I get a lot of questions about the process and thought I would include some of my rare journal notes, random thoughts, rants, comments, etc in this section. If you have a question or comment, email me, Daniel Millican. From time to time, I may have a pinch hitter fill in.

What I call the 6 Phases of Filmmaking:

 

JILL's POINT OF VIEW

How do you get actors?

This is a hard business. I cannot say that strongly enough. Not only are the odds against you of completing and selling an independent film, but also the odds are definitely against you if you are an actor. When Dan cast his first movie, The Keyman, he was still using our home address for business mail. We received hundreds and hundreds of headshots from across the state and even from other parts of the country. They came from web postings and word of mouth, I guess. These were all talented people, who had agents and had worked in films before, but the chances of being selected were so slim. Even I felt a sense of sadness for the individuals represented by boxes and boxes of 9x 12 envelopes.

In an effort to keep costs down, Dan combined some characters for A Promise Kept so there were even less roles for his second movie. We need to do a big budget, big cast movie someday. Maybe that will be soon… But local casting is done through a casting director (Jeff Rogers for A Promise Kept) who holds open auditions. Dan viewed the most promising tapes and together they decided on callbacks. Because he was doing other pre-production activities like location scouting and hammering out budget details, Dan only sat in on the last of the callbacks. And the few lucky locals were serendipitous and wonderful, especially Emma Nichols as “Cassie” and Steve Krieger as “John Cutter.” Both first timers for major roles in feature film acting. Absolute naturals.
Emma has an agent and will continue to pursue a film career. Dan told Steve he SHOULD get an agent. But Steve has been around moviemaking enough to know that auditions for major roles in the Dallas/Fort Worth area only come a few times a year—if that. Even then it all begins with a giant cattle call. With Steve’s considerable talent that still remains nearly overwhelming. Steve will stick with his first love-- special effects--though I wouldn’t be surprised if Dan gives him another chance acting in his next movie. He was just that good.

I might add that people from across the country have attempted to make contact with Dan through email, phone calls and letters hoping to get cast for his next film. They have requested parts (you can always ask), demanded parts (definitely not okay), threatened to get parts (extremely high on the inappropriate meter) and done all sorts of shameless manipulating. This is the ugly part of it. And it has never worked. During pre-production for The Keyman, when casting had already been completed, I remember a hopeful actor knocking on our door as I was trying to serve my toddler dinner. Dan of course was already working nearly around the clock at the production offices, but I had to wonder…if Dan had been home, did this guy think Dan would excuse himself from the table and do a quick audition in the living room?

You might be surprised to learn about Jeff’s role in LA casting. Sure Dan hired a fabulous, hardworking, wonderfully frank and pragmatic LA casting director named Lindsay Chag, but just because you have someone working for you in LA does not mean you do not have plenty of homework here. In fact, Producer Patsy Wesson and her daughter Kaleigh, Jeff and my baby sitter Sarah, several investors and just about anyone who was within earshot were in on this part of the process. First, Lindsay gave Dan a list that was several pages long with names for each character. Some of these names we knew, and some we didn’t…and then there are some that we didn’t know if we knew. So we were all wracking our brains, and visiting the IMBD, looking at headshots on the web and trying to remember movies we’ve seen. At this point we were ordering DVD’s off of Netflix like crazy and visiting Blockbuster regularly. Like a family of nerds we were glued to our computers calling out our comments across the room. We’d print pages and rank actors. Dan devised a grid where he considered all possible variables such as acting ability, name recognition domestically and overseas, how well they fit the part, etc. (We even had a Hollywood insider whose identity we will protect, that would give us an insight into how difficult some individuals were to work with on the set. Those who were inclined towards pitching fits we steered clear of.)

Dan and I like to think we are young, but there were names that Kaleigh and Sarah knew that we didn’t. And we’re smart enough to know that teenagers buy tickets, lots of them, so we listened to the kids. Jeff was a walking IMBD himself. He not only knew names of actors but he could list all the works they were in even if it was a film where the actor had second or third or fourth billing. In fact, Jeff very distinctly wanted Brian MacNamara for Roland. So Brian it was. Anyone who has seen the footage knows this was an excellent call.

