Even though David agreed to sit for the auditions, he couldn't stop feeling stressed. Despite his age, he is fully aware of his lack of experience in this field when compared to the others. The pressure of joining people who had done this job for years bothered him immensely. Even on the audition day, on his way, Ivy called to encourage him, yet anxiety never let him be at ease.
Arriving at the place, he got greeted by the casting director, a tall black woman, commanding in her presence and appeared bright that David panicked more. She did welcome him with respect and guided him to the room where the auditions will take place shortly.
David stayed mute for the first few performances and did not participate in giving his remarks outwardly. Nevertheless, the casting director stayed active to watch every audition and tape it properly for reference. She did the honors of maintaining social communication with the candidates energetically. All of her demeanors only made David lose his confidence. Nonetheless, he lost his tension eventually as he saw these enthusiastic actors did their best to impersonate the character he developed fondly. Their aspiring performances destroyed his fear, and little by little, he began to open his mouth and say his honest comments.
The audition lasted for three days, and with the help of the casting director, David and she was able to settle with their picks.
David felt proud of his work and couldn't wait to show his choosing to Ivy.
****
Parker kept himself busy in forming a camera crew for the movie. He picked his assistants with care and held several meetings over the week to discuss their project. He assigned each of their responsibilities and firmly communicated with them to his interest. Finally, a chance for him to own his role with pride and love, and Parker could hardly wait until the shooting began.
Mr. Finn introduced Bethany to her team of qualified technicians who could assist her and also the sound crew with whom most of her work would go hand in hand.
Without Bethany or Parker, Ivy stayed in her office, going through the footage of auditions that David and the casting director finalized. She took the room that had the projector to watch the performance on the big screen. A copy of the script is also by her side for reference. She often pauses the video to verify the detail with the writing.
David stayed in the living room, idling till Ivy finishes and validate his hard work.
Every actor played the given role with grace and care. Almost every chosen candidate moved Ivy on sight. Every character except the female lead, which Ivy saved it for last. She approved David's pick so far and dived right into the main protagonist, which is the female lead.
A grasping performance with sharp dialog delivery- Ivy thought as she watched the tape.
It was a neat audition with everything delivered spot-on as required, yet Ivy kept a muddled face. She found the actor's headshot to read her profile.
The young woman appears to be a working model- Ivy saw first and went on to read the rest.
Her face went through a transformation. Frankly, the girl looked beautiful and portrayed a decent version of the main protagonist. However, it didn't seem to impress Ivy, for she anticipated for that extra magic.
The movie's main lead is the female protagonist. Aside from the striking appeal, Ivy expected for an enchanting performance that hits just as her beauty.
Ignoring the worry, Ivy watched the clip again and did not get gripped.
'Everything is good, but why does it feel as if something is missing!' - she thought.
Several minutes passed, and Ivy had already repeated the clip over dozens of times and still manage to get the feeling that the performance lacked a unique charm.
No matter how many times she repeated the tape, it was the same performance, direct to the point and decent to satisfy the needs.
Not entirely pleased with the situation, Ivy stormed out of the room to call David and ask for the other girls who auditioned for the female lead part.
Startled David, heard her say and panicked to ask for the reason.
Ivy admitted about the worry she faced with the main protagonist.
"You don't like her?" David asked concernedly.
Ivy agreed to her troubled mind.
Everything was going smoothly until this happens, and since it happens to be the leading role, Ivy appeared more agitated.
"David, call the casting director and ask her to email me the files as soon as possible."
Ivy said to return to her room again.
Before shutting the door harshly, she paused to praise David's picks so far.
"David, I do like that girl's performance, but I'm looking for something else- something that could impress me on sight like how the others did," Ivy said. She tried to express her honest opinion.
David, at first, from hearing Ivy ask for other audition tapes, appeared downcast, but listening to her compliment him, restored the calm exterior.
"Let me check the others and see if I could find someone better-" Ivy said.
"The girl I picked is already the best choice," David spoke sulking.
"I can see that positively, but- something- I am expecting something more gripping than a clean, standard performance."
David couldn't argue against that and did as she requested. He called the bright casting director and passed on the information. The lady did not hesitate for a second and agreed to share the files. Before cutting the call, she did enquire to ask for the reason. David explained it to her satisfaction and ended their conversation.