This past Thursday morning I auditioned for a TV commercial. It was one of those improv-y auditions where I got to eat air with plastic utensils and chat with a “friend”. In cases like these, I know the final output will be primarily visual with voice over talent telling the viewer all s/he needs to know about the product in question. My “friend” was a lovely woman whom I had never seen before, but we got along well and were called to audition first. Auditioning first was not all bad this time: we had two chances to enact our lunchtime scene because the first take was not useable due to a technology glitch. It is also in cases like these where I know acting has very little to to with acquiring the job. Instead, it’s mainly about the look: hair, skin, bone structure, height, build and ability to eat well on camera.
Interestingly, the casting director recalled me from my previously festive audition character and asked, “Did you get that job?” I was surprised she had remembered (since I have the impression she really doesn’t know who I am) and indicated I had not gotten the gig. ”Oh, that’s too bad!” she remarked, “You were so funny!” Yeah, I thought I was funny too, but clearly the client had a different characterization in mind than the flamboyant coding specialist I portrayed.
Leaving the audition, I once more harbored that I-don’t-know-how-I-did mentality. It’s difficult to assess how well one has eaten air and blabbed about nothing of consequence! My dining skills seemed to be pleasing enough, though, as I was placed on first refusal and booked the job within 24 hours. I’m so pleased!
Each evening of the 16th Annual Sedona International Film Festival there was a festive gathering of some kind–always designed for food and fun–sponsored by a local business. On the evening of the first screening of Fate Scores, I somehow found myself spending time at a most surreal table at the afterparty, seated with veteran actor James Karen and his equally-talented actor-producer wife, Alba Francesca. James was attending the festival with the producers of the documentary in which he is featured, When the World Breaks.
As we sat at our table, nibbling on … Continue reading »
I’d like to take a moment to thank some of the wonderful people and groups that contributed to making the 2010 Sedona International Film Festival such a success in my eyes. They are:
• Mary Fisher (a huge film fan and supporter of the Sedona International Film Festival)
• The Sedona International Film Festival Board of Directors (who knew any group could be so film savvy?!)
• The City of Sedona (so beautiful!)
• Harkins Theatres (the Harkins Sedona 6 is quite cute)
• The Zaki Gordon Institute (for hosting useful, free seminars)
• L’Auberge de Sedona (a … Continue reading »
MAMPAP. No, it’s not some type of gynecological exam. It’s an acronym a very smart person taught me once which stands for: Meet As Many People As Possible. Close friends will tell you I am not the most extroverted individual. (Strange but true!) So when I come to events like the Sedona International Film Festival I have to motivate my MAMPAP mindset. The MAMPAP mindset can be rather draining but I’ve learned it can be so beneficial! Perhaps it can be chocked up to the amiable attitudes of the Sedonans, but I have met quite a few successful individuals in … Continue reading »
The first few days of the Sedona International Film Festival have been nothing but great. The festival is very well organized, the staff are pros and the volunteers are amazingly dedicated. It’s wonderful to see how an event can unify and define a friendly Southwestern community. And let’s not forget the beautiful environs! (See my photo at left.) The workshops at the Zaki Gordon Institute are a nice educational resource for filmmakers at all levels and the various networking events that are scheduled have proven fruitful meeting places where I’ve … Continue reading »
Yesterday I attended a commercial audition and I had a great time. It was a last-minute audition for which there was little time to prepare but I made the most of it! I created a quirky sensibility for my character, bedecking her with traits I felt would most imbue her with memorability. (Of course, I also catered to the specifics provided in the script.) What I enjoyed about this process was the ease with which she evolved: her development occurred in a quickly-paced but organic manner. How I wish all characters could be so evolutionarily effortless!
Upon arrival I … Continue reading »
Members of my family will tell you I am known for my vivid dreams and my ability to remember and report on every single dreamy detail. Last evening I had–dare I say it?–a nightmare. It involved a casting director I know. Only once before have I dreamed of a casting director. In that instance, I dreamt that she called me on a Sunday morning while I was away on vacation. She wanted me to come in straight away to audition for TV show 30 Rock. ”What? What?! I can’t hear you!”, I hollered into my hallucinated handset. The voice on the phone was … Continue reading »
This past Thursday morning I auditioned for a TV commercial. It was one of those improv-y auditions where I got to eat air with plastic utensils and chat with a “friend”. In cases like these, I know the final output will be primarily visual with voice over talent telling the viewer all s/he needs to know about the product in question. My “friend” was a lovely woman whom I had never seen before, but we got along well and were called to audition first. Auditioning first was not all bad this time: we had two chances to enact our lunchtime scene because the first take was not useable due to a technology glitch. It is also in cases like these where I know acting has very little to to with acquiring the job. Instead, it’s mainly about the look: hair, skin, bone structure, height, build and ability to eat well on camera.
