Frustrations Within Casting

Being an actor or working in the creative arts has always been something of a passion led career path with many feeling they cannot get a foot in the door thanks in part to the ability to gain parts, an agent, or that elusive and somewhat necessary profile with the #1 casting directory. This has come to a head now and people are feeling pushed out with the system being called elitist, we at the lost creatives wanted to share some insights and options that are gaining ground and opening doors to people with a few added options that even at the lowest budgets, can make the dream become a reality with strategic work and a little planning.

As regular readers will know, we advocate for indie film and the creative talent behind it from the cast to the crew with our own allegiances being openly stated.

We are happy to endorse creative and commercial avenues of filmmaking with companies such as New Village Video and HOD TV being two of our favoured routes,

*It is worth noting that HOD TV has parameters that you need to match to get through their vetting process, we have this in a document and will share with those who require it through email.

In casting terms, it is not quite as simple, there are certain sites and companies that have all but cornered the market and are seen as the gold standard, this however, has been changing slowly and we want to talk about 2 of those options and are open to hearing from new services that may appear or alternative options at any time.

vShowcards: a game changing paid for service with a dedicated team who not only help and support their members with advice, but a multi-faceted company that takes on actors and crew giving them a manageable route to showcase themselves and promote their skills to multiple audiences and welcome new and established talent because the site was built by actors, there is more understanding of the challenges out there.

Casting Callback: a free at point of use service for the UK, I personally checked out the layout and actors pages to see how it works and I am impressed, the company ethos is simple, they want to the creative arts to be open to all backgrounds making it one of the best of the free services for its open platform and honest approach to the industry.

With just these 2 options under your belt, it offers up scope in particular to new entrants, and with the media market slowly getting back on its feet with global financial concerns, it shows that no matter what your background, no matter your financial status as an actor or filmmaker, there is a means to promote and market yourself and fortunately, in this content hungry age, platforms available to sell your work.

Lost Creatives will be using these platforms both for casting and for promotion over the next year and focusing on opportunities outside the mainstream with digital TV and film being our goal and of course, supporting creatives across the spectrum with the blog being open to those who need support to promote their projects.

We will be talking in our next blog about commercial avenues for short films and touching on team building for projects with small budget.

Talking Theatre With HeadlessActing

Theatre is a major part of the cultural scene and we are happy to talk to one of the people aiming to put Scottish talent on the map with a series of shows aimed at the stage and building on their own experiences in the field, from sourcing funding to casting, HeadlessActing is pushing the envelope of the creative arts.

Why don’t you start by introducing yourself and telling the lost audience what you do in the creative arts? 

My name is Brandon Ferguson and I’m an Actor and writer.  Recently, I created the production company ‘Headless Acting’ as a way to produce and perform some of my own  pieces of writing. Currently, HeadlessActing is working on two plays with a third being in early development.

You have been talking on social media about your recent Fringe show and plans to do more stage work from a Scottish perspective, can you tell us more about that? 

Yes, I have just finished my first ever run at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I was playing ‘Peter’ in “Alba” which was written by Jack Byrne and Jordan Howat of ‘Action Theatre Scotland’. I had a wonderful time working on that. I’d never smiled more in my entire life, on the stage and off.

Once the Edinburgh Fringe was over I was just so eager to jump into something else, I decided it was time to create my own work. The Theatre industry in Scotland is dying a slow and painful death, whether that’s to do with ticket prices or even just that theatre is seen as “posh.” I wanted to fix that. I wanted to bring in a brand new audience, reach people who may never have stepped inside a theatre before. 

I had written a play about an event in Scottish history, but this play was a huge task. I would need a big team and a lot of funding. So,  I chose to start with something else, something smaller. So I wrote “*Smoke Not Included” which is a Stoner Comedy on the Stage. This play is one act, one location and four characters. What better way to bring in a new audience than putting on a stoner comedy haha.

Something we have noticed is you are very theatre focused with stage being a major part of your social media showcase, can you tell us what made this your focus as a creative? 

