There’s a video of me on youtube playing “Video Killed The Radio Star” on the theremin that’s been up for nearly a year. Two weeks ago, all of a sudden, several people left me messages via youtube informing me that a casting agent in Los Angeles was looking for me! One of the message writers forwarded me the casting call from a popular LA casting website. It read as follows:
Theremin Musician - White Castle - Commercial - SAG Scale - SAG - 2/1/2007
/ Male or Female / All Ethnicities / 27 - 45 /
Must be an actual Theremin player, and be able to bring your instrument with you. Anyone who knows the guy, (and how to reach him) on YouTube playing Video Killed the Radio Star, please call us!
My jaw hit the floor! I got in touch with the casting agent who emailed me a 30 second script. I convinced Sue from UV Protection to come by the house to videotape me, and I FexExed them the tape. They loved it! Approvals from all the various parties finally came through yesterday (Thursday). On Sunday, I fly to LA, all expenses paid, for two days of planning and shooting. I return to Boston on Wednesday. It’s an SAG gig, so there’s some serious money involved, which is a nice bonus. :)
The content of the ad is simple: A guy says he likes White Castle so much, he wrote a song about it. He then plays theremin and sings a song about Slyders (White Castle’s tiny greasy burgers). For the audition tape, I went with a bluesy “I’m a Man” style call and response between my theremin and my voice. It’s unclear what I’ll be doing musically in the ad. They seem to want something melodic, but that also shows off the wackiness of the instrument. If I do end up contributing to the songwriting, yes, I’ll be certain to demand credit (i.e. royalties).
I’m very excited about the whole thing. I’ll be sure and report back with my experiences, if not during, then definitely after it’s all over.
