Casting: ‘Cravings’ & ‘Threshold’

I’m casting for roles in my upcoming short film ‘Threshold’ with my classmate Nicole. The casting session will be held on Wednesday, 24th September (from 1.30pm till 5.30pm) and Friday 26th September (from 1.30pm till 7pm) @ the Substation Classroom.

Do come if you are interested and fit any of the descriptions for the characters. Please help to spread the word around to anyone you think might be suitable and interested. Thank you!

___________________________________________________________

Seeking actors who are looking to expand their portfolio.

2 graduating film directors from the pioneer batch of Nanyang Technological University’s School of Art Design and Media will be holding a casting session for the following roles:

For CRAVINGS:

EDMUND HENG
Male, late 40s- 50s, Spoken Language: English
Appearance: Well-dressed, of average height, portly in figure and a little overweight.

Edmund acts stiffly around others as he is secretly afraid of what others think of him, condescending at times. He is married and has one son. He strives to maintain his status as a food critic but is conflicted in becoming a good father for his son. He became rather lonely after his wife passed away and avoids showing his insecurity. He leads a rather solitary life as he finds it difficult to communicate with his son. Has high blood pressure but is unable to resist his cravings for his favourite foods.

LUKE HENG
Male, 13, Spoken Language: English
Appearance: Average built and height, of fair complexion.

Luke is quiet, introverted, enjoys playing with his toy collection, watching cartoons and cooking shows. A rather precocious child but his dad is unaware of it. He wants to gain his dad’s approval but also wants to make a baker due to his love for baking. He feels unloved and decides to bake for his father secretly in the hope of getting his attention somehow.

SHU AN
Female, 24, Spoken Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese
Appearance: Slim and petite with long hair.

Passionate, kind-natured but impulsive, expressive, Shu An wants to prove herself as a chef as much as possible but ultimately wants to make her mother happy. She puts perfectionism and her career above her relationship with her mother and this jeopardizes their happiness.

AI LENG
Female, 40s to late 50s, Spoken Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, a little English.
Appearance: Of average height and built, dresses simply and fuss-free.

Ai Leng is no-nonsense but kind mother. She hopes her daughter will take over the stall but is proud of her daughter becoming a chef. As a hawker, she takes pride in the food she cooks at the stall but finds it difficult to cope by herself. She has taught her daughter how to cook and the love of cooking keeps her going.

For THRESHOLD:

ANTON
Male, Late 20s, Spoken Languages: English
Appearance: lean / slim and well groomed.

Anton is a fresh university graduate who has risen fast among the ranks. He is eager to please and has just been promoted to the rank of Inspector. He got married pretty early for his age, and has a 5 year old daughter. He is well spoken but not liked by his colleagues – who see him as a boot licker. He is extremely sensitive to what others say about him, he does not lose his temper often, but when he does he goes insane. He likes to think of himself as someone who is not someone you would easily trifle with and he hates being taken for granted.

BOON
Male, Late 30s, Spoken Languages: Singlish, Mandarin
Appearance: Stocky / Well built, World weary look

Boon is an Ah Beng Staff Sergeant who has been retained from promotion due to insubordination. He has been with the Bureau since he graduated from Secondary School and is now married with a son, age 10. He is stubborn and boorish in his behavior – often gambling and drinking with fellow colleagues to distract himself from the lack of prospects in his career.

TERRY
Male, Early 20s, Spoken Languages: English
Appearance: Slim built

Terry is an undergraduate pursuing a science degree in a local university. He has an awkward disposition and never seems to quite fit in with his classmates, he seeks to be socially accepted and turns to drugs as a means of escape.

Synopses for the Films:

“Cravings” looks into the different obsessions with food. A patronizing middle-aged food critic unknowingly affects an up-and-coming female chef through his review. She, in turn, questions her fine dining career and her relationship with her hawker mum while the critic’s relationship with his son takes a new direction. As the lives of the two families become intertwined, food becomes more than just a question of taste; it is what they try to fill the gaps in their lives with. A 20 minute short film, this is a parallel narrative which explores the various relationships that revolve around food in Singapore.

“Threshold” questions the consequences of putting one’s society before self. Two narcotics officers are baiting a young undergraduate to a hotel room, promising homosexual sex in exchange for drugs – entrapping their victim and arresting him on counts of drug possession. This film deals with the hour before his arrest as they lie in wait for their victim to arrive. They grapple with the ethics of their actions and it builds up to a shocking revelation. A 20 min experimental short.

Director / Writer Bio:

Cravings (Writer / Director) – Nicole Midori Woodford

Nicole Midori Woodford is currently in her final year of a BFA (Hons) in Digital Filmmaking. She believes that in distilling the psyches of the people in her films, she needs to constantly explore the contradictions of human emotions. Very much inspired by a love of cinematic atmospherics and the unceasing observation of human interactions, she hopes to make more films that manifest the fears and desires of society. Among her works are Parallel Lines (2007) and Drive (2007) which was awarded Best Film for the Asian Film Archive Symposium on Southeast Asian Digital Cinema.

Threshold (Writer / Director) – Loo Zihan

Zihan co-directed, co-edited and starred in his debut feature film Solos (2007), which premiered at the 12th Pusan International Film Festival and picked up the ‘Nuovo Sguardi’ Award in the 23rd Turino Gay and Lesbian Festival. His other short films include Embryo (2006) and Autopsy(2007). Zihan has also acted in Pleasure Factory, directed by Thai-Singaporean director Ekachai Uekrongtham,which had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

Remuneration:

We regret to say that we are unable to afford professional rates for actors. We will however reimburse all transportation / food costs on top of a minimum per diem which is negotiable. A complimentary DVD copy of the final film will also be provided.

Details for Casting:

Casting will be held at the Substation Classrooms (45 Armenian Street Singapore, 179936) on Wednesday, 24th September (from 1.30pm till 5.30pm) and Friday 26th September (from 1.30pm till 7pm). Please contact us @ loozihan @ gmail.com or nicole_wm @ hotmail.com to book a timeslot and / or if you have any queries.

Explore posts in the same categories: Day 2 Day