We just returned from a two-day trip to Santa Barbara. We left Saturday after work and went out on the town that night with our friends who also made the trip. Dinner, drinks and dancing left us all wiped out. The next day we went to Solvang, a small Dutch-themed village in the Santa Ynez valley. It's also one of the stops the guys make in the movie "Sideways". We just walked around a little, and on the way out, stopped by a miniature horse ranch that we saw off the road. My wife loved that. The brochure we picked up suggested that miniature horses make great pets "even in urban areas". I don't know about that. The adults were larger than big dogs, but the babies were definitely more dog-sized. The brochure also said that miniature horses had been bred down like this for 300 years, which made me wonder who came up with the idea and why. They can't really carry anything larger than a small child, but they can pull quite a bit of weight. Still, why?
Later that afternoon, we stopped by the Gainey vineyards and winery so the ladies could do a wine tasting. From there, we headed back to Santa Barbara where we visited the courthouse. This was the second time I'd been there and it is quite beautiful. The inside is intricately decorated with lots of hand painted tile and elaborate paintings. Even the courtroom we saw was covered in paintings depicting the history of the area. It seems like that would be distracting during a trial.
We drove back yesterday and made it to a bbq that some friends were having. I was so tired, but it was nice to close out the weekend visiting with friends and doing nothing in particular.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Selections, Classes and the Numbers
The selections are complete. Brooke and Alicia narrowed down the field of their choices to 3. Those are now up at the online casting websites. With the help of some casting directors and friends, I chose a couple of others to use for my own submissions. A selection of some of the shots is now posted on my personal PAGE on the JaCKPie site. I picked up some of the shots from the printing lab yesterday. I'm using Gray Tone Images this time. Recommended for good work, and FAST!
I'm really happy with my commercial class. It's amazing how much you learn when you watch yourself on tape. I wasn't too keen on seeing myself before, but once I got over it and focused on what works and what doesn't, WOW. How can you possibly improve if you don't know what your tendencies are? I feel like I'm so much better prepared for auditions. Now, I just need to get in the doors. I compiled a list of my auditions to see what my stats are. Basically, I've been performing at a 55-60% callback ratio and a 25% booking ratio on the commercial side. If I throw in the other auditions for films and such, the callback ratio stays the same and the booking ratio increases to about 28%. Those are pretty decent numbers, but I definitely know they will be improving as a result of the commitment I've made to my training.
I'm really happy with my commercial class. It's amazing how much you learn when you watch yourself on tape. I wasn't too keen on seeing myself before, but once I got over it and focused on what works and what doesn't, WOW. How can you possibly improve if you don't know what your tendencies are? I feel like I'm so much better prepared for auditions. Now, I just need to get in the doors. I compiled a list of my auditions to see what my stats are. Basically, I've been performing at a 55-60% callback ratio and a 25% booking ratio on the commercial side. If I throw in the other auditions for films and such, the callback ratio stays the same and the booking ratio increases to about 28%. Those are pretty decent numbers, but I definitely know they will be improving as a result of the commitment I've made to my training.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Baseball
I went to my first Dodgers game yesterday with some friends. It was the first ballgame I've attended in LA. I'm told Dodgers Stadium is the 4th oldest in baseball right now, and I've been to Wrigley, which is also in the top 4. I prefer Wrigley. There have been some recent improvements at Dodgers Stadium like new seats, but I obviously couldn't compare. The field is nice, but it's a shame the open end of the stadium just looks out onto the parking lot and the adjacent hillside. The guy who bought our tickets did a great job. We were in the "reserved level" (there was one section of seating higher up) on the third base side between third and home. Game time was 1pm, and we were in the sun for about 20-30 minutes before it slipped behind those upper seats and left us in the shade.
