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08:05, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

[Advice] the feel of blind movie auditions.

Posted by steelsmiter
steelsmiter
member, 2101 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Fri 13 Nov 2020
at 17:03
  • msg #1

[Advice] the feel of blind movie auditions

So I wrote a game I may be looking to try soon about filming budget movies on a meta-level. It talks about production and doing the films themselves. The concept is that the players are all less famous than Kathy Griffin. That is to say they're not famous enough to pick and choose their roles, they go into an audition with nothing more than a film title, or an ad that says "actors wanted".

The purpose of my intended playtest run is that I don't want players married to a genre, I want actors that can play in a few different roles, or that are made based on their actor's background, not the idea they have for a specific character that actor might play. I want that to be up to the production company... Or at least I want to have the freedom to pick what genre of film to emulate the making of based on the characters I get.

Problem is, that has its own set of problems, and I also am not sure I have a good handle on how to do it. I have a few possibilities
  • Have Players make 2-3 Actors at their discretion, pick one, and keep the others as Co-Stars
  • Have Players make Actors from 2 or 3 genres, pick one, and keep the the others as Co-Stars
  • Have Players make 1 actor with a name they want then decide the genre based on how the builds progress (I'm leery about this one because it looks like front loading may bog down play)
any opinions on it out there?
nauthiz
subscriber, 679 posts
Fri 13 Nov 2020
at 23:38
  • msg #2

[Advice] the feel of blind movie auditions

I'd think it would be easier to maybe have less genre emphasis, and more on "character types" an actor PC can choose to concentrate on.

So having a character that's oriented towards the "strong looking big guy", or the, "vapid love interest", or the "goofy looking comedian".

The sorts of pigeon holes that can be the bane or the bread and butter of a D list thespian's career.

Those archetypes all can be translated into a variety of genres, and what types of actors you have and in what roles can make for very different movies.

Assuming you're looking to have, long term, these PCs "make" multiple movies on different genres as part of the structure of the game.

If you're imagining a typical game's arc as more constrained to the production of a single film, then you might look at something like Primetime Adventures.  Though that might be worth a look either way if you're not already familiar with it.
steelsmiter
member, 2102 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Sat 14 Nov 2020
at 18:30
  • msg #3

[Advice] the feel of blind movie auditions

Yeah, I'm looking for actors that can make multiple movies.
quote:
So having a character that's oriented towards the "strong looking big guy", or the, "vapid love interest", or the "goofy looking comedian".
I'm not sure how this is advantageous over the second option, or just a rephrasing of "Make 2-3 actors intended for Action, Romance, and Comedy". It feels disadvantageous because you're making a specific action, romance, or comedy character. I'd also probably add Drama as a distinct category, since it can bleed over into the others, but doesn't have to specifically be them.

I could be totally wrong about that gut feel reaction I get of creating archetypes, but generally speaking I'd rather players have a lot more leeway with interpretation than nailing it down even that far, or at least doing so at my direction.
This message was last edited by the user at 18:31, Sat 14 Nov 2020.
cptcthulhu
member, 225 posts
Nuke em till they glow
Shoot them in the dark.
Sun 15 Nov 2020
at 12:42
  • msg #4

[Advice] the feel of blind movie auditions

Gosh, this reminds me of an old game: "It Came from the Late, Late, Late Show".....
Jon Canuck
member, 11 posts
Sun 15 Nov 2020
at 13:05
  • msg #5

[Advice] the feel of blind movie auditions

quote:
Gosh, this reminds me of an old game: "It Came from the Late, Late, Late Show".....

