Posts
2013, 02-12:
Report on: “DIVERGENT” --
getting URGENT (to start FILMING in Chicago)!...
Chicago has
been “a-buzz” with news that a book called “DIVERGENT”
would be made into a FILM to
be shot there this April thru July, directed by NEIL BURGER (who previously helmed the films “THE ILLUSIONIST” [2006], his self-written “THE LUCKY ONES” [2008], & Bradley Cooper in “LIMITLESS” [2011; a Review of that can be found at = http://voice-of-film.blogspot.com/2011/03/review-of-film-limitless.html ]…)…
… Here’s some “BACKGROUND”, “FOREground”
& “FUTURE-ground” on the story:
… On May 3, 2011, a hardcover book called
“DIVERGENT”
was released, authored by a woman named VERONICA ROTH, who’d lived most of her life in
Chicago (where the book was “set”)… The
“tagline” of the book was “One choice can TRANSFORM you.”…
… Ms. Roth posted the following [-- with emphasis
added by me --] about
her story (as seen in her web blog at http://www.veronicarothbooks.blogspot.se/ ):
“ … In
Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided
into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—
... CANDOR ( = the HONEST )...
... CANDOR ( = the HONEST )...
... ABNEGATION
( = the SELFLESS )...
... DAUNTLESS ( = the BRAVE )...
... AMITY ( = the PEACEFUL )...
... And ERUDITE ( = the INTELLIGENT )…
“ ... On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the REST of their lives. For Beatrice [Prior], the decision is
between staying with her family and being who she really is— she can't have both. So she makes a choice that SURPRISES everyone, including herself…
” … During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself TRIS and struggles to determine who her FRIENDS really are. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean DEATH…
“ …
And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect
society, she also learns that her secret
might help her SAVE those she
loves… or it might DESTROY her… ”
… Ms. Roth also wrote THIS on her blog site:
“ … Hi. I wrote DIVERGENT and [as
released in 2012, the 2nd book entitled] INSURGENT
(Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins). I'm in the process of writing the
as-yet-untitled third book in
the [trilogy] series (which will be released sometime in Fall 2013)…
“ … Filming
for the Divergent movie will be
happening in the spring-- in Chicago! I am beyond happy that this worked out. I love
Chicago. I've lived here for most of
my life, and the city was obviously a huge inspiration
for the books. I can't really express how cool it is that the city
represented in the movie will be the actual city that I love…
“ … They’re also
reporting that this could create something like 1,000 local jobs and put some money into the Chicago economy, which makes me extra
happy.”
… In time, it was confirmed that the lead
role of “TRIS” would be played by SHAILENE WOODLEY,
a beautiful 21-year-old actress (pictured below) who was nominated for a Golden Globe [as Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture] for
her role as George Clooney’s oldest daughter in the 2011 film “THE
DESCENDANTS” (a REVIEW of which can be found at this link = http://voice-of-film.blogspot.com/2011/11/review-of-film-descendants-info-on-what.html )...
… Ms Roth
made these comments about the situation [again, with emphasis by me]:
“ … Tris
does not look like an action
hero-- she looks like a slight
person with youthful, delicate
features, someone who shocks you with how strong and capable
she becomes…
“ … To me, that is exactly the look SHAILENE has, exactly the look
I've always had in my mind.
From what I've seen, I'm confident she will be able to capture Tris's
particular mixture of vulnerability
and strength, and that surprising
moment when a seemingly unremarkable
girl from Abnegation transforms into
a powerful
yet flawed young woman… “
... It's been stated that KATE WINSLET has been confirmed for some as-yet-undetailed major role in the movie (tho it's been rumored it might be as Natalie Prior, mother of Tris & Caleb)...
... Kate had massive fame in 1997's mega-blockbuster "TITANIC"... She was seen as April Wheeler in 2008's "REVOLUTIONARY ROAD" (a mini review of which can be seen at = http://voice-of-film.blogspot.com/2011/02/review-of-film-revolutionary-road.html )...
