Things have been super busy recently so I'm a little behind on checking the latest casting notices to hit my inbox. I've been going through them this morning and found some of the "best" notices that might make you a star!
***Nerdy and overemotional teen to play a high school student in a Web short. (Don't both of those words describe every teen on earth in some form or fashion?)
***Isolated and tribal looking girl needed to play "native" for a short film. (I'm pretty sure that is a bad stereotype worded in a polite manner.)
***Short but courageous Mighty Mouse fan needed to defend the honer of his or her hero on Hollywood Blvd. (There are so many ways this can go wrong for everyone involved. Good luck with fending off the other Hollywood Blvd characters. Once they spot a camera, it's game on for them!)
***Late 60's Mexican male to play a hard looking spiritual doctor in a village of the damned in a low budget splatter fest. (How about you just spring the money and get Danny Trejo for the role?)
***25-44 female with rage issues willing to let her anger fly on film for a new documentary. You will be paid but will not receive any counseling or self help. (So, come make an ass out of yourself for a few bucks on film? Sounds like a gig for me if I wear a wig.)
***Are you a Hipster with a tattoo? Ready to show the world your crazy body art? Must be willing to have your life choices judged by our panel. (Sounds like a group of parents are trying to pull a sting operation on their kids.)
***Seeking Male 32-45 to portray the lead singer of a aging boy band who don't realize they're not boys anymore. Dance skills optional. (Also optional, anyone who would care about this project.)
***Actress to play a "stripper" for a independent film. Actual stripping experience is a plus. Acting not as important as your skills on the pole. (If you read this casting notice and don't realize it's a trick to get you to perform on a pole for a film crew, you might need to learn to read between the lines.)
***Extras needed to eat cotton candy for a carnival scene on the beach, Must be able to walk and eat cotton candy at the same time. (Sounds like a method acting experience.)
Do any of these roles sound like a fit for you? If so, get ready for your chance to be a star!!!!
This Actor Has A Couple Of Good Auditions This Week
Monday, March 23, 2015
Saturday, March 14, 2015
The Artist Finally Speaks!
Zach's football season ended last week and it was a profitable one for him.
I realize the Super Bowl was last month and college football ended in January. I'm talking about the Bulldogs football season.
The Bulldogs as in the team on the Nickelodeon TV show, "Bella and the Bulldogs".
Zach has been a member of the onscreen Bulldogs team for the entire first season of the show. He's logged screen time in the background of the school scenes. He's been on the football field with the team as well as the bench.
It's the best of both worlds for him. He gets to practice football all week and suit up for the game. Their game nights are Friday nights and under the lights. The big difference between Hollywood football and real football? The play stops before any tackles happen on the field.
It's great exercise without the pain of getting hit on the field.
Being on set all year has helped Zach meet the entire staff of the show. The actors, writers, directors, producers, etc have all met Zach and had conversations with him over the season. Two weeks ago was the final game of the season on the show and we figured that was the end of the season for Zach. The production crew had one more episode to film but there were no football scenes in the show.
No football = No Zach.
At least we thought it meant "No Zach".
I got a call on a Monday morning from the people that cast "Bella and the Bulldogs". A lot of the folks that work on the show have my number so it's never a surprise when they call me.
I was surprised by the reason for the call.
They wanted Zach to come in that afternoon to audition for a speaking role in the final episode of the season. The audition was at Paramount and was in the middle of the day.
Simple to get to; Easy traffic; Nice folks at the show. Sounded like a win all the way around.
I realize the Super Bowl was last month and college football ended in January. I'm talking about the Bulldogs football season.
The Bulldogs as in the team on the Nickelodeon TV show, "Bella and the Bulldogs".
Zach has been a member of the onscreen Bulldogs team for the entire first season of the show. He's logged screen time in the background of the school scenes. He's been on the football field with the team as well as the bench.
It's the best of both worlds for him. He gets to practice football all week and suit up for the game. Their game nights are Friday nights and under the lights. The big difference between Hollywood football and real football? The play stops before any tackles happen on the field.
It's great exercise without the pain of getting hit on the field.
Being on set all year has helped Zach meet the entire staff of the show. The actors, writers, directors, producers, etc have all met Zach and had conversations with him over the season. Two weeks ago was the final game of the season on the show and we figured that was the end of the season for Zach. The production crew had one more episode to film but there were no football scenes in the show.
No football = No Zach.
At least we thought it meant "No Zach".
I got a call on a Monday morning from the people that cast "Bella and the Bulldogs". A lot of the folks that work on the show have my number so it's never a surprise when they call me.
I was surprised by the reason for the call.
They wanted Zach to come in that afternoon to audition for a speaking role in the final episode of the season. The audition was at Paramount and was in the middle of the day.
Simple to get to; Easy traffic; Nice folks at the show. Sounded like a win all the way around.
Hang a left at this sign to find the casting office.
This has nothing to do with the story. I just like the Marx Brothers. I don't "get" The Three Stooges.
