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African Americans in Communications, Media, and Entertainment is a UCLA organization for anyone interested in going into the entertainment business. It provides internships, workshops, and in the case of last Thursday night, a group discussion with casting director Felicia Fasano (MTV’s “The Real World” series, “Barbershop” and “Training Day”).

Though there was some confusion as to its whereabouts, the lounge in Delta Terrace B3 was a suitable setting for an intimate, in-depth discussion. The dialogue between Fasano and the discussion participants resembled more of a conversation among friends than a speaker presentation. There was no hesitation on anyone’s part to pass the chips and soda.

In the first half of the discussion, Fasano described her professional background and how her connections with actors enabled her to become a casting director. As the discussion shifted to question and answer, the mood became more informal due in part to Fasano’s directness and down-to-earth attitude.

Much of the discussion centered around what a casting director does, which is to advise, rather than dictate to the director which actors to cast. She talked about etiquette and the casting director’s role during the casting tug of war that goes on between a director and a producer.

“I’m going to give (the directors) what their vision is,” Fasano said. “I want to be the person that is their ally because mostly the producers don’t feel the same way.”

In trying to give directors what they want, Fasano looks for the whole package in actors, which includes their past work, the strength of their readings, as well as their appearances. Fasano described the big difference between someone who has “IT” and someone who doesn’t.

“You really do see people grow, and I’ve seen it where a person all of a sudden becomes confident, and they become a different person,” Fasano said.

Fasano also had advice for student film-makers. She expressed the importance of getting internships and watching student films as a good way of finding new talent. She also suggested strategies to help first-time directors get high-end actors, which would help students in the process of making their thesis films.

“I think a really good thing to do would be to look at movies that you like and then see who was the assistant to it and then call up their office,” Fasano said.

The major thing that Fasano stressed was the personal nature of the entertainment business. Her advice was to focus on the bonds made inside the industry between people as the bedrock of any type of success in the entertainment business.

“The one thing that I can’t stress enough is your relationship,