CategoryActing

“Mercy” looking for extras!

Hey everybody! Apparently Chrome and WordPress are friends again so I can do updates conveniently once more.

Anyway, the new Ellen Page movie, “Mercy” is looking for extras. If you’d like to be a part of this project please click the link for more information. http://bit.ly/2du2M0A

Best of luck. Unless something happens I’ll be there. For more information about what it is like being an extra please see the post What To Expect.

Long Overdue Update

Behinds the scenes of “But I’m and Actress”

Hello everyone!

I’m still not entirely sure what is causing my website to act weird but it does have something to do with Chrome. I use that as my default browser, and for some reason the log in pop up Word Press creates isn’t showing up properly in Chrome, so I can’t even get to the regular log in screen. It is weird. So now I’m updating from Internet Explorer.

So a lot has happened since I last posted in January. I got the pleasure of being in a few films, “Thanks, Bill” and “But I’m an Actress” to name two and I’ve had two kind of big surgeries on my feet. I’ve also be able to do some voice acting! When more information is available about that project I’ll post it.

Because of the surgeries I can’t walk very well. I have a cane and a pair of crutches to help me get around, but it means I’ve been on an acting break since about mid March. I also haven’t been able to exercise as much as I want.

What were the surgeries? They are a medical implant called Hyprocure that is used to treat severe flat feet and other issues like fallen arches. I was born with flat feet, and for quite a while it didn’t cause many issues with my body. However in high school I was in marching band. For those of you who don’t know marching band requires you to be on your feet for many hours at a time. Our summer practices started at 8 am, break at noon, and then ended at 5 pm. Aside from small, five minute breaks during the practice, we were on our feet the entire time. I began to notice an increase in pain in my feet, ankles, knees, hips, back, shoulders and neck.

As I got older the pain only increased. I could handle it well enough, but the shape of my feet were severe enough that I was basically standing on my ankle bones and this caused my knees to bend inward. This made running, even for short periods, very painful as it put a lot of stress on my knees.

When I became an actress I was required to stand for hours at a time. By the end of the day I was in so much pain that I just wanted to flop on the couch and not move until morning.

So I did some research. I found several different options for “fixing” flat feet but decided the Hyprocure implant was what made the most sense for me. In March I had my first foot done. The experience was quite nice. I went to St. Vincent in Indianapolis and my doctor, Dr. Lanie Huffman, was incredibly informative and knew how to help me relax. I didn’t have a cane or crutches for the recovery of my right foot, but I will say it was painful. I’m about 98% recovered on my right foot, but last month I had the left done.

My left foot hasn’t been as kind to me. I am in pain longer than with my right, but I think my daughter has something to do with that. Three times now she has accidentally hit my healing foot, and I did twist my ankle at a Walmart. If I can get a hold of my x-rays to show you the before and after I’ll post them. It is quite amazing how different my feet are now.

It’s a weird thing to get excited about, but I have very normal looking feet now and I can tell my knees are already starting to look normal too. I’m so happy with the results, and I can’t wait to be more active again. Considering how long I’ve been in pain, I think a few more months is a perfectly find trade off.

What to expect…

You may notice from time to time that I’ll post information about becoming an extra for some of the bigger movies in the Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus area.

Some of the extras from Marauders. I’m bottom center!

In the past few months I’ve been an extra for Marauders, Tiger and 478. Those are just three of the the many films that have used the southern Ohio area for filming and 2016 looks to have a lot more opportunities. I’ll try to make sure my website is updated with information about opportunities as I see them.

That having been said it’s important to know what it means to be an extra. There are a few things to expect, and things that only experience will teach you.

