4232 Media Studies Blog: Casting Done

So remember the Coach I mentioned in one of my earlier log posts? The one who's story I took a lot of inspiration from? Well.. guess who's playing the main character. You guessed it! Coach Matt!

Here are the reasons why I chose to 'cast' Matt as Will (the protagonist):

Physical Attributes: While the story of Runner Up could apply to virtually any sport, I chose wrestling as it holds personal meaning to me, I know what I'm talking about, I can relate to it, and resource wise it's easier to manage. Now, regardless of weight class, wrestlers are very athletic; arguably some of THE most athletic athletes (that sounds weird). Like I said, the story could apply to any athlete, so the weight class didn't matter. For instance, I compete at 105lbs and I still relate to the same mental and physical hardships this sport instigates as someone competing at 175lbs. All I thought about when casting then, was that they're able to keep up (physically). The wrestling/workout scenes in this film intro aren't going to be some fake TV drama BS.. I know what good wrestling looks like and I won't have anything fake. The finals match flashback WILL look like a real state finals match. And so, Matt happens to be in shape, you know being an ex-wrestler. He is 24 years old, like 6'2 200lbs, and trains with us at practice in addition to the gym. I know for a fact that he can execute my high-level-wrestling vision for the flashback match. I also know he'll be able to push himself for us to get quality training shots; this includes lifting in a weight room and cardio exercises.
Money: Another BIG part that helped me decide on asking Matt, is that I know he wouldn't charge me money or anything. He's doing this as a favor, which I very much appreciate. I promised to get the boys (Roger plays the antagonist, I'll mention him right after this) dinner after filming.
Passion: Last but not least, I know Matt doesn't half-ass anything. Although he's never acted, we spoke in person about what filming will look like. He sounds like he is genuinely invested into this because he sees that it's important to me, I'm excited to see how we work together with me playing "coach" (directing) rather than him.

Roger:

To be honest, there isn't much to go in detail about Roger, I asked him to act because he's my friend and I knew he would. The reasons with him are pretty much the same as Matt.. only his role isn't AS important since the story doesn't develop his character. He only appears in that one flashback action-scene of the finals match. Roger was also my top pick because he's the only wrestler I know weighing close to Matt. Roger competes in the 190lb weight class, so Matt is just a bit over that. It's also super helpful that Roger and Matt train consistently with each other; they know how the other wrestles. This will make "choreographing" the finals match a whole lot easier. I already made the aware that this scene isn't just them "going live" (wrestling like a normal match), but instead the three of us will have a play-by-play plan of the moves executed in the match.

Minor Concerns:

So here's my only issue with the Matt/Roger duo, yea they weigh close enough.. but Matt doesn't really LOOK like a 17-18 year old Highschool-Senior. Roger sometimes does (he has a bit of a baby face lol). Will is supposed to have just recently ended his season by a few months, it's fine for him to look older but what about in the flashback scene? Is he going to lose to some kid? I think with the help of some makeup I can try to make Roger look a little older or Matt look younger.