Casting Call for Helpmate PSA
Female to play mother, 20s to 40s.
Female to play Staff member, adult any age.
Male or female child to play son or daughter, 4 to 7 years old.
Location:
Shooting in downtown Asheville, NC.
When is the shoot:
Saturday, August 24th.
Duration of shoot:
6pm to 9:30pm.
Pay:
$150 flat rate, per actor.
Project:
We are casting roles for public service announcement for Helpmate, a non-profit that helps victims of domestic violence.
All roles are non-speaking parts, though we will have the mother record some audio for the sound of a fight that happens off screen. We will also have the child read a voice over. The PSA will depict a mother and child fleeing domestic abuse (none of the scenes involve acting out any physical abuse, it’s all implied.) The mother and child receive help at an emergency shelter and are placed in a new living situation.
How to Audition:
Send a head shot and a short video with your name, email
address, phone number, age and height. The deadline for audition videos in August 3,2024.
For the mother’s role: improvise a scene where a police officer has already handcuffed your abuser and has just asked you what happened. You’re hurting and scared. Dialog doesn’t have to be exactly this, but something along the lines of, “I told my husband that I’d be working late, but when I got home he was furious. He just started hitting me. I thought he was going to kill me. I didn’t know what to do.”
For the staff role: improvise a scene where you are welcoming the mother and child into their new home. This is a happy moment for everyone. The staff member should have a calming presence. Dialog doesn’t have to be
exactly this, but something along the lines of, "Welcome to your new home. There are two bedrooms and one bathroom. If you have any questions, I'm just a phone call away. You'll have one set of keys. If you lose them, let me know, I can get another set made. I'll be by to check on you in a week, okay?"
For the child’s role: (You can talk them through the action) Have them pretend to sleep. Then a loud noise wakes them up. They look around the room in fear. They hear fighting coming from somewhere else in the house and pull a blanket up to their nose so just their eyes are peaking out. They close their eyes tight trying hard not to be afraid. Include a second video of them speaking these lines (you can read them line by line and have them repeat after you.)
Somber tone: "One night I woke up because of loud banging noises. The walls were shaking. Then my room turned blue."
Upbeat, happier tone: "They had a playroom and swings that I could use while Mommy talked to people. They helped her."
We prefer you upload the video to youtube or vimeo as an unlisted or private link and email the link. If you need to email a file as an attachment you can do that as well.
Contact: AngryUnicornEntertainment@gmail.com