I’ve always been interested in theatre.  I never got to see much of it prior to being in high school, but I was always so entranced by the theatre. The sets and costumes, the actors! It’s magic! Buy a ticket, grab a drink and sit and enjoy the show. You might see a perfectly executed performance, you might see actors breaking character and causing everyone to laugh, you might even happen to see a story that touches you in a way a TV show or Movie never could. I like to say that theatre is just a live action book. When someone reads a book they can imagine what is happening and what the world may look like. Well, on the stage it is the exact same! The audience has a suspension of disbelief, you don’t need backdrops and a full room of sets. You just need the actors and a few important pieces of set or prop and the imagination of the audience does the rest. It’s great! 

“There’s also what I said before about the theatre industry in Scotland dying. I don’t think I could just stand back and watch that happen. I had to create. I had to try and show people that theatre isn’t scary, it isn’t too posh for you and it shouldn’t be too expensive.”

You recently talked about a crowdfunding campaign for your projects. Can you tell us more about the project and what is being planned?  Will you focus solely on theatre or expand into other areas of work? 

We are raising money for our first production, “*Smoke Not Included” , on Kickstarter, we still have a few hundred pounds left to raise. I couldn’t even describe this play to you if I tried, it’s quite silly, lighting and sound is used in a way to emphasise humour, there’s a lot of fun moments but at its heart, there’s a nugget of sadness. Neil, Jacko, Lauren and Aaron are our characters. They all have quite interesting relationships with each other. I won’t say too much haha. We’re currently casting for Aaron and Neil, submissions are open until 20th October. We are planning on going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival next year as well as having a few performances in Fife. We also intend on filming the production and posting that on YouTube sometime after we finish doing the show. This is a way to combat theatre shows being short lived. We’re kind of immortalising it on YouTube haha. 

I do believe that HeadlessActing will remain working in theatre, but that’s not to say there isn’t a short film or two in the works.

What does the future hold for you and your team in media and creative terms?  What can we expect to see from you?

Currently HeadlessActing has a 4-Year plan. We aim to cast, rehearse and perform a show every year for the next four. We want to work with as many Scottish creatives that we can! I can’t say too much right now but we are working with a Scottish Artist and a Scottish Musician on one of our projects right now. We are also aiming to cover a wide range of genres. Starting with Comedy, then Horror, then History, Then Noir. If you’re following our Instagram (headless_acting) and our Twitter (@HeadlessActing) you’ll see we post updates all the time! Right now we are casting for *Smoke Not Included. We’ve received a lot of submissions and the self tapes are coming in now. We’re very excited for what the future holds.

To learn more about HeadlessActing or to support their work see:

*Smoke Not Included Crowdfunding Campaign.

HeadlessActing Instagram.

HeadlessActing Twitter.

IC9: A Glimpse Into The World of Film Courtesy of vShowcards

The Lost Creatives team always appreciates when we are given insight and a little bit of the background to a project and as always vShowcards has been part and parcel of that by bringing to our attention the new police drama IC9.

Tackling the controversial and very contemporary issues of people trafficking and illegal immigration, the film looks at the personal as well as the professional from a police woman’s standpoint as she hunts for her sister and discovers a startling, dangerous truth about her own family coupled with the harrowing insight into the world the trafficked people find themselves in.

With a stellar team both in front and behind the camera including such leading actors as Georgia May Foote (coronation street) and Richie Campbell (Grace, liar, ITV) and of course vshowcards founder and all round actor of note Darren Tassell who has (with permission) given us access to the documentation and files for the project.

vShowcards works hard as a casting site and has also played a part bringing in such excellent talent as Richie Campbell, and Georgia May to peoples attention thanks to their savvy use of social media and contacts, each member of the team of course brings their unique talents to the table and add dimension to a nail biting script by Kyle Titteron and Gulshan Singh making this more than a film but a true showcase of talents.

With filming underway at the moment, stories and images are leaking out that show not just a cast and crew enjoying the work but adding to a film that is gathering attention not just from social media buzz but from interested parties looking to the project to see what is happening in the business including bloggers, journalists and potential viewers who are seeing snippets and images sneaking through, the anticipation for this film is rightly high.

IC9 is a large scale UK indie production that is a showcase of talent, ingenuity and intrigue. A truly welcome project that will hit the high notes and with the support of vShowcards and many others who are seeing the potential of cinematic projects and how it can be achieved with the right people backing you.

