Thursday evening, August 20th, 2009
You may remember my mentioning in my last entry that I had auditioned for a role in the NBC Television series, The Office. The audition was on the 11th of this month. Today, I received an early afternoon email telling me that I had been selected to play the role. I read the email once, and thought, “well that can’t be.” Then I read it again and realized that is exactly what it” be”. The scene I’m in shoots this Saturday.
In many ways this defies the odds. While I am represented by a commercial agency, I have no theatrical representation yet, nor am I yet a member of SAG. Of course, this will help with both in the long term, as agents like representing people who have worked, and, also, by working in an episode of The Office, I become SAG eligible, which makes it all that much easier to be hired for another SAG production. It doesn't make the auditions any easier, but it does mean that when chosen for a SAG role it will make it easier for the production company to hire me.
I had a bit of other good news recently. I auditioned for the television pilot episode of a series about political campaign workers. I was chosen to play the role of the Governor of Wisconsin. It’s a small role and the character will appear in the pilot only, if the series is picked up. The majority of the pilot will be shot on location in Madison Wisconsin. It’s a non-union project with a modest budget, but the role was interesting, fun to play, and the director was quite sharp. I shot that scene last night, and enjoyed it immensely.
Friday afternoon, August 21st, 2009
I have just returned from my wardrobe fitting. The scene I am in is not being shot at the Sunset Gower studios in Hollywood where much of “The Office” is shot, but instead is being shot on location in Sherman Oaks. The "base Camp" for the location, is a schoolyard is full of about 15 trailers ranging from equipment and lighting trailers to wardrobe and dressing room trailers. I reported to the wardrobe trailer to be fitted with my costume (Yes, my character requires a sort of a costume….nothing garish, but a costume never-the-less). The wardrobe people were quite nice and a pleasure to work with.
Earlier today, I received the script via email. Each page had KREPS splashed across it in background style gray letters. All shooting scripts for most films and TV shows do that so if a portion of the script is copied or leaks out, it’s easy to see which script it was.
Once you have been to wardrobe and received a script with you name emblazoned across every page, you start to feel like you are part of the show, at least for one episode. I’m looking forward greatly to tomorrow. It should be fun.
Oh, and by the luck of the draw, the location where we are shooting (very near where the equipment and wardrobe trailers are all parked) is only five miles from where I live Sometimes you just get lucky!
Sunday Morning, August 23rd, 2009
Yesterday was a day that all actors dream of….a speaking role on a hit TV series. It was a day of waiting , as are all days on set for actors, a day of joy at being part of the experience, and a day of whiling away the time by talking with other actors, the two most notable being Kate Flannery who plays Meredith on “The Office” , and Rick Overton (a guest star for this episode), who has appeared in many TV shows and films. Kate was a wonderfully friendly lady, and Rick was as outgoing as anyone could be. Both were great people to chat with.
The director decided no costume was necessary so I wore a dark suit provided by the wardrobe department. The director, by the way, was a very good person to work with.
Doing this show just about concludes my first six months in LA. Besides The Office, I have appeared in roles in one film, one TV series pilot and one commercial. I have a commercial agent, a wonderful acting coach, and recently started taking workshops from some fine LA casting directors, with my next workshop scheduled for this coming Thursday. Best of all, I have climbed one steep hurdle for any new actor in LA, and that is to become SAG eligible. This first six months has greatly surpassed my expectations.
That having been said, there is much work to be done in the future. I said in a previous entry that to compete in the LA market, I would have to be a better actor in six months than when I got here. Six months later, I am a better actor. That means nothing if I am not a better actor in six months than I am now, and better still six months after that. Today was a wonderful experience, but it doesn't guarantee any future success. It is, however, a nice step in the right direction.
To the best of my knowledge, the episode of The Office, a part of which we filmed today, will air on October 8th. That, however, is always subject to change and I will give you a definite date before it airs.
Until we talk again…………………..
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
The Workshop
Last night was another new experience in my acting journey in LA. There is an organization in LA called Actors West. They don't post audition notices, nor can you post your resume or headshot on their website. What they do offer are a multitude of workshops conducted by some prominent casting directors in town.
