How Filmmaker Danielle Russell Found the Cast of ‘This City of Mine’
In our article This City of Mine: an Ever-Relevant Depiction of Navigating Kingston’s Transport System, writer/director Danielle Russell shares with us her three major goals for the film and how the short successfully depicts the daily realities of being a woman and a pedestrian in Kingston, Jamaica.
Russell produced This City of Mine with the support of the Jamaica Film and Television Association (JAFTA) as a part of the Propella program. Propella is a script-to-screen project initiative spearheaded by Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), the CHASE Fund, and JAFTA.
Each year, the small cohort of filmmakers "undergo capacity-building boot camps on script development, directing, producing, pitching, festival strategy, deal-making and distribution, to prepare them to participate in film festivals and other activities to promote their work" film commissioner Renée Robinson tells the JIS. Russell was a member of the 2017 cohort, with JAFTA president Analisa Chapman as the film's producer.
The road to the auditions
The team of Russell, Chapman, and assistant production manager Kevin Jackson took a comprehensive approach to casting This City of Mine.
"So me and my producer Analisa actually did a whole lot to try and cast this film," Russell says. "Around the time, they were having the [Edna Manley] drama school final year exams. So we went to the exams. We watched all the people, then we went backstage and spoke to everybody. We had already set up an audition and we decided to be proactive about it so that’s how the whole Edna Manley came in, we spoke to actors backstage. I went and spoke to people who we met in the audience who are actors and invited them to the auditions".
The team casted a wide net to ensure auditions were well attended. Their efforts and the strength of the JAFTA network contributed to a great turnout.
"I spoke to the other Propella people to see if they knew anybody. I got introductions, invited actors I knew, posted it online, my producer contacted casting agents and everything. We pretty much tried to do as much as we could do before the audition day and then on the audition day we had maybe 70 people".
Casting the lead
They were on the hunt for the perfect Julia. The lead had to be someone who could play the ebbs and flows of emotions of the character experiences. After a series of auditions, Shanique Brown won the role.
"I was able to cast several people that day but I couldn’t find the right Julia. Shanique wasn’t able to audition [that day]. She was actually recommended by Noelle Kerr. She did her [first] audition with Kevin and Analisa and they recorded it because I was overseas at the time. I watched her tape and I liked her so we called her back when I got back to Jamaica".
Shanique had the right combination of talent, experience, and professionalism to make her the perfect Julia. Russell explains, "I really liked working with her, I liked the way she took direction and I liked her attitude. And honestly I think those were two of the main things that led me to actually cast her. That, as well as, I thought she fit the role pretty well. So it was those three things that made me select her".
Artistic Instincts
This City of Mine was Russell's debut into working with a large cast, compared to the small cast of three for her short How to Kill A Fish. Russell recalls how relying on her instinct led to casting actors who delivered stand out performances.
"Sometimes they would read the lines and act it out and I would be like yes, I want them. Hands down I want them and it just worked out beautifully. It was like that for the conductor, O’Daine Clarke, I was like yes he’s the conductor, nobody else," she says.
Clarke got his break as Big Toe in Chris Browne's 2011 feature Ghett'a Life, and went on to star in Gay Magnus' One Patty and the series Real Friends.
Other experienced actors rounded out the cast, with strong auditions: "Robyn [Edwards], I was like ‘Yep, I want her’ and the other person was the guy at the end who was in the bus, Nicholas Amore. Nobody else did it the way he did it, I was like I have to have him. And also the lady at the bus stop, Donna Evelyn, I was like yup".
The experience left Russell more prepared and confident for casting future projects.
Hiring an acting coach
From uncooperative actors during auditions to no shows on shoot days, This City of Mine did have its challenges with actors. But, Russell had the support of her production team to manage the cast, with special help from Assistant Production Manager Tanya Batson-Savage who took on the role of acting coach.
When Russell and Batson-Savage first met to about the project, they explored what the production needed, "I like to ask people that if they want to work on my set. At the time, I had only worked on small sets so I think having someone else there kind of helped my confidence a bit. Tanya acted as a kind of interpreter between what I wanted and telling the actor what to do."
The boon in the industry across the region creates great opportunity for directors and actors alike to grow professionally and create quality stories together. Finding the right combination of actors for a film can be a thrilling challenge. Russell says, "now that I’ve been through it, I’ll feel more confident on my next project. Every film is a learning experience".
As members of the Diaspora, we don't always get a chance to consume Caribbean film as they're released. The b/dscvrd team is catching up on what we've missed, watching Caribbean film on Studio Anansi TV. In our "We're Watching" series, we celebrate great film performances by Caribbean actors. Watch This City of Mine on Studio Anansi TV.
Photo courtesy of Danielle Russell. Connect with Danielle on Twitter and Instagram, watch her work on Vimeo.
