The filmmaker who casts only first-time actors from her neighborhood

On a wet Tuesday morning in Brunswick, Melbourne, filmmaker Nadia Rahal watches commuters fold umbrellas and head into cafés. She is casting a short film with people who have never acted before: a baker, a bicycle courier, a librarian and two retail workers who live within a few streets of the shoot.

Her rule is precise. Every actor must live in her neighbourhood, and every actor must be new to the screen. Rahal believes lived-in familiarity can create a performance that polished auditions rarely capture, while giving residents a paid entry into the local film industry.

The method requires patience. Scenes are rehearsed in ordinary places, dialogue is shaped around each performer’s speech, and silences are treated as choices rather than gaps. Protection of trust matters as much as the image, so contracts, payment schedules and image-use permissions are settled before anyone performs.

That combination of craft and care reflects the values of Mass Musings, the creative media and community platform founded by Kayte Demont. Rahal’s story also asks a larger question: when a film is built with ordinary neighbours, who gets seen, and what does a filmmaker owe the people who make the work possible?

A story assembled at street level

Rahal’s debut short, Between Two Stops, follows a family waiting for a delayed tram after a power outage. The setup could have been cast through an agency. Instead, Rahal built the family and the neighbourhood around her.

Casting choice Standard industry route Rahal’s neighbourhood route
Candidate pool Agents, auditions and experienced performers Residents identified through trusted community networks
Performance Familiar with scripted beats Responses developed through conversation and rehearsal
Preparation Detailed notes and technical rehearsals Plain-language direction, visual references and repeated takes
Result A polished reading on shooting day Trust, spontaneity and continuity across the crew

Her performers bring physical detail that cannot be directed easily: the way one man checks his phone when a character lies, the hesitation before answering a parent, or the particular posture of someone standing at a tram stop in the rain. Rahal builds the camera around that behaviour.

Finding the right first-time actors

Rahal begins with places where neighbourhood life already happens. She visits community noticeboards, cafés near the Preston Road tram route and a local basketball court, speaking with people rather than issuing an open call. Recommendations from shopkeepers and community workers often matter more than a formal application.

Her scripts remain flexible. A courier might suggest a different route home, while a retail worker can explain how someone would actually speak to an impatient customer. Those details are recorded before the shoot, then tested in rehearsal. A role can change without being treated as a failure.

A useful creative parallel is Kyfyt Akhtyar’s journal, where the process behind a finished work becomes part of the reader’s experience. Rahal keeps similar notes, recording each performer’s language, movements and emotional boundaries. The notes help her direct with precision without turning personal observation into a stereotype.

A practical framework for first-time performers

Rahal gives newcomers a simple brief: arrive curious, learn the situation, and respond to the person opposite you. A first-time actor does not need to manufacture a performance from nothing.

For people considering a first role:

The actors receive the schedule, payment details and image-use terms in advance. They can request a quieter performance, a break or a change in how a scene is staged. Clear boundaries allow spontaneity to survive the practical pressure of a production day.

For a crew building an inclusive set:

Her productions also include experienced crew members who can translate unfamiliar processes. The aim is not to pretend the set is informal. Actors need support, continuity and someone capable of making a calm workplace feel possible.

Directing the scene, not the résumé

First-time actors often arrive uncertain about their own ability, so Rahal avoids making confidence her first priority. She gives each person a clear action, an object to use and a physical problem to solve. The instructions are concrete enough to follow while leaving room for instinct.

A bakery scene might begin with Rahal asking the actor to wipe the counter again. The repetition creates nervousness without requiring a conventional “acting beat”. When a line feels unnatural, she changes the wording. When a performer becomes quiet, she reduces the technical activity around them so the silence can register on camera.

Conversations on the Mass Musings podcast offer a broader view of how creative professionals develop their own working rhythms. Artists, photographers and wellness practitioners often describe experimentation in similar terms: observation first, structure later and honest feedback throughout. Rahal applies that discipline to the rehearsal room.

The result can feel modest, which suits the material. Nobody in Between Two Stops delivers a speech designed to display range. The strongest moments come from ordinary negotiations: finding a charger, deciding who gets the last seat, or deciding whether to mention the outage at all.

Filming streets and protecting trust

Working on Brunswick’s tram routes and narrow residential lanes creates legal and logistical obligations. Rahal obtains a council filming permit where required, signs location agreements with property owners and carries public liability insurance. Residents receive contact details for the producer and advance notice of filming dates.

The production also avoids blocking essential services. Tram passengers still need to reach platforms, shop deliveries cannot be left outside a doorway, and a school run cannot wait for a reset. These constraints shape the schedule, often bringing early starts and short, focused shooting days.

Rahal uses plain-language appearance and image-use releases. When the crew handles personal information, its practices align with the Australian Privacy Principles. If a minor takes part, the production coordinator confirms current Victorian child-employment requirements, school-attendance limits and guardian consent before filming begins.

For a public screening, Rahal also checks whether the film requires classification by the Australian Classification Board. The process affects how the short is presented at festivals, community cinemas and public events, where responsible promotion includes the correct rating.

From neighbourhood work to a lasting practice

Rahal designed Between Two Stops for independent exhibition rather than a platform series. The film is being considered for the Melbourne International Film Festival and community cinemas across Melbourne, where its local details can reach an audience likely to recognise the places and rhythms. She is also preparing a Screen Australia development application for a larger project.

Her future casting plan remains deliberately narrow. The next film will again draw its performers from nearby streets, with training days held at a council meeting room and locations selected through the community. The approach limits her talent pool, yet that constraint supplies the project with coherence.

The Mass Musings profile of a librarian’s living collection offers a related model of care. A collection becomes more meaningful when the people connected to it can add, interpret and preserve its story. Rahal treats neighbourhood participation as part of the film’s archive rather than as promotional material gathered after shooting.

Her neighbourhood is not a backdrop; it is the first casting room, the first crew and the reason the film exists.