Naturally, we will be happy to support the ongoing work and cannot wait to see the final film, we will be talking to key team members about the project itself looking at the casting process, making of, and what the future is for the production team.

For more information on vShowcards and what they do see: The vShowcards Website and stay tuned to the blog for further updates on the project.

The Behind The Scenes Podcast is Now Live

If you are a mover, shaker or media maker, then the Behind The Scenes Podcast is the place to be seen and a must for keeping up with what’s happening. Started as a way to bring the behind the camera people to the forefront, it is already offering up insights into the background work of the creative realm that would otherwise be unseen and showing how much deeper the work goes than just the stage or a screen.

We are privy to some of the upcoming interviews (one of which will be our own JamesC) and know how much time and effort is going into this from a purely creative stance, it is already on our watch list. Lost Creatives being a behind the scenes blog, we are fully behind Stephen the founder of the Behind The Scenes Podcast and cannot wait to see more and highly recommend watching and subscribing to the channel and other social accounts.

A special nod goes out to the cast and crew at City Theatre who are amongst the early interviewees and offered up some interesting insights into the world of theatre casting and acting.

To learn more or to subscribe see:

Behind The Scenes YouTube.

Behind The Scenes Twitter.

Behind The Scenes Instagram.

Behind The Scenes TikTok.

Building Your Team Featuring Vshowcards

Something I have seen quite a lot of when on social media is the individualist aspect of marketing, by that I mean promotion of just one aspect of what you do as a creative, forgetting that when it comes to a shoot be it film, TV, or photographic it is a team affair.

One of the biggest reasons we say this is because our own creative director JamesC has reached out to the team behind vshowcards and will be working with them to assess a proposal for upcoming projects.

Networking, promotion and just old fashioned relationship building over time can be a difference maker in the world of film and TV, we rely on each other to make a shoot run smoothly and efficiently so having good relationships with the team make a huge difference.

With Vshowcards you have access to the a huge number of professionals within industry that will support your moves and if you reach out are willing to help and support, you just need to ask.

From an industry standpoint there is so much more than just your skillset to consider, you are a part of a team, the machine works because we do and supporting each other is the way to move forward and building your team is a lot easier when you have all your information at your fingertips and know you can reach out to others with questions.

To learn more about the Vshowcards set up or to join see:

Vshowcards Website.

Vshowcards Facebook.

Vshowcards Twitter.

Vshowcards Instagram.

Vshowcards YouTube.

Reaching Out in 2023

As we are in the first week of a new year, the lost creatives team has been making really positive moves and reaching out to not just new people but spending time talking to old friends in the realm of photography to discuss potential studio and location shoots.

With our first official telephone meeting of the year now done, we are very excited by the potential of what is being proposed and can start really taking stock with a view to moving our own brand forward.

New in the mix is creative director Jamesc, who wants to do not just horror based shoots but go back to freestyle painting (inspired by the amazing makeup artist Linda Mason) for editorial and showcase once again, his creative talents.

Over the coming weeks we will be releasing more news and updates including interviews with actors, producers and other creative talent.

Welcome to 2023, lets make it a good one!

Introducing Dead Origami Films

We are really pleased to be able to introduce the team behind the up-and-coming Dead Origami Films who have been making waves in the circuit. With a new project on the cards, it seemed to be the perfect time to talk about filmmaking and their collaboration with vshowcards.

You have been working on some smaller projects as a starting point for your new production company Dead Origami Films, can you tell us more about how you came to do this and your background as a team?

I had written the script for our first short film 'Ellipsis' and I was trying to find a crew to make it with through my university but I really wasn't getting anywhere until I met fellow students, Alex Chalatsis and Nikko Turner (who had the same roles). We found that we not only worked exceptionally well together but that it was a team dynamic and with a group of skills that stood out on set as well, to very positive notes from others. We'd already begun talking about doing other films together by that point, but after we finished shooting Ellipsis we set about bringing that dream to life through the foundation of our production house, with Tequila Carter who was a producer and SFX makeup artist from Ellipsis, who we found to be incredibly resourceful and passionate.

