I graduated Fordham two days ago- I now have a BA in history.
My last day of acting training at the William Esper Studio is tomorrow.
Now, I have plenty of time to focus on the film and the play.
I just ordered the canon Eos T2i Rebel and a Tamron 75-300mm lens so I will be uploading a lot of video form here on out.
Lots more to come!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Lots of great news!
Okay, since my last blog (which I've been writing for an audience of two if I include myself- pathetic) a lot of great things have happened. Here is some of the news in a nutshell.
The professional director from LA has agreed to direct the short flm that I am producing with the very talented Caroline Coxon. Sarah and Jacob (a painter/photographer and a musician) have also joined the film and they have been great to work with. Jake, along with a bandmate will be composing and recording songs for the film. Sarah will be doing all of the paintings. In addition, they are filming a segment for our fundraising video.
I am producing and acting in a play written by a very talented playwright, William Coleman. The play will probably run Off-Broadway. I already distributed the script to seven other actors. All the females have confirmed that they want to be in the play and I am awaiting confirmation from the men. ::fingers crossed:: The play is very unique and I can't wait to release more details and some video footage when things are more concrete.
I am forming a non-profit theatre company. Thanks to a friend at the acting studio I will be receiving help from someone who is very familar with the process of forming a non-profit.
In an earlier blog I stated that a lady saw a project I did for my acting studio and sent my contact information to an acting director. The director reached out to me and I am hoping to speak with her once school is complete.
Oh, I complete my last class of my college career at Fordham on Wednesday- and then it's graduation!
On Wednesday I am seeing a play starring Sinaa Lathan, one of my favorite actresses- she is extremely talented.
I am struggling in my monologue class (which love- the teacher- who teaches my acting technique class- is great, the people are very talented and down to earth, and I am pushing myself even though I don't feel comfortable and actually feel like I am struggling. I feel dramatic materal is my strength, but my teacher (who is very wise) says I am quirky and youthful and need to do more quirky material because quirky is my type. My problem is that I don't find myself the least bit funny, but my teacher and classmates seem to concur that I am funny because I don't think I am funny. So, I guess the key to me not struggling with being funny is to be myself and not try to be funny. Geez that's difficult.
Oh, and I msut add- now that I have become quite comfortable wth practicing my British accent for my language scene in acting class, the accent seems to bleed into my real life. I accidentally speak in a British accent in my college classes and my house.
Well, off to bed.
The professional director from LA has agreed to direct the short flm that I am producing with the very talented Caroline Coxon. Sarah and Jacob (a painter/photographer and a musician) have also joined the film and they have been great to work with. Jake, along with a bandmate will be composing and recording songs for the film. Sarah will be doing all of the paintings. In addition, they are filming a segment for our fundraising video.
I am producing and acting in a play written by a very talented playwright, William Coleman. The play will probably run Off-Broadway. I already distributed the script to seven other actors. All the females have confirmed that they want to be in the play and I am awaiting confirmation from the men. ::fingers crossed:: The play is very unique and I can't wait to release more details and some video footage when things are more concrete.
I am forming a non-profit theatre company. Thanks to a friend at the acting studio I will be receiving help from someone who is very familar with the process of forming a non-profit.
In an earlier blog I stated that a lady saw a project I did for my acting studio and sent my contact information to an acting director. The director reached out to me and I am hoping to speak with her once school is complete.
Oh, I complete my last class of my college career at Fordham on Wednesday- and then it's graduation!
On Wednesday I am seeing a play starring Sinaa Lathan, one of my favorite actresses- she is extremely talented.
I am struggling in my monologue class (which love- the teacher- who teaches my acting technique class- is great, the people are very talented and down to earth, and I am pushing myself even though I don't feel comfortable and actually feel like I am struggling. I feel dramatic materal is my strength, but my teacher (who is very wise) says I am quirky and youthful and need to do more quirky material because quirky is my type. My problem is that I don't find myself the least bit funny, but my teacher and classmates seem to concur that I am funny because I don't think I am funny. So, I guess the key to me not struggling with being funny is to be myself and not try to be funny. Geez that's difficult.
Oh, and I msut add- now that I have become quite comfortable wth practicing my British accent for my language scene in acting class, the accent seems to bleed into my real life. I accidentally speak in a British accent in my college classes and my house.
Well, off to bed.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Positive thoughts, positive results
Well, yesterday was a very good day- and one of those days that makes you truly believei n destiny.
