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Karen Kondazian's The Actor's Way SHAPING DESTINY Casting Directors
Donald Paul Pemrick and Dean E. Fronk encourage
actors to open their own doors. Donald ----Pemrick: I was born in upstate New York and was raised to be a doctor. I was also a secret movie fanatic. I never thought of film as a career, since Hollywood was 100,000 miles away. I got my degree, which everyone should do… BSW/D-L:Why do you thinks so? Pemrick:I think it makes you a more well-rounded person. It allows you to know about things other than the industry. BSW/D-L: Do you think actors should get their degrees even though it takes four years of their youth? Pemrick: Yes. And I think you can pursue both simultaneously. We just completed casting a movie called Monsters for which we were looking at 17-, 18-, and 19-year-olds for the leads. A lot of them are in school and have to go home to study. And look at all of the people who were child stars who took time to get their degrees: Fred Savage, Jodie Foster, Brooke Shields. I think it's really important. Anyway, when I graduated, I decided to take six months off to figure out what I wanted to do. I came to LA and knocked on some doors but I had no clue as to what I might do here. I got a job in the mailroom at Marble Arch Productions, and very quickly learned how to sneak onto movie lots. Of course, security is tighter now. But one day I ended up on the CBS Radford lot, at Marble Arch, in front of the receptionist's face on the day that there happened to be a job available. Casting came very quickly after that. I was drawn to casting from the get-go. There was always something going on there. It seemed like the hub of things to me. One day I started chatting with a publicist who was there for a meeting. He asked me what I did and out nowhere I said "casting." He told me that his next picture was Annie, and that he'd throw my hat into the ring. I never thought anything would come of it, but a week later I got a call from Ray Stark's office. They met with me and offered me the job of assisting on Annie. I started the next week. I had to learn everything very quickly. It was sink or swim. And so much happened during the nine-month search for that little girl. We did a national search, so I had to go around with that huge stuffed dog, Sandy. He had his own seat on the plane. I'm not kidding. And the mothers would track me down. The ultimate story was in Texas, I had 2,000 girls lined up and there was a little boy in line. I went up to the mother and said, "Excuse me, we're only casting Annie right now." And the mother said, " He can play a girl!" It was frightening. It was a real learning experience. I was only 22, but I've been doing this for 19 years and I love it as much now as I did then. After Annie, I went to Barbara Claman and Mark Schwartz, and learned about day-to-day casting and television. I was with them and then on my own at Universal where I did the series Charles in Charge and the pilot for The Equalizer. I left LA in 1988, just to feel out New York, and I partnered with Deborah Aquila for two years. We were at NBC and it was a blast. We did a ton of NBC shows and the Cy Coleman Broadway show Welcome to the Club. I loved it, but I kept being drawn back to features. I was brought back to LA by IRS Media. They wanted a non-exclusive in-house casting director. So in 1989, I came back to LA. And that's when I met Dean. BSW/D-L: Before you tell me about how the two of you got together, tell me about your background Dean. Dean E. Fronk:Mine's much shorter because I've only been out of college for five years. I grew up in Ohio. My first job when I got out here was with Gary Marsh at Breakdown Services. Breakdown is about as excellent a job as you can possibly get to start off because you meet everyone. I was fortunate to meet a ton of producers and casting directors while working there. And by covering all the different casting directors, I witnessed a vast variety of temperaments and saw how certain offices handle different things. I was also fortunate enough to be able to meet with several casting directors and learn about the process. Don was, more than anyone else, incredibly giving in terms of providing knowledge and information. Then one day I got an offer from him to come to IRS Media in casting. Pemrick:My assistant left because he had been offered a great opportunity and I had two films to complete. What had impressed me about Dean was that I had been raised with the belief that you have to make your own things happen. You've got to get out and make your career happen, whether you're behind the camera or in front of it. And Dean was doing that. Even down to the tie. You know, for the first five months I was out here. I used to be kidded all the time for delivering the mail wearing a coat and tie. But to this day, I know for a fact that the only reason that Annie publicist spoke to me was because he thought I was there for a more important job, because I was wearing a coat and tie. Dean was the same. He always came in wearing a tie. It could have been 90 degrees out. BSW/D-L::How did you become partners? Pemrick:He was one of the only people who could read my handwriting. Fronk:He's a much more creative individual, whereas I'm more hands-on with thebusiness. But at the same time, creatively, he's able to tweak a role. He'll make casting choices that aren't as obvious as the role might seem to call for. He'll think of switching genders or types, and that kind that kind of thing can really enliven a film a make it pop. When we were at IRS, one of the things Iloved was that I could take all of my experience with television and features andstage and bring it to independent film. At IRS, we didn't have dozens of executives putting in their two cents. So there was room for Dean's king of thinking. Plus, once again, I respond to people who take their careers into their own hands. I didn't have to say, "Well, do you want to run this session?" Dean was asking for himself. And he has the kind of enthusiasm about the business that I needed because, as I was moving more into the producing and the directing and setting up the pictures, I still needed somebody whose ears and eyes were out there telling me who's hot and who's coming up. And that's what Dean is so great at doing. As partners we bring a unique dynamic to the casting process because we're not just a casting company. We have also found the financing for little films; we are co-producers on a number of projects. With so many people putting out a shingle as casting directors, it made sense for us to diversify. I think the only way to stay competitive is to bring something unique. Not that we find financing for everything that's sent to us. We have to actually fall in love with script, because it all takes a lot of time. But Dean and I also love to work, so last year we did two SAG Modified films. BSW/D-L: Can you explain what a SAG Modified film is? Pemrick: A SAG Modified film pays about half what a SAG Low-Budget would pay. The entire budget has to be under $250,000, so