Short Film
The Backwoods Tapes
Details
Union:
Non union
Area of media:
Short Film
Network:
Paid?:
Yes
Rates:
Non-Union. Pay will be an honorarium from $50 - $500 depending on days needed.
Deadline:
June 16, 2023
Auditions:
Audition will be a self-tape
Shooting starts:
July 13, 2023
Shooting finishes:
July 19, 2023
Shooting locations:
Langley
Cities for response:
Vancouver
Storyline
A series of tapes that details several disappearances and deaths in the Canadian interior during the late 90s. We follow three journalists as they attempt to piece together what transpired. Their friendship is tested as the behavior of their project lead becomes increasingly volatile. The investigation culminates in a deadly encounter with an unknown creature deep in the woods.
Roles
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | Ashley | Female 18 - 25 Years old |
Description A journalism student. Director of the documentary. She is incredibly headstrong, driven, and often manipulative in order to get what she wants. She comes from a broken family and has made a conscious effort to maintain a tough front, pushing her vulnerability down which often leads to lashing out. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | Michelle | Female 18 - 25 Years old |
Description A film student handling the camera work for the project. She is of French Canadian descent and a metal head. Often acts as the mediator between the more passionate outbursts of Ashley's driven nature and Spencer's apprehension. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | Spencer | Male 18 - 25 Years old |
Description A journalism student. Boom operator and additional camera operator with the crew. Has been friends with Ashley and Michelle for years. Has severe anxiety managed by daily medication. Possibly bipolar. Tends to worry and think the worst about situations, and occasionally says the wrong thing in the heat of the moment. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | Anna's Mother | Female 45 - 55 Years old |
Description Mother of Anna McDonough. A widower. Wracked with grief at the disappearance of her daughter. Is immediately welcoming to Ashley, their families having been apart for almost a decade. She is protective over what family she has left and tries to ward Ashley off from her search. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Supporting | K9 Officer | Male 35 - 45 Years old |
Description An officer who berates Ashley for her headstrong conduct towards the investigation, despite being on somewhat of a power trip. He would eventually be the initial investigating officer when the journalists go missing. He has a great rapport with his canine partner. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Supporting | Front Desk Officer (Voice Actor) | Female 25 - 35 Years old |
Description A desk officer who denies the journalists any help from the police regarding the missing people. (This role will be done in ADR) | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Supporting | Crown Vic Officer | Male 30 - 40 Years old |
Description Secondary officer during the initial search of the missing journalists. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Supporting | Woman / Keenan's Mother | Female 40 - 55 Years old |
Description DUAL ROLE:Woman - One of the first people the journalists interview upon entering the town. Is quite aloof and has no real insight into the disappearances. Keenan's Mother (ADR Role) - The mother of missing person Keenan Thomson. Is wary of the press and cameras. Responds with hostility towards the journalists. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Supporting | Man / Reporter | Male 50 - 65 Years old |
Description DUAL ROLE:Man - A former miner met upon the streets of the town. Seems completely uninterested in the missing people, only searching for a new outlet to vent his frustrations about his line of work being shuttered. Reporter (ADR Role) - A reporter interviewing Ashley in the hospital. Inquires about the events that led up to her admission and the loss of her friends. | ||