I spent five hours building a prop for my acting scene the night before. I prefer to build my props so that hey give me more behavior for my character (in terms of my acting) and it is fun and inspires further creativity. So I built a giant ferris wheel out of 120 colored popsickle sticks and hot glue.
source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnl2vC8Qcl5hCzjXQ3YAwe2OA1gHboukDkRkUHzLHweEfj-m-MsFEj6-ZGQkHOA31korGt1uBG1FVV-Bta08sJkMNUWmAcmlxO73Mv0Ju5RgBsgPIuqQCamzN6WgZSuMDRES_IYdbgxU/s1600/ferris_wheel_img_1048.jpg
I was on the 1 train when a lady commented on the ferris wheel that I constructed. I thanked her for the compliment and continued to focus on the day ahead. But, she continued to express her interest with the ingenuity of the ferris wheel and my overall creativity. That lady just so happens to be a graduate professor of psychology at my school, Fordham. We exchanged information and she said she will forward my information (I sent her my headshot and resume) to a friend of hers who is a formally trained actress, is writing her dissertation on improvisation (which I am trained in) and has some sort of key role with an improvisation group- the world works in mysterious ways, or does it- when you send positive thoughts into the universe, you receive positive results. Oh, and the lady on train, the doctor of psychology told me that a creative person like me belongs pursuing an artistic career and doesn't belong in law school- I felt as if she was reading my mind or at least my positive thoughts were materializing.
Then, in acting class, a fellow student commented on my ferris wheel- he asked how long it took me to construct. When I stated that the ferris wheel took five hours to construct another student asked me, "why," meaning why would I spend so much time constructing a prop for acting class. The next thing I heard was my teacher responded to her question with one word, "commitment." That was a nice thing to hear!
In reference to my scene the teacher said I did "really good" which is also great to hear! There were messups with the delivery of some lines, but that is to be expected when you are working on your feet with the scene for the first time. He said we merely need to pick up the pace of the delivery so that the scene doesn't bog down, but he liked it!
I spent five hours building a prop for my acting scene the night before. I prefer to build my props so that hey give me more behavior for my character (in terms of my acting) and it is fun and inspires further creativity. So I built a giant ferris wheel out of 120 colored popsickle sticks and hot glue.
source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnl2vC8Qcl5hCzjXQ3YAwe2OA1gHboukDkRkUHzLHweEfj-m-MsFEj6-ZGQkHOA31korGt1uBG1FVV-Bta08sJkMNUWmAcmlxO73Mv0Ju5RgBsgPIuqQCamzN6WgZSuMDRES_IYdbgxU/s1600/ferris_wheel_img_1048.jpg
I was on the 1 train when a lady commented on the ferris wheel that I constructed. I thanked her for the compliment and continued to focus on the day ahead. But, she continued to express her interest with the ingenuity of the ferris wheel and my overall creativity. That lady just so happens to be a graduate professor of psychology at my school, Fordham. We exchanged information and she said she will forward my information (I sent her my headshot and resume) to a friend of hers who is a formally trained actress, is writing her dissertation on improvisation (which I am trained in) and has some sort of key role with an improvisation group- the world works in mysterious ways, or does it- when you send positive thoughts into the universe, you receive positive results. Oh, and the lady on train, the doctor of psychology told me that a creative person like me belongs pursuing an artistic career and doesn't belong in law school- I felt as if she was reading my mind or at least my positive thoughts were materializing.
Then, in acting class, a fellow student commented on my ferris wheel- he asked how long it took me to construct. When I stated that the ferris wheel took five hours to construct another student asked me, "why," meaning why would I spend so much time constructing a prop for acting class. The next thing I heard was my teacher responded to her question with one word, "commitment." That was a nice thing to hear!
In reference to my scene the teacher said I did "really good" which is also great to hear! There were messups with the delivery of some lines, but that is to be expected when you are working on your feet with the scene for the first time. He said we merely need to pick up the pace of the delivery so that the scene doesn't bog down, but he liked it!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
THE PITCH!
So, tomorrow the scriptwriter that I am working with, Caroline Coxon, is meeting with a Director, Roderick Fenske at the Groucho Club in Soho, London- a place that has exclusive membership including many notable artists. She is delivering a pitch for 'The Colour of Her Scream'. It is an exciting moment for the project and hopefully it will result in a giant leap forward for the project. It would be amazing to work with Mr. Fenske- working with Mr. Fenske would take this project to a whole new level- fingers crossed! The following excerpt about Mr. Fenske (along with the picture) was taken from http://aafreno.com/page/3/
"Fenske’s style can best be described as performance-based humour mixed with the surreal and absurd. Fenske is a man who has traveled many paths. After growing up in Reno and holding several jobs, Fenske fell into the business of advertising. Fenske took a job in the mailroom of agency giant McCann-Erickson, San Francisco and worked his way up to a copywriting position. After stints at Ketchum and Saatchi & Saatchi, Roderick moved to New York to work at Ogilvy & Mather and JWT. In 2000, Fenske moved to London where he started directing music videos and commercials while working as a creative director at agencies such as HHCL, St. Luke’s and TBWA.
