Content

South Wales. An imaginative eight-year-old plots to trip his cruel, drunken father with red yarn, but while waiting for the trap to spring, first love offers him a glimpse of life beyond fear.

Talu Studios is casting for the short film Special Brew, written by Andrew Vidgen and directed by Saul Sulway. Filming is expected to take place in South Wales on 26 and 27 September 2026, with exact locations to be confirmed.

Please submit suitable performers through Spotlight. We will review all suggestions and contact selected applicants with audition material and further instructions. Shortlisted performers may be invited to submit a self-tape or attend an online or in-person audition. Shortlisted child performers may also be invited to a chemistry read with the director.

For performers under 18, all communication and audition arrangements will be managed through a parent, guardian or agent. Full role-specific fees and shoot-day requirements are included in each role listing.

Dates

Potentially 26th and 27th September 2026

Roles

Roles Details

Title

Danny

Content

Character
Danny lives in a home governed by his father's moods. He is watchful, inventive and emotionally intelligent, but still unmistakably a child. His Action Man, Jimmy, the red yarn and the gooseberry bush allow him to convert fear into a mission he can understand. He is not passive: his resistance is quiet, tactical and deeply imaginative.

Dramatic journey
Danny begins inside fantasy, is pulled into the reality of his parents' conflict, then creates a physical trap that gives him a small measure of control. Michelle's arrival interrupts his vigilance and awakens an immediate vision of tenderness, belonging and a future beyond the house. The final beat belongs to hope rather than revenge.

Performance brief
• Natural screen presence and strong listening. Much of the role is carried through observation, breath, stillness and shifts of attention.
• Able to move truthfully between absorbed play, hyper-vigilance, fear, tactical concentration, shyness and wonder.
• Must keep Danny childlike. The performance should never feel precocious, theatrical or emotionally over-rehearsed.
• Comfortable with physical storytelling, including crawling, hiding, handling props and sustaining focus in quiet takes.

Salary

£250 for one shoot day, plus one paid rehearsal at £100, giving a total anticipated fee of £350. Any applicable holiday pay will be clearly itemised in the contract. Travel and expenses will be agreed separately in advance. A licensed chaperone will be present for rehearsals and filming. The production has allocated a flat chaperone fee of £175.

Gender

Male Only

Age

6 - 11