Professionalism and love at first sight
The founders of Canana Films discuss with the students of the Talent Campus the importance of good casting in film.
Diego Luna
“Love at first sight” was the name of the conference that actor and director Diego Luna and producer Pablo Cruz presented as part of the activities at Talent Campus Guadalajara, now on its second edition at the International Film Festival in Guadalajara. Luna and Cruz talked to an audience who was eager to find answers on selecting actors and how casting has a direct influence on the final project.
ABEL, Diego Luna's second movie and his first fiction, was the example used to contextualize problems in movie making in Mexico. Both asseverated that, even if national production has increased, Mexico still does not have a proper industry, and Luna emphasized that it is an activity that does not generate revenue. “In México you can not make a living from filmmaking, however we can professionalize the processes to improve the outcomes”, he said.
He also commented on how he selected Karina Gidi and José María Yázpik in the leading roles of his film, and made reference to the 400 children that auditioned for the leading part. About his work for television, the actor said he prefers to forget about it, since it is very different from what he seeks to do on the big screen. On the small screen time makes the difference, and a certain immediateness is required. Films, on the other hand, have the crucial advantage of a larger time span allowed for creation.
The attendees watched the trailer that was presented at Sundance to sell ABEL, which will soon be released in Mexico. Luna explained that there are three stages to having a successful casting. The first is to summon actors and have them display their tools; then the director must enter into a joint recognition process with the actor so that in the third stage both can meet and communicate in such a way that this good selection is conveyed on screen. Through their comments, Luna and Cruz firmly confirmed the notion that for films that want to capture their audience, love at first sight simply does not happen.
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