I attended my first such workshop last night conducted by a lady who is well known in LA casting circles. All actors know that when you do a live audition, you get zero feedback other than thank you, or possibly "That was very nice." There is no critique of how you really did....what you did right or wrong. In a workshop held by a casting director, that is not the case. there were probably 20 actors at last night's workshop. Each of us were part of a two person assigned scene which we did in front of the casting director and the entire workshop. My scene partner and I did our scene three times, taking different direction from the casting director after each time. Our scene went well with some positive feedback from the casting director. The casting director also collected headshots from each actor and jotted down some notes as she watched each scene. The lady who was my scene partner was a good actor, and it always helps to work with a person like that. Best of all, it was great fun. The workshop was attended by some very good actors, and most scenes went well. Of course, this is LA, and finding you are in a room full of good actors is not at all uncommon.
The casting director also took questions from the actors in a Q and A session, where we got a chance to understand how a casting director thinks, what they are looking for, how casting decisions (or recommendations to the director) are made, and as I have stated before, the many items outside of the actor's control which might, and often do, influence who is cast and who is not.
Having had one positive experience, I will be attending more casting workshops at Actors West. While primarily holding workshops conducted by casting directors, they occasionally have events where agents come in to look at actors. An added plus is that all their workshops and events are very reasonably priced, and it's a short 25 minute drive on Highway 101 for me to get to their location. Also, I have taken only private lessons since being here, and it was great to interact with other actors.
As an added bonus, Actors West has what they call a wall of headshots in their office, where anyone is free to tack up their headshot, which I did. It can't hurt, and you never know.
Other news? This past Tuesday, I auditioned for a small role in the NBC series, The Office.
It's cooler here now, with only a high of 88 expected in the San Fernando Valley, today. 88, depending on where you live, may seem cool or not, but it's a pleasant relief for this area.
More later.........
I attended my first such workshop last night conducted by a lady who is well known in LA casting circles. All actors know that when you do a live audition, you get zero feedback other than thank you, or possibly "That was very nice." There is no critique of how you really did....what you did right or wrong. In a workshop held by a casting director, that is not the case. there were probably 20 actors at last night's workshop. Each of us were part of a two person assigned scene which we did in front of the casting director and the entire workshop. My scene partner and I did our scene three times, taking different direction from the casting director after each time. Our scene went well with some positive feedback from the casting director. The casting director also collected headshots from each actor and jotted down some notes as she watched each scene. The lady who was my scene partner was a good actor, and it always helps to work with a person like that. Best of all, it was great fun. The workshop was attended by some very good actors, and most scenes went well. Of course, this is LA, and finding you are in a room full of good actors is not at all uncommon.
The casting director also took questions from the actors in a Q and A session, where we got a chance to understand how a casting director thinks, what they are looking for, how casting decisions (or recommendations to the director) are made, and as I have stated before, the many items outside of the actor's control which might, and often do, influence who is cast and who is not.
Having had one positive experience, I will be attending more casting workshops at Actors West. While primarily holding workshops conducted by casting directors, they occasionally have events where agents come in to look at actors. An added plus is that all their workshops and events are very reasonably priced, and it's a short 25 minute drive on Highway 101 for me to get to their location. Also, I have taken only private lessons since being here, and it was great to interact with other actors.
As an added bonus, Actors West has what they call a wall of headshots in their office, where anyone is free to tack up their headshot, which I did. It can't hurt, and you never know.
Other news? This past Tuesday, I auditioned for a small role in the NBC series, The Office.
It's cooler here now, with only a high of 88 expected in the San Fernando Valley, today. 88, depending on where you live, may seem cool or not, but it's a pleasant relief for this area.
More later.........
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The Endless Summer
Who knew that 87 degrees could feel cool. That's what it was here, yesterday, and it did indeed seem cool after a series of 100 plus and near 100 degree days. We're not out of the woods yet, as it will climb back up into the high 90's this coming week. However, the title of this entry, "The Endless Summer", doesn't just apply to the prevailing weather.
The Summer has seemed long for a number of reason. Sure the heat was one, but it has also seemed long because of my impatience. All actors need to see signs of progress. This progress can manifest itself in many different ways. Auditions and being cast in roles is always the best yardstick, but a good, or even outstanding lesson with your acting coach can also serve as a milestone. As I stated in a recent blog, I didn't feel that July went all that well as far as my performance in acting lessons. Yes, there were some good sections of some lessons, but overall, not what I had hoped for.
Both my acting coaches have been preaching the same thing to me...."Let go, take a risk, and let it fall where it falls." They each used different words and phrases, but said almost the same thing. A few days ago I had an hour lesson with my downtown Hollywood acting coach. I had to do three scenes in that lesson....one commercial and two theatrical. While going over the copy I essentially said, "To Hell with it." No, that doesn't mean I didn't care about the results, but that I had decided I would let go, be myself, take a risk, carry no preconceived notions, be in the moment for each character, remember that less is more, and let whatever happened, happen.
I do not say this lightly, but it was the very best acting lesson I have had since arriving in LA. All three scenes went extremely well. I knew it and my acting coach knew it, and said as much. I just let it go and became whatever character I was playing. It felt great, and as most actors know, when that happens it seems like the easiest thing in the world. Conversely, when it is not going well it's like dragging a bag full of rocks around with you.
One of my all time favorite actors, Spencer Tracy, said this. "Acting is fine, as long as you don't get caught at it." I'm finally starting to understand what he meant.
Chuck Norris (Walker Texas Ranger) had worked in films as a stunt man long before he turned to acting. When he did so, he asked Steve McQueen for some tips. McQueen told him, "Always bring a part of yourself to the role." That's wonderful advice for any actor.
So, the weather is cooler (at least for a bit) and my progress as an actor is beginning to show. It's a milestone, but not an end result, as there is much further to go and much more to do. It's also well documented, as my downtown Hollywood acting coach puts each lesson on a DVD and gives it to you before you leave. Reviewing the DVD is almost like taking the lesson all over again. That is a very valuable tool to have.
The endless Summer is showing signs all around of not lasting forever.
Talk with you soon..............
The Summer has seemed long for a number of reason. Sure the heat was one, but it has also seemed long because of my impatience. All actors need to see signs of progress. This progress can manifest itself in many different ways. Auditions and being cast in roles is always the best yardstick, but a good, or even outstanding lesson with your acting coach can also serve as a milestone. As I stated in a recent blog, I didn't feel that July went all that well as far as my performance in acting lessons. Yes, there were some good sections of some lessons, but overall, not what I had hoped for.
Both my acting coaches have been preaching the same thing to me...."Let go, take a risk, and let it fall where it falls." They each used different words and phrases, but said almost the same thing. A few days ago I had an hour lesson with my downtown Hollywood acting coach. I had to do three scenes in that lesson....one commercial and two theatrical. While going over the copy I essentially said, "To Hell with it." No, that doesn't mean I didn't care about the results, but that I had decided I would let go, be myself, take a risk, carry no preconceived notions, be in the moment for each character, remember that less is more, and let whatever happened, happen.
I do not say this lightly, but it was the very best acting lesson I have had since arriving in LA. All three scenes went extremely well. I knew it and my acting coach knew it, and said as much. I just let it go and became whatever character I was playing. It felt great, and as most actors know, when that happens it seems like the easiest thing in the world. Conversely, when it is not going well it's like dragging a bag full of rocks around with you.
One of my all time favorite actors, Spencer Tracy, said this. "Acting is fine, as long as you don't get caught at it." I'm finally starting to understand what he meant.
Chuck Norris (Walker Texas Ranger) had worked in films as a stunt man long before he turned to acting. When he did so, he asked Steve McQueen for some tips. McQueen told him, "Always bring a part of yourself to the role." That's wonderful advice for any actor.
So, the weather is cooler (at least for a bit) and my progress as an actor is beginning to show. It's a milestone, but not an end result, as there is much further to go and much more to do. It's also well documented, as my downtown Hollywood acting coach puts each lesson on a DVD and gives it to you before you leave. Reviewing the DVD is almost like taking the lesson all over again. That is a very valuable tool to have.
The endless Summer is showing signs all around of not lasting forever.
Talk with you soon..............
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Crossroads
Tomorrow, I will have been a resident of the greater LA area for exactly five months. It has been somewhat of a whirlwind of activity, a blur in some cases and agonizingly slow in others. Overall, I would say it has gone fairly well. I have two good acting coaches (more about them later), a quality commercial agent, and I have even managed to find a bit of work in these five months.
I should feel on top of the world about what has happened since I have been here. Truth is, I don't. My downtown LA acting coach says I am too impatient. Maybe he's right (he usually is), but inside I have this gnawing feeling of wanting more....more signs of progress, more auditions, more bookings, more everything that an actor needs as milestones to judge how things are going with their career.
I don't feel my impatience is necessarily a bad thing, if kept in control. A good football coach will tell you that he wants his number two quarterback chomping at the bit to play, yearning to show the coach that he is the man for the job. That impatience is one of the key ingredients which fuels that quarterback's drive. I believe it's the same with me, or any other actor who wants to excel in a major market.
I have two quality acting coaches that anyone would be happy to have, and that's exactly the way I feel about both of them. However, I may have been rushing it too much, in that I am taking a private lesson from one coach one week and the other, the next week. While they come at you with different personalities, they say pretty much the same things. I think however, that I may be (by taking a private lesson each week) overloading my senses, in that I am pushing and trying too hard. As all actors know, trying too hard is not the way to deliver a smooth and natural performance. I thought about taking a month off from acting lessons entirely to regroup my thoughts about the techniques of acting. I decided against that because I didn't want to go a full month without acting lessons.
Before adding my second (Hollywood Hills) acting coach (at the urging of my commercial agency) I was taking a lesson every two weeks from my original acting coach in downtown Hollywood. I believe the two weeks between lessons were beneficial in digesting, utilizing, and incorporating into my acting, what I had learned in each lesson. With that in mind I am strongly considering alternating acting coaches in the following manner. I will take a lesson every two weeks one month from one coach. The follow month I will do the same with the other coach. I believe this will give me more time to more fully understand, and to practice what I had learned in the most recent lesson. This will have the effect of alternating each coach on a monthly basis. This may be a workable scenario or not, but it should only take two months to find out. I haven't made up my mind fully on this, but I am strongly leaning that way.
In with these private lessons, I need to schedule a weekly improve course, and various acting seminars, as they arise. I am taking a one evening seminar from a well known casting director on August 13th.
In the world of Academia, the bylaw for professors is "Publish or perish," For actors it's "Study or perish." I am fully aware that I need to study. It's just that my study schedule may need a bit of tweaking, as I feel I am at a crossroad as to how I continue my studies. Not with whom, just how. I need to continue them in what I deem to be the best way to further my acting skills, and more importantly, my acting career. Perhaps, as my downtown Hollywood acting coach said, I do need a bit more patience. I need to understand that taking a private acting lesson every week may not speed me towards my goal any faster that taking one every other week. The progress of an actor is far more important than the number of acting lessons they have taken.
There is also one other thing which, while I have been doing it frequently, I need to do even more. It is probably best illustrated by an old joke that was in vogue back in my days as a professional musician. A man is walking down the streets of New Your City when he spots a musician coming towards him, carrying a horn case. He stops the musician and says, "Excuse me, but can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" The musician looked at him for a moment and then replied, "Practice, man, practice." That's good advice for an actor as well. I have exercises and copy to practice in front of a full length mirror, plus filming certain segments with my video camera, so I can study and review my look, actions, etc later. As I said, I need to spend even more time doing that. As a professional musician I spent hours upon hours practicing techniques until they became second nature. As an actor, I need do no less.
Finally, actors all over Hollywood (Using the name Hollywood to mean all of the LA acting community) are complaining that there is lees work than before. That can be attributed to two factors. (1) there is always a noticeable slowdown in work in July and August, and (2) the economy has affected the number of film and TV projects, as well as the budgets of some of the projects that have been given the green light. I have discussed before the fact that there are some things which are directly under the actor's control (being on time, being professional, being prepared for the audition, Being prepared for the role once you are cast, etc.), and there are a number of things over which the actor has no control. The economy is one of those things, and is not something I choose to worry about.
