CASTING CALL: Why Dig When You Can Pluck?
STATUS: CLOSED
We are finished casting this project! If you’re interested in future gigs, please sign up for general consideration.
WHO WE NEED
We need actors for the short film Why Dig When You Can Pluck?
Please see below for information about the film, and apply if you fit one of the roles listed.
LOGLINE In the short fiction film WHY DIG WHEN YOU CAN PLUCK, a creatively frustrated filmmaker (SPRING) on family vacation at the Oregon coast finds inspiration where she least expects it. Shot in stunning black and white, the project challenges norms around motherhood and artmaking while addressing larger themes of trust, violence and magic.
FULL SUMMARY The film is set primarily on the Brookings OR coast where monolithic rock formations cut across the horizon. The main characters are a family of three on the tail end of a summer roadtrip. Spring, a filmmaker in search of inspiration for a new project, has been taking pictures of the passing landscape and using her husband (CLAY) and 8-year old son (ELIO) as reluctant props.
But now they’ve arrived for a final week of camping on the beach. Immediately Spring loses her phone, and through its camera her ability to ‘see.’ She suspects her son Elio has buried it purposefully in the sand, but has no proof.
Clay and Elio sit for hours on the sand reading and snacking. Clay drinks vodka. Lonely and perpetually stoned, Spring proposes various activities, but no one wants to join her jaunts to the water or adventure to climb the rocks. The denials go both ways — she isn’t interested in Elio’s latest fun facts about video games, either. Clay grows aggravated that the adults don’t have any time alone for themselves. They are a small family unit of lonely people who love each other, but whose constant proximity has created miles of distance between them, their separateness echoed by the ocean’s solitary sea stacks.
When a harrowing moment between Elio and Clay engenders a complicated artistic breakthrough for Spring, the family emerge able to see each other’s brightness anew.
FULL SCRIPT: Available upon request. Please email casting@weeblemountain.com with all inquiries.
ROLES AVAILABLE
SPRING (Lead) Female, 35-45 is a filmmaker who is always looking, studying, and churning on what she observes. She smokes weed as an escape to get into a creative headspace, and while she is often lost in her own head, weed helps her connect to her body. She is athletic, adventurous, and loves nature. She is attracted to beauty and highly tactile. Spring is also lonely. Her son Elio has a stronger connection with his father Clay than with her, and she is jealous of their close relationship. Her marriage to Clay is in a precarious place – even though there is an underlying chemistry between them and he supports her artistic practice, Spring is not feeling attracted to her husband and worries that his anger and drinking put Elio’s safety at risk. Spring struggles to balance her desire to be a good mother, her longing for family connection and her need for creative inspiration. She is doing her best to get stoned at the beach but the responsibility of vigilant motherhood threatens to overwhelm her experience. Her insecurity around her perceived failings prompts her to compare herself and her family to others.
CLAY (Supporting) Male, 35-45 is a half-intellectual nerd, half aesthetically-minded artist. He’s played a lot of fantasy role-playing games in his lifetime and enjoys bonding with his son Elio over video games, science and Pokemon. His artistic sensibilities are a point of connection with Spring and allow him to be supportive of her filmmaking ambitions. Clay used to be in shape but since being married has slipped considerably. He is convinced Spring can’t stand him but he very much loves her, and they’ve always made good sparring partners. Clay is boisterous and brazenly drinks pre-mixed vodka seltzers from a liter-sized bottle. He longs for a peaceful, easy existence yet is constantly on edge. Parenthood has really done a number on him and he resents the compromises on his freedoms being a father has demanded. When Elio disobeys him or otherwise complicates his vision of ‘the good life’, he gets reactive and angry. Ironically he is often the more tuned-in parent. In contrast to Spring, Clay is almost allergic to the natural environment. He wants to enjoy the views without getting his hands dirty, and protects himself from feeling almost anything at all. Clay is authentic. He says what he means. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He loves Spring very much, he adores her. But he’s sad underneath his boisterous or short-tempered exterior. He’s sad because he can see Spring falling away from him, being disgusted by him. He won’t change how he is, but he wishes Spring would love him more.
ELIO, (Supporting) Male, 7-10 is a mini-me of Clay’s nerd-half, though perfectly capable of childlike athleticism should he choose. Elio is casually squirmy, but also a bookworm. His default mode is pensive, quiet and sullen unless specifically otherwise engaged. He loves computer games, science, Pokemon, and singing along to 80’s heavy metal. The last few years he’s spent too much time with adults and not enough time with other kids his own age. Without realizing it, he is lonely, and craves his parents’ attention. He hates the sunny beach and resents being expected to have ‘traditional family fun’ – his attitude is more like a sullen teenager than that of a little kid. He protests restrictions on his freedom any when he can. Mostly this takes the form of refusing to wear beach-appropriate clothing, destroying other kids’ sandcastles, and playing in a place his parents have warned him is unsafe. He’s mean to Spring, and rejects her in various ways, because he feels abandoned by her.
People of all identities (races, sizes, physical abilities, genders, sexualities, religions, ethnicities, countries of origin, and more) who fall within the given parameters are welcome and encouraged to apply. We are committed to representing authentic diversity across all projects.
Don’t fit these roles? We encourage you to sign up for general consideration.
PROJECT INFORMATION
TYPE: Short Film
UNION STATUS: SAG. Non-Union talent are welcome to submit.
DIRECTOR: Cambria Matlow (do not contact)
SHOOT LOCATION: Brookings, Oregon (transportation/lodging will be provided)
SHOOT DATES: Wed 7/6 - Wed 7/13 (2 travel, 6 shoot)
Please do not request work off or clear your schedule unless requested to do so via email (we will give you as much notice as possible). Production can be somewhat flexible around your schedule.
