Pay To Play In A Movie?

Zach has been getting some auditions this week and two of them have involved money.

Every actor hopes to make money for being in a movie...But does every actor want to pay money to be in a movie?

According to the audition notices, the films are "inspired by Roger Corman" and "made with the Australian formula of the cast and crew funding the film" so each actor invests $5000 towards the making of the film.  

I can be an Executive Producer of these films, and make my money back if the movie is sold and production costs are covered, if I'm willing to pay $5000 to the production company.

Acting is an art and you have to spend money on teachers, seminars and classes to improve your skills.

The goal is to become a good enough actor that people will pay you money to be in their movie.

If you have to pay to be the lead of a movie then maybe this is not the career path for you.

I hope this opinion doesn't ruin my various Australian friendships.

Oh wait...I don't know anybody from Australia...And I don't know Roger Corman.

I'm good!

Don't mention Randy Newman to me this week!

It's been a busy week in Hollywood so let's look at the week one point at a time:

***Zach had a slow week of auditions but a busy week at school. 

The charter school he attends has been doing "Star Testing" for the past two weeks.  "Star Testing" is also known as the California State Exams.  It's a good news/bad news situation for students.  The good news is they only have to show up for one day and take their state exams.  The bad news is they don't have their regular school appointments for two weeks. 

The appointments are back on schedule and Zach had to turn in 4 Science units, take 4 tests and pass two PE units to stay on track to complete 7th Grade by the end of May.

I'm very happy he had a slow audition week!

***The Artist performed in two improv shows over the weekend.  He had one show with his normal gang and another show with the next improv level.

He held his own with the new group and even made the teacher/host laugh a couple of times during the show.

***I got hooked up with a singer/songwriter who is determined to write the next anthem for Los Angeles.  He is tired of "outsiders" viewing the city according to Randy Newman's "I Love L.A.". 

Captain L.A. (as I like to call him) has cut a song that mentions everything he enjoys about Los Angeles.

The main problem with the song?  A very 80s production vibe!  He even did a dance mix that sounds like every Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis production.

I met him to discuss helping him promote the song.  I tried to be nice when I discussed my problems with the production.  He took my advice as a challenge to record an acoustic version of the song. 

The main problem with the acoustic version?  The vocals still have an 80s vibe/sound quality.

I'm meeting Captain L.A. tomorrow night to lay out our plan of attack for promoting the song. 

I still have some issues with both versions of the song BUT the tune has been stuck in my head for days.  I find myself singing it at random moments during the day.

Would anyone like to hear my rendition of the song????

***I have to go pick up The Artist at his acting class.  Have a good night!

Various Things To Begin The Week...

***Zach is up for 4 gigs as he learns the time-honored tradition of "hurry up and wait for a callback".

***He is trying to finish all of his homework in order to graduate 7th grade by the end of school next week.

***Zach is going to perform in the next improv age group this weekend.

***His schedule didn't allow him to take part in a short film last Saturday.  I can't giveaway the plot of the movie...But I can give you two words..."Scientology & Snakes".

***I've been invited to walk the red carpet at an event tonight at The Rolling Stone Restaurant and Lounge.  I've also been invited to the red carpet opening of Royal Gor Studios in Burbank on Wednesday.  I realize you've always thought of me as a red carpet kind of guy.  I'm glad I can justify your faith in me!

***The artist has two acting classes this week so he can keep working on his craft while  waiting on callbacks this week.

***I'll do a longer update later this week...I've got to run and work on 7th grade science!

Can I Update My Blog From My Phone?

If you're reading this post then the answer is...."YES"!

We're entering the home stretch of the movie shoot and we finally have our name actor, Shannon Elizabeth, on the set.

The main thing you need to know about Shannon is she likes animals way more than she likes kids.  She is nice to all of the kids in the cast but she'll freely admit that she is not comfortable around children.

Here are the differences on set now that we have our big time Hollywood actor in the house:

1.  She has her own trailer parked in the back of the building.

2.  She is the only person allowed in the main dressing room so all of the kids have to change into costume in the elk lodge meeting room.

3.  Shannon has her own makeup artist.

4.  She does not eat lunch with the rest of the cast and crew.

I don't feel like she is trying to be standoffish from everyone else on set.  I think she is used to operating a certain way and that is the way she is going to act on set.

What do I know?  She is the big time movie star....and I'm just the Dadager.

