Top Kats Announced! – The Official Katalist

Hundreds of bright young sparks entered our open online casting process for a chance to play the lead in Fireworks. After watching all your audition tapes carefully, we managed to narrow it down to a long list of possible Kats, who we invited along to a face to face audition in London. The girls were amazing, and we have now selected a shortlist of six possible Kats. They have a wide range of skills, quirks and interests as you can see below, but one thing they do have in common is that they are all bright, smart, talented young women who we’re delighted to be potentially working with. So, bring out the Kats – here they are!

The Official Fireworks Kat Shortlist

Hollie Burgess

Hi I’m Hollie and I am so excited about being on the short list for Kat! I obviously love performing but I am also really keen on sport. My favourite is football where I play midfield.

I am pretty determined and daring and I love a challenge but sometimes I do pay the price! In January this year I broke my nose. I would love to tell you it was playing football or bungee jumping but….in truth….I was walking UP the stairs at school and tripped. Not cool! I spent the next few weeks resembling Princess Fiona, (in ogre form) but I am glad to say my nose is now fixed and I am as determined as ever…and would absolutely love to play the role of Kat!!!

Adara Fernandez

My name is Adara Fernandez and if you ask me where I’m from, my answer usually depends on my mood: my parents are Mexican and American but they’re both French too, and I was born in London. So I figure I get to choose. It’s fun when it’s the World Cup because I’ve got so many countries to cheer for, I’ve often got one in the final! I am thirteen years old, and I love two things: drama and sports. I also love skilling up guys on the football pitch (I played goalie for two years in a local team). I learned football with older boys, so I got good at defending myself. I can also do a judo throw on anyone who bothers me – I came third in my weight category in a national judo competition. I do triathlons and diving too, which is really fun. I like diving backwards best. So you could definitely say I’m sporty.

I am part of the Young Actors Company and through them I take part in various acting jobs, including being an extra on the popular show EastEnders, going on stage, and more. I speak Spanish, some French and am learning Latin and Mandarin. I love acting though, so I definitely want to be an actress! And if that doesn’t work out, I figure I’d be a pretty good policewoman – I can run fast, I can act (good for undercover, right?), I’ve got a really good memory – and I can definitely be scary when I want to. At least that’s what everybody says!

Adele Pearson

I am 14 years old and live in Milton Keynes with my Mum, Dad, Sister and goldfish called Ron. I have recently been on an adventure holiday in Tunisia where I haggled in the souks, slept a night in a cave and ate camel couscous. I love trying new things and have jumped off Goliath, which is 100ft tall and the UK’s largest freefall experience.  I have ridden on a donkey up a steep hill in Santorini and swum in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Mediterranean seas.  I have yet to try the North sea off Gullane Bay, but I’m willing to give the freezing cold water a go.

I am learning to play the guitar, and I think my parents are looking forward to when I can play a whole song completely in tune. In my spare time I enjoy drawing and painting.  My favourite artist is Roy Lichtenstein, and I have colourful Pop Art paintings all over my bedroom.  I’ve painted a few of his well-known pieces, but I’m a bit clumsy and somehow I managed to spill a pot of red paint all over my bedroom carpet (my Mum wasn’t too happy). I’ve painted a few of his well-known pieces, and once I somehow I managed to spill a pot of red paint all over my bedroom carpet (my Mum wasn’t too happy). I am a bit accident prone, and occasionally bump into things and knock things over. Let’s hope I don’t accidentally set off any fireworks!

Josie Proto

Hi, my name is Josie Proto, I’m 13 years old and I live outside the fourth best place to retire in England. As you can imagine it is quite quiet here; I mean my primary school had 12 students per YEAR! However, when I was 9, I moved to Dubai with my 2 sisters and my parents. It was a massive change and it gave me loads of opportunities for my education. When we moved back to the quietest town on earth I was 11 and I was on my way to secondary school. My secondary school has 1500 students and has a brilliant drama department, and at this point I was getting more into drama and films. I’ve always loved theatre but I’ve only recently started auditioning for films and TV.

