Gross Producers Mourn The Loss Of The Casting Couch
Sony has bravely decided to throw open the (digital) doors to anyone and everyone, launching Face Of The Fan, an online cattle call of sorts that instead of directing hundreds of anonymous people to their studios, will allow Hollywood hopefuls to access select script pages so they can rehearse and upload audition footage. Kicking off the new initiative is a casting call for “a pivotal role as a female teenager” named Selene is the upcoming “Underworld 4.”
We suppose it’s a clever idea, though we feel sorry the suckers who are going to have to look over the endless (bad) auditions and readings. There is also a social networking component built in which we suppose will help execs sort out which videos are garnering positive responses and which aren’t before settling down to view them.
To give you an idea of what lies in the future for Face Of The Fan, a casting call will soon be announced for the budget arm Screen Gems‘ “Mortal Instruments” as well as contests linked to “The Smurfs” and uh, “Wheel Of Fortune.” So if you’re expecting to land a part in next year’s Oscar pic or an indie winner, don’t count on it. It seems, for now, it’s going to be used to get some kind of buzz around the studio’s lamer ducks.
At any rate, as a marketing ploy it works — hell, it got us to write about “Underworld 4,” a movie we have no interest in seeing — but there is something to be said about actually auditioning in a room and getting direct feedback, instead of making essentially a YouTube video, sending it around to pals, and hoping somebody notices. Whatever works, we guess.