Nice Work If You Can Get It!

I'm convinced one of the easiest jobs you can hope to get in life is being a studio teacher.

I realize you need to have California teaching credentials in english, math, social studies, science and a foreign language.  The three guys I've seen have the skills to be teachers...BUT...I've never seen them use their skills on set.

I hate to say it but the studio teachers on our movie seem to be well paid babysitters.

They're on set to make sure the boys complete their daily school requirements according to California law.  They herd the boys to a table and tell them to do their homework.  They're not really worried if the boys spend their entire time talking about "The Avengers" or girls or video games.  As long as the boys are in their seats for the required amount of hours, it's almost an "anything goes" situation during their school time.

I'm sure there are some studio teachers who help the boys and make them work on their assignments.  I just haven't met one during this movie shoot.

I will say that the three teachers have been nice guys that I've enjoyed talking to each day.  I admire their ability to get paid for adult babysitting duties.

The Highlight Of The Week Is...

The highlight of the week (for me) was Zach's audition on Wednesday. 

He had an audition for a part on a Disney XD show that took place at the CBS Studio City lot.  I've been past the lot many times.  I'm near it every Sunday morning when I go to the Studio City Farmers Market.  It's one of those places that I've wanted to check out but there has been no reason for me to be on the lot.

Weird moment number one:  Going to the guard gate and telling him that I had Zach Louis with me for a 3:15 audition.  The guard checked his name on the list and told Zach, "Welcome...We've been expecting you".

The guard gave me directions which brings us to weird moment number two:  I never thought I would hear the phrase "Go through the main building and you'll see some sound stages...Just hang a right at CSI: NY and you'll see the room for your audition".

Zach and I found the office for the audition.  I signed him in and then I made sure to look around the lot.  The entire complex is filled with signs to mark the history of various movies and shows filmed on the lot.  The building we were in had signs to mark the end of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Roseanne".

The lot was full of activity as vans, carts, light rigs and workers hustled to take care of business in every corner of the area.

Zach completed his audition and took a look around at all of the workers.  He turned to me and asked if the CBS studio area was a big deal in Hollywood history.

All I could do was laugh and say "You have no idea".

Life On A Movie Set Part One

It's amazing what a difference the choice of activities makes in a kid each morning.

I've been waking Zach up at the same time every morning to head to the movie set as I do for his school work. He knows that he needs to get out of bed and tackle his homework since it's a self-directed program.  The Artist is not happy about waking up BUT he gets up and moving at a super slow pace.

He shoots out of bed when I wake him up to go to the movie set.  Zach is showered and working on his lines long before it's time to hit the road.

The production has been filming at a home in Valley Village.  I love it because it's a 7-minute drive from home with no interstates involved in the journey.

The home has been completely taken over by the crew.  The backyard is full of pop-up tents, cranes, cameras, lights and assorted crew members.  The interior of the house is the nerve center of the production with four crew members at a kitchen table full of computers, schedules, walkie-talkies and scripts.

Each child actor must have a parent on set at all times.  Our holding area depends on the daily production schedule.  We've been in the master bedroom, the entertainment room and in the back yard.  The crew is nice but they don't go out of their way to bond with us.  I get the feeling that we're seen as a necessary evil.

There are four other parents on the set.  One father reads all day and likes to talk about movies.  The other dad loves to talk about food, his job, traffic, motorcycles and every topic under the sun.  We have a mother from North Carolina who always seems kind of annoyed by the entire experience of Los Angeles.  The other mother is quiet but friendly.

The cast instantly bonded after the first day.  They seem to be a real gang of friends.

The highlight of each afternoon is waiting to see what we're having for lunch.  The entire crew, cast and parents have lunch together in the backyard.  It's kind of like a daily family reunion.  You're thrown together with a bunch of people that you don't know very well but are united by a common bond.

The meals are buffet style with everyone waiting in line for their turn to fill a plate.  The free food has included BBQ, Panda Express, meatloaf (at least I think it was meatloaf), pot stickers and chicken.  There is also a daily amount of munchies including fruit snacks, bagels, candy, protein bars, popcorn, chips and rice cakes.  It's hard to stop eating all day because of the amount of food and the fact that the goodies are RIGHT THERE every moment of the day!

I haven't even told you about the on-set teacher or Zach's latest audition.  I guess the story of life on a movie set is...To Be Continued...