Whilst Alex and I have known each other for about a year now, it's amusing to think that Nikko only joined us six months ago and Tequila a month after that, when I feel like I've known and worked with them all for much, much longer - we've got an unusual kind of symmetry that makes working together fun and effective. We all have weaknesses and strengths that complement each other and more than that we're incredibly passionate about what we're trying to build as a team.

You are working on a new short film at the moment, what can you tell us about the project and your plans for this film?

Absolutely, it's called 'Brutus' and it is a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (Act 1, Scene 2) which we're shooting in Southend-On-Sea in late September. It portrays the titular Brutus and his fellow senators as a group of gangsters plotting to kill their boss in a pub. Narratively, the film follows Brutus' journey through a single night as he wrestles with the decision to murder his close friend for the sake of his people and the consequences of that emotional turmoil on his marriage.
I'd tentatively call it a proof-of-concept piece as I do have interest in the possibility of adapting the entire play into a feature eventually, but by the same token, I'm adamant in my desire to make this film feel capable of standing on its own two feet as well.

One thing that has been noted is that you're working alongside vshowcards: what was the motivation behind this and how has it affected the dynamic of your projects?

I became aware of vshowcards at the Southend Film Festival, where I'd just watched the feature 'Fixed', which had cast Darren Tassell, one of their founders. I'd already been thinking about doing some modern adaptations of Shakespeare for a long time, but it wasn't something I took seriously until I met Darren and thought to myself, "That's my Brutus!". From there things snowballed, and it became Dead Origami Film's next project.

I had a meeting with Darren shortly after the festival and he told me more about vshowcards and what they were trying to do with it and I decided to try casting the film through their network, which I found to be a brilliant asset. It was more the case that I just found the people I felt were perfect for the roles there, rather than the idea that I set my sights on casting through vshowcards exclusively, a fact evidenced by my casting Kim Gjersøe who I'd worked with on Ellipsis. But how vshowcards is set up, just lent itself naturally to helping me make clear-cut casting choices.

With Dead Origami Films now moving forward, what is the goal of the company in film terms? Do you have a genre or particular theme you want to continue with?

Well, we've got four more short films slated for production after the Brutus. Next, we'll be doing 'Garmr', which is going to be the surrealistic exploration of a deranged WWII sniper. After which we'll be doing two more modern adaptations of Shakespeare (Macbeth + Romeo & Juliet), which brings us to 'Iscariot: House of the Red Door', which I'm extremely excited about in terms of our set design and visual effects.

Through 2023/2024 we've been talking about doing our first feature film, which will be named after and inspired by Victor Hugo's 1829 seminal novella “The Last Day of a Condemned Man”, which will philosophically and morally explore the mindset of a prisoner sentenced to death.

Nikko and I are blessed in that we have incredibly specifically similar tastes in film, heavily leaning towards the surreal and dark themes in general which pairs well with Tequila's love of horror films. Alex loves anything starring Tommy Wiseau, but we forgive him for his sins. I think those themes ring true in a lot of what we're planning on doing over the next few years, but on a personal level I wouldn't want to see us pigeonholed into doing just one genre of filmmaking, I've certainly got aspirations towards making other kinds of films.

What advice would you offer to people looking to enter the film/TV industry based on your own experiences?

That's a challenging question to answer as I imagine most people's situations would be quite different from my own. I'm lucky in that I found a group of people who believe in me and in each other and want to see where we can go with that belief. For us, that extends into developing a youtube and Patreon community with a large amount of content we'll be developing from next month - this allows us the opportunity to not only get in practice as filmmakers between short films but also ultimately, develop a financial stream that will allow us to function self-sustainably in the future if need be.

“I think I only have one piece of advice worth sharing that is as true to life as it is to filmmaking. Find yourself good people to enjoy life and create art with, people who will embrace you for who you are and you them. It might take a lifetime to find them, but they are out there.”

To learn more about Dead Oragami Films or their project work see:

Dead Origami Films Twitter.

Dead Origami Films Facebook.

Dead Origami Films Instagram.

Dead Origami Films Youtube.

Monsteer Artistry Brings Their Vision To The Stage

One of the best places to earn your craft as an actor, director, or crew has always been the stage, and Monsteer Artistry has taken this notion and run with their new play “The Feeling” which debuts at the Union Theater London on the 8th of September.