Also, "Hong Kong Action Theatre!".
steelsmiter
member, 2103 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Sun 15 Nov 2020
at 17:54
  • msg #6

[Advice] the feel of blind movie auditions

In reply to cptcthulhu (msg # 4):

Yeah, it's somewhat inspired by... well, what was wrong with that one. To get into detail about exactly how isn't meant for this thread, I'll probably hash out the details at some point
acera
member, 157 posts
Tue 24 Nov 2020
at 16:56
  • msg #7

[Advice] the feel of blind movie auditions

I’m assuming these are non-actors coming to play the game? Don’t have them create an actor, have them build up a character that is not an actor first. That character will become the actor after. Coming from an actor’s standpoint, that’s how I would approach playing an actor in an RPG, at any rate.
steelsmiter
member, 2107 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Wed 25 Nov 2020
at 05:34
  • msg #8

[Advice] the feel of blind movie auditions

acera:
I’m assuming these are non-actors coming to play the game?

I don't know, it's counterproductive to ponder who is playing the game. What they are playing is people who are auditioning for acting roles. Anyone who gets in the game is assumed to have passed their audition. There's a mechanic where they can make talent rolls to improve their character's standing within an individual film.

quote:
Don’t have them create an actor, have them build up a character that is not an actor first.

What? No that doesn't even make sense. It would be a game entirely unrelated to this one to not have characters be actors. That would be like playing a character in a D&D game that doesn't have a class and background. Sure, you could do it, but it's beside the point.
This message was last edited by the user at 05:58, Wed 25 Nov 2020.
acera
member, 158 posts
Wed 25 Nov 2020
at 06:17
  • msg #9

Re: [Advice] the feel of blind movie auditions

quote:
Don’t have them create an actor, have them build up a character that is not an actor first.

What? No that doesn't even make sense. It would be a game entirely unrelated to this one to not have characters be actors.
</quote>

Let me clarify: in real life, save for a small few, actors are never just actors- and if they’re less famous than Kathy Griffin they are definitely not just actors. Everyone has a day job, or they act seasonally, or they’re also part of the crew, etc. etc. If you tell them to create actors, you’re probably going to get a lot of the “strong looking big guy”, “vapid love interest”, and other stereotypes, which is fine if that’s what you want. However, you mentioned you don’t want people to end up limited to what they think their character should play, and if you just say you want actors, I suspect that may be what you get a lot of (i.e. characters tailor made for certain situations).

The best way to get characters made who can be actors in multiple roles, I think, is to have players build who the character is when they’re not acting, which gives them a foundation to utilize when the character is an actor.

Example: let’s say you have someone who makes a character who was a lawyer who decided to shift gears. He can play a suit, now what about action hero? He’s met all types in this business, he can probably think up a few people to model off of. Need a family man for your comedy? He can draw on his softer side from his experience working with kids in court. Period piece? Don’t get him started about the time he had to go full barrister robes and wig in law school. He can do period piece. Sci fi? Give him a day with a coach and he’ll have all the jargon down pat, it won’t even be the hardest Latin he’s had to wrap his mouth around.
steelsmiter
member, 2108 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Wed 25 Nov 2020
at 06:53
  • msg #10

Re: [Advice] the feel of blind movie auditions

quote:
Let me clarify: in real life, save for a small few, actors are never just actors- and if they’re less famous than Kathy Griffin they are definitely not just actors. Everyone has a day job, or they act seasonally, or they’re also part of the crew, etc. etc. If you tell them to create actors, you’re probably going to get a lot of the “strong looking big guy”, “vapid love interest”, and other stereotypes, which is fine if that’s what you want. However, you mentioned you don’t want people to end up limited to what they think their character should play, and if you just say you want actors, I suspect that may be what you get a lot of (i.e. characters tailor made for certain situations).

Yeah, ok. The book goes into somewhat considerable detail about non-acting talents characters can also use. I have been noodling over a Part Time Job BTS sequence. You just confused me with how you put it, making it look like they were not actors rather than not just. And not just actors is OK, they also happen to be, well... maybe not actors, but hacks that the guy with a 4k camera down the street can afford to hire.

Totally makes sense to me to make a point of mentioning what they do on the side. In dialogues about it on another site, and on my discord, we've talked at length about what characters did before they submitted their reels. One of those taken for granted natural progressions that went unspoken I guess. I still don't have enough there or here to run it yet.
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