The Audition (2015 film)

The Audition is a 2015 short film directed by Martin Scorsese. It stars Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, playing fictionalized versions of themselves, who travel through Asia and compete against each other for a potential role in Scorsese's next film.

The Audition
Directed byMartin Scorsese
Produced byJules Daly
Lawrence Ho
James Packer
Josh Porter
Brett Ratner
Emma Tillinger Koskoff
Written byTerence Winter
StarringRobert De Niro
Leonardo DiCaprio
Brad Pitt
Martin Scorsese
CinematographyRodrigo Prieto
Edited byKevin Tent
Release date
  • October 3, 2015 (2015-10-03) (Busan)
  • October 27, 2015 (2015-10-27) (China)
Running time
16 minutes
CountryMacao
LanguageEnglish
Budget$70 million

The short film was created as a promotional piece for the Studio City Macau Resort and Casino.[1] It is Scorsese's first film to feature both De Niro and DiCaprio. While both actors had individually worked with Scorsese several times in the past (De Niro with eight films when the short was released, DiCaprio with five), and De Niro and DiCaprio had appeared together in two films (for the films This Boy's Life and Marvin's Room), the three had never collaborated on a project together.[2] The three are slated to collaborate again on their first full-length feature film together for an adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon.[3] Brad Pitt, also playing a fictionalized version of himself, makes a cameo appearance.

Plot

Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio meet with Martin Scorsese at the City of Dreams Resort in Manila to audition for his newest film. Despite their long histories of working with Scorsese, the two actors learn they are competing against one another for the same role.

Scorsese explains the potential role to his two muses as they continue to Studio City in Macau. As De Niro and DiCaprio listen, both exhaust Scorsese with their personal cases as to why they are right for the part. While the three have dinner in the hotel, Scorsese becomes inspired when he sees an advertisement featuring Brad Pitt.

The three then make their way towards Japan, where De Niro and DiCaprio make their final cases for the part. Scorsese then suddenly announces that neither are right for the role, and quickly parts ways with the two. As De Niro and DiCaprio wonder why they were not selected, they catch Scorsese meeting with Pitt, who had arrived in Japan on short notice. De Niro and DiCaprio realize that Pitt was chosen for the role, and the two walk off into the night in disappointment.

Cast

Production

The short film was financed by the Melco Crown Entertainment Limited to commission the opening of its Studio City Macau Resort and Casino.[1] As advertisements for casinos are banned in mainland China, it was speculated that the Melcro used the film to exploit a loophole to promote the casino.[4] With the short film's budget around $70 million, each actor was reportedly paid $13 million for less than two days' work.[5][6]

The script was written by Terence Winter, who Scorsese had previously collaborated with for The Wolf of Wall Street and Boardwalk Empire.[2] Shooting lasted for less than one week and was done in New York City. As the casino was not built during the short film's production, 3-D renderings had to be done in order to re-create the location during filming.[5]

Release

On October 27, 2015, the short film made its official world premiere at the Studio City casino and resort in Macau, China in conjunction with the resort's grand opening.[1][7] Scorsese, De Niro, DiCaprio and producer Brett Ratner were each in attendance for the premiere.

A prior screening had taken place earlier that month at the 20th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea on October 3, 2015.[8] The short was also supposed to screen at the Venice Film Festival on September 7, 2015 but was reportedly cancelled due to technical problems. Rumors also floated that the reason behind the cancellation was due to some perceiving the film as a promotional piece rather than one of artistic merit.[5][9]

The short film to date has never had a commercial release. However it was placed as an advertisement before feature film screenings in cinemas across Hong Kong and China in order to further promote Studio City.[5]

References
  1. Miller, Julie (October 27, 2015). "Why Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Martin Scorsese Convened in a Macau Casino". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  2. Friedman, Megan (October 27, 2015). "DiCaprio, De Niro, and Scorsese Finally Worked Together". Esquire. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  3. Fleming Jr., Mike (May 27, 2020). "Apple Partners With Paramount on Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's 'Killers of the Flower Moon'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  4. Williams, Perry (October 27, 2015). "Hollywood A-list's $70m payday to show off James Packer's new casino". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  5. Makinen, Julie (October 27, 2015). "Did a Chinese casino really just pay $70 million for a 15-minute Martin Scorsese film?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  6. Emily Smith; Ian Mohr (September 3, 2014). "How Pitt, DiCaprio and De Niro made $13M each — in 2 days". Page Six. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  7. Gumuchian, Marie-Louise (October 27, 2015). "De Niro, DiCaprio face off for role in Scorsese's "The Audition"". Reuters. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  8. AFP Relax News (October 4, 2015). "Scorsese's 'The Audition' to premiere at S. Korean film festival". Yahoo News. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  9. Ryan Lattanzio; Anne Thompson (October 28, 2015). "What Happened to Scorsese's $70-Million Short 'The Audition' Starring DiCaprio, De Niro and Pitt?". IndieWire. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
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