“A solid comedic piece about relationships, alcohol, and betrayals. the technical team has been working hard on the play alongside a stellar cast to create a play that is already getting attention from across the scene.”

We will be talking about the story, the work behind it, and of course the various elements of the setup (with a full show review coming soon). Combining the talents of the backstage with a fantastically written story by Monsteer Artistry’s own Kyra Jessica Willis, The Lost creative team is solidly behind this show and happy to be talking about the show, the process, and of course the hard graft it takes to make a play happen.

To learn more about the show or Monsteer Artistry see:

The Feeling” Union Theatre.

Monsteer Artistry.

Patricia Jones: An Actors Journey

Patricia Jones has created a stellar career as an actor and is now the author of the book Opening Doors for Working Class Actors.  We wanted to gain a little more insight into the career, and thoughts of this stellar actress and how she came to be where she is. 

can you tell us more about yourself and your career path as an actress?  

I always knew that I wanted to be an actor from a very early age so in a way it was easy for me to know where I wanted to be. I didn’t go to drama school due to lack of funding which was in grant form at that time but started to chart a career for myself in fringe and small-scale productions in London in order to build a cv for myself. I eventually landed some good theatre work and then was offered a regular role in the TV series ‘Byker Grove’ where I stayed for four years. This was an amazing opportunity to learn my craft and to meet many different directors who I subsequently worked with again on various shows and this was how I began to build a television career. I took a break when I hit my forties thinking that work was getting scarce but returned 10 years later and started again. I think that if I had my time again I wouldn’t have taken that break. I am not sure I believe it is true about actresses getting less work as they age. I think you just have to stick with it. Stay at the top of your game and be patient. Things are beginning to change slowly and it’s important to give a voice to the stories of older women.

You have worked a wide range of roles over the years, and secured some interesting parts, would you say the industry has changed over the years and if so how? 

In a way, I think the industry is much more open now. With the advent of online casting sites and workshops for actors there is much more opportunity to be present, practice your craft and meet casting directors and agents. We are learning to take more care of our health and wellbeing as artists which is hugely important and didn’t exist at all when I was starting out. Social media platforms can offer access to casting information to everyone regardless of training and makes the industry more accessible to those starting out. Casting Directors are now more accessible too. Back in the day, there was the idea that they were gatekeepers in ivory towers but that is changing too now. This is not an easy profession for sure, but if you run yourself like a business, stay in touch with what is going on, and take action to promote yourself, it is not impossible to create a career. Staying positive and having an interest outside of the business is essential. Purely defining yourself through acting is not healthy or helpful. Finally, stick with it. This has always been the case and always will be so get ready for the long haul. Enjoy it and if you stop doing so, get out and do something else. The going can get tough so you need to love what you are doing.

Your new book Opening Doors for Working Class Actors touches on your own journey but also looks at alternative paths to entry into the industry, what was the impetus for you writing the book, and what is your plan for the future? 

The book came out of the lockdown and the online workshops I attended during that time. Casting directors and agents were really open and helpful and I noticed a lot of the same questions coming through time after time about headshots, showreels, self-tapes, etc and I thought, why not put all this together in one place for those starting out? Although the title aims the book at working-class actors it is in fact for anyone who wants to enter the industry and doesn’t necessarily have the financial resources to go to a traditional drama school. The idea for it, going forward, is that it will be updated on an annual basis with new courses, workshops, and information. I am in contact with organizations throughout the UK with the intention of keeping the book relevant and useful.

Is there a role in film/TV/theater you would love to tackle as an actress?  Is there a particular genre you would like to enter into from a purely acting stance?  

I can’t say that there is a particular role I am desperate to play but I would like to be seen as a vital part of the stories and representation of older women in theatre and television. There is a wealth of untapped experience to draw from here and I would very much like to be part of that narrative.

To learn more about Patrica Jones or to purchase her book see:

Patricia Jones Twitter.

Patricia Jones Spotlight.

Patrica Jones Management team.

“Opening Doors For Working Class Actors" Amazon UK.”

Talking Acting, Filmmaking, and Storytelling with Kate Perry

Having caught Kate Perry’s fantastic character-based showreel on her Twitter account, we couldn’t resist reaching out to talk and getting a little more insight into the woman behind the video and talking about acting, filmmaking, and storytelling with such a talented performer.

