Private Project

Casting Kill

During a last minute casting session at a production office after hours, an overworked casting director realizes that an actor he's invited to audition is more interested in killing than acting.

  • Mark J. Parker
    Director
    Family History, 25 Years After Woodsboro, Your Last Summer, Twin, Sticks
  • Mark J. Parker
    Writer
    Family History, 25 Years After Woodsboro, Your Last Summer, Twin, Sticks
  • Mark J. Parker
    Producer
    Family History, 25 Years After Woodsboro, Your Last Summer, Twin, Sticks
  • Mike Pratt
    Key Cast
    "Tim"
  • Gavin Damian-Loring
    Key Cast
    "EJ"
  • Bodhi Ouellette
    Director of Photography
    25 Years After Woodsboro, The Piece, Spiralling
  • Erin Waters
    Editor
    Family History, Say Yes to the Dress
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Horror, Thriller, Dark Comedy
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 20 seconds
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital (Blackmagic)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Mark J. Parker

Mark J. Parker is an award-winning indie filmmaker, producer, acting & media coach, casting director, digital content creator, screenwriter, podcaster, and actor. A lover of horror and Housewives (and more, but those two things just sound great together). His short films Casting Kill, Deathbrella, Your Last Summer, 25 Years After Woodsboro, Twin, Family History, and Sticks have screened at various festivals around the world, and his podcast Release Date Rewind can be found on Straw Hut Media network wherever you get your pods and on YouTube. He lives in southern Maine, after living and working in NYC for 14 years and growing up in the greater Philadelphia area.

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Director Statement

Casting Kill is a short horror comedy that's ideally meant to be watched with at least one other person. I wrote it with the intention for it to be seen at festivals or in small groups, where laughter and gasps would add to the experience. It's *very* loosely inspired by my experience over the years as a casting director and as an actor, poking fun at some of the unaware oddballs that work in TV/film production (almost every character in this is based on someone I've worked with), and critiquing the casting process and how actors are expected to deliver with very little.

On a serious note, I first got this idea when I was running a casting session in North Carolina for a network show in 2017, and an actress showed up late to audition after I had already started breaking down my equipment. Her boyfriend/partner was aggressive, loudly telling me their excuse, begging me to see her, and not taking no for an answer - which I could see embarrassed her. He was bigger than me, so in order to just keep the peace and calm him down, I set my camera back up and asked him to leave the room so she could audition. I recorded her for only just a minute. I couldn't take her seriously because of the red flags, and I gave her the honest advice that she really shouldn't have him around because he'll hurt her chances of getting hired on gigs. She sadly agreed and they left.

Luckily, it was just a moment of tension and awkwardness, but it could have been a dangerous situation if he got physical. I was working by myself, and the acting studio I rented didn't have anyone else there, no guard or receptionist. That's when I started thinking of a film idea where a casting call turns deadly...