Acting : Swoon An Actress Without Crew or Money by Forrest Rawls

Thanks Sean. I also forgot to mention that I would put together an Indiegogo to accumulate those funds and to be able to get a crew.

why would you want to ? and why would a good actor want to "sign on" for a non existant project ? sounds like you have a long way to go before chasing the cast.

Hey there Forrest, if you have a great crew, and GREAT Script at the ready, then, and only then can you see out an actress. Why do you need someone who is semi-known? There are plenty of great actresses willing to work for a Reel.

Mara- When I mentioned semi-known, it was because I'm greedy and want it to have fan base before I even shoot. However, I now know that that just isn't realistic.

If I knew the answer to your question I'd be doing it myself. I've tried emails to agents, emails to actor's production company, emails to managers, and phone calls to all the above. All I've gotten so far, without a cash offer, is a polite rejection. Tacking onto what Mara said, I'd get a imdb pro account. That gives you access to any actor/actress and their rep's contact info. But some of the lesser known talent has personal websites or other contact info. In the end, they are professionals looking for paid gigs. But a lot of talented people are open to negotiation as to compensation.

if you want an actor with an box office draw or fan base... here's how you do it. You send a package to their agent or Rep. Inside the package is ONE: a cover letter outlining the role, the planned shooting dates,the location for the shoot, other know actors, if any, who are attached, the name of the director, the fee offered and number of days you need them on set and all your contact info. TWO: a script ...simple. once they agree, you'll need to send a contact and probably a deposit. If you are not in a position to do these things immediately... then you are not ready to start casting.

additionally, since you do not have a track record of feature film completions... IE: you've never made a commercial feature film before... the actors will most likely want a "PAY OR PLAY" deal. That means if you release them to no fault of their own, IE: your project fails to complete principle photography, your projects dies, or you can't raise the money... they get paid anyway.....

Georgia has given some good tips. One needs to be a Legal Eagle, before treading the ground!

Thanks everyone for your words of wisdom. It looks like I'll just have to sit and work on selling myself and my work.

A good script and coming through with a copy of their work is compelling!

Tough love.

It would appear you have zero, 0 credits, nothing on your resume film related at all. Never worked on anyone elses film production either. Why would someone want to appear in one of you screenplays for free? Nothing that even hints that this could be a blockbuster opportunity. Work on someone elses short in some capacity where you can't do any harm, learn from that, pay you dues again and again, build some credentials.

Then ask.

OMG I've fallen prey to a zombie thread. This guy hasn't posted in over two years!

JD Hartman I was just about to post a comment, too! And then I saw yours!

Wow. See how we are? :)

Someone needs to take out the trash here at S32. One new member was going down through the threads in many of the topics and just posting things like, Good info; Great idea, Good luck; Kep at it; etc. etc. Guess they needed the "Karma" points, but it revived a whole lot of threads where the original poster was long gone. Somewhat pointless I think.

Great advice nonetheless JD Hartman.

Connect with the actress if possible, or get an introduction.