A comedy about success, actors and castings.
Logline: After the assassination of his mentor, a very temperamental and odd casting director must take over her task of casting a progressive adaptation of Cyrano. As the police investigate the murder, he decides to uncover the murderer in his casting calls, by giving actors surprising notes.
Genre: murder mystery, dark comedy
Universal themes
Concept
The movie is only made of casting takes edited together. Hence, you will never see the main character’s face, you will only hear him or see his shadows when he gives notes.
Each actor’s tape has its own universe : colors, framing, ...
“Character? You’re the same guy that walks in. Maybe an actor. Maybe a murderer.”
- Clément
Character breakdown
Main characters only.
Clément
Clément, early 30s, casting director. Hot tempered, committed but immoral, he won’t let anything go before he reaches his objectives. When Charlotte Mellis goes missing, the producer calls him to take over the casting of the next progressive Cyrano adaptation. He soon discovers that one of the actors still in the running is the killer and decides to use the casting to uncover the mystery.
Never appears on screen.
Charlotte Mellis
Charlotte Mellis, early 50s, casting director. Very energetic and loud, she started as an actress before moving to coaching actors and casting. Influent in the industry, she started her own casting workshops, where she can spot talents, in exchange for a small fee. She is murdered by one of her students, prompting Clément to start the investigation.
Never appears on screen.
Arthur
Arthur, mid 20s, actor. Funny, witty, he’s Charlotte’s protégé. New to acting, he’s clumsy and sometimes ridiculous, but adapts quickly. He was following Charlotte’s class, but she decided not to cast him when he thought his casting was locked.
Julie
Julie, mid 20s, actress. Academic, she follows every course she can, including Charlotte’s ones. She brought Arthur, her boyfriend to her workshops, and met Etienne and Maria. Obsessed with working and getting better, she saw the opportunity to be the first female Cyrano in a movie and gave it all to get that part. When Arthur got more praise than her, she felt threatened.
Maria
Maria, late 20s, actress, black. She’s a fighter, hot-tempered, funny woman, who often uses one-liner. Her ethnicity has always slowed her down in the opportunities she could get in the movie industry. Charlotte mistreated her, but she never knew if she was racist or just challenging her. Maybe that last time, Charlotte was a little too much...
Etienne
Etienne, early 40s, actor. He’s older than the rest and feels it could be an advantage. Bold, grandiose, strong and muscular, he paid Charlotte to coach him for castings, before engaging in a sexual relationship with her.
Alex
Alex, early 35s, award-winning actor. Condescending but chill, he’s famous and has starred in some of the highest grossing movies. Charlotte discovered him years ago and contributed to his success, but their relationship deteriorated along the years.
© 2022, Rutabaga.