ABSTRACT
The cast-it sounds like a throw of the dice, and sometimes it is. But it shouldn't be. Everything so far discussed-the story, the crew, the director-works to one purpose: to bring a group of people onto the movie screen. In one sense this group of people is the single most important element in any film. It must consist of persons who are empathetic, honest, and, in most instances, attractive-well, in all instances, really, since even the brutes and the villains must attract the audience's interest and atten tion. The selection of this group of people that we call the cast must be as much a work of art as any other activity involved in the making of a film. For a number of reasons it is of greater concern to the director than to anyone else involved in the pro duction. Let us approach the problems of casting in proper order. First, the stars.
