- The Reelarc Rundown
- Posts
- Coming Soon: A New Oscar & Virginia's Film Industry
Coming Soon: A New Oscar & Virginia's Film Industry
This week's industry news curated for the working actor
Jenny King
February 09, 2024
🎬 Welcome to The Reelarc Rundown 🎬
🔸 Casting directors finally get their due from the Academy
🔸 Move over Atlanta, Virginia wants your film crews
🔸 How Emma Stone gets over audition anxieties
🔸 Black History Month resources on and off screen
All that and more, on this week’s Rundown ⤵️
Industry News
The Newest Oscar
Soon, casting directors will no longer just be thanked in Oscar acceptance speeches. They’ll be able to give their own. After the BAFTAS added a Best Casting category in 2020, many people believed it was only a matter of time until the Academy followed suit, as they now have. Starting in 2026, the Oscars will give out 24 statuettes with one of them going to achievement in casting.
Virginia Opens the Way for Increased Filming
Virginia House Bill 771 and Senate Bill 251 both aim to bring more film productions to the Old Dominion state in several ways:
Removing the 2026 sunsetting of the original motion picture tax credit, put into place by former Governor Bob McDonnell in 2010
Increasing the amount of tax credit available from 10.3 to 46.5 million
Expanding the content and expenses eligible for credit
Even better news? Both bills are bipartisan sponsored and have strong support across the aisle. So much so that HB771 was recently recommended out of its subcommittee by a vote of 8-0. It now heads to Appropriations for discussion.
Tax credits for film productions have long shown to be an incredible investment for local economies. 40 states now offer some version of tax credits for qualifying film/tv work.
Gina Carano’s Not Satisfied With Her Happily Ever After
Gina Carano is suing Disney for wrongful termination and her case is being funded (at least in part) by Elon Musk. Carano is not only seeking monetary damages, but also a court order forcing Lucasfilm and Disney to re-hire her. (Talk about a tense workplace environment.)
Carano has huge ground to cover in order to win this case which is unlikely, but who knows? Maybe she wished on a star or found a magic genie lamp. Read more coverage here and here.
Black Excellence in Film
To help celebrate Black artists and their achievements in film this month- find more curated Black History Month watch lists here and here.
For further resources, The Writers Guild Foundation put together this list of Black-led organizations dedicated to supporting and uplifting Black writers, filmmakers, and creatives of color.
Box Office Numbers
Argylle - 17.5 Mil
The Chosen: Season 4, Eps 1-3 - 5.9 Mil
The Beekeeper - 5.3 Mil (49.4 Gross)
Wonka - 4.7 Mil (201 Gross)
Migration - 4.2 Mil (106.3 Gross)
Expert Insights
Emma Stone stopped by Backstage’s podcast In the Envelope to talk about her Oscar-nominated performance in Poor Things & overcoming her anxiety with acting. Here are some of our favorite quotes-
On acting as a tool for her anxiety:
“Acting was and continues to be a sort of form of meditation to me…it requires you to be present, like you have no option than to just think about exactly what’s in front of you and what it is you’re doing from moment to moment and listening and just really staying in your body. And that’s what you do when you meditate. Or that’s what you do when you try to get out of anxiety because it’s always, you know, the past or the future with anxiety. It’s very little present. And so I find it very soothing even when it’s challenging.”
On overcoming the constant audition rejection:
“I was really getting like pretty shut down and kind of numbed-out in auditions because of that streak of wanting to do it ‘right’ and I remember flipping into- this is my chance to play the part. This might be the only chance I ever get to play this part so I’m just gonna play the part. You know, enjoy it and see what it’s like to play the part right now, for me. Not for them. Not to show them I can do it but just to actually enjoy what I like to do which is acting.”
Check This Out
Professional photog David Muller sits down with actor and Lee Strasberg Instructor Rachel Bailit for her “Diary of an Actress” podcast. Muller breaks down important tips and tricks for making your headshots work the best for you.
Castings of Note
Quiz Time
In “honor” of Gina Carano’s “wrongful termination” lawsuit against Disney, can you match the actor with the reason why they were let go from the project?
Ryan Gosling/The Lovely Bones
Megan Fox/The Transformers franchise
Terrence Howard/The MCU
Eric Stoltz/Back to the Future
Natalie Portman/Romeo + Juliet
Holly Hunter/Chicken Little
A. They looked too young
B. They compared the director to a certain German dictator
C. They gained too much weight
D. Producers switched the character’s gender
E. Money
F. Their performance needed more humor and less method
Trends on Your FYP
Let’s highlight one of our favorite content creators- Toronto-based actress Paige Evans. Paige showcases the highs and lows of an actor’s daily life on her tiktok. Here are some of our favorites from her-
What We’re Watching This Weekend
🎥 For those wanting a refresh before the sequel hits theaters next month- Dune (part 1) is back in limited theatrical release
🎥 For a good whodunit binge session- All 8 seasons of Monk now streaming on Netflix
🎥 Evidently there’s some sports game this weekend? We heard Usher will be there. Watch it Sunday on CBS/Paramount+ (or you can always switch to Puppy Bowl XX on Animal Planet).
🎥 For the gamers- Halo Season 2 premieres on Paramount+
🎥 For a laugh out loud victory lap- Larry David’s 12th & final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO/Max
🎥 For Emmy-winning ensemble comedy- Abbott Elementary’s 3rd season is back on ABC/Hulu