After achieving notoriety with his special brand of humor (and several awards) with commercials for Sony Playstation 2, FCUK and Channel 5 — that Fenske both wrote and directed — he was invited to join the Swedish film collective Acne. Three years later, having directed internationally for the likes of Honda, Alfa-Romeo, Sprint and Coca-Cola, Fenske joined Hungry Man. He has been with Hungry Man since 2007 and has won several international awards including a Eurobest Gold, The British D&AD, and recently a Bronze Lion in the Cannes International Festival 2010. Fenske has also created two short films that have been getting some notoriety on the independent film circuit. Careful Carl, which has been recognized at both the Palm Springs International Film Festival and BAFTA, will be screened at the Power Lunch. His most recent short film is Future Dave and it is currently doing well on the festival circuit."
"Fenske’s style can best be described as performance-based humour mixed with the surreal and absurd. Fenske is a man who has traveled many paths. After growing up in Reno and holding several jobs, Fenske fell into the business of advertising. Fenske took a job in the mailroom of agency giant McCann-Erickson, San Francisco and worked his way up to a copywriting position. After stints at Ketchum and Saatchi & Saatchi, Roderick moved to New York to work at Ogilvy & Mather and JWT. In 2000, Fenske moved to London where he started directing music videos and commercials while working as a creative director at agencies such as HHCL, St. Luke’s and TBWA.
After achieving notoriety with his special brand of humor (and several awards) with commercials for Sony Playstation 2, FCUK and Channel 5 — that Fenske both wrote and directed — he was invited to join the Swedish film collective Acne. Three years later, having directed internationally for the likes of Honda, Alfa-Romeo, Sprint and Coca-Cola, Fenske joined Hungry Man. He has been with Hungry Man since 2007 and has won several international awards including a Eurobest Gold, The British D&AD, and recently a Bronze Lion in the Cannes International Festival 2010. Fenske has also created two short films that have been getting some notoriety on the independent film circuit. Careful Carl, which has been recognized at both the Palm Springs International Film Festival and BAFTA, will be screened at the Power Lunch. His most recent short film is Future Dave and it is currently doing well on the festival circuit."
Roderick Fenske
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Acting videos
I felt it was time to add a few videos. The first video is the video of a monologue I will be using for auditions. The other videos consists of monologues that I did in my acting class. These aren't exactly evidence of my best work, but I really wanted to post something at the moment. My character adjustments need to be worked on, they seem to come and go a bit in these videos. The deafness could be more clear in the second video and the southern accent in the third video needs to be more defined in terms of the region and it has to be executed properly all the way through. I didn't dress up for these monologues, as I did for my class. I am fairly happy with the videos though. BTW, the author of "Spoon River Anthology" is Edgar Lee Masters NOT Edgar Allen Lee. Somehow, I created a cross between Master and Poe.
So close... Yet, so far..
Well, I didn't get the part for the first film that I had an audition and a callback for. This is what the director emailed me, "Ugh, this is my least favourite e-mail I've written in a long time. You did great at the callback, and Ellpetha and I were both impressed and also taken with you as a person. In the end, it was between you and one other person, but in the end we had to go with what we felt would best serve the story."
It is nice to know I did well at the audition. I finally felt amazing after an audtion as if I had finally put all my talent and technique to the test. But, it hurts when you don't get the part, especially when you are so close. I don't take rejection well and I don't know if I ever will. And that is not good considering the field I am in.
I gave up my Spring Break for the other student film. I took a leap of faith and gave up a ticket to Florida, not knowing if I will even get the part. I have yet to get a call or email about the casting and the film shoots in a week from today. I suppose it is safe to say I did not get the part.
I am hoping that this feeling I have will not be a feeling I come to know exclusively throughout the next yr and a half that I am taking off of school.
Word of the day: dissapointment!
It is nice to know I did well at the audition. I finally felt amazing after an audtion as if I had finally put all my talent and technique to the test. But, it hurts when you don't get the part, especially when you are so close. I don't take rejection well and I don't know if I ever will. And that is not good considering the field I am in.
I gave up my Spring Break for the other student film. I took a leap of faith and gave up a ticket to Florida, not knowing if I will even get the part. I have yet to get a call or email about the casting and the film shoots in a week from today. I suppose it is safe to say I did not get the part.
I am hoping that this feeling I have will not be a feeling I come to know exclusively throughout the next yr and a half that I am taking off of school.
Word of the day: dissapointment!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Anticipation
I need to begin auditioning for several films a week that way I don't grow attached to getting a particular role and waiting for the casting regarding the film. I need to grow more detached from the notion of landing a role and more attached to the concept of merely auditioning and treating the process from a business aspect.
I attended a callback and an audition this past Saturday. It is now Thursday and I have not received any response regarding the casting. I am growing impatient : /
I did get an email to audition for a supporting role in a comedy. The audition will be in Brooklyn : / But I want to get work (technically non-paying work for now).
I attended a callback and an audition this past Saturday. It is now Thursday and I have not received any response regarding the casting. I am growing impatient : /
I did get an email to audition for a supporting role in a comedy. The audition will be in Brooklyn : / But I want to get work (technically non-paying work for now).
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