The seats are small and there's very little leg room. There weren't many concession stands, so the lines were huge. I didn't wait. The fans were the most obnoxious people I've ever been around at a game. My friend's brother and his dad were wearing Giants hats because his dad grew up in SF as a Giants fan. This particular game was against the Angels. Apparently, the Dodgers and Giants have some sort of rivalry going that isn't helped by the Barry Bonds fiasco. So, we heard some extremely vulgar comments frequently about the Angels and the Giants. The comments became increasingly personal and directed at my friends until the end of the game when a confrontation ensued. There was no fight, but my friend and his brother don't let things go the way I do. I'm all for some good-natured rivalry stoking, but the comments here were way beyond the pale. It definitely tarnished the experience to have to listen to those drunken idiots screaming profanities constantly. It's a shame security lets that kind of thing go. People bring their children to these games and they have to endure that nonsense?
I won't be going to a Dodgers game again any time soon. Maybe I'll make the trek to Anaheim. I hear the stadium is nicer, so maybe the fans are too.
The seats are small and there's very little leg room. There weren't many concession stands, so the lines were huge. I didn't wait. The fans were the most obnoxious people I've ever been around at a game. My friend's brother and his dad were wearing Giants hats because his dad grew up in SF as a Giants fan. This particular game was against the Angels. Apparently, the Dodgers and Giants have some sort of rivalry going that isn't helped by the Barry Bonds fiasco. So, we heard some extremely vulgar comments frequently about the Angels and the Giants. The comments became increasingly personal and directed at my friends until the end of the game when a confrontation ensued. There was no fight, but my friend and his brother don't let things go the way I do. I'm all for some good-natured rivalry stoking, but the comments here were way beyond the pale. It definitely tarnished the experience to have to listen to those drunken idiots screaming profanities constantly. It's a shame security lets that kind of thing go. People bring their children to these games and they have to endure that nonsense?
I won't be going to a Dodgers game again any time soon. Maybe I'll make the trek to Anaheim. I hear the stadium is nicer, so maybe the fans are too.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
New Headshots
Today, I had my headshot session with David Zaugh. Check out his work, and if you book with him, tell him I referred you. We basically talked and joked around the whole time, but got a ton of great shots. I like the way he works because I felt like I was just being me and not worrying about smiling or looking just so. I just was and he shot. I am really happy with the results, and I trust my agents will be too. I sent them the online proof sheet of almost 300 shots from which to choose about 20 that will be further narrowed down to about 4. I'll get 2 printed up to use for commercial auditions with them and another 1 to submit myself for theatrical stuff.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Shoot: Results
Today, I had a 7am call time for a short film a friend of mine is producing/directing called "Results". I play a security guard who intervenes in a domestic dispute . I was really tired this morning when the alarm went off, but grabbed a book, a quick bite and a lot of water. The shower and the food got the blood going and I went down to the location in West Hollywood. When I arrived, I could see it was going to be a while before they got to me, so I took a little power nap and read a lot. There's no excuse for actors not being some of the most well-read people since we always have plenty of time to read on-set.
We were using a little side street industrial area, which was really quiet when we rehearsed a couple of weeks ago. Today, for some reason, there were cars parked everywhere, people cleaning off rooftops, and traffic was passing through constantly. The traffic made it tricky for some of the shots, because I had to cross the street. More than once, we had to abort the shot. It was sort of like yelling "Car" when you play stickball or something. Even so, we knocked it out in a couple of hours and I was on my way back home around 11:30am. Had a lot of fun and hope it turns out great!
We were using a little side street industrial area, which was really quiet when we rehearsed a couple of weeks ago. Today, for some reason, there were cars parked everywhere, people cleaning off rooftops, and traffic was passing through constantly. The traffic made it tricky for some of the shots, because I had to cross the street. More than once, we had to abort the shot. It was sort of like yelling "Car" when you play stickball or something. Even so, we knocked it out in a couple of hours and I was on my way back home around 11:30am. Had a lot of fun and hope it turns out great!
