Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Dodging Bullets

At first, everybody tends to bemoan the parts they don’t get. But I’ve come to accept – and perhaps even appreciate – the times I don’t get the part. I know that might sound like a lot of fluff, but let me explain.

I’ve recently had opportunity to see a couple projects for which I was not cast. The first one that comes to mind was a B-market commercial, which I will not reference directly out of respect to all parties involved. It was a relatively low-budget production, but even still, the final edit was atrocious. The casting called for “real people” and folks-next-door scenarios, and the resulting edit is as stiff and believable as an intentionally forced "Saturday Night Live” infomercial. I let out a sigh of relief on seeing that one, although I wish the campaign well.

Another couple lost parts that spring to mind turned out to be borderline soft porn and a gig with a director who tended to reschedule as many days as he shot, so both were serious dodges! While the paycheck was missed, it was a serious relief not to be troubled by either once I learned the full scope of work.

In a slightly less fortunate note, there were also a couple instances lately where I was recast as I was far too young to work with the more seasoned male leads and the males in my age category were lacking in skills or a bit too small to play out well together on camera. While this sort of scenario stinks more, I was grateful they didn’t try to make the age spread work on camera without somehow explaining the glaring spring/autumn divides or put the little guys in lifts. As one who has previously worked with a much shorter male lead, not having to do that again without proper assistance was also a blessing.

So now, while I know it might sound Pollyanna-ish, I hope that people will understand when I say that you are only ever competing with yourself – either you’re right for a project, or you’re not. And if you’re not right, whatever the reason, don’t fight the misfit. Every once in a while, you will come to find that losing out on work can be a blessing in disguise.