When Dan met Brian for drinks in a sports bar in LA, Brian had some interesting and really unprecedented concerns. He said he’d been on sets where children had been treated harshly by directors and he just wanted to make sure this would not happen on Dan’s set. I don’t think Dan would know how to treat a child harshly, but that’s not exactly a convincing response. But as they talked Dan pulled out his “Ipaq.” (Dan loves his toys. Technology definitely is his friend.) He keeps a virtual photo gallery of our kids along with movie trailers on his little device. It didn’t take Brian long to figure out that Dan cared deeply for his own children and would treat the children on the set with respect. And I think Brian liked playing the bad guy. This isn’t something I easily understand, but in some ways it’s easier…or maybe more fun…or maybe you just get to show a different set of emotions and feelings when you play a really wicked person. At any rate Brian wanted the role and we definitely wanted him. But I’m a little ahead of myself on the process. Brian came later in the casting process, but this brilliant choice was directly traceable to Jeff and Lindsay.

Once we selected a name, Lindsay fired off an offer, followed by the script. For us Texans, getting used to LA time was an adjustment. First, there is the two hour time difference. Then there’s the reality that in general they get a later start there, and then finish up the day later than we typically do here. That meant that we wouldn’t usually hear from Lindsay until almost dinner time, and then Dan would converse back and forth—mostly by email-- with her till about nine or ten o’clock at night. During this time frame, she would also get responses from other agents. It seemed like they never slept. Of course it’s not like we got much sleep either. No matter how late we stayed up throwing names and numbers back and forth, our kids still arose at the crack of dawn.

During this development time Dan worked on the script. He locked the script on draft ten and he had three of four drafts after that. Writing by its very nature is painfully full of revisions. Add to that a film where you want to be accurate in the psychological profiles of criminals and accurate in police detective protocols and you have a lot of research on your plate, too. Dan also spent a good portion of this time doing The Keyman screenings hoping to attract interest for his newest project and pursuing alternate forms of funding like co-production funds. The money trickled in by five and ten thousand-dollar units. Dan really wanted to see it come in the hundred thousand units. This was logical, pragmatic and conservative. But movie making is inherently none of these. It’s closer to a high risk pregnancy followed by a colicky newborn. It’s unwieldy and unpredictable. It lives by its own schedule and dictates its own needs. At the same point it is part of a wonderfully creative process… new life…an awesome wonder…all of that.

People are always interested in how stars are paid. They are paid when they sign their contract. Each actor can decide the specifics. Since our film included two calendar years, they might request all their money in 2002 or 2003. Or they might want it weekly or up front. (Every single case was different.) And Dan was fully funded by the contract time, so he could pay them anyway they requested. Anther interesting thing is the per diem. SAG (Screen Actors Guild) dictates that principles from out of town are paid a per diem. At our level, it was $60 a day. This cash is typically given to an actor at the beginning of each week. For those of us who are never sure if we have five or twenty dollars in our wallets when we stop by the grocery store or gas station, this whole per diem thing seems like quite a luxury. Actors can spend it on anything they want. Presumably they use it for meals and expenses…but still it’s not something you typically see in other industries. Most people who have their expenses paid have to account for them in some way.

Like everything in LA, casting was always hurry up and wait. And another thing about LA is that they never say “yes” and never say “no.” Which was why it was good to have Lindsay. She kept the momentum going with offers that had very short deadlines for a response—usually only a couple of days. Sometimes actors had scheduling conflicts, sometimes they didn’t like the role, sometimes the money was too low, and sometimes they wanted to wait to see who else was attached. It is an intricate dance. And it got even more complicated as some actors signed on. When Dan was searching for a male lead he saw a film with Joey Lauren Adams as a costar. We’ve both enjoyed watching her in films and recognized her immediately. But she wasn’t on any of Lindsay’s lists. Would she do it? Lindsay called her agent. Fortunately, Joey had many friends in Texas. When her agent mentioned the film was shooting in Austin, she replied, “Where do I sign?”

It wasn’t that simple of course. The role of Daphne also appealed to her. This is where good scriptwriting came in handy. If you’re going to work for a reasonably low wage (okay, her compensation is a virtual fortune to most of us, but it is low by Hollywood standards), and practically live in a two-banger trailer (about as big as a walk-in closet), and eat catered set meals (casseroles), then there must be something of redeeming value in the role itself. Daphne is a character with depth. She stands for something. In fact, in some parts of the film it seems like she is the only one opposed to vigilante justice out of principal. And she too has defied the odds to get to where she is as a detective in a male dominated profession. In Joey’s words, “She’s not just someone’s girlfriend.”

We knew we were lucky to have Joey, and Dan offered to allow her casting input for the roles that were still open. Joey struck names from the list and added names. I was impressed with Joey’s level of integrity. She wanted to make the best picture possible and judged actors strictly on ability. Since she was judging them as a peer, there was purity in her recommendations. She’s a keen judge of talent. As I remember, Sean’s name was on Lindsay’s list, and Joey was pleased with this selection. She thought he was a fine actor. I have to admit I agree with her.

There was a time when we thought we might lose Joey, and I can still recall the sickening feeling as we waited that one out. Quite frankly, I can’t think of any other name we considered who could have brought that kind of depth and power to the role. There was some kind of miscommunication… and Dan had heard that Joey was considering an outrageously generous offer to be a regular on a TV series…which she had turned down. Then, it seems they came back with a counter offer that was even more money! Who could blame her if she accepted? But she got back to Dan very quickly and said she wasn’t going to accept the offer because she wanted to do features. She would play Daphne. Talk about humbling. Talk about relief.

Welcoming Sean Patrick Flannery to the team was kind of like touching base with an old friend. Though much of the process was tense and frustrating, this part was almost easy. I remember Dan taking a call from Sean at home. (After receiving the script and the offer he just picked up his cell and made a quick call.) I think it was on a Saturday and they chatted like buddies. I heard something about trying to get tickets for a Longhorn game at UT. Dan got off the phone and said to me,” This is it. He’s Ben.”

I just looked at him. A phone call? That was it? Sure we were getting close to the time when we needed to be wrapping the casting up (dangerously close), but for some of the other actor candidates, Dan had flown into LA and met them in restaurants-- The Four Seasons mainly. It’s where deals are made, they say. Whoever “they” are. But the Four Seasons is respectful of a celebrity’s privacy and that’s very helpful. I remember one sad story where Dan met a different potential “Ben” at the Four Seasons. It’s a good thing that deal didn’t work out. He wouldn’t have been half as good for the part as Sean. It was a Sunday morning and Dan ordered a waffle and this other actor order some fruit. Dan didn’t know it was a set price for “brunch,” but in case you haven’t guessed it yet, we’re not the Four Seasons type. We’ve eaten a lot of Mc Donald’s breakfasts, and a few at Waffle House, but I can’t even think of a time that we’ve “done brunch.” So the bill came and with tip it was $146 and change. Ouch! But it was cheap if it allowed Dan, in the course of the conversation, to discover that he needed to keep looking for the right “Ben.”

When Dan got off the phone with Sean, he told me Sean was the type of person that if he had just met him and it wasn’t work related, they would be friends. To use a colloquialism, they hit it off. “He was great, Jill. And we will enjoy having him on the set.” That was true too, in addition to being a talented actor; Sean was amiable and even-tempered. In fact, Dan and Sean did talk business in that first call, but he wasn’t overbearing. In his own words, he just wanted to make a film he could be proud of. More specifically, he described different scenes that he liked and he asked if Dan would be willing to hold the scene long enough to feel the impact of the moment. One of them was when his wife “Lori” is killed and he holds his daughter “Cassie” as the ambulance pulls away. Sean had ideas, good ideas about the timing of that scene. Being reasonably new to moviemaking, Dan is often open to comments and opinions. In the end, it’s his decisions to make, but this practice has taught him that a collaborative project often has deeper dimensions and more subtle innuendos if he considers the suggestions of all the stakeholders. Sean was never frivolous with his opinions. If something was cool with him the way it was, he simple told Dan he was “cool with it.”

If casting Sean was easy, casting Jeff Speakman was hard. I don’t mean Jeff was difficult to talk to or negotiate with (he was great), I mean locating him was nearly impossible. Dan had this idea in his head, that Jeff would be the perfect “Scott Sherwin.” I thought Dan was absolutely insane, but he thought it was brilliant. Because of his roles in Karate movies, Jeff Speakman would add an even greater dimension to the mystique. Jeff Rodgers agreed.

Of course Jeff Rodgers was already familiar with Jeff Speakman and he shared Dan’s enthusiasm for this casting decision. (Remember he’s a walking IMBD) Admittedly, action pictures leave me nervous and tense, so I never elect to see them. Occasionally, I am conned into going. Ever so innocently Dan replies to a question about a movie listing, “The Hunted? It’s really a romantic comedy.” But I don’t fall for that sad sick line but once or twice a year.

One of the perks of being the director’s wife is you get to see all the tapes that actors or their agents send, so I got to see one of Jeff’s he calls “The Nutcracker.” Dan didn’t even bother to lie to me, telling me it was a ballet. But it was a dance—of sorts. Quick cuts of many different fight scenes all ending in one particular type of kick. A very, very painful one—for guys. It did graphically showcase Kenpo as a powerful force—street fighting—getting the bad guy before he gets you. And these bad guys defiantly got it.

The whole reason we ever received this tape is that Dan just wouldn’t give up this eccentric idea of getting Jeff. I thought the idea was outrageous for several reasons. First, Jeff had already played the lead in something like eight action pictures and this wasn’t the lead. In fact, when offers go out, you have to state what billing this role will get—first billing, second billing etc. All the top billings had already been negotiated away. Second, since Dan had already cast several roles, he would have to find money for this character. Third, it was like a cross genre thing. Jeff did these Karate action pictures and this was a drama/thriller. It was like mixing metaphors—or something. But that’s exactly what Jeff Rodgers and Dan found so appealing about it. And later, I discovered this was a big part of the appeal for Jeff Speakman, too.

Dan asked Lindsay about Jeff Speakman, and she said she’d be willing to send an offer, but there was no contact information on him. Jeff no longer used the same agent. Finally, Dan approached Rob Hazelwood (Mr. Rob), our son’s Karate teacher and asked him if he knew how to contact Jeff. This was definitely a long shot. Just because you have some framed pictures of Black Belt magazine where Jeff was on the cover hanging from the walls in your Dojo, does not mean you have the guy's home number. But Mr. Rob had an email address of a friend of a friend… and it worked! Jeff was VERY interested. But you have to get a picture of Dan’s excitement to fully capture the moment they first made contact.

Dan and Jeff Rodgers are up at the Bedford office together. (Dan was subleasing at the time at Jeff’s sound studio.) Dan saw Jeff walk into the office and told him, “We’re gonna get JEFF SPEAKMAN”—almost giddy with the prospect. He had finally found the quintessential “Scott Sherwin”. It wasn’t the biggest role in the movie, but finding someone to play it perfectly was just plain fun. But to fully appreciate the almost geek-like quality of the moment, you have to imagine what it is like laboring for months and years over a project and then finally signing someone who will actually deliver the lines you have heard echoing in your head for what seems like an eternity. It’s a regular Six Flags Roller Coaster thrill.

Jeff Speakman loved the story and admitted that the theme of the movie—taking justice into your own hands—was an issue he had wrestled with himself. Could there be a time when he would need to take justice into his own hands? Would he do it? What would he do personally if faced with this dilemma in real life? Jeff was also interested in working with the actors already attached to the project. And he LIKED that this project was different than other movies he had done. So maybe I was the crazy one to be so reticent, and you never know if you can secure a particular actor until you ask, but I didn’t think this deal was ever going to happen. It is so very fortunate that it did.

Dan asked Jeff Speakman he could meet with Lindsay in LA and they met THE NEXT DAY. A few days later Dan flew out and visited with Jeff in his beautiful home in Lake Arrowhead, California. They spent the day together visiting one of Jeff’s Karate studios, talking and meeting his dogs. He has a Great Dane and a mixed breed dog. We are particularly fond of massive canines. Our beloved Newfoundland, Bunter weighs 150 pounds, so we can appreciate anyone who is genuinely fond of big dogs.

Mimi Rogers was one of the last people to be cast, and to be honest, it all got to be a bit of a blur toward the end. There is a surreal part of filmmaking when you go from being a one man office out of your home, and later out of a small office space that Dan sublet from Jeff, to being in a reasonably huge office complex with department heads and PA’s running all over the place. It’s like this great big movie explosion—which dies down even more suddenly when you wrap. Then, there’s a skeleton crew in the office complex for a few days until finally Dan loads down his Monterro with props and office supplies and comes home. Dan was already in Austin, living out of the Homewood Suites hotel, actually officing out of there till he could get into larger quarters when he was working out an agreement with Mimi. I remember he flew out to meet her in Brentwood, but he had been flying out so often, it almost felt like we were running an errand to the corner drugstore when we drove back and forth to the airport.

Dan cast Mimi during preproduction because he had signed another actress who needed to back out for personal reasons. This other actress seemed like a good choice at the time. Everyone from the teenage babysitter to the more mature investors were familiar with her. But Mimi brought a quiet dignity to the role that was uniquely her own. Her input was thoughtful and intelligent. Adding her to the cast was like having a runner join the marathon after about six kilometers. Everyone was already running at a good clip and Mimi seamlessly joined in.

If Mimi was among the last people to join this race, Tom Wright was definitely the first. Dan has stated before that he would like Tom to be in every movie he makes. Tom played “Popeye” in The Keyman-- an absolutely unforgettable performance of a funny, lovable, mentally ill homeless man (who in his quiet wisdom seems more sane than those of us who still participate in society.) Tom’s own description of the character was “the self-proclaimed mayor of the homeless.” I think he pretty much got that one right.

Tom has the rare quality of bringing out the best in everyone around him. During the Keyman shoot, he stayed in his costume despite the hideously hot September Texas weather. He enjoyed playing Popeye. In fact, when he flew back home for a short break in the shooting, he told Dan how glad he was to be back. He missed playing this quirky crazy character. A team player in every respect, he ate with the crew and was generous in his assistance to less experienced actors. Bystanders spontaneously applauded almost every scene he was in. During post-production, he enthusiastically participated in the editing process by viewing tapes and offering perceptive comments. Tom has a good internal sense of story structure and he is ruthless in his insistence that all scenes must move the story along. Even if the scene offered him a lot of screen time, he’d ask Dan to cut it if it didn’t meet these stringent standards. (Just a note, when The Keyman comes out domestically on DVD, be sure to watch some of the omitted scenes. They are funny and clever, and definitely worth your time.)

So Tom was a given. Tom works a lot. As you can imagine his fabulous disposition and his intelligent approach to work is valued in LA, too. Other directors, use him time and time again. So it was fortunate that Tom was available to play the role of “Carlton”. I just love watching him in the raw footage. He has a commanding presence and it’s the little looks and nuances that really make those scenes. Tom had a tiny bit of downtime when his part wrapped and he spent it on the set, just watching observing and being helpful. When Dan first met with Lindsay Chag, he told her about the characters he needed casting and he added, and “no matter what, I want Tom Wright.” Lindsay’s response was that she had cast Tom for something and she just LOVED him.

Coming soon! More from Jill Millican.

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