Actor Age in FanFilms

The FanFilm I'm cuurently working on is a simple, low budget-film, still getting it's script written. The thing is, we're all 16 years old, and if this progresses on schedule, not far from that in the film itself. What are your takes on having high-school aged Sith, Jedi, etc. running around?

 

I think you have to make a virtue of the fact that you are all 16-ish. If you do a 'Buffy the Sith Slayer' type film or 'Coruscant 90210' then fine.

However, if you have a load of high school kids running around pretending to be middle age Jedi... you'll fool nobody and risk damaging your project.

 

I agree.

If you are using younger actors, it would be great to create a story utilizing the fact that the actors are younger. Maybe a Young Jedi Chronicles or Young Bountry Hunter Chronicles type of thing.

Otherwise, it tends to look a bit ridiculous when obviously younger actors are attempting to portray seasoned Jedi Masters and such.

 

TAC has spoken.
Anyway, our film (we're all end of high school/beginning of college age) is about a Jedi Academy, so it kind of works out that we're all young. In fact, only one actor is over 20, and he's the instructor.

 

OK, I have several ideas on this:

If you're just doing this to mess around a bit and have fun, dont worry about it. I did a film where the sith was 9, the jedi master was 7, and the apprentice was 3.

If you're looking to do a more serious film, and want to be authentic, you have 2 options:
1. Find older people for the parts.
2. Make your 16 year old actors into older people.

#2 will require 2 things: Appearance and behavior. Behavior is up to you. Find friends who are more mature. Appearance can be taken care of with makeup. Find makeup artists in your school's theater department. They might help. It would also help if your mature actors are bigger, more filled out. People can spot a teenage body a mile away.

 

For my fanfilm It'll just be my friends and I, though we're all 15. We're portaying characters that would be much older than us, but I don't really care. It's not going to be that believeable anyway, I'm just doing it for fun. So do what ya want. Have fun!

 

At first, it was just to have fun. it still is, really. But it's a serious story, which might clash. You're right, though, thinknig about it. I'll have to throw in some mention of the Jedi's master, or mebbe he's fresh out of being a padawan. The Sith and the smuggler are both scripted as Corellian, so maturity isn't a factor

 

Why don't you just get older actors? Put an ad in your local newspaper, or better yet, ask your parents or their friends, or their older siblings...ask people that are the age you need. And you never know if they are willing do it until you ask. I've made several short films with actors of all ages.

 

But that's the fun of it Wormie! Doing it with ur friends! Also, he already has it cast, im guessing.

When I began my fanfilm when I was 14, I knew people wouldnt beleive the 14 year old jedi master thing, so I myslef did a Jedi Academy film. Take a look at it sometime to see how I pulled my movie off with 3 actors: two 14 year old apprentices and an older leader.

AIM Neszis

~Neszis~

 

It depends on how serious you want it to be.

For my FanFilm (Mind you, it's an FX test) the oldest (Kyle Kataran) is 15, and the sith is 13. Sure you can tell, but I did mine for fun and it's cool to say "That's me holding a lightsaber!" to your friends.

 

Patriot Wars is a very serious story (despite the parody-ish sounding title; the proposed subtitle makes it better). All of my actors are between 16 and 18. In some cases, it doesn't matter because of the creature makeup and prosthetics. Many actors are portraying twenty-somethings, so it's not that big a stretch. There are a few roles in their mid to late thirties, and with them, I'm doing a little bit to help distinguish them. You can change someone's facial appearance heavily through stage makeup. I'm giving one actor who doesn't want to grow his own a prosthetic beard. And I'm working withthem on how to speak, how to give expressions, and how to carry themselves to make them look older.

Many people have suggested posting advertisements and trying to get older actors. However, that's not what I'm after. This is supposed to be a project for me and my friends; a fun thing that we'll always remember from my senior year. Anyway, as The Formula says, "My film isn't going to change the world. I understand that. But I learned a lot. And I had a lot of laughs because I made it with my friends." So my advice: Go with it. Go ahead. Enjoy yourself. It's not going to be the end of the world, even if it is a little odd.

-Paul

 

An 18 year old wearing stage make-up doesn't look like a 30 year old. It looks like an 18 year old wearing stage make-up.