they're difficult films to cast. SAG realized that they had too many members who weren't working, so they created new categories to open up work. First was SAG scale, then SAG Low-Budget. That classification means that SAG cut its rates depending on the budget of the film. It allows a lot more films to be made. Then there's SAG Deferred, where actors are paid nothing up front, but should the film ever get exhibited for pay, the actors get paid before anyone else. And there's SAG experimental, where there in no pay. These are all just pay scales. They have nothing to do with the script or with the quality of the work. It just depends on the budget the oducer has. But it creates five different venues for a producer to still hire SAG actors, which is fantastic. That did not exist 10 years ago. BSW/D-L: Do you look at all of the pictures that come in through the mail, and will you meet with actors who don't necessarily have agents? Pemrick: One of the things that I've always enjoyed about being back in LA is having a big office. That has been a big plus, because we're able to keep files. We have permanent offices, which is a real plus in casting because we meet people for one project and if, for whatever reason, it doesn't work out on that one, we can file their pictures and have them available for the next one. So we're able to roll submissions over from project to project. If you're sending unsolicited pictures, that's fine, but please do your research and do your homework. Sending us picture and resume is no different than an accountant seeking employment at a corporation. It's seeking a job. So be professional and write us a letter. We potentially are going to hire you, so give us the courtesy and the respect that you would give if you were seeking employment in any other venue. Fronk: We get letters written in crayon. BSW/D-L: What would you recommend actors do to get your attention in a submission? Pemrick: Start with research. Find out what movies we have done recently, so that you know who we are. Fronk: My younger brother is a great example. He just graduated from Ohio State and moved here in January. He got a job with-in a week at Dennis Miller Live, because when he went into his interview, he knew who the person he was meeting with was. He knew her resume and was able to talk to her about previous shows she'd worked on. Why wouldn't you do that as an actor? If you're given the opportunity to read for a film, you've got to take it one step further and do your homework. Getting the interview is only 50 percent of it; that's getting you in. But what's going to impress the director once you're in? Other than your talent, of course, saying you've enjoyed certain films they've done will make you stand out. Do your research. It's the same the mailing submissions. Don't waste time and postage blanketing the town with pictures. Instead, target a dozen or 20 casting directors whose work you know. Maybe you saw a movie and realized that there were three lead roles and none of them were played by actors you had heard of. That means the casting director is open to hiring unknowns for larger roles. Target them with a nice letter. You have to be proactive. If you're sitting at home with a beer and watching TV instead of out working in a play, maybe you're not doing enough. Pemrick: And while we can't see every play, we read every review. And if omebody is singled out, we'll bring them in for a general. Fronk:We believe in working with new people. If Don didn't believe in new people, I wouldn't be here as a partner right now. Everyone deserves a chance. And half of the fun is the success stories. Pemrick: As Dean mentioned, if an actor is sitting around and bitching about their careers, for every one of them there are 10 actors who are his type and are being more productive. If you are not doing something to better yourself as an actor on a daily basis, you're going to be left behind. BSW/D-L:Is there anything that actors do that makes you personally crazy at auditions? Pemrick: Making excuses. Don't make excuses prior to the meeting as to why you're not prepared. Because nine times out of 10, your audition appointment was given to your agent 48 hours in advance. Television is another story. I remember, when I would go out of my way to tell the actors anything they needed to know before the reading because I knew the pressure they were under since they just got the sides. In independent film, if you don't read the full script, it is such a waste of time. Out of context, these scenes can be played so many different ways. You have to have read the full script. Fronk: The most important thing to remember is that, while acting may be your passion, it's still a profession. This is an industry that takes many, many brilliant and creative people, but the bottom line is still the ever-powerful dollar. It's a business. So no matter how creative you are, you're still under scrutiny by the business and, as an actor, you've got to remember to keep your level of professionalism, no matter what. That's not being late, being prepared, not making excuses, having a picture with you. BSW/D-L: Any other final tips? Fronk: Just always remember that your career is in your hands. That's what it all comes down to. If you're lucky enough to have found that acting is your true passion, then you've got to give it that 110-percent effort that's going to push you ahead of the pack if you're going to succeed. This is not like sports, where if you're the most skilled, you're going to play. You can come in and give your Marlon Brando performance in front of a casting director and they may be having a terrible day and are not paying enough attention. That type of factor means that you have always got to be giving that 110 percent, because you never know. So much of it is timing. You never know when your performance is going to be done in front of the right people at the right time. Pemrick: There are few professions where, at some point, you have to hang up your hat. A fireman's body will give out. A surgeon'shands aren't as nimble. Acting has none of those boundaries. Zero.And I always see it as a natural weeding-out process. It's sort of like evolution. I mean, if it's your passion and you love it, truly love it, never, ever, put a time constraint on yourself. That is the worst thing to do in an industry like this. When you feel yourself getting frustrated, there are other ways of expressing yourself. There are other things actors can be doing. Write, direct. That way you'll always keep your excitement, because if you focus on one thing, then you may burn out, you may hit that wall. If you expand yourself into writing or producing you're not always putting your eggs in one basket and you're seeing how other sides of the business work. It's taking control of your life.
You may contact Donald Paul Pemrick,
Dean E. Fronk, and their assistant Rick Briar at:
Pemrick/Fronk Casting This article originally appeared in the Back Stage West on July 9, 1998. *Please note: Pemrick/Fronk Casting's current projects were updated September 1999. |