Hello American Nightmare fans. It's me again, with another look at how things are progressing for the movie.

Have you ever wondered about the process of selecting the cast for a movie? Not the simple stuff like actors come in audition and leave, but the more complex things like what really goes on in the heads of those in charge of the casting process. I had the rare opportunity of finding out that very thing when I was allowed to be a part of the auditions for American Nightmare.

The auditions occurred over three days during two weekends, with an additional day of callbacks for the final decision making process. Not only was I allowed to sit in on the auditions, but also was actually a part of the auditions themselves by reading with those trying out for various roles. Let me tell you, it was exhausting, but definitely worthwhile.

The casting team consisted of Director Jon Keeyes, Producer Rick Carey, Casting Supervisor Shelly Shivers, and myself. The team's primary focus seemed to center on as Director Jon Keeyes said, "group dynamics. These are supposed to be a group of seven friends, so the element of watching how they interacted together was the primary decision making tool." I must admit, it was exciting to see these different actors interact together, and when the final process was done, we definitely had the right people for the job.

"Each member of the cast seems to embody their character's spirit and personality," shared Shelly Shivers. "It was exciting and strange to see the characters you have created come to life," continued Jon Keeyes. "To see different people defining these friends and making them much more tangible, was probably the most exciting part of the whole experience."

The actual stream of events proceeded pretty much in the following manner; the actor would come into the room and be introduced to those present. Then Jon would tell them which of their scenes he would like to see performed. Rick would video tape their performances, and then everyone would take notes as to what they liked best about what was seen. I must say, it was a difficult decision making process, but when it was done, everyone agreed that we had the perfect cast, though none of us had expected to see such strength of performance from so many unknown faces. All in all, I would say that though we may have been tired at the end of each day, I would not trade the experience of getting to see so much talent for anything I could dream. In my next report, I will introduce you to some of the members of the cast, but until then, sleep tight my friends. May your fears sing you to sleep.