New Projects Casting - Production Up-Tick - Advice from Casting Directors - COVID Effect

By Abigail Hardin, November 17, 2020

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We had a great workshop with Acting & Voice Studios last week on Seeking Representation. It was lovely meeting so many new faces and hearing some great questions. Mark your calendars for our upcoming free workshops:

December 9th @ 2:00 PM EST — YEAR-END WRAP-UP & PREPARATION STRATEGIES FOR 2021 SUCCESS! with Ripley-Grier Studios (No registration required, space is limited!)
January 9th, 2021 — PRODUCTION UPDATE & HOW TO CREATIVELY STAY IN THE GAME with Acting & Voice Studios (link TBA)

Want more Annie & Abi? You can view several of our recent workshops on the Up-To-Date Actor. Click on "Workshops" from the main navigation.

Lastly, It's been a crazy year and despite the fact that there are less than two months left, 2020 is not relenting. As a way of giving back during this time, we are offering our first-ever seasonal sale for the Up-To-Date Actor.

Take advantage of this limited-time offer and receive one or two months off of our monthly subscriptions. The yearly subscription still has our new user discount applied which saves you two months as well!

Production and casting are gaining speed! Now is the time to do your research, create your target lists, and get ready for a busy 2021.

Now, let's talk news!

Production Up-Tick

For weeks I have been shouting from the rooftops, "Production is back!" While we might not feel the wheels churning like normal, rest assured, it is! Currently, there are 125+ film & TV projects casting in Los Angeles, 60+ in NY-area, and 40+ in the South East.

Still don't believe me?

On-location film permits for the Los Angeles area grew by 24% in October over September as productions staged a moderate recovery amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the FilmLA agency reported this week. The industry, which was mostly shuttered from March to June, has filed for 2,565 film permit applications for 1,967 unique projects over the last 20 weeks, according to the report. Monthly application intake increased in October to 880 permits, a gain of 169 from September. FilmLA’s daily intake now averages around 40 new applications per business day. "The expected October pick-up in scripted television production did occur; local reality TV production (6% of requests) was eclipsed by TV drama production (10% of requests) for the first time since June," the agency noted.

Political Aftermath

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is happy the election is over. Looking ahead to January 2021, the entertainment industry could potentially benefit from the Biden/Harris administration.

Biden has a history of working on entertainment-centric issues like piracy and trade that are atop the agenda of Hollywood studios. [...] Perhaps the biggest asset for the industry is that a number of Biden’s advisers have ties to the Motion Picture Association. Kate Bedingfield, his deputy campaign manager, and T.J. Ducklo, his national press secretary, formerly worked for the trade and lobbying group in communications posts. Chris Dodd, a longtime Biden friend who has been a confidant during the campaign, is the former chairman of the MPA. [...] Harris, meanwhile, perhaps has even deeper ties to Hollywood than Biden, in part due to her campaigns for statewide offices and her cultivation of friendships through the years. If she is tasked with handling issues of special interest to the entertainment industry, like copyright and trade, that also could prove to be a big asset to the business.

Read more for a closer look into key issues that pertain to the entertainment industry and how the Biden/Harris administration is expected to respond.

Cancel the popcorn 🍿

Last week, the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) of New York State sent a letter to top aides of Governor Andrew Cuomo begging the administration to let theaters open in the Big Apple — or at least Manhattan — to give the industry a shot at revival as the key holiday season approaches. Movies continue to drop off the schedule largely because the New York and Los Angeles markets remain dark — and some major Western European cities have just been newly locked down. "After Disney pulled their two movies, we are trying to do whatever we can to save the Christmas release schedule," said Joe Masher, CEO of Bowtie Cinemas and president of NATO NY. Last week, two more Disney movies (FREE GUY and DEATH ON THE NILE) fell off the schedule. As Deadline noted, Warner Bros' WONDER WOMAN 1984 is still officially standing on December 25 but that seems unlikely to hold.

When Regal Cinemas announced they were shuttering all locations in the U.S. and U.K. last month, they actually kept open 18 theatres in California and New York state. Now, three weeks after NY-Governor Andrew Cuomo gave the greenlight for movie theaters to reopen, all 18 remaining Regal theatres are closing.

With COVID cases rising nationwide, global cities re-entering lockdown, and a vaccine months away at best, the only thing left to save cinemas is a government bailout. NATO has urged Congress and Donald Trump’s administration to pass relief legislation for theatrical exhibition — which, according to their stats, has 96% of all cinemas reporting over 70% in losses this year. Currently, many are waiting to see whether Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will meet over the $1.8 trillion-$2.2 trillion second stimulus bill that is being bandied about by Republicans and Democrats.

