The casting process for my next short film, The Beard, officially kicked off earlier this week. I have always believed casting to be one of the most important and vital stages in the development of a film, in that without the right cast it's near impossible for an audience to connect with the characters and story. My casting and audition process is usually fairly intensive. The casting process for Inside in particular, was extremely intensive and conducted over the span of many months.

The Beard, however, is a different animal. Being a one-man film consisting of no dialogue, I am hopefully for a less intensive casting process that will utilize different techniques and approaches to finding the right talent for the lead role.

Casting calls have been posted through Casting Workbook, Craigslist, Mandy.com and various other sources. Results so far have been few and between, but that is to be expected given the older age range and ethnicity specifics we're looking for. ACTRA Toronto has also been kind enough to assist in providing us with some potential talent for the role. Should any of those talents fit the bill the production will be going Union through the ACTRA TIP program, which will mark my second time working them.

The Beard will be going to camera in December 2010. Rabid Pictures & Fraction Films have secured funding sources through the National Film Board of Canada. Other funding sources are currently pending. The one-sheet for the film can be viewed here.