Zach entered the audition feeling confident. He knew the rhythm of the show as well as the style of acting embraced by the directors. He was feeling good about his chances to land the role.
His instincts were right on the money because the casting office contacted me that night to say he had the part and to report to set on Wednesday morning.
Zach quickly learned the perks of being a guest star on the show. Even though he'd been part of the production all season there were some "upgrades" that delighted him.
Checking his texts, tweets, FB posts, emails and Snapchats before filming begins for the day.
The assistant director approached Zach and asked if he'd found his dressing room yet.
"Did someone say dressing room???"
The Nick on Sunset building is a lot larger than it appears from the outside. There are more floors. stairways and hallways connecting the various parts of the building than you realize from the front entrance of the building. We made our way upstairs to find his dressing room. It was easy to spot:
Kind of like having his name in lights.
A nice comfy place to do homework (or nap) between scenes.
A good portion of the cast and crew were surprised to see Zach on set. He is always in the football scenes so no one was expecting him to be part of the show this week. They were surprised, and genuinely happy, to hear he landed a speaking role.
It was a great experience for him because he got to view the production from a different perspective. There were rehearsals, camera blocking sessions and read throughs that he never experienced while on the football field.
I can't reveal too much about the plot of the episode. It does involve a scene with Zach and his stylish "dinner look".
Pouty look in character during rehearsal.
Getting ready to film the dinner scene.
After the episode filming wrapped, everyone congratulated Zach and complimented him on his performance. The fact he got the role (and was cheered on by the cast and crew) makes me incredibly proud of him.
Plus, he really enjoyed having a week on set without being a stinky football player!
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
A Happy Reminder That We're "Ready To Go"
It was an exciting way to wrap up February as we attended the world premiere of the pilot episode of "Camp Abercorn" in Los Angeles. Zach has been VERY excited to see the final cut of the pilot episode.
We made our way to downtown LA for the event. "We" being Dana, Zach, myself and 5 of Zach's friends (his four improv partners and a friend he took to a red carpet event earlier in the evening). Our arrival at the venue was like attending a school reunion.
Once you spend a week together in the woods of Oregon, you have a bond that is bigger than being friends on Facebook. Zach walked in and was instantly hugged/greeted/welcomed like a long lost family member. It was funny to listen to the comments throughout the night from various cast and crew members. Everyone was laughing at the fact Zach brought the largest entourage of the evening.
We made our way to downtown LA for the event. "We" being Dana, Zach, myself and 5 of Zach's friends (his four improv partners and a friend he took to a red carpet event earlier in the evening). Our arrival at the venue was like attending a school reunion.
Once you spend a week together in the woods of Oregon, you have a bond that is bigger than being friends on Facebook. Zach walked in and was instantly hugged/greeted/welcomed like a long lost family member. It was funny to listen to the comments throughout the night from various cast and crew members. Everyone was laughing at the fact Zach brought the largest entourage of the evening.
Zach's Posse (two YouTube stars, two Vine celebs and a female singer/songwriter who has performed with Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy).
The reunion theme continued thanks to the presence of some of the Portland cast and crew members. In fact, one of our favorite Oregon folks was present:
The Man; The Myth; The Legend. Zach with our buddy, "Porcupine"!
We met Porcupine at the campsite. He lives, and works, there during the summer keeping the grounds looking good. We got to know him and realized he's the kind of guy that will have your back during the zombie apocalypse.
After an hour or so of catching up with everyone, it was time for the show to begin. The night kicked off with a performance from Chris Ayer.
A Little Blues; A Little Pop; A Little Folk.
Chris performs much of the music in the pilot episode. I had never seen him live before and was blown away by his sense of humor and overall musical skill. Check him out at his website.
Brad Leland checked in via video from his home in the Dallas area. He was surrounded by snow and wasn't able to make the party. Brad is a big part of the show and wanted to make sure everyone knew he was thinking of them.
The video was Brad's way of making sure he was part of the party.
I spent a good portion of my pilot viewing experience remembering the times I was either searching for an Internet signal (hard to do social media client work when you don't have the Internet) or searching for a Diet Coke while trying not to be in the shot.
The Artist AKA "Willy" on the big screen.
I thought the pilot turned out great with solid work by the entire cast. I watched them film a good portion of the show but I was usually distracted by work. I wasn't able to absorb all of their work on set. I made it a point to find the main cast members and praise their work after the screening.
These scouts have been in "Lost Angels", "Marshall The Miracle Dog" and "Airplane Vs Volcano".
Zach hanging with the talented director of the show, Jeffrey Simon.
Our favorite prop from the show. Willy's "Moon Head" from a "Willy's Wild Wednesdays" short.
Not quite sure what's up with Zach's face in this poster.
Direct from the camp in Oregon to the party in Los Angeles!
Zach is looking forward to working on more episodes of "Camp Abercorn". The theme song includes the phrase I used in the title of this post. I think it accurately describes Zach's feelings (as well as the feelings of the cast and crew) about being part of the Abercorn experience:
"Ready To Go!!!"
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