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Shoot: Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Yesterday, I was submitted for a sketch part on Jimmy Kimmel Live. As a precaution, I emailed my supervisor at work to alert him to the possibility of me having a last minute conflict. Sure enough, today, at almost 11:30am, I got the call that I had booked it and that the call time was 1pm! Fantastic, yes. Crazy, yes. After a bunch of quick phone calls, I got my supe on the phone and he was great about it. That's why I like working with them. It's a cool company with fantastic people. At 12:20pm, I was called and told the call time was changed to 2pm.
I made it to the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood where the show is taped, and found the holding area. After a while, I got the scoop on the bit. It was a commercial parody for TGI Friday's. I guess they had a manager who cut off his finger at work. While someone took him to the hospital, the finger turned up in a hamburger served to a customer. The joke of the commercial was that TGI Friday's was simply viewing this as a happy accident and marketing a new line of "finger" menu items. I played a manager making sure our customers were thrilled with their finger platter. They had a bunch of fake fingers and some edible ones, made of raw potatoes, mixed in. Even the edible ones looked frightening.
The whole shoot took 5 hours from call time to me walking out the door at 7pm, and the bit ran in the show that night, which started taping just after I left. It's pretty amazing that they managed to get the whole thing shot and edited in such a short time, and they do stuff like that everyday. With that kind of time crunch, you'd think most people would get a little stressed and testy, but not these people. Everyone I dealt with on the shoot was extremely nice. So, I've got a lot of respect for their work under fire.
Now, the interesting union issues. This was an AFTRA job. I'll be joining AFTRA as a result and paying the initiation fees and dues. Basically, my entire check from this job will pay a portion of that. I won't see any money from it yet. I was going to join eventually anyway, so might as well be now. ***UPDATE -- I got the check. See my friend Natasha's comments for the reason.
I made it to the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood where the show is taped, and found the holding area. After a while, I got the scoop on the bit. It was a commercial parody for TGI Friday's. I guess they had a manager who cut off his finger at work. While someone took him to the hospital, the finger turned up in a hamburger served to a customer. The joke of the commercial was that TGI Friday's was simply viewing this as a happy accident and marketing a new line of "finger" menu items. I played a manager making sure our customers were thrilled with their finger platter. They had a bunch of fake fingers and some edible ones, made of raw potatoes, mixed in. Even the edible ones looked frightening.
The whole shoot took 5 hours from call time to me walking out the door at 7pm, and the bit ran in the show that night, which started taping just after I left. It's pretty amazing that they managed to get the whole thing shot and edited in such a short time, and they do stuff like that everyday. With that kind of time crunch, you'd think most people would get a little stressed and testy, but not these people. Everyone I dealt with on the shoot was extremely nice. So, I've got a lot of respect for their work under fire.
Now, the interesting union issues. This was an AFTRA job. I'll be joining AFTRA as a result and paying the initiation fees and dues. Basically, my entire check from this job will pay a portion of that. I won't see any money from it yet. I was going to join eventually anyway, so might as well be now. ***UPDATE -- I got the check. See my friend Natasha's comments for the reason.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Class: First week of commercial class
Last night was my first commercial class. We were given a bit of copy to work on before class got started, and then Carolyne went through the ground rules for us. With no time wasted, we got right to work. As everyone took their turn in front of the camera, she pointed things out, working with each person on technique for everything from the slate (introducing yourself) to product handling. It was kind of a mass introduction to her approach. I went fourth and did fine on the slate, but didn't really feel good about my first take. She honed in on my tendencies, which are basically identical to the issues I've been dealing with in my previous acting classes. After some redirection, my second take was much better. At the end of the night, we watched the tape of everyone's performances. Everyone improved on their first take. It was fascinating to note what made things better and how notable the difference is between someone who seems relaxed and someone who is not. I feel extremely confident that we'll all improve tremendously over the next several weeks. Carolyne is such a character. In small world news, a friend of mine who I did a show with in Atlanta is in the class.