 

Well, our film has a bunch of 15/16 year olds in...but we're playing Jedi Padawans so it kinda fits in

Mike

 

I wouldn´t mind seeing 15-18 year olds pretending to be jedi masters or sith lords in their best years. Fan Films have no commercial value and should be fun to make. And if one is wearing fake facial hair etc. to s look somehwat older, it´s okay, it shows that some work and thoughts have been gone into that project, even if it´s not looking realistic.
I also agree that one shouldn´t advertise to get actors that match his script ideas just to make some people he rarely to nothing knows happy.
I´m in the middle of producing my own film together wir my friends and, boy, what fun we already had. Everyone who worked with me on this movie will get his copy on VCD or VHS to store it somewhere and watch it again later. Something you definitely can share with "rented" actors.

Oh and as an information, my movie plays on earth today´s time and my friends and me play ourselves. So no age problems here. And yes, this project is not a serious attempt to create another BA or Knightquest or the likes. It´s a Star Wars Fan Film. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

Hey, if your all 15/16 and you throw a beard on someone, it will just be fun. You can assume that in your universe, everyone looks
"young" It really doesn't matter, if you do decent story people will ignore a trivial detail like that, especially if the whole cast is that age. It is like a school play.

 

I actually HAVE a beard -- distincitve lack of shaving in that...I can't be bothered Ah well....maybe I should one day

Mike

 

Thanks a lot, guys! I've slept on it, and after combining my idea with yours, I've decided that this is pretty much "cool to say "That's me holding a lightsaber!" to your friends." As I said, our Sith are apprentices, may as well still be training, and our Jedi has just "graduated" from a padawan and is on his first assignment (so he's a fast learner [Obi-Wan was still a padawan in TPM, right? ]) and our smuggler just inherited the "business" from his late father. Hrm... mebbe makeup wouldn't be a bad idea on the Jedi. We'll see what our budget allows

 

I had a full beard in 10th grade when I was . . . let's see . . . 15. What's the problem here? Just don't shave for a while. Not that you'll really look that much older, you'll just look like a 15 year old with a beard!

 

In Fanboy Zealots we only needed minimum adult actors.

Utilize the ages if you can.

If it's for fun, go ahead and have a 16 year old jedi master.

But if you're going for something a bit more, it won't hurt to get some adult actors.

 

I agree with the make-up, it's just a bit of fun and the make-up can make it funner and maybe more amusing (if you want that).

 

i think i'm treding on very thin ground, my film is cast by a mix of 17/18/19 and 20 year olds.................we are using one well known character..KYLE KATARN, but he is being played by a 17 year old, as is the lead bad guy (who has gone through a few changes to make sure we dont get the desann thing goin again)..... if no one really likes the idea we wont worry, as its just for fun, we've always want to put own owne work into star wars, now we get a chance,

Just remember, have fun with it, if you feel like a fool, just remember, could be worse, you could be me.

 

I see absolutely no problem with using younger actors for these parts, especially if it is just for fun. In our film, we are all playing parts much older than we are (this is where ACTING comes in). Another example of this is the plays our school puts on. We do musicals such as Oliver, The Music Man, Guys and Dolls, Anything Goes, Oklahoma, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music(which sucks), and much more. All of the actors are all high school age but are portraying characters much older than they really are. People never complain that the show is unrealistic bacause we were not the right age because we get into our parts and make is seem realistic.

 

Erm...desann...the "project" im doing has nothing to do with Katarn...is it just not stated or something?

~Neszis~

 

Padan:
The flaw in your analogy is that, in High school theater productions ... you do not have a choice.

High School plays, by their vary definition and in virtually all instances, must utilize High School-aged actors. Otherwise, they wouldn't be "High School" plays, would they.

Conversely, when making an independent film, one has the luxury of casting whomever they want (and/or can find) to portray characters in his film. This is not to say that teenage actors cannot provide convinving performances . . . .
but I would just have a very hard time believing in a 15-18 year old Jedi Master.


But hey .... that's me.

 

Bearsd help a bit. Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared to gaim ten years in AotC when really only three or so years have passed in real life. Of course, the differenec between 20 and 30 is a bit smaller than the difference between 16 and 40-something.

Padan, that's basically what my High School does. And do they come off looking like they're old wizened people in the parts that require it? Not really; they just come off as a kid that just started driving who dyed his hair white and added a few fake wrinkles to his face.