The fresh concept for Neil Kendricks’ experimental short “Memory Lines” required a fresh approach to casting. The film premieres at the ArtPower!’s 2nd Annual Filmatic Festival and consists exclusively of pieced together film dialogue. “I took lines from well-known or famous films throughout film history and I rewrote them into one short script where the characters are only speaking the movie lines,” says Kendricks, who describes the process as similar to the idea of the cut-up novel utilized by William S. Burroughs. The story is simple: Two strangers meeting and talking before a movie. “It becomes more about how they are trying to reach out to each other through these lines of dialogue that are appropriated from classic movies,” explains Kendricks.
Taking an unconventional approach, he cast the actors prior to writing. “I wanted to try to shape a script based on what I saw an actor’s ability was.” That meant the film’s success was dependent on the actors’ performances. “Placing the ad in Backstage was incredibly helpful. I knew that I could get a response.” He quickly found his female lead, Jade Martz.
Kendricks has found
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