The annual casting call provides a fun opportunity for students and outsiders alike to gain valuable acting experience.
The annual casting call for projects made by the film studies program’s Short Fiction Filmmaking I class, taught by Professor Jennifer Jones, was held from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 28. Fifteen participants read audition sides for the seven students casting actors for their final projects. The actors were able to choose from among several script excerpts, including those from previous student projects, films such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and No Country for Old Men and the television series Mad Men. A complex, dramatic scene from Mad Men, depicting a dinner confrontation between two equally strong-willed businesspeople, was by far the most popular choice.
Professor Jones, who has been teaching the class since Spring 2024, told The Collegian that this is the first time in recent years that the casting call has been held on a weekend, which allowed for there to be a constant stream of participants with plenty of free time. Professor Jones stresses casting in the weeks leading up to the casting call as an integral part of the short fiction filmmaking process, especially in relation to characterization. During the casting process, Professor Jones recommends that student directors be “open to personality and performance, rather than identity characteristics” and keep an eye on each actor’s ability to actively engage with their character’s self-expression, including in how well they receive direction and if they can easily provide variations on a performance. The project the student directors are casting for is intended to be free of dialogue, which also makes nonverbal communication skills a particularly important characteristic for potential cast members.
According to junior Isaac Castleberry, one of the seven students in the class, the actors who participated in the casting call ranged from some who were very experienced, bringing detailed resumes or headshots, to some who were attending their first-ever casting call. To keep the four-hour event running as smoothly as possible, the students alternated roles between roughly every two auditions. There were many roles that needed to be filled: reading parts, providing direction and critiques, operating the camera to film the auditions for future review and working the sign-in table, a two-person job. Each student was also able to take a lunch break, and snacks and water were available to actors and directors alike in the film studies office throughout auditions.
The casting call was not only limited to students at the University of Tulsa students but also open to the public, allowing directors to choose from a wider range of performers than one might expect to see in a student film with a variety of ages and backgrounds. One non-student, Jon Schaffer, has become a recognizable face in many TU short film projects from the last several years due to his regular attendance of TU casting calls. He told The Collegian, “I’ve been to at least four TU casting calls and have loved the experience. All the students I’ve gotten to work with have had great ideas and have been a blast to work with — that’s why I keep coming back.”
So, what’s next? The student directors will review the auditions carefully, and the actors who they select for their final projects will be notified the week of March 30.