  1. As soon as you see the call for extras posted (will most likely be an email address) send your information in! Or plan on going to the open call if there is one. Most of the open calls will take a while, the one for Marauders took about 3 hours, and I got there a half an hour before start time.
  2. Wait. It may take a while for you to hear anything back, and when you do it could be as little as 24 hours notice. After you have confirmed you are available for whatever dates you are scheduled for you have to wait for specific information. For the most part they’ll tell you if you’re going to be a morning, day, evening or overnight shoot, but it is just for a general idea. The shoot schedule can change very quickly. The day before the shoot, usually in the wee early morning hours, you’ll get an email with the location, time, and wardrobe requirements. They don’t tell you until they absolutely have to in order to keep a bunch of information from leaking.
  3. Show up early. It is important if you want to be a professional actor to think of 15 minutes early as being on time. If you’re told to be there at 5:30, and you arrive at 5:30 consider yourself late. In order to keep a shoot moving smoothly and on schedule it’s important to do what you can to not delay anything.
  4. No spoilers. This is incredibly important. When you are on a set there are strict rules against having your cellphone on you, and if you are caught taking pictures you will be fired on the spot and never asked back. It is a very quick way to burn your bridges. The reason no pictures are allowed is because many productions rely on secrecy to interest people in seeing their movies, but if you spill the beans beforehand it reduces interest. Some productions (mostly the ones that pay) require you to sign a nondisclosure agreement that will leave you vulnerable to litigation if you post pictures of the set, etc.
  5. Don’t mob the actors! There are many different methods actors use to bring out the best in their performances and you don’t want to be the one responsible for breaking their concentration. This can lead to termination. If you are going to ask for an autograph (and I kind of don’t recommend this just to be on the safe side), be very polite and respectful. Sometimes the actors have had a very long day and just want to get to their hotel and rest, or need to move on to the next scene. Now I must stress that many sets actually have rules against approaching the actors, violation of these rules can lead to termination. No pointing and staring either. They know who they are.
  6. Bring something to do. Since most filming days will be a full day (12 hours) you will more than likely have large chunks of downtime. It’s okay to have a quiet conversation with the other extras, but pay attention and don’t get so caught up you miss instructions. So having a book, sketch pad or something non-electric on hand can help keep the boredom at bay. Also, bring your phone charger. You may need a charge during an especially long set.
  7. Mime. If you are asked to look like you’re making conversation in the background don’t make noise. Become a mime. This means if you’re supposed to be eating in the background, don’t actually scrape your knife or fork on the plate because the sound equipment will pick it up. Any small whispers will be picked up as well, so just move your lips, motion like you’re talking, but do not actually talk. Some sound equipment is so sensitive it could pick up a moth fart.
  8. It’s okay to network. Become Facebook friends with someone, follow them on Twitter or Instagram, whatever. You may find more acting opportunities through them, or be a source for them. In this area and business, the more you give the more you’re going to get back. Don’t be pushy though. A little bit of politeness goes a long way.
  9. Don’t steal. I think this goes without saying but don’t take anything from the set, be it a prop, wardrobe or the belongings of a fellow extra. Also, leave anything really valuable off set and at home.
  10. They’re probably going to feed you so if you have food allergies or diet restrictions don’t be shy about letting them know beforehand. They’ll ask in an email, or you can send the information to the person who contacted you. If you have to get makeup done on set and have makeup allergies it’s important to let them know too.
  11. They’ll ask you to bring several options for wardrobe. This means more than one extra shirt. They need to have options to sort through. I don’t mean to bring your whole closet, but have several different outfits that the wardrobe and makeup people can look at. 9/10 time they’ll ask you to do your own makeup. Unless noted otherwise assume they mean “modest/minimal”. You are part of the background and need to do your best not to draw attention from the main actors in the scene. I cannot stress this enough: You will most likely be on your feet for long periods of time. Make sure the shoe options you bring will be something that won’t make you want to saw your feet of at the end of the day.

Well that’s it for now. These are some of the tips I can think of so far, but if I think of more I’ll write another article.

Best of luck!

New Fun Activity

I forgot to mention this! I meant to post about it here when I posted to my YouTube channel but I’m going to be trying to do this weekly. Every Wednesday or so I’m going to do a “cold read” of a script I have in a book or that I find online. I haven’t read any of the ones from my books beforehand, otherwise they wouldn’t be “cold reads”.

What is a cold read? When you go to audition you’ll sometimes have to do one of these. They give you a script you’ve not seen before, you get a moment to look it over, and then you do the scene. It can be difficult to do since you don’t get a lot of time to prepare. So how can you get better at it? Practice!

Practicing cold reads is one of my favorite activities. I find it to be tremendously fun. I thought I’d do some video recordings of my cold read practice. If you want to do a video too feel free to send it to me! I’d love to see it. I’d also love new scripts so if you know of any send them my way too.

New Opportunity for Cincinnati Actors

Hello everyone! Today I’m writing to tell you about an exciting opportunity to participate in something called “Meals 4 Monologues”.

This is a chance to show one of the biggest names in acting in Cincinnati your stuff! D. Lynn Meyers is often responsible for casting big projects that come to the area. She and her assistant Ben remember every name and face that auditions for them. It’s quite impressive, really.

All you have to do to participate in this amazing opportunity is to contact Ben Raanan, the assistant director, at auditions@ensemblecincinnati.org or (513) 421-3555 by November 30th to secure your time slot. Please include a current headshot, resume and telephone number.

Once you get your time slot for either December 7th or 8th, prepare your audition! You have 5 minutes to show your stuff. It can be either one monologue, a cappella song, both or two monologues.

On the day of your audition be sure to bring three non-perishable food items (pasta, rice, canned goods, etc.) or toiletry items (soap, toothpaste, etc.) and be prepared to do your best.

This event is appointment only so be sure to contact Ben Raanan by November 30th! And break a leg!