Major Project: Large Cast Research

I have never worked with this amount of cast before, so I've researched into what a director should do when working on such a large project:

"Don't start filming until you have enough budget for food supplies"

First of all I need to make sure we have enough food supplies, as the number 1 priority is to make sure my cast are happy and comfortable because they are more likely to perform to the best of their abilities that way. We will have runners to make sure this happens, as well as catering staff who will cook hot food on the exterior location days (football mainly).

"Communication and Leadership is key"

As director I need to stand up and take control of shoot days, whether that's directing actors, or leading crew members to specific time schedules. As there are so many people, I need to make sure I'm loud so everyone can hear my instructions, as well as make sure everyone stays silent (particularly when the camera is rolling).

I have also researched into large casts from the actors point of view, this interview video was carried out with cast members from the comedy "Skeem" who explain what it's like working with a large cast in a comedy:

Here the actors of "Skeem" talk about how working with a large cast is challenging, especially for a comedy, as everyone needs to get their timing perfect. This is vital as one slip up could ruin the whole mood/comedy value of the scene; therefore I need to make sure my actors know their cue's perfectly beforehand.

When actually filming the experts/professionals say to not introduce everyone at once. If you are introduced to more than a couple of people at a time, it’s fair to say that you’re not going to remember their names. If you slowly introduce your key characters, and flesh them out in their own personal characterisation bubble, they become more memorable, and once you start getting to know one or two of them at a time, it’ll be easier to remember them further into the story when new characters are being introduced.