PAY IF HIRED: SAG ULB SCALE (~$211/day)
Talent agents: 10% agency fee available on all rates.
HIRING REQUIREMENTS: Must live in Oregon or Washington and be legally eligible to work in the US. Must comply with COVID19 protocols.
COVID19 CONSIDERATIONS: Please only apply if you would feel safe working during COVID19 given the information below.
The first audition process will be 100% remote. Callbacks will be in-person or via Zoom per most up-to-date COVID considerations, talent will be able to opt-in to virtual callbacks per their comfort.
Production will follow all CDC and OMPA guidelines.
All cast + crew who have not been fully vaccinated will be tested for COVID19 before the shoot. Hiring is contingent upon negative test results.
Talent will be required to remove their masks for filming + makeup.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
WHY DIG WHEN YOU CAN PLUCK? is the first fiction entry in a growing body of work where relatable female characters move through tales about loss, disconnection, and regeneration. It is a leisurely-paced film of quietly piercing moments and sharp dialogue, unfolding with the quality of a short story. The sometimes sweet, sometimes fucked up dynamics between Spring, Clay and Elio lie at the story’s heart.
As a mother, wife and filmmaker this is a deeply personal film. Becoming a parent ten years ago both made me whole and broke me into pieces. Society is not kind to female hyphenates. We’re told we can’t possibly be good at both mothering and art-making. That having children ruins the intimacy of a marriage. That a woman’s sensuality exists only in relationship to her partner. That being a mother means certain things about you other people decide are true.
I view filmmaking as a conduit for truth-telling and an avenue for social disruption, and so my work asks audiences to question the nature of their biases by challenging stereotypes and turning assumptions inside-out.
This film represents the honest experience of a whole woman moving through the world. Audiences will have the opportunity to re-evaluate their preconceived notions around responsibility and creative limitations within motherhood. Mothers in the audience, in seeing Spring’s full antihero humanity onscreen, will see themselves in her and remember their own wholeness in turn.
ARTISTIC STYLE My work seeks to create moody storyworlds that reflect political truth, illuminate personal identity and encourage disruption. The lens is frequently that of motherhood, land and the emotional costs of patriarchal capitalist systems.
A lush soundscape of overlapping voices, ambient textures and natural sounds works to build out the sonic world. A tight 4:3 aspect ratio allows for dynamic compositions and intimate closeups highlighting the physical and emotional distance between characters. Environmental imagery functions as both container and reflection of the characters’ emotional landscape. Crisp black and white cinematography brings these textures into focus while its contrast emphasizes the important role shadow and light play in the story.
SO WHY DIG WHEN YOU CAN PLUCK? At first mention the film’s title comments on the perceived ease with which Clay goes through life, never needing to compartmentalize himself. Simple, no digging required. But the sentiment also applies when Spring wants to use her family as props for her fictional creations, just for convenience sake. But Clay and Elio are reluctant stand-ins and they demand to be seen in three dimensions. Easy plucking can be dangerous. One of my favorite things about the film is that each character has a vast inner world at work beneath the surface. Digging deep can reap big rewards, but that doesn’t make it easy.
SIMULATED SEX + NUDITY:
An intimacy coordinator will work with cast + crew to ensure a safe and consensual experience for all.
There are two scenes which involve nudity and/or simulated sex
Spring crouches down to urinate on the beach. She is wearing a one-peice bathing suit and shorts. She pulls down the shorts and moves her suit to the side. We do not see talent’s buttocks, genitals, or breasts on screen.
Spring and Clay simulate manual sex acts each other while each in their respective sleeping bags inside the tent. The sex acts are suggested by the moving of sleeping bags. Talent are only visible on camera from the waist up.We do not see talent’s buttocks, genitals, or breasts on screen. There is a focus on talent’s facial expressions.
The script indicates their child is sharing the ten (asleep and unaware) during these simulated acts. For filming, the scene will be achieved using without any minors present.
Director’s Statement on simulated sex scene: The simulated sex scene is necessary for the story’s natural progression. Spring is seeking inspiration, and her body’s sensations are a primary source of it. After adventuring by herself on the beach earlier in the day, Spring’s is finally ready to reach out and connect sexually with Clay. Critically, it is Spring who instigates this encounter by inviting her husband to pleasure her. She knows he has been waiting for an invitation. And Clay shows his vulnerability by asking her to reciprocate. It is only after this connection that Spring is able to fully tap into her creativity during the following scene. In this climactic scene, she must trust Clay with her son’s safety, and can only muster the courage to do that having trusted her own body the night before. Clay, on the other hand, needs this moment of release so that he can be fully present during the stressful scene with Elio in the tent. He needs to have practiced tapping into his vulnerability in order to contain his potential for anger in response to his son. Meanwhile, the fact that both Spring and Clay are willing to do this in front of their sleeping son shows how desperate they each are for this connection, and the reality of the compromises they’ve had to make as parents.
HOW TO APPLY
Please use the link below for instructions on submitting a self-tape for this project.
DEADLINE TO APPLY: Wed 6/8 - 11:59pm PST
Late submissions accepted on a rolling basis.
If you have a talent agent, it is mandatory to list your agency on your application.
QUESTIONS? Please email Kate at casting@weeblemountain.com
Non-Disclosure Agreement: By applying for this project, you agree not to mention your involvement in the project, nor disclose to outside parties any details regarding the advertiser, product, or shoot that may be shared during the casting process. Violation of the NDA may result in termination and/or legal action.
Have Thoughts? We strive to use inclusive and affirming language in our casting process. Please let us know if you have any feedback for us.
About Us: We’re a casting agency that finds actors, models, and extras for photoshoots, commercials, TV, and movies. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Our owner, Rachel Mossey, is also on IMDB.
Interested in Other Gigs? We encourage you to visit our sign up page to learn about general consideration.