Casting or: How I Realized My "Final Draft" Needed a Serious Re-Write

Allow me to set the scene: My self and my male lead Paul Prezzemolo are sitting in our school's auditorium a few minutes after school let out. A week prior I had sent everyone involved with the project the final draft of the script.

The first girl (Val) comes in and auditions. While she does a good job (her blocking was off, but she memorized the script), I felt terribly. As each subsequent audition came and went, my confidence kept slipping. Not because of the competence of the actresses, but because of my writing. It wasn't until I heard my words coming out of an actor's mouth that I realized my dialogue was completely unnatural.

Paul and Val Auditioning

The only time my words seemed like a real conversation was when the actors screwed up. This gave me two options: either make the script more of a loose guideline rather than a strict set of rules, or write a bunch of "um"s, "ah"s, and "like"s. 

Paul and Gillian Auditioning

I chose to try both. I will add as many natural filler words as it takes to naturalize the script. Once I've gotten the film cast, I'll do table reads with both the modified and the original script. Whichever feels and sounds better will be the one that I'll use. The only problem with the loose ad lib style would be logistics, as I hope to do the entire opening as a long take. Having a two minute take in which every single second is not planned out will make the filming process extremely difficult. I guess I'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now I just need to schedule one last audition, cast the roles, and get permission to film in  my desired location. Easier said than done.