I'm trying to get this blog up to date - the last two weeks of May were really busy.
Sometime mid-May I got an e-mail from a writer friend asking if I wanted to be a part of a staged reading/one act play festival at a theater they belong to. I did it last year and it was fun so I said yes. They told me they had a part for me in one of the plays that was being put up on the 31st and that the readings going up this weekend still weren't cast so there was going to be a little get together on Friday night where people could read stuff and get cast in stuff for that weekend. Cool. I said I'd do that too.
Then a day or two later I got a call from a project I had submitted for sometime within the past week. It was a trailer for a feature length film that was a finalist in a competition being sponsored by Netflix. I guess people had submitted scripts, ten finalists were chosen, those finalists have to make a short film/promo/trailer/etc., then the those are put online and the public votes for a winner. So it would be some exposure. Cool. But...it shoots in Victorvillle, about 90 miles outside of L.A. Don't know if this is a downside or an upside - on one hand it's a long drive, but on the other hand it would be an adventure - shooting on location - road trip! And it shoots that weekend, which would mean backing out of the play festival that weekend. The person told me that they knew if was far, but the director really liked my look. I need a moment to think. So I tell the person who called me I have a possible commitment that day but could probably cancel it and I'd call back in an hour.
Was this worth doing? Would it be exposure? How much would I be in this thing? Is it background? Would they cast me in the actual film if it wins? Hmm. After thinking it over I call back and agree to do it...because it would be an adventure! I've learned not to expect anything in these situations - such as being cast in the project if it gets made - but I thought it would be fun to shoot something outside of LA. I've been to Victorville before on the way to Vegas. It's this oasis of shopping centers and restaurants out in the desert. The person tells me the A.D. would call me with the location and call time, and wardrobe would call me about what to wear. Wow, maybe this is a bigger deal than I thought! The night before the shoot I got an e-mail with the call time and location and all those details from the A.D. It was a real call sheet thingy. I was impressed - I was expecting this little shoot, but it's bigger than I thought. On Sunday I trek out to Victorville. This was in a part of Victorville I'd never been too - I've only been to the strip mall section of Victorville. This was further out. I get lost. I drive back and forth between two strip mall type sections at least 5 times. The address just doesn't exist! Finally I call the person who's contact number I have and I find out that Mapquest was giving everyone the wrong directions. Ugh. I pretty much just had to turn around and go in the opposite direction. Finally I get to my destination - this tiny little diner in the middle of nowhere in the desert. Wow. It was kind of fascinating. I guess it was built a looooong time ago.
The truck bringing the equipment from L.A. broke down, so there was a lot of waiting...and waiting...and waiting. But that's to be expected. At least we were inside. Once the truck arrived there was a lot of equipment, and a lot of people there. Wow. I guess this is a big deal!
Overall the shoot went smoothly. They were just shooting a trailer for the film, so they only shot what they needed to put that together. I was playing a waitress. I've never waitressed a day in my life! I know, that seems odd for an actor to say that, lol! I'm just glad I didn't drop anything or trip and fall!
Sometime within the next week one of the producers sent out a thank you e-mail and a link to where the voting would be. There were some links in the e-mail to the production company. I clicked on them. Okay, this was like a REAL production company that had done some stuff. Okay, I just went back to try and find the website and the link doesn't work - the site is GONE! Hmm...
Anyway, I wanted to send out thank you e-mails to people but never got around to it and decided to wait until the voting started and the trailer was online. I'm trying to make a good impression so MAYBE they will consider casting me in the actual film when and if they make it. The trailer went online two days ago and I watched it. It looks great, except...
I'm not in the damn thing! Nope. Not at all. Not even a glimpse of me! Even the person who was a crew member who stood in as a diner customer was in it! Geez. I know, I know, it happens, it's beyond my control, it had nothing to do with me, and there's nothing I can do about it, but come on! That's so disappointing because I was going to tell everyone to go vote for it! I still am, but now I have to say that I never made the final cut. Grr. I'm still going to e-mail thank you notes to everyone and say the trailer looks great and good luck. And the trailer does look great...and the film seems interesting. I'm still hoping that they'll consider casting me in the actual film, but I've come not to expect too much from these situations - I won't even get into that because that's a whole other post in itself. Oh, I did go to the film's website and I am credited in the credits there, so that's a small consolation! And I don't think I was the only one who got cut. I'm even in the production stills, lol.
So that's that. The week following the shoot I had rehearsal for the one act play reading, and did the one act play reading last Sunday. I think it went well, minus a few minor personality clashes, and the actually festival running long. I also got to talk to a friend of mine about starting the whole voice over process and there was actually someone else there who was also starting the program. Cool! My friend seemed interested in it, freaked out when we told her the cost, but then when we explained it all she got it and said she would do it too if she had the money. So I felt better about that.
I also went to a CD workshop that week. Actually it was a commercial agent night - they brought in two agents and we could all do commercial copy for them. I was going to do the copy I did once before and got great feedback - the cat food commercial, can't go wrong with that! But then thought about bringing my own - something I did in a class once and then did for an agent and everyone really liked it - the agent didn't call me in, but everyone liked it! The thing is, that one can be a little, uh, wacky? I guess that's what I'm going for. Also, it's meant to be done with props, and I'm not bringing props, and I'm not doing spacework, so I have to decide if it makes sense without all that stuff. I think they'll get the idea without it all, and isn't it more about personality and performance than props? I rehearse it a few times to get the words down. I take out the one line that won't make sense if I don't have props. Okay, I'm gonna be brave, take a risk, and do it! But I bring some back-up copy in case I chicken out and they don't have my cat food commercial there!
I get there and the cat food commercial copy is there. What to do, what to do?!? I decided to take a risk and do the crazy copy I brought with me. I go outside and run through it a few times. Then the workshop starts. Okay, no turning back now. There's a Q&A before we start. I asked questions...two questions...wow, I really was being bold! I usually just sit and listen at these things. Then we start the "showing our work" portion of the night. I go towards the end. It goes well. I get a couple laughs from this one guy sitting in the back. And I got HUGE laughs on one part - not really sure if I should've gotten laughs there, but it's still a good thing. Unfortunately I don't know if the agents laughed or not. When it was over I felt good! I felt great! I was soooo glad I took the risk and did that copy. I made sure to send out thank you notes the next day. Haven't heard anything...but it's only been a week and a half...but the sad reality is I probably won't hear from them. I don't mean to sound negative, but it's the harsh reality...there's so many factors out of my control. But, I feel good because of the stuff I could control - I went in there and gave a kick-ass performance! And I'll make sure to stay in contact with the agents. Still, it's frustrating...not gonna go off on that tangent...
So that was May. Oh, yeah, I also went to a party down in Long Beach the last weekend of May, whew!
Now on to June....
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