However, like most normal teenage girls I obsess over bands, TV shows eg. Doctor Who, and especially social networks. I mess around with my friends and call my pets stupid names (my hamster’s called Allen). The last (very important) thing you need to know is that I’m raining champion for head stands in my form – my head stand lasted 3 minutes 26 seconds. Yes, my head did go blue!

Ashlea Screaton

Yeah so, hey everybody? I’m Ashlea. I’m currently 14 years old but will be hitting the blossoming age of 15 at the end of September, which you can not tell at all since my height and body resemble a 12 year old boy. Speaking of height, I’m actually 4’11, so you could probably understand why I get the nickname Hobbit or Gizmo every now and again.

I have actually not always wanted to be an actress (even though it was always my plan B) but my first ambition as a small child was surprisingly a pole dancer. It quickly changed, don’t worry. After that I dreamed of either being a singer or an author, since I adore singing or writing fictional stories so badly, even now. But then came the acting when I was about, 6? Never changed since. Fun fact about me, when I’m nervous I move a ton, mostly when I’m singing for somebody. But when it comes to just talking to someone, I’m pretty easy going and I like to think I get along with most people. I’m extremely hyper, and I don’t even know why. But anyway, later everybody, have fun doing whatever while I get back to doing, well … nothing. I am so bad at doing bios it physically hurts.

Tania Van Amse

My name is Tania Van Amse. I have always been small and have not grown since I was 11.There are marks on the kitchen cupboard and mine have been same now for ages. My younger sister overtook me long time ago and I am still trying to catch her up. I love singing, dancing and acting and one of my favourite characters is George from Famous Five. Having done a lot of theatre work since I was younger, my best job so far was being back end of a cow in panto, when we nearly fell into orchestra pit ’cause it is totally dark in there!

I haven’t run away like Kat but when I was 8, I left home with a big (empty) suitcase as I wanted to join the local theatre which was putting on Oliver. I decided this is what I wanted to do rather than going to school but my neighbour stopped me down the road and took me straight back home, ignoring my kicking and screaming.

Fact about me: I haven’t had any fizzy drinks since a singing audition when I had coca cola beforehand and did huge burp in middle of my song! (didn’t get job..)

What next?

Once we get a little closer to the shoot we will be able to choose and announce who will play Kat in Fireworks. In the meantime, give these great girls a round of applause. Go on, right there in front of your phone/laptop. They deserve it, and no-one’s looking.

 

Six Team Faves – Inspiring Women in Film and TV

It’s International Womens’ Day, and to mark the occasion we decided to big up some of the brilliant women in film and TV who inspire, entertain and amaze us. We asked some of the members of team Fireworks to pick their top inspirational women from the film world. Here are our top five.

Diablo Cody

Chosen by Hannah Robinson, Fireworks Director and Co-writer. Hannah says:

I’ve chosen Diablo Cody because she’s written some of the most witty, moving and irreverent movies, with the coolest, funniest flawed female screen characters, particularly Mavis Gary in Young Adult and Juno in, er, Juno. Her pen name is  Diablo Cody because she was listening to a song called Diablo whilst driving through a town called Cody. Also, she worked as a stripper who incorporated ninja kicks and screaming into her routines.

Lena Denham

Chosen by Jonathan Hall, Fireworks Co-writer. Jonathan says:

I’m going to choose Lena Dunham (of Tiny Furniture movie and HBO’s Girls TV series fame) – not just because I, myself, am a fearless, ferociously perceptive, young woman (inside a burly man body, obviously), but because she makes me properly laugh and gasp out loud while showing me something brand new. Kind of what we were trying to do with Fireworks.

Jodie Foster

Chosen by Claire Burns, Fireworks Executive Producer.

