Fancasting · 3:48am Sep 20th, 2018
Hey, does anyone know if there's a right way to fan cast? You know, choosing actors/actresses who you wish could play a certain character in a movie or tv show. I'm a little unsure about a few things like should the actor/actress that's being chosen be the one who most resembles the character or has done more movies or something like that? And how do you know if the guy or girl you picked is too old to play a character? Like would someone that's 26 or something be able to play a teenager? Or a thirty-something year old be able to play a twenty-something old character? And what if the character is a certain ethnicity but there aren't many actors from that race that are close to the age or resemble the character much at all? It's really been bugging me and I'm hoping someone can help.
Hmmmmmm...I dunno...
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Then why comment?
That’s a complicated question, entire college-level classes are devoted to it.
But more information is needed first:
Are we talking about a live-action show?
Or are we talking about something animated?
For live-action, characters can typically be cast as teeneagers into their thirties so long as they retain a youthful look, ie no wrinkles, bags under eyes, etc. A good example is Saved by the Bell. Those actors were playing teens into their 30s. Makeup can go a long way towards covering everything from skin discoloration and blemishes to hair loss or hair color loss. They have to have the right voice for it too, no ultra baratones or emphysema voices.
For animated and voice over work, the only limits are how good a vocal range the actor has. You have some voice actors who have low range, you can always tell who they are the instant they speak, those characters are good for filling certain roles that someone would expect that character to fill. Then you have your Frank Walker, Jim Cummings, and Alan Tudyk types, who have insane range and can essentially do just about any voice.
In either case, you want to mix your experienced talent with your inexperienced talent. Experienced talent will know what they can do, won’t hurt themselves on set or strain their voice in a booth. TypicLly you put your experienced people into roles you know they can do. Inexperienced talent gives you the ability to see if there is hidden talent in someone who hasn’t been tapped yet. Typically these characters are put into support or side roles, until such time as the director and writers feel they deserve more screen time.
That is the shortest possible way to explain any of that. Seriously, there are schools that dedicate entire curriculums around this kind of stuff.
I mean a live action series, making a fancast for an animated series of some kind is easy. And I gotta say I'm impressed that the actors in 'Saved by the Bell' and even 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' could play teenagers in their twenties and thirties. I forgot how good those make up guys are
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Xd I dunno