We had customer service trauma while shopping at Costco yesterday. At the end of March, we renewed our membership by paying the annual fee at the cashier. For some reason, I was not convinced the lady did it properly and I was nervous because we were paying cash for the only time ever, so I made sure we kept the receipt. After more than 30 days of no problems, my wife took the receipt out of her wallet and left it in our files. Sure enough, yesterday when we checked out, the cashier said our membership had expired. We explained that we had definitely paid it, and a manager was called over. This manager was pathetic. We explained the whole thing again. She escalated the problem by saying she was keeping my card and there was nothing she could do unless we had our receipt (from March!). What? We made all this up to buy cheap bacon? Seriously...who walks around with 30 days of receipts in their pocket? Now, I'm a calm, laid-back guy, but her attitude and absolute refusal to offer any sort of solution to the situation really ticked me off. It was clear that this manager was not interested in considering a customer-friendly solution to a problem SHE, as the current face of Costco, created. We left our items there and walked away in disgust.
On the way out, I decided to stop by the membership desk to vent a little frustration and express my dissatisfaction with the treatment we were receiving. The guy there was extremely helpful. He apologized for the problem, and, better yet, HELPED US RESOLVE IT. He cleared us to make our purchases that day so we could return at our convenience with the receipt. Can you imagine? He actually had to think and did it! Service! Resolution! Amazing!!! We got our card back, went through the store collecting our items again and checked out. It was still a hassle, but mostly diffused the situation. Thing is, it made me even more angry at the first manager for not even suggesting that we try to work something out at the membership desk. Guess she figured it wasn't her problem. She'd rather snub her nose and tell us to kiss off than take 2 minutes of her precious time and offer assistance. And THAT is what is wrong with people in the big corporate service industry today. Crappy training. No creative thinking. No initiative. No responsibility. Pass the buck and get back to daydreaming about your next day off. Of course there's also the issue of the untrained original cashier who screwed it all up in the beginning. What happens to people who aren't obsessive like us and don't keep receipts for this long? I'll never pay cash there again.
We had customer service trauma while shopping at Costco yesterday. At the end of March, we renewed our membership by paying the annual fee at the cashier. For some reason, I was not convinced the lady did it properly and I was nervous because we were paying cash for the only time ever, so I made sure we kept the receipt. After more than 30 days of no problems, my wife took the receipt out of her wallet and left it in our files. Sure enough, yesterday when we checked out, the cashier said our membership had expired. We explained that we had definitely paid it, and a manager was called over. This manager was pathetic. We explained the whole thing again. She escalated the problem by saying she was keeping my card and there was nothing she could do unless we had our receipt (from March!). What? We made all this up to buy cheap bacon? Seriously...who walks around with 30 days of receipts in their pocket? Now, I'm a calm, laid-back guy, but her attitude and absolute refusal to offer any sort of solution to the situation really ticked me off. It was clear that this manager was not interested in considering a customer-friendly solution to a problem SHE, as the current face of Costco, created. We left our items there and walked away in disgust.
On the way out, I decided to stop by the membership desk to vent a little frustration and express my dissatisfaction with the treatment we were receiving. The guy there was extremely helpful. He apologized for the problem, and, better yet, HELPED US RESOLVE IT. He cleared us to make our purchases that day so we could return at our convenience with the receipt. Can you imagine? He actually had to think and did it! Service! Resolution! Amazing!!! We got our card back, went through the store collecting our items again and checked out. It was still a hassle, but mostly diffused the situation. Thing is, it made me even more angry at the first manager for not even suggesting that we try to work something out at the membership desk. Guess she figured it wasn't her problem. She'd rather snub her nose and tell us to kiss off than take 2 minutes of her precious time and offer assistance. And THAT is what is wrong with people in the big corporate service industry today. Crappy training. No creative thinking. No initiative. No responsibility. Pass the buck and get back to daydreaming about your next day off. Of course there's also the issue of the untrained original cashier who screwed it all up in the beginning. What happens to people who aren't obsessive like us and don't keep receipts for this long? I'll never pay cash there again.
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