Could you introduce yourself to our audience and give us a little background on your work? 

Hello, I’m Kate Perry from Derry, an actor/writer/sketch comedian from Northern Ireland. My passion for storytelling began at ten years old, watching Westerns in a town called Dungannon. I’m from a family of twelve children so my elder brothers would take the younger ones to ‘the pictures’ on Saturday mornings to give my mother and the neighbors a break. That’s where I fell in love with storytelling, westerns, and cinema. I loved the genre for blending the comical and serious, farcical and cerebral, highbrow and lowbrow. I believe these elements have influenced my style of writing ever since. 

I have written one-woman shows, sketches, radio plays, and short films. I live in London now but prior to that, I spent time in South Africa, the US, and Ireland. 

You have been sharing your showreel via Twitter, which includes a series of comedic characters, can you tell us more about this and if there is a plan to expand on the concept? 

I began my writing and performing character comedy while living in San Francisco doing spots in the evening at a club called The Marsh. I had a full-time job at the time as an events manager so never thought of making the commitment of moving into the arts full-time. However, due to the encouragement of friends and co-workers, I developed the characters which eventually turned the 10 mins spots into a one-hour one-woman show. I toured the show in Ireland to critical acclaim, came back to the US, quit my job, and returned to Ireland to live in Dublin. I continued acting and writing and wrote a sketch show called Do Not Adjust Yourself for the Dublin Fringe Festival which led to writing opportunities at BBC NI, which led to commissions for BBC Radio 4 and RTE Radio 1. I also went to college for the first time in my 40s and did an MPhil in creative writing at Trinity College and then a master’s degree in screenwriting at the Institute of Arts Design and Technology in Dun Laoghaire. I moved to London in 2011, kept performing, and eventually took The Very Perry show to the Edinburgh Fringe. On the back of that, I was invited to the San Francisco Theatre Festival and The United Theatre Solo Festival in New York, where The Very Perry Show won the best comedy award. I have been working on other projects ever since but now I'm back writing new material and developing other comedy characters.

You have a short film currently doing the festival circuit and winning awards, what can you tell us about the project and how it came about? 

I was originally commissioned by BBC Radio 4 to write a fictional short story for a series called Under My Bed with the remit of exploring memories and stories of what characters might have found stashed away in the dark. I called it Ruthless. 

I came up with the idea of a ten-year-old boy who finds a prosthetic leg under the bed and how he uses it as currency to get something he desperately wants, which is the latest T. Rex album, Electric Warrior. He has also recently lost his mother, his father has shut down emotionally and they are stuck in a mire of grief. The problem is that PJ is skint and his Da is on the dole so PJ comes up with a cunning plan to get the dough, involving a pawnbroker, a sock, and a prosthetic leg.

I wanted to explore that sense of loss lifted with moments of comedy and lightness using the backdrop of the troubles and the glam rock movement happening in Northern Ireland. In Belfast, in the early 70s something was in the air and it wasn’t a bomb, it was a revolution. Glam Rock was drowning out the noise of armored cars and as British soldiers patrolled the streets, kids were glued to Top Of The Pops, entranced by Marc Bolan, the androgynous, satin-clad, glitter-god. 

In a nutshell, the prosthetic leg and a T. Rex album become the conduit for overcoming grief. After I wrote the radio play I knew it would make a good film so I adapted the story to a screenplay and applied for funding through Northern Ireland Screen. Luckily they liked the script, I found a producer and we shot the film in Belfast in 2019. Ruthless is currently on the film festival circuit and has won 5 awards so far and been nominated for six so I’m over the moon for team Ruthless. 

Is there a particular role or project that you are working on at the moment you can tell us about and is there a particular role you would love to be cast in?  

I am currently writing a children’s book called Saucepan Eddie. Hard to talk about as it’s in the early developmental stage so not sure where it is going….but it’s going somewhere. 

As for a role I’d like to be in, I was cast as one of the Yoga Mums in season two of Ted Lasso and would happily jump into that lycra again!

To learn more about Kate Perry and her work see:

Kate Perry Twitter

Kate Perry Youtube.

Kate Perry Website.