An Interview with Bjorn Munson, Founder of Stongehenge
Q: What is Stonehenge and when did it begin?
A: Stonehenge is a one-day casting occasion held a number of occasions all through the year in several cities. Actors will carry out a 90-second monologue for participating production businesses. The 1st Stonehenge was in Washington, D.C., in April 2005 and has considering that grown exponentially in terms of participation by and reputation with actors, production organizations and casting agents. Stonehenge III was held on April 2006, earlier to the 48 Hour Film Project. More than one hundred actors auditioned and More than 20 production corporations attended -- around 45 filmmakers total.
Q: Do only DC-primarily based actors and production corporations attend?
A: In fact, no. We've had Richmond- and Baltimore-primarily based production businesses and actors. That is one of the good factors around this "mid-Atlantic" location: if you happen to be prepared to travel a bit, there is much far more acting possibilities.
Q: How does Stonehenge differ from other mass auditions?
A: Stonehenge isn't a substitute for the Lottery, the Leagues, or any other mass audition in this location. I hope it is a beneficial supplement to other auditions and a nice way for filmmakers to get the ball rolling on that important preproduction job of casting. For actors, it really is an additional chance to audition. The one primary distinction from the other mass auditions is that, at Stonehenge, we're searching for monologues carried out in a Television or film style. It really is a distinct style, as various as Shakespeare is from Neil Simon. The actors that have In fact wowed the auditors in the previous delivered a little, subtle overall performance told primarily with their eyes. We have some other suggestions, which includes do's and don'ts, on the internet site.
Q: Did actors get perform from participating in past Stonehenge auditions, and what types of function did they get?
A: One Stonehenge survey showed that 87% of the actors got calls and/or other auditions. That's phenomenal! one hundred%, yes one hundred%, of the corporations responded that they have utilised or planned to use actors they saw at Stonehenge. Not only that, due to the fact we began, Stonehenge has helped to cast More than 30 projects and anything about 90 or extra roles -- and That is merely the projects I've been told around!
Odds are that, unless an actor has super phenomenal metamorphic capabilities, that actor will not going to be employed for almost everything a firm does. If Jane the actor tells Joe's Production Organization that Stonehenge provides them the opportunity to see More than one hundred actors carry out, Joe will most likely keep in mind Jane all the a lot more for future gigs. Karma functions.
At the exact same time, I am prepared to bet most actors did not turn out to be actors longing to make a coaching film around lab security. As a lot as I need to have to make certain actors get paying gigs, at marketplace prices, union or nonunion, I by no means need aspiring filmmakers and/or student filmmakers to really feel unwelcome. The market recognizes aspiring filmmakers with a number of SAG low spending budget agreements. I know Noel Coward's quote around an actor's motivation becoming his pay packet, but rewarding operate is not just a matter of income.
Q: What need to actors know around registering and auditioning at Stonehenge?
A: For the actors, study the web site, stick to the directions, and recognize this is a mass audition: we're moving much of men and women in and out in brief order. The plane boards every fifteen minutes and every person demands to be at the boarding gate on time. If you happen to be not at the registration desk fifteen minutes just before your scheduled audition time when we call your name, we should put a person else in your slot. It may possibly appear such as a merciless schedule, but it really is the mass audition beast. It'll also help prepare you for the oftentimes a lot more hectic planet of film sets. We'll do what we can to make factors run smoothly, but you ought to help us help you.
Also, recognize that this is a process interview and the interview begins with the 1st e mail. Everybody you deal with from the verify-in on is Group Jabberwocky and/or involved in filmmaking. In the previous, a handful of actors have been higher upkeep or treated the employees poorly. This tells me, as a director, that you are not worth casting, regardless of talent. It really is not simply around becoming good to these individuals sitting in the audience, considering that the folks sitting in the audience have referred to as me and asked around this actor or that actor. Individuals do don't forget, so be considerate to everybody. Keep in mind that karma thing?
Q: What prompted you to commence the Stonehenge mass audition?
A: I grew up in Arlington, Virginia, seeing performances at Arena Stage, the Folger, and elsewhere. When I came back soon after college, I worked as a technician at Shakespeare, Studio, Signature, and other individuals. I Essentially got a nice sense of how vibrant and self-supporting the theatre neighborhood is here. In 2003, I got involved much more into film and video, which I had completed in the 1990s. I discovered that considerably of the filmmakers did not know as several actors as they required. I was amazed due to the fact I knew that hundreds of actors are out there to support all those theatres. A number of folks don't know around DC theatre nationally since we're in the shadow of New York. At the very same time, we're also the third biggest industry for film and video considering the fact that of Discovery, National Geographic, and other individuals. We're small compared to Los Angeles and compact compared to New York, but we are a presence.
I began Stonehenge considering that I Actually require to help in the development of the film neighborhood here. We've got this established film/video neighborhood and we have this established theatre neighborhood here with several very nice actors. Let's get those groups collectively. I can not tell you how various filmmakers come up to me at the end of Stonehenge and tell me they had no thought that there had been so various actors about. I tell them there have been 300 a lot more that wanted to attend but there had been no much more slots. Every Stonehenge, I see at least 20 actors that are so nice I want I had a script simply to cast them. That leads me to think that what I create in the future will either consciously or subconsciously be inspired by those actors. Seeing nice actors assists filmmakers know they can create the stories they've wanted to for years: there are actors to execute them and to execute them effectively.
Stonehenge is around assisting to construct the independent film neighborhood. Ideal now we're an archipelago of unconnected filmmakers alternatively of a additional unified island and we should operate much more to be an island and not be concerned around becoming a continent. In constructing our independent film neighborhood, we ought to play to our strengths: we have a very nice theatre neighborhood, several actors with good instruction who can provide nice character driven stories. We also have a great deal of technical knowledge in that we are the third biggest film and video market in the United States. Naturally, substantially of That's not narrative-primarily based, they are not carrying out fictional operate, but I suspect if you asked individuals at production homes why they got interested in film, they will say it wasn't necessarily since of a wish to generate industrial videos. Various of those individuals would including to do, would enjoy to do, one thing entirely inventive.
Q: What do you need to see take place with the film neighborhood here and how does Stonehenge match in?
A: The DC region is a good place for indies considering the fact that of the demographics of the location, which is, on the entire, pretty nicely to do, properly educated, and older. We don't should be concerned around making the subsequent Michael Bay, but if we go for a rattling nice story, our opportunities are limitless. I'd which includes for Stonehenge to help contribute to the creation of those kinds of films, additional ambitious shorts and sooner or later indie function films. Because Stonehenge is meant to be a broad mass audition, it will never ever be all issues to all people today. Having said that, if you happen to be going to go into production in the subsequent six months it is a superior way to see who's out there.
Bjorn is an actor, writer, and filmmaker who grew up in Arlington, Virginia. He studied theatre at Beloit College and the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. He is the Group lead of his production corporation, Group Jabberwocky, LLC; founder of the Stonehenge mass auditions; and operates with the DC Film Alliance.
For data on Stonehenge mass auditions check out http://www.teamjabberwocky.com/stonehenge.html
Mary Ann Sust
Write-up Supply
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