Teller of Tales: A Fib Fit For A King , a short film being shot in Chicago during summer of 2012 is seeking a diversely talented actor/musician to play the Minstrel. This will be a SAG Low Budget production with good pay, plus paid travel & expenses.

The Minstrel: The Musician is a person who writes, performs, or makes music. He can be classified by his role by creating and/or performing music. A multi-instrumentalist, who plays a diverse range of instruments such as different forms of percussion, plucked strings, and believe it or not various children's toys. Also, a singer, who composes and arranges his own musical compositions, songs, and arrangements. His spectrum of music is so diverse that there is no limitation to this musician's talents.

Character Function (Super Objective): Subjectively Instills Emotion Through Music.
What makes this musician so special is his ability to play music out of a child's set of toys. Some of the various Medieval toy instruments:
A Jack In The Box,
Riding Stick Horse And Whipping Stick,
Rolling Hula Hoop With Marble And Stick,
Bell Juggling Bags,
Bronze Age Toy And Terra Cotta (Rattlers),
Scopperels (Pinwheel Or Whirligig),
And Various Hollowed Out Toy Shaped Flutes.

But of course this person will have a plucked string instrument. "Renaissance/Baroque Guitar" So playing the smaller guitar is necessary.

This character is very detailed and intense. While not the main character, if done right, could quite possibly steal the show.
Please video something and send it to me via one of these three ways as soon as possible:
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Please do NOT send via yousendit.
Email link to adstepfilm@gmail.com and reference VSM Casting

Now, If you believe this is something you'd feel like you could portray than I'd like for you to research the various toys listed above and find certain types of childhood songs to be played with them, all while matching the children's song with the toy being played.

EX: Toy: Jack in the box: It is played and goes with "PoP goes the weasel.

*I've recently decided to give these lines to the Minstrel, as they will be sung to the beginning of the above song:

and here is the beginning of the storyboards for the scene: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=180355921995834&set=a.180354581995968.44944.180318578666235&type=1&theater

and so the beginning of the song plays through the above storyboards and then a lull of silence, and then the second part of the song where it's just the higher pitched sound of one instrument. (Like that of a "jack in the box") is this scene: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=180356028662490&set=a.180354581995968.44944.180318578666235&type=1&theater
(First two boards)

The musician is neither here nor there and can appear and disappear in any moment of the film. We have to find those moments. That is the musical minstrel.

*On using instruments... "There are NO modern instruments (props) used. I.E. It's all about finding Medieval children's toys as instruments with Modern children's songs and finding where they may go in the film. There is a lot of improv in this role and lyrics to songs... so a creative music person is necessary for this role. However, the key is to find a Medieval-like character (Actor), who can portray all emotions (Sad, Happy, Whimsical, etc... ) into the film. And I'd love for this character to have a range in their voice, be poetic, however given with the appropriate dialect of that of Medieval times. "Trilling R's, etc... he's a bit of everything "Romantic Period, Roman Poet.. A bit british in dialect (subtle) ... He is basically a singer of songs.

The Minstrel's Gallery (What is it?): If you think of the scene and where it takes place "The Minstrel's Gallery" It harbors the clock. The clock can be looked at as a Metronome keeping the rhythmic tone of the story. The clock begins to speed up rapidly in the Sides above. So use that too your advantage. However, there will be times when the pendulum of the clock stops.... Right after... Thus the tone of the character stops and he himself has slowed to almost a still while playing the Jack in the box.

This character will possibly have many scenes, but mainly he will be used in the "Minstrel's Gallery" Find those scenes and work with new children like songs and medieval props to make an emotion in the scene, but first you have to know what emotion is being taken into consideration. And that's where I come in. I'll explain the scene and the emotion and all the information. And through various toys, sounds, songs, poems, etc... We will improv the character into the scenes.

btw... "I'm an amusement park/carnival-like director and "The Minstrel will be my musical emotional voice on set and during the scene. He should "ALWAYS" bring or consider that sort of musical style of emotion into their music. And at times I would expect him to be able to help characters transition into their characters in the scene.

I.E. Carnival/Amusement Park like:

(who knows... This character's music could very well be made into the soundtrack and/or create the entire "Musical Voice of the Film" It all depends on the actor/musician ... their talent... their passion... their work ethic... and most importantly how well they know every character and every scene, all while taking direction.) come to think of it... The Minstrel would probably have a song that describes all the characters. (Enjoy)