... And, she was Dr. Erin Mears in 2011's "CONTAGION" (a review of which can be seen at = http://voice-of-film.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-of-film-contagion-with-matt.html )...
… As I
write this, it’s rumored that LUKE KLEINTANK may play
the role of Tris’ exceptionally intelligent older brother CALEB who at one
point is in the ERUDITE faction…
… Luke started acting
at age 5, & has been in 17 episodes of “THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS” as Noah
Newman in 2010-11, 7 episodes of “GOSSIP GIRL” as Elliot Leichter in 2010-11, in 8 episodes of “NO ORDINARY
FAMILY” as Chris Minor in 2011, & currently in 6 “BONES”
episodes as Finn Abernathy in 2011-13…
... At this point, I haven’t seen anything “concrete” about the casting of another main book character called TOBIAS "FOUR" EATON – a tall originally-“ABNEGATION” person 2 years older than Tris who has deep blue eyes, short dark hair, & who’s important because he becomes her instructor + (here’s a ”shock”:) LOVE interest…
… Speaking of “gossip”, that & current “NEWS” can be seen about the subject of “DIVERGENT” at the website of: http://www.divergentfans.com/ …
... On that website, First Jumper reported in late January (as seen at http://www.divergentfans.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=casting+rumor ) that a You Tube video had been seen wherein CHANDLER MASSEY had auditioned for the "DIVERGENT" role of blonde-haired WILL (who's a good friend of Tris)...
... Chandler was born 09-10-90 in Atlanta. After doing numerous Drama Club roles in high school there, he started college at UCLA...
... While in Los Angeles, he performed in various TV roles (including "ONE TREE HILL" in 2009), & was promptly hired to play the role of Will Horton in more than 350 episodes of NBC's soap opera "DAYS OF OUR LIVES" from 2010 into 2013...
... Playing that character garnered him a 2011 EMMY nomination as Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series... While he didn't win that, he DID win that same category in 2012...
... He played the role of Farrell Gambles in the 2012 film "16-LOVE", & portrays Angelo in "JESUS IN COWBOY BOOTS" scheduled for a 2013 release...
* - - - - - - - - - - - *
As time went on, ATMOSPHERE CASTING ( https://www.facebook.com/AtmosphereCasting?fref=ts ) was
assigned as the operation that would be in charge of handling EXTRAS
casting for the “DIVERGENT”
movie being filmed around the Chicago area…
… Due to the crush of interest & attendant questions, ATMOSPHERE found it necessary to state the following in part
when eventually announcing a planned February 11 open “CASTING CALL”
for the film (with the emphasis below
being mine):
“ … We do not make the rules.
We are employees of this
production. If they say ‘ILLINOIS residents only [can
be hired as extras]’, then we can only use IL residents… [They have come to this State in part
because of tax CREDITS
the State offers productions for hiring its residents.]…
“ … Do WE as a casting company WANT to exclude anyone? NO we don't...it limits our choices and excludes [some] people that we like working with....but guess what...we have no choice.
“ … Also you really all should be aware of the content of this film. There are MULTITUDES of webpages out there devoted to the book series this is based on. If you are really interested in working on this...be a little pro-active and research WHAT this project is. It[’]s set in the future, in a decimated, limited resource society. Everyone that works as an extra will have to be dressed in COSTUME. Dressing all the extras in costumes again limits our casting choices, because the people we cast have to fit the clothes… ”
“ … Do WE as a casting company WANT to exclude anyone? NO we don't...it limits our choices and excludes [some] people that we like working with....but guess what...we have no choice.
“ … Also you really all should be aware of the content of this film. There are MULTITUDES of webpages out there devoted to the book series this is based on. If you are really interested in working on this...be a little pro-active and research WHAT this project is. It[’]s set in the future, in a decimated, limited resource society. Everyone that works as an extra will have to be dressed in COSTUME. Dressing all the extras in costumes again limits our casting choices, because the people we cast have to fit the clothes… ”
“ ... Primarily we are looking for NEW people at the CASTING CALL…
“
… If you're registered and haven't
worked recently or only worked sporadically or we haven't
personally met you...it would be in your
best interest to attend so
that we can see you in person…
“ … If you have worked with us a lot and we know who you are, we probably already have you in mind for something if it fits. You do not need to attend…
“ … If you specifically fit one of the categories that we are looking for, you should ATTEND the CASTING CALL, regardless of whether we know you or not… ”
“ … If you have worked with us a lot and we know who you are, we probably already have you in mind for something if it fits. You do not need to attend…
“ … If you specifically fit one of the categories that we are looking for, you should ATTEND the CASTING CALL, regardless of whether we know you or not… ”
“
… I will say this for now [on 01-16-13] though, the majority
of the extras in this film will be between 18-24,
thin, athletic, mixed ethnicity but mostly Caucasian… ”
“
... We are looking for ALL TYPES,
ALL AGES (16+ only), ALL ETHNICITY
in addition to the specific things
we listed [below as to the Categories]...
“ ... The
open call will be held [on] Saturday, February 9, 2013 from 10:00AM
to 3:00PM at CINESPACE – Chicago Film Studios.
CINESPACE - Chicago Film Studios
2602 W. 16TH Street, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60608
“ Atmosphere Casting will be LOOKING for the following:
● People with a “rural” farm hand look
● People with military, weapons or martial arts training
● People with stunt and/or stage combat training
● People with a “hippie” or Bohemian look. Longer hair preferred (both men and women)
● People with visible tattoos and/or piercings
● Ages 16 and up, all ethnicities
“ Plenty of free parking [is] located in the lot across the street from CINESPACE – Chicago Film Studios.
“ While photos will be taken of everyone who attends the open casting call, participants are asked to also bring a candid photo of themselves, approximately 4x6 in size, and be sure to legibly print their name, phone number and email address on the back it.
“ Only ILLINOIS residents are eligible to participate in the open casting call. Please bring your Illinois issued driver's license or state ID. School IDs are not sufficient. This will be checked before entering the casting call… ”
CINESPACE - Chicago Film Studios
2602 W. 16TH Street, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60608
“ Atmosphere Casting will be LOOKING for the following:
● People with a “rural” farm hand look
● People with military, weapons or martial arts training
● People with stunt and/or stage combat training
● People with a “hippie” or Bohemian look. Longer hair preferred (both men and women)
● People with visible tattoos and/or piercings
● Ages 16 and up, all ethnicities
“ Plenty of free parking [is] located in the lot across the street from CINESPACE – Chicago Film Studios.
“ While photos will be taken of everyone who attends the open casting call, participants are asked to also bring a candid photo of themselves, approximately 4x6 in size, and be sure to legibly print their name, phone number and email address on the back it.
“ Only ILLINOIS residents are eligible to participate in the open casting call. Please bring your Illinois issued driver's license or state ID. School IDs are not sufficient. This will be checked before entering the casting call… ”
* - - - - - - - - - - - *
… A number of people I know -- some of whom have WORKED for ATMOSPHERE in the past – decided to attend the Casting Call, in part so they would
be less likely to possibly be “OVERLOOKED”
in the expected crush of their seeing a bunch of “NEW” faces…
… Because of the very strong online interest
shown in the Casting Call, I & others expected they’d open up the Casting
Call EARLY
(& probably also stay somewhat later than listed) to try to
effectively handle the throng
of likely attendees…
… Here’s my REPORT on the Casting Call:
… After some recent snow, the February 11th
day dawned partly SUNNY & without precipitation… But, it was very COLD, around 28o
F., & periodically windy…
…
I’d “planned
ahead”, being bundled in some thermal clothes (which turned
out to be very WISE, as some people— like the man directly ahead of me in line — didn’t even wear any CAP to
cover their soon-frozen ears &
the like)…
... I
went there with my longtime friend ED BUCHALO.
He’s been doing “Background” (extra) acting since the TV show “EARLY
EDITION” which filmed in Chicago from 1996-2000 (& he acted as a stand-in for Tim Kazurinski
in that)…
… Plus, he worked on the films “ROAD
TO PERDITION” in 2001, Altman’s “THE COMPANY” in 2002, “OCEANS
12” in 2004, “THE
DARK KNIGHT” which filmed in 2008, & “TRANSFORMERS 3” in 2009… He also worked with me in “CONTAGION” filmed in 2010, + on the Indian feature film “DHOOM
3” filmed in the Chicago area last summer…
… Ed (seen in the middle of the photo below, looking at the camera) &
I arrived for the day’s Casting
Call around 8:52 am, & found there were already 100+ people in line (as you can see in the PHOTO above) for the 10 am start of the sign-up & PHOTO-TAKING...
… People busied themselves by talking and “networking” as they stood in
line… (Below, you can see the people AHEAD
of us in the line…)
… Security let us inside the CineSpace building in groups of like 25 at a time… As Atmosphere had “cautioned”, there was a man at the entrance to the 2nd floor large room who wouldn’t allow you to enter the room until you showed some STATE-issued I.D. from Illinois…
… Two ladies sat at a table just inside
the door, & handed everyone a packet of PAPERS: a numbered “Registration” form, which they said needed to be used
to “match-up” with the numbered PHOTOS they’d be taking
of everyone… And, some info about
the upcoming “DIVERGENT” production,
with helpful background-acting terminology, etc….
… Atmosphere
had done a fine job of “PREPARING” for the
attendees: one small section was set-off
for people with some “MILITARY”
background, plus a large “main” area…
… Both areas had a number of TABLES, with pens to help people fill-out the Registration forms…
At times, Atmosphere’s JON KINNAS (seen at the center of the photos, including over the
right shoulder of a man in the top one below) gave some general “EXPLANATIONS”
to people about how to complete the
forms & where to “line-up”
afterwards & all…
… One small
line for those who’d completed the
Registration form was for people with a “military”
background (which they were especially interested in having due to the nature of the story), & a much larger line for “everyone ELSE”…
… The line moved forward quickly, as 3 ladies were set up at a table
at the head of the line to GATHER the
Registration forms… Altho one sign said
“Female”, that lady helped ANY
gender that came up next in line, as long as she was free…
… As some still worked to fill-out their forms at tables (as seen below), the ladies very efficiently not only took the completed Registration forms, but they also stapled
together any SUPPORTING additional documentation an attendee
provided (such as personal PHOTOS
brought in, any expanded
Registration info, etc.)…
… We were then directed to the rear of the room where PHOTOS were being shot...
... Two young men (including BILLY SURGES, seen below on the right) were taking special PHOTOS to go with the Registration forms that had been turned-in…
... Two young men (including BILLY SURGES, seen below on the right) were taking special PHOTOS to go with the Registration forms that had been turned-in…
… They had a white board they filled-in with the NUMBERS assigned to each
attendee when they entered, which they had each person HOLD-UP beside them as they planned for the PHOTOS they wanted to take…
… The guys seemed to work to sort of “MATCH” people to an “idea” they’d
gotten of “where” a person
might “FIT-IN” to certain elements (roles) they knew the production
was “LOOKING”
for in some way:
… With me, they wanted separate shots both with & without wearing eyeglasses. The sort of curly-haired young man working with me asked for poses of me both smiling & (for some reason or “character”) with my putting on what he requested as a "DOWNTRODDEN" / sad look (possibly seeing me as a "RURAL person"?...)... Thus, there was a total of 4 photos taken of me (& seemingly everyone)…
… My friend ED was registered as # 130
for their photos. He was asked to
pose with & without his thin
glasses, & the photographer said he sort of looked like he could be a
"SCIENTIST"
with them... (I don't know if they were searching for certain "looks"
for character "groups"... )
... After the photos were taken, before leaving the building, we went down to the Rest Room area… There, I chanced to meet a lady who immediately said she’d recognized me from working together on a bitterly cold October 7, 2012 overnite film-shoot for the Indian film "DHOOM 3" at NAVY PIER...
… The world of doing “Background” film work can be sort of a “”COMMUNITY”: Near the Restrooms, I also was greeted by my friend LISA WUNDER... We’d worked together on that same Navy Pier shoot, plus on September 5th for “CHICAGO FIRE” episode 5 (”Hanging On’), and on September 27 for the indie film “WARREN” (where we & other acting friends had a fine time together)…
... After the photos were taken, before leaving the building, we went down to the Rest Room area… There, I chanced to meet a lady who immediately said she’d recognized me from working together on a bitterly cold October 7, 2012 overnite film-shoot for the Indian film "DHOOM 3" at NAVY PIER...
… The world of doing “Background” film work can be sort of a “”COMMUNITY”: Near the Restrooms, I also was greeted by my friend LISA WUNDER... We’d worked together on that same Navy Pier shoot, plus on September 5th for “CHICAGO FIRE” episode 5 (”Hanging On’), and on September 27 for the indie film “WARREN” (where we & other acting friends had a fine time together)…
… She related how she was one of the 1st
people who’d been in line waiting for like 2
hours to get in!... As she put it, it
was “FREEZING COLD!!”,
and “My hands are still
freezing and my feet barely warming up... ”
… Lisa told me that, once inside, she’d told them how she had a “military” background
they were “looking” for-- but,
they’d DECLINED to put her in
the “military” line or to give her any
of the “colored” STARS which seemingly designated such people on the Registration forms… She commented, “I think they
were looking for under 30 …for this type of--” role…
… At one point, Lisa kindly accepted my request
to pose for a PHOTO of her
& Ed (as shown below)…
... When I told
her what kind of special “candid” PHOTOS
the hired guys had taken of me inside, she said, she ALSO had been asked to use a “DOWNTRODDEN”
/ sad“ type pose-- again,
with no explanation from the
photographer of “why”!...
… Since I was about to go back outside
into the cold, I put on my cold-air face mask to get ready to leave the place and walked towards the
front door on the entrance level to the building…
… Once there, I was immediately "recognized"
& greeted by my co-actor friend FRANK GAGLIARDO, who
was waiting at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor, prepared to
go upstairs to the Registration area…
… Frank has been a periodic “background” actor since way back in 1992. We’ve worked together on the indie “CTRL
+ LIFE + DELETE” (on June 4), various segments of “DHOOM 3” (including October
24 at the Shedd Aquarium), “THE ONION: DR. GOOD” episodes (Nov.
5), & “CHICAGO FIRE” Episode 17 “Better To Lie” (Feb. 11)…
… I also was greeted by OTHER acting friends who were
there WITH Frank: OTIS BREWER III,
Niko D'AnTe Miller, & CLAY REEVES
(all of whom worked with me on the afore-mentioned “WARREN” indie film, + they were in various
segments of “DHOOM 3”)...