Streaming, Streaming, Streaming

While movie theatres decline, streaming is surging - quite literally. On December 18th Hulu Live TV is increasing their subscription price by 18%. the package including more than five dozen networks will cost $64.99 a month for both current and new subscribers, up 18% from the previous rate of $54.99. The move brings Hulu’s live bundle, in line with rival services like YouTube TV, which also goes for $64.99.

Not everyone is doing well, Slingbox, the ahead-of-its-time piece of hardware that enabled remote viewing of pay-TV signals, is headed for the scrapheap. The technology maker, acquired by Echostar and now owned by Dish Network, said Monday it will sunset all devices, making them "inoperable" by November 2022. Trade journals as far back as 2017 reported the company had stopped manufacturing new devices, though did not confirm the move at the time.

Doesn't it seem the minute you find a Netflix original series you LOVE, you hear that they have canceled it?! You're not alone! Netflix has countered accusations that it disproportionately cancels more shows than other networks and platforms by revealing data around the percentage of shows that it renews. The streamer’s Global Head of TV Bela Bajaria revealed that it has a program renewal rate of around 67% – something that she said was in line with industry standards.

In the first major crossover between WarnerMedia’s HBO Max and siblings TNT, TBS, and TruTV, the ad-supported linear cable networks will carry four days of curated HBO Max programming over the Thanksgiving holiday. The stunt is clearly designed to promote HBO Max’s programming and draw new subscribers to the streaming platform. Beginning Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26 through Sunday, Nov. 29 each network will air its own themed content from HBO Max.

COVID Effect

TV

While yes, production is back, it also is dealing with quite a few starts and stops. The following series had to pause filming in the past week due to positive COVID-19 cast and crew:

Theatre

It's no mystery, no portion of our industry has been harder hit than live theatre. With the new Biden administration, Broadway industry leaders are hopeful that Congress will now pass a second relief bill with provisions to help the theater community. Industry leaders believe that a relief package, which may include the needed provisions of extended unemployment insurance and healthcare subsidies, could be passed in the coming weeks. Other industry relief measures, such as Save Our Stages and the Restart Act, have garnered bipartisan support and could also appear in an upcoming stimulus bill, but may ultimately depend on who gains control of the Senate.

Here are some interesting articles on how theatre folk are coping with the extended shutdown and the lingering effect:

Advice from Casting Directors

Deadline recently posed three questions to six major casting directors, John Papsidera of Automatic Sweat Casting, Carla Hool of Carla Hool, Barbara Fiorentino of Barbara Fiorentino Casting, Mark Saks of Mark Saks Casting, Susie Farris of Susie Farris, and Cody Beke of Beke/White Casting.

The questions asked:

Which has been the hardest part to cast in your career, and why?
How long does it take to know an actor is right for a role you’re casting?
After the Oscar controversy shone a light on a lack of diversity, what’s the role of a casting director in ensuring equal representation?

📣 Calling All Film & TV Actors

Academy Award and four-time Emmy Award winner Aaron Sorkin will join Tony and Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth to present a master class for the newly created Master's Program in Screen Acting degree from Oklahoma City University (OCU) and London's Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA). The two-year program, taught in Los Angeles in year one and in London in year two, will feature masterclasses led by industry professionals, including Sorkin and Chenoweth, OCU's most famous alumna. The program, which will prepare graduates to work professionally in film, television, and other recorded media, will begin in January 2021. Applications are being accepted at this time. Read more for program and submission details.

Diversity & Inclusion

TV

Last week, CBS announced that it aims to diversify its unscripted shows by setting a target to make the casts of all such shows at least 50% Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). The aim is to make the change beginning with the 2021-2022 broadcast season. Per CBS, the network will also allocate at least a quarter of its annual unscripted development budget to projects created or co-created by BIPOC producers at that same time. CBS also plans to develop more initiatives with its production partners to increase diversity across the board in the unscripted space, though those specific plans have not yet been detailed.

Across the pond, the BBC has been cleared of pay discrimination against its female employees following complaints made by several presenters. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission, set up in March 2019, found no unlawful acts of pay discrimination against women. It did however recommend "improvements to increase transparency and rebuild trust with women at the organization"

Theatre

In the wake of the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, much focus was put on the disproportionate amount of White creatives in charge of our major theatrical institutions. Major Broadway names such as Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Billy Porter, Phylicia Rashad, and more rallied together, founding Black Theatre United. BTU plans to be a resource hub for Black theatre artists while supporting Black people across the U.S. The coalition splits efforts into micro (improving circumstances for Black artists at work) and macro (utilizing Black artists to make global change). "Artists have always been the leaders of change in any nation," says founding member Allyson Tucker. Now, months after its creation, read what action Black Theatre United has already taken, and what is planned for the future.

Tidbits & Odds-and-Ends

There were so many interesting articles this week. It feels like the industry was making a major push before the Thanksgiving break. So, here are a bunch of extra articles to read and some suggestions on fun things to watch. Enjoy!