Elijah...Model - Casting Calls

Elijah...model

Short Film SAG-AFTRA, New Media
Los Angeles
Pays up to: $1,950 / Day
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Project Details

Synopsis

A Model is lured to to an abandoned Barn = Chaos Question: Over the past few years, some of your casting notices mention that u are looking to create an actor/ director duo. Can you explain the focus on that? Answer: When I was in elementary I would write these books & pass them out to teachers and students. These books would be stories featuring the faculty and my fellow classmates as the leads. I would take the personalities of these people and create plots around them. By the time I reached Jr High School I had teachers, Deans, Principals, Guards & bus drivers coming up to me for the next episode of my drama that they were starring in. I'd have like a different episode each week & there was always some type of crazy cliffhanger. What I understand looking back is that I was taking the essence of who these people were...or who I felt they were & infusing them into the storyline. This I believe is a great foundation when creating an actor/director duo. Question: The Deans & Principals were actually reading your material? Answer: Yes! I still remember the imagery of taking one of the chapters to the Deans office & he eagerly accepting it. Today I would probably go to jail for those stories ha ha. I was writing about teachers & Principals being held hostage by students. I had dangerous romances between classmates. There was romances going on between school staff. All kinds of chaos & the fact that I was presenting it around the school would definitely be a problem in this era. But it was a different time where creativity ran free and I am lucky that I was able to express. Question: When did you realize that this skill of writing for people could benefit you in Hollywood? Answer: I studied the things that Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio & Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were doing & saw how a connection like that can lead to a different kind of success. I saw where the union of two entities became a star on its own. The combination of Martin & Leonardo usually means box office or critical gold. Not only are both the director and actor star names, but the two of them doing a movie together is a 'superstar' in itself. Same with Tim and Depp and especially In Jordan & Coogler. If you studied the roll out for Sinners, read comments under the trailers, it was the combination of Michael and Ryan that was driving the interest of the people more than anything else. This speaks to the magic between a director & actor when they are locked in creating amazing work. Question: How has your search for that singular muse played out for you? Answer: Terrible to be honest with you. During awards season, I had the pleasure of sitting at a table with a global megastar actor. An icon. The particular event had a segment honoring Michael and Ryan. The icon could see that I was overjoyed and emotional just being at the event. We started a conversation and he basically told me I wasted my time in the past. That I had dealt with users. People who didn't respect my time. He opened my eyes in a big way. He advised me that if someone is not all the way in, they shouldn't have wasted my time. The conversation hurt me deeply because it made sense and made me rethink a lot of my past entertainment relationships. If they appreciated me designating them as the person to carry my vision..our vision... then they should give it their all or turn me loose. Instead they strung me along, offering scraps of time while looking for an even brighter light. The conversation truly changed my direction in vision AND my quest in finding the perfect match to carry that vision. Question: When he said users, what was he referring to? Answer: When I told him the stories of the people that I have approached about a duo, he asked a lot of questions. Like how locked in were they? How much time did they spend on strategizing their careers with me? How much availability did they have for the overall vision? When I answered the questions he immediately said I wasted my time.

Additional Information: He said I was basically begging actors to be successful. He explained that this generation is filled with people who come to LA hoping for instant success. TikTok, social media, quick type fame. Most don't understand the benefits of strategizing and carving out a legendary career. Most would be content simply being on a TV show here and there or booking a commercial. Im not trying to connect with an actor that wants to just settle for appearances and costars. I am trying to create a global legend. A star so bright that their success can drift off into a ton of opportunity for themselves and others. For instance Ryan Coogler and Michael B Jordan met at Starbucks in Studio City California. From that meeting people have won oscars, Hollywood walks Of Fames have been erected, superstars have been made, people have started full on massive careers...all because two black men met in Studio City. That is powerful for me. I want to find an actor and really explore the limited series platform. I think my writing, vision and style is made for this genre 100 percent. Question: What was the single piece advice from the icon that opened your eyes the most about your journey? He made me realize that I am a DEEP study of this thing called show business and I am reaching out to people who want instant fame and that is not going to work. I am a man who has been studying the art all of of my life. I went to USC, UCLA and New York Film Academy. In elementary I was writing narrative comic books. My junior high experience was all about the arts. I attended many film study courses, subscribed to a multitude of Industry books and podcasts. I ditched most of my high school where I snuck onto sets almost everyday at universal studios and spent nearly three years taking it all in. Not to mention that I bumped elbows with legends and became friends with superstars. Clint Eastwood mentored me at Warner Brothers. On the creative side I have written & directed 49 large shows and several short films. Each of the shows are a huge undertaking with sometimes up to seven different casts in 1 night. I also film two to three short films to tie into the theme of the event. I have auditioned nearly 500 thousand actors in my career. I want to take all of that knowledge and experience and utilize it to create the ultimate global superstar. But the conversation with the icon made me realize not to invest in people who are too busy to strategize their OWN career or show signs or energy that they are not totally in tune with the idea. Q. How are you able to do all these things, face rejection from the people you are trying to illuminate and still have a passion for it so many years later? A. Its all Ive known. I set myself up early to be able to do this journey without help from anyone. I've never asked a single soul for a dime. Never. When I was very young I made financial moves that turned out very well, especially here in California. I bought property that has had great returns. As a young one, I worked huge, high profile jobs where I had to think like an adult earlier than normal. Pay was great for a kid. I've just been extremely blessed. The crazy part is I was just wanna give back. I reach out to my peers in this industry and yell to them that we have to mentor the generation coming up like we were mentored. No one is really interested and I would imagine its due to all the things I have been through in this era trying to illuminate. Social media makes false dreams. As a kid in the 90s we worked hard far our success. I don't think we wanted anything given to us or easy. I think the joy was also in the working A lot of times actors meet me and they 'just want to film'. But if we are planning on taking over a piece of the world, we don't JUST FILM. That could hurt us in the long run. We need to find a voice. Solo voices and as a duo. Tighten it, heighten it and take it to highest of heights...Regardless, I have had a terrific journey thus far...

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