Since her debut at the age of three, Jodie Foster has had a staggering career as an actor, delivering acclaimed and memorable performances in Taxi Driver, The Accused, and Silence of the Lambs, and graduating from successful child star to A-list adult actor. Always convincing, always authentic, and generally brilliant in every role, she has now turned her talents to directing and producing. A woman with a genuine passion and understanding for film.

Ida Lupino

Chosen by Wendy Griffin, Fireworks Producer. Wendy says:

Ida Lupino (born in 1918) has always intrigued me as a pioneer among women filmmakers. In her forty-eight year career, she appeared in fifty-nine films as an actress and directed seven others. She co-wrote and co-produced some of her own films as well.

Jane Campion

Chosen by Simone Pereira-Hind, Fireworks Casting Director. Simone says:

I’m going to be really predictable and go for Jane Campion for sharing her astonishing vision with us, particularly for Top of the Lake, In the Cut, The Piano and An Angel at my Table. She writes incredible roles for women, gets staggering performances from her actors, shoots sexy but not exploitative scenes and knows how to point the camera and capture those stunning landscapes. Genius! LOVE her!

Sofia Coppola

Chosen by Rebecca Thompson, Fireworks Digital Producer. Rebecca says:

Sofia has been in the movies since she played a male baby in The Godfather, but it’s as a writer and director (a bit like our Hannah!) that she really shines. She’s the brains behind one of the most genuine and moving love stories in recent cinema history, Lost in Translation, as well as capturing the zeitgeist with The Bling Ring and The Virgin Suicides. Coppola has a bit of a thing for casting previous child actors in leading roles, so maybe our Kat will end up in one of her films one day?

 

Over to you

Who are your icons of women in film? Tell us who inspires you.

New Teen Star Needed to Play our Lead Role

Photo by FRANCISCA on Flickr

Ok, so we’ve got our top team in place behind the camera, and the super talented Ewen Bremner up front playing the role of Gillies. We also have an exciting crowdfunding campaign on the go. But there’s still a vital ingredient of the film missing, and we hope that you might be able to help…

We need a talented, bold, headstrong young woman to play the role of our lead. Our bright new star doesn’t need any acting experience, but she does need to be bold, funny and brave. If that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.

Kat is a thirteen-year-old London girl who runs away to Scotland to meet her Uncle Gillies, played by Ewen Bremner, who she has secretly discovered is her biological father. The ideal candidate will be a young-looking sixteen year old with a London accent, but we are prepared to be blown away by any fresh new star who can play a 13-14 year old London girl.

How to Apply

To send us your virtual audition for this fantastic role, first of all read over the Terms and Conditions, and check that you have permission from your parent or guardian. If you’re selected to play the role, you will need to be able to spend four weeks in Edinburgh in March 2014 for the shoot, with a chaperone, so check that they are happy with that.

If they say yes, it’s time to record your audition video. This doesn’t need to be made on fancy camera equipment. Your phone will do fine.

There are two sections to the audition video, but we would like you to keep them both in the same video clip. First, please record a short piece to camera stating your name, age, any acting experience, and why you would like to play Kat in this film. Please keep this section short – we won’t be able to watch more than two minutes of your introduction.

Next, grab a friend or relative to help you do read-through of a section of the script. This is a scene where Kat is talking with her mum, so you might even want to get your own mum to help you out. It should take no longer than three minutes.

FIREWORKS Kat Audition Scenes-1

Done? Great. Now save your video and upload it to YouTube or Vimeo as a password-protected file. Make a note of the URL and password! In YouTube, you can save it as private but select to ‘share’ it with casting@fireworksthemovie.co.uk.

Then, fill in our online application form.

The deadline for online auditions is midnight on the night of 18th December. We’re afraid we can’t contact everybody, but shortlisted auditionees will be contacted by mid-January.

Can’t wait to meet you – good luck!

UPDATE: 23/11/13 – CHECK OUT OUR NEW VIDEO BY CASTING DIRECTOR SIMONE PEREIRA-HIND: