Archive | August, 2010

Keep on Swimming

31 Aug

Remember when I said, even when you make it you don’t make it? Well, I didn’t make it.

After being strung along for about THREE months, I finally got official word that my scene just wasn’t going to make the cut in an indie film I had got cast in. Due to budget restrictions, apparently, what was going to be a feature length was reduced back to a short which simply didn’t have room for little ‘ol me.

Yes, I’m bummed– the crew seemed cool and the bit part was fun– but I kind of had this feeling from the beginning so I can’t say I am surprised. It’s not like I was holding my breath or anything. I know that you have to keep swimming along, taking up every opportunity handed to you because, sometimes, Even When You Make It, You Don’t Make It.

On Theater, DIY and the Perpetual Young Adult

26 Aug

Here are some interesting articles that have been floating around the web lately. I find they relate to my current situation of figuring out what I want to do within the realm of acting/theater/film and the importance of it all to me.

Wherefore Theater? Why Is the Ancient Art Still Here?

NY Times article on why theater is still relevant today amidst the Youtube-saturated culture we now live in.

D.I.Y. Music Labels Embrace D.I.Y. Film

NY Times article on how DIY music labels have branched out to DIY films, making filmmaking even more accessible to the low-budge production teams.

What Is It About 20-Somethings?

A really interesting (albeit long) article about the scariness/excitedness/craziness that is the 20s and the recent shifting timetable for adulthood.

Why Hipsters Will Save Theater: Cherrywood

Going along with the topic of these crazy, excited and uncertain 20-somethings, this Huffington Post article discusses how this generation of hipsters can save the dying art form.

Dialogue: Critics Charles McNulty and Steven Leigh Morris discuss the state of L.A.’s small theaters

LA Times article on the changing atmosphere of LA theater from showcase for the actor’s sake to true story telling for the artist’s sake.

When Opportunity Becomes Real

23 Aug

So, I got the job and the part… now what!? Well, before I begin completely freaking out, I have to remind myself to Celebrate! Yay! This is what I strive for– so, yay! go me!

Ok, now freak out. Both shows occur in October, so for about a month I will be working on both simultaneously, which is, yeah, insane. But what am I going to do? Turn down an opportunity I’ve worked so hard to get? HELL no. I can make it work. If I can make it work, then why would I not do them both?

This is further proof that the more you put yourself out there, the higher the return. Even if these two opportunities are not directly related, it is no coincidence that I got them both. That’s the way the world works. I truly believe that you get what you put out. Which is why it is so vitally important to always be working on something, always submitting to breakdowns, always do those favors for your actor/producer/director friends– you never know where any of it will take you.

Little Victories

12 Aug

Like I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago (My Inbox) it is so important to celebrate every little victory we get along the way. (If we don’t, I’d imagine we’d go insane– constantly feeling like we’re getting nowhere and that life sucks).

On the drive to an audition this morning I realized that the auditions I am driving to are slowly but surely becoming more and more… what’s the word I’m looking for… high profile? I was thinking about it, and the last 3 commercial auditions I’ve got were for Nike, Wells Fargo and Ray Ban. I did not get these kinds of auditions right off the bat, and I have to remember (when I’m down and out about not getting enough auditions, or not booking, etc) that this is progress. Getting these kinds of auditions– even if they’re not every day– is success. It is a victory!

And I’m sure, somewhere down the line, I’ll be writing a post referring back to this one and how “now I’m getting national auditions all the time”, or “now I’m booking commercials” and that will be just as much a victory as the one I am celebrating today.