Casting director stresses industry connections

African Americans in Communications, Media, and Entertainment is
a UCLA organization for anyone interested in going into the
entertainment business. It provides internships, workshops, and in
the case of last Thursday night, a group discussion with casting
director Felicia Fasano (MTV’s “The Real World”
series, “Barbershop” and “Training
Day”).

Though there was some confusion as to its whereabouts, the
lounge in Delta Terrace B3 was a suitable setting for an intimate,
in-depth discussion. The dialogue between Fasano and the discussion
participants resembled more of a conversation among friends than a
speaker presentation. There was no hesitation on anyone’s
part to pass the chips and soda.

In the first half of the discussion, Fasano described her
professional background and how her connections with actors enabled
her to become a casting director. As the discussion shifted to
question and answer, the mood became more informal due in part to
Fasano’s directness and down-to-earth attitude.

Much of the discussion centered around what a casting director
does, which is to advise, rather than dictate to the director which
actors to cast. She talked about etiquette and the casting
director’s role during the casting tug of war that goes on
between a director and a producer.

“I’m going to give (the directors) what their vision
is,” Fasano said. “I want to be the person that is
their ally because mostly the producers don’t feel the same
way.”

In trying to give directors what they want, Fasano looks for the
whole package in actors, which includes their past work, the
strength of their readings, as well as their appearances. Fasano
described the big difference between someone who has
“IT” and someone who doesn’t.

“You really do see people grow, and I’ve seen it
where a person all of a sudden becomes confident, and they become a
different person,” Fasano said.

Fasano also had advice for student film-makers. She expressed
the importance of getting internships and watching student films as
a good way of finding new talent. She also suggested strategies to
help first-time directors get high-end actors, which would help
students in the process of making their thesis films.

“I think a really good thing to do would be to look at
movies that you like and then see who was the assistant to it and
then call up their office,” Fasano said.

The major thing that Fasano stressed was the personal nature of
the entertainment business. Her advice was to focus on the bonds
made inside the industry between people as the bedrock of any type
of success in the entertainment business.

“The one thing that I can’t stress enough is your
relationship,