We will talk again, soon...............
I should feel on top of the world about what has happened since I have been here. Truth is, I don't. My downtown LA acting coach says I am too impatient. Maybe he's right (he usually is), but inside I have this gnawing feeling of wanting more....more signs of progress, more auditions, more bookings, more everything that an actor needs as milestones to judge how things are going with their career.
I don't feel my impatience is necessarily a bad thing, if kept in control. A good football coach will tell you that he wants his number two quarterback chomping at the bit to play, yearning to show the coach that he is the man for the job. That impatience is one of the key ingredients which fuels that quarterback's drive. I believe it's the same with me, or any other actor who wants to excel in a major market.
I have two quality acting coaches that anyone would be happy to have, and that's exactly the way I feel about both of them. However, I may have been rushing it too much, in that I am taking a private lesson from one coach one week and the other, the next week. While they come at you with different personalities, they say pretty much the same things. I think however, that I may be (by taking a private lesson each week) overloading my senses, in that I am pushing and trying too hard. As all actors know, trying too hard is not the way to deliver a smooth and natural performance. I thought about taking a month off from acting lessons entirely to regroup my thoughts about the techniques of acting. I decided against that because I didn't want to go a full month without acting lessons.
Before adding my second (Hollywood Hills) acting coach (at the urging of my commercial agency) I was taking a lesson every two weeks from my original acting coach in downtown Hollywood. I believe the two weeks between lessons were beneficial in digesting, utilizing, and incorporating into my acting, what I had learned in each lesson. With that in mind I am strongly considering alternating acting coaches in the following manner. I will take a lesson every two weeks one month from one coach. The follow month I will do the same with the other coach. I believe this will give me more time to more fully understand, and to practice what I had learned in the most recent lesson. This will have the effect of alternating each coach on a monthly basis. This may be a workable scenario or not, but it should only take two months to find out. I haven't made up my mind fully on this, but I am strongly leaning that way.
In with these private lessons, I need to schedule a weekly improve course, and various acting seminars, as they arise. I am taking a one evening seminar from a well known casting director on August 13th.
In the world of Academia, the bylaw for professors is "Publish or perish," For actors it's "Study or perish." I am fully aware that I need to study. It's just that my study schedule may need a bit of tweaking, as I feel I am at a crossroad as to how I continue my studies. Not with whom, just how. I need to continue them in what I deem to be the best way to further my acting skills, and more importantly, my acting career. Perhaps, as my downtown Hollywood acting coach said, I do need a bit more patience. I need to understand that taking a private acting lesson every week may not speed me towards my goal any faster that taking one every other week. The progress of an actor is far more important than the number of acting lessons they have taken.
There is also one other thing which, while I have been doing it frequently, I need to do even more. It is probably best illustrated by an old joke that was in vogue back in my days as a professional musician. A man is walking down the streets of New Your City when he spots a musician coming towards him, carrying a horn case. He stops the musician and says, "Excuse me, but can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" The musician looked at him for a moment and then replied, "Practice, man, practice." That's good advice for an actor as well. I have exercises and copy to practice in front of a full length mirror, plus filming certain segments with my video camera, so I can study and review my look, actions, etc later. As I said, I need to spend even more time doing that. As a professional musician I spent hours upon hours practicing techniques until they became second nature. As an actor, I need do no less.
Finally, actors all over Hollywood (Using the name Hollywood to mean all of the LA acting community) are complaining that there is lees work than before. That can be attributed to two factors. (1) there is always a noticeable slowdown in work in July and August, and (2) the economy has affected the number of film and TV projects, as well as the budgets of some of the projects that have been given the green light. I have discussed before the fact that there are some things which are directly under the actor's control (being on time, being professional, being prepared for the audition, Being prepared for the role once you are cast, etc.), and there are a number of things over which the actor has no control. The economy is one of those things, and is not something I choose to worry about.
We will talk again, soon...............
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