv actors possible. This is a unique story with a lot of flexibility for the actor to stamp it with their own vision. I'm looking forward to the cast Debra and I put together!

If you're an actor and are interested in reading for any roles we have, definitely make sure you're in touch with Debra McCarthy! We look forward to meeting you and seeing what you can bring to this party!

The Memorable Character

The dilemma that others keep bringing up, is whether or not the audience will be able to follow our lead characters because there are so many roles in this film. On the page, it's tough. We move from room to room through a multi-level location with its own personality, meeting our ensemble cast of ten as well as approximately ten more secondary characters. Surround them with about fifty extras in their own costumes and this is the problem.

The answer: On screen, each will jump out at the audience. The movie goer will remember them, not only for their own story but because the costumes of our leads give insight into their character or story. For instance, our girl looking for Mr. Right is a "Stud Finder". Apropos. Our homeless guy REALLY IS homeless and Stud Finder falls for him even with all her rules.

Aside from the calculated costume design, the actors that are going to be cast will also embody and give a distinct voice to each of our leads. I will be working with the best improv actors we can get and together we will give each character that much more a unique voice.

Although there are many party attendees with their own one liners, the real story takes place in dialogue and action of our main characters and I'm confident audiences will be captivated by their story.

Additional Writing

Collaboration is the thing I love most about film. This has to be my most collaborative project yet! Mark and I dreamt it up, shared it with others and listened to what was working and not , and then brought in Betsy. She's a pro. One of my favorite writers and great with character and structure. We've tightened the story keeping in mind, the entire focus of this project is NOT the script.

I know that's hard to believe. I've always been taught, the best films start with great scripts. There's A LOT of truth to that. But this is experimental. and it has been from the beginning. This particular project is more like a co-op. Lots of people are going to stamp it with their own ownership. It's designed primarily as an "Improv" tool. It's your typical short shoot, one location, bring a bunch of great actors in a room and give them point A and point B and watch them get there. Sure they might need to check the navigation here and there, but this time it's all about the journey.

With that in mind and our road map, I'm also bringing on board Mark McQuown. He too, is one of my favorite people and happens to be a phenomenal writer as well as Art Director / Production Designer. We've worked together on a couple projects and I'm glad he's going to give this trip a few colorful destinations. Mark will script out several scenes along with me, to give the talent a bit more background.

Then in addition to Mark, one of my fabulous marketing interns, Laree' Griffith, who happens to be yet another amazing screenwriter, will take a stab at writing some scenes for our extras back ground material. Laree' will be in casting with us, she'll be on set and she's the voice of most of our on-line socializing. She came up with a GREAT idea today involving a pair of "Red Shoes". Look for more details on that soon!

So with our journey under way, I'm steering this boat of creativity to the next destination. If you're going to travel, you may as well do it with a "Runaway".