(… In addition, I also worked with OTIS on “The MOB DOCTOR”
episode 8 “Game Changers” on
October 19, + in “THE ONION: DR. GOOD” episodes on November 5)…
… I shot a PHOTO
of the group (shown below) of the actor friends in the lower hallway at the Casting
Call, namely, (left-to-right below), of Frank, Otis, Niko & Clay…
… In the hallway, they talked about how COLD it had been waiting in line
for like 1.25 hours or so. When asked, I told what they could “expect”
at the upstairs Registration,
including how unusually EFFICIENT & smoothly things had gone there…
… Later, Frank reported he’d been Photo # 296 in the Registration process-- & how things had indeed gone efficiently
& all… He said, they were not interested in the fact he
-- quite some time back -- had had a MILITARY background…
… They’d also done a series of PHOTOS of him, tho things were “UNCLEAR” re what they were trying to “GET” with them by the “poses”
they’d requested…
... About a 1/2 hour after Ed & I had LEFT
the Casting Call, I was called by COOKIE
SANTUCCI who was still outside
in the Casting Call line... (We’d worked
together on December 4th in the “Warm & Dead” episode 13 of “CHICAGO
FIRE”…)
… Cookie reported that she'd had to wait like 1.5
hours to get inside the Casting Call, & eventually was given a
photo Registration number like 960... She agreed, it was a capably–run process once upstairs-- tho she also couldn’t understand the “WHY”
of the specific PHOTOS that were
taken of her, as the “choice” of poses seemed very “arbitrary” to our “outside” view…
… Late that nite, I got a call from my friend SHARON KLABER. She said, she'd
arrived at the Casting Call shortly before the 3 pm scheduled
"CUT-OFF" time-- & they initially tried to STOP
her & others in her group from going upstairs to the Registration area!...
... Like others there in line, she complained that she'd arrived BEFORE the "stop time” listed, plus had taken a CAB to get there! After that complaint by her & others, they finally allowed her & her "group" to go upstairs & SIGN-UP (with her being photo Registration # 1469)!...
... She reported to me that one of the ladies at the Registration table for some reason put 2 colored STARS on her form...
... When she got to the Photo-taking section, she was asked to pose as a "poor tired FARMER" & then as a "drunk HIPPIE", including poses with her SCARVES on, and eyeglasses both on and off... She also was asked if she'd be willing to dye her hair, & asked to please NOT CUT her hair at this point...
… ATMOSPHERE CASTING (which ran
the Casting Call) eventually reported that, tho they’d expected & hoped for like 1200 people, there
were more than 1500 people who’d showed-up at the Casting Call
(which means they handled like 300 per hour
re filling-out forms & having new PHOTOS
taken)...
… There’s a lot of “disagreements” & “RUMORS” being bandied about re the Call for the “DIVERGENT” film (which is seemingly called “DVR Productions”):
… There’s a lot of “disagreements” & “RUMORS” being bandied about re the Call for the “DIVERGENT” film (which is seemingly called “DVR Productions”):
… A bunch of differing opinions can be read on-line about what it “means”
to have received -- or NOT
received – a certain colored “STAR”
on their Registration form, what the photos
taken “MEAN” or are likely to mean, etc…
… In chapter 3 of Veronica Roth’s “DIVERGENT”
book, it says, “The truth has
a way of CHANGING people’s plans…”
“ … For my picture they asked for an "adorable" pose in addition to a regular one[,] so I think it had to do something with [my being scheduled for the] Amity [faction]…”
… I’d offer the “tip” that it’s TOO EARLY
in the process to be very “sure”
about much of ANYTHING: Let’s hope
that ALL get some worthwhile WORK out of the
Casting process…
… But, at this
stage, the photo-takers and “STAR-givers”
& the like are not the
people who’ll be making FINAL DECISIONS
about specific CASTING choices & actions!…
… You’re free to “dream” & “suppose”
about the upcoming filming-- but, best
to be PATIENT & WAIT for more concrete “SPECIFICS” about
what’s wanted & planned… And, be prepared for regular (& likely last-minute) “CHANGES” here
& there!...
… It’s quite possible I’ll be offering some “UPDATES” in the future about the process
proceeding re the filming of “DIVERGENT”…
… And then, possibly, there may even be
coverage on the filming of the SECOND
book in the series, “INSURGENT” (whose tagline is “One choice can DESTROY you…)”…
… Be “PREPARED” for almost anything, Folks!...
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