Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Knowledge Is Power

Here at Nudity Required, No Pay, we have seen a lot of casting calls that just don't pass the smell test. But a reader of the column, Savage Love, by Dan Savage, wrote in with his own experience in a little fetish film casting bait-and-switch.  

His situation (which you can read here), was basically this: he arrived for an audition for a low-paying film project that turned out to be a homosexual foot fetish film. Now, while there was no actual or implied sex or nudity involved, there was some physical contact - including foot licking.

So... what to do? What to do? How do you protect yourself, as an actor, from wasting your time with submitting and preparing for an audition for something that, had you known, you never would considered to begin with? 

Well, I think you need to listen to your gut, first and foremost. There are hundreds of sketchy things on this site that serve as a good example. And if something only seems faintly shady - ask questions.

But mostly, I think a lot of this responsibility rests on the shoulders of the casting director/writer/producers. Are you listening, director/writer/producers??? If you have ever wondered how much should you tell an actor about your piece, allow me to help.

I think we can all agree the medium is good to know: is this a feature-length or short film, or a play?
And so is the genre: Is this a comedy or a drama?
The when and the where's are good, too.
So are the character descriptions (within reason).
And, of course, pay rate.

Beyond that... use your discretion. Do we care if the the lead character's inner monologue is "It's the touch of my hands that sooth him. It's the taste of my lips that quench him. It's breathing my essence that thaws his heart"? No. No we do not. We find that crap hilarious, but no, not helpful.

But we do care if there are sexual relations with animals (real or stuffed), and we do care if we have to do our own stunts (especially if we have to do them naked), and we definitely DEFINITELY care if what you are making is, actually, for sexual purposes instead of artistic purposes. 

So, do us a favor: don't waste our time, and we won't be wasting yours. Because remember:




Capice?

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