Well, there is more than one thing to blog about today! This update includes a couple of new developments which we are delighted to announce. Do get in touch if you would seriously like to be involved. 1) Opening a formalised casting agency, intake day! Intake, and photo/ showreel shoot, on Saturday May 23rd. (Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/371166579743622/) This finally formalises our careers service, which has run for 10 years. Our careers section started by accident, soon after we started SDP in 2005, we started being contacted for actors for all sorts of film, theatre and other performance work. Now we are getting around to making it a formal thing, and opening it up to more people than just our members. The feedback has been amazing, and there are companies which exclusively use our actors. This is open (on this first session) strictly to our film and theatre cast members with zero "no-shows-without-communication" at our rehearsals, stage shows and film shoots, and to people with a proven track record as reliable performers (amateur or professional named credits) with a professional attitude of attendance, effort and excellent on-set behaviour, with known local casting directors. (please note that we may follow up references) We will have other intakes, but this is the first. If you do not have acting experience, please contact us as although we cannot immediately represent you, we may be able to assist in helping you get experience and credits, to then become represented. At this intake, it will last all day. We will only represent people who have good headshot and full-length photos, plus a showreel. We will be working on your showreel and photos, at the intake. If you already have these, that is great, but please be aware that we cannot accept "selfies" or "phone pictures". We will be working on a location in Brixham or Paignton., Applicants... Must be experienced performers with at least one named, speaking, theatre or film role in the past 2 years. (High-quality amateur/ student or professional credits equally welcome) Other notes: - Professional photographs, showreels, and acting/ performer related references, will be required. We can supply showreels and photographs if required. - No fee to join, or to have required photos / showreel supplied (if needed). - Small 15% fee from any paid work that we find for you. (Completely fee-free for anyone who has performed with us in one of our internal stage shows / films in the past 12 months). Any profits made go into our local productions and opportunities for local performers. - Non-exclusive contracts. (you are free to sign with other agencies if you wish) - Opportunities to join in projects, workshops, photoshoots etc, to build portfolios. - Please be aware that we are selective with those accepted, in order to provide the best possible service to other production companies. - No guarantee of work is made or implied, simply that we will do our best to represent you, and that this formalises & expands a casting service which we have successfully run for several years for our members only. - Please note that we will not represent people who have no-showed to any project of which we are aware. If you no-show while signed with us, you may be required to cover any costs incurred or wasted by your not-turning-up. - Contracts will need to be signed by the agency and yourself. 2- Casting call: Ozzy The Cat Gets a New Home: Photoshoot for childrens book,
(Photoshoot: May 30th, Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/444362252405720/ In aid of the Feline Network, a cat rescue charity based in Paignton. http://www.feline-network.co.uk/ PRODUCING AN EBOOK (AND POSSIBLY IN PRINT) FUNDRAISING FOR THE FELINE NETWORK CHARITY. This children's picture book will tell the story of Ozzy, the Feline Networks mascot cat, how he was abandoned by a family moving away, and then lived wild, before being rescued by the Feline Network and getting a home with a new family, showing, in a child friendly way, what happens when a pet is abandoned, and how it is rehomed safely . Photos will be on locations around the bay, and will constitute the majority of the book, with small amounts of simple text. We need people to play both families, plus the people, nice and not nice, that Ozzy encounters in his adventures. Priority to South Devon Players Film & Theatre Company members, and those in our casting agency, but we will need quite a few people for all Ozzy's encounters. These ebooks will then be sold for small amounts online to fundraise for the Feline Network, a cat rescue charity and rehoming service based in Paignton. There is also a chance that these books will go to print but that is yet to be decided. Children under 16 at this photoshoot will need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
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Yesterday, we finished filming the trailer scenes for the Cafe Mousin, in Paignton. Despite a last second disaster of being let down by the camera-people the day before, (luckily the fantastic Evelyn Rei came to our rescue) we had a great shoot and recorded some fantastic images! The next shoot, in early May, will concentrate on Jean Valjean, Javert, Fantine, and the romantic tryst between Cosette and Marius. Various behind the scenes images (I hope I have credited everyone correctly!) Behind the scenes images - by the lovely Lola of Quantum Images: Character photos by Mike Alsford (more coming soon)
Today we had a Titanic theme photoshoot - and expanded it into an open day and historical exhibition at Chestnut Community Centre. With the help of Bob Higginson having a stall from the Brixham Steam Packet selling Titanic collectables, Nigel Voisey, a Plymouth historian who runs Titanic And The City of Plymouth, who brought an amazing exhibition, and Denis Smart who came up with a portable studio from Tamar Valley Photographic Studios to do Edwardian-style photos, this was a brilliant awareness day.
Here are a few behind the scenes photos from the day - and yes, because it was a lovely day we had one studio setup, outside. With more details on our main site under "casting services", we run a kind of agency for our members. It isn't a formal agency in that we take percentages of fees - it is in fact a free perk of membership, to help local people build up their acting careers. We only accept our own members to this, so that we can assure any casting director of their skills and reliability. This year is proving excellent, with our members trying out for many new productions, and in some cases working with companies who now exclusively seek our actors because of their reliability, effort, expertise, dedication to rehearsing, and positive attitudes. Achievements in the past fortnight alone include several film castings, and ....... Here are some of our members trying out for green-screened news-casts at a local film company in Torquay: And here are two of our members (there are four of us doing it, in total) working as costumed / character tourguides in the school holidays on board the Golden Hind museum ship, in Brixham Harbour.
When planning historical productions such as our Titanic show, or any of the others, you have to get as many details as possible correct in a period drama. Too often I see historical productions where it is very clear that the ladies are not wearing corsets, when playing characters who would have worn them, or a prop looks blatantly modern.
As far as is humanly possible, we try to use either antiques, or actual reproduction items, for our costumes and props. At the minimum, things will be made to look as they do on old photos and illustrations. In our production of "Survivors of the Titanic", a primary character, is Lady Duff-Gordon. She was one of the first major fashion designers, with boutiques in London, New York, and Paris. In one of her scenes, on board the Titanic, she meets other ladies whom she knows, and they sit down to look at some fashion magazines. It was of course suggested that we print off some magazine covers of the period and stick them over modern magazines covers. Of course that means you cannot let the audience see the colour pages inside, and the magazines back then, and now, are totally different shapes. Considering that Lady Duff-Gordon and her husband, boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg, it made sense that her fashion magazines would be French. Research revealed the fashion magazine La Mode Illustree, and we set about finding an original antique copy, of an issue that she might have actually had with her, finally being able to purchase (thanks to Ebay) an original copy of the March 1912 issue, in very good condition. And here it is! Sorry for the blurry photos (was taken on ipad) An added bonus to this, is showing us original fashion of the period, for costuming, so it kills two birds with one stone! |
This is our new format news page. To read all our news between 2010 and Jan 2015, please see our old format news page HERE The South Devon Players Theatre & Film Company, is the trading name of The South Devon Players Limited;
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