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Encouragement

Go For It: But BEWARE!

Encouragement, Getting Started

Welcome back! 

I know I said Go For It…but I had an interesting experience this past weekend, and thought today might be a good time for a cautionary tale!  So I reprise my admonition to Go For It, But BEWARE!

A Tale of Two Castings

As I mentioned last week, I’ve branched out into on-screen acting along with my voice over pursuits.  It’s definitely been an interesting time, and Ive had more success with it than I could have ever imagined.  Who’s have thought a middle aged man would be able to BEGIN an acting career at the ripe old age of sixty?  Not me, that’s for sure.

On top of the background extra work I booked on a Hulu Original limited series (I promise I’ll write more about this later, when I can in accordance with the NDA I signed), I booked two additional jobs for last week, one for the 14th and one for the 16th.  Needless to say I was excited about each of them.

On Thursday I was scheduled for filming at 11AM, and expected to be working till 2130 (that’s 9:30PM for all you non-military types).  Initially, because of the company I was working with, I expected this work to be for a documentary film, but it turns out it was pick-ups for ANOTHER TV series (this tine a NETFLIX original series.  I didn’t find this out till I showed up on set.  I was pleasantly surprised.

Before you start looking for me on NETFLIX, it was extreme close-up work, so my face is not part of the show.  Again, I’ve signed an NDA, so can’t mention the name of the show or who the characters are yet.

Both the Antagonist and Protagonist

The really interesting part of this job was that I would be playing both the antagonist (the bad guy) and the protagonist (the sheriff who is chasing him.  I showed up on set and brought the wardrobe indicated, but soon found that the director/producer in LA had provided the wardrobe for me to wear.  I was given a sheriffs outfit (which looked legit to me!) complete with a badge and gun belt.

Interesting note: The gun belt was completely full of all the paraphernalia you’d expect like a gun, radio, handcuffs etcetera…all rubber.  They definitely LOOKED legitimate enough, but would never pass for the real thing in real life, so I was not likely to get shot by a real policemen thinking I had a real gun if he saw it.

I was also given a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, long sleeved shirt and boots.  I learned these were the actual items worn by the actor in the series.  Kinda cool.

A note about the importance of size cards

If only they had fit.

For any aspiring actors, ALWAYS keep your size cards up to date.  While I was able to get the clothes on and fastened BEFORE dinner, after dinner…not so much.  Part of the issue, I believe, is the clothes (primarily the pants) were not actually the size indicated on the cards attached, they were actually at least one size smaller.

On location…

Once in costume, we got the actual director on the line (Zoom) so he could watch and direct and began filming in their studio.  Well, not an ACTUAL studio, but locations in their office set up for use as a studio.  All of the filming concentrated on my hands/feet and…well…almost anything but my face. We spent several hours in the studio, then a quick wardrobe change, and we headed out to the first on location site.  I’d love to tell you all about THAT site, and maybe in a later post, but…NDA again so I won’t.

I’ll just say that it was more hands and feet. Precision walking sand item handling for me.  I am now a hand and foot actor!  LOL

Professionalism, dedication, talent…

I was working with a local documentary film maker who was subcontracted by the production company in LA to do this pick-up work, DDC International.  I’d like to give them a BIG shout out and thank you for the work.  These guys, Colby and Lance, were consummate professionals and very dedicated to their craft.  On top of that they really knew their trade, and came up with some framing and lighting that blew me away.  If you need any camera work done, or have a documentary you need produced, I couldn’t possibly give them a higher recommendation.

Colby worked like a machine on the camera, and we kept retaking scenes until we got them just right…several times.  His favorite phrase for the day was “OK, one more time for safety”.

Needless to say, my 10 hour day turned quickly into a 12 hour day.  Of course, much of that was driving as we worked at three separate locations throughout the day/night.  We finished up about 2300 (11PM), packed up and headed home.  These guys paid me the daily rate for the acting, a stipend for helping to move and setup up equipment as well as mileage for driving all over the state.  I consider this a professional job, with professional pay.

All in all, while it was a long day and hard work, my day with them was completely enjoyable, and once again I learned a TON about film making.  I sure hope to work with them again some time!

And then, the OTHER job…

Maybe it’s the hazard (or one of the hazards) of online casting sites, but the next job was a COMPLETELY different experience.  I WILL note that I booked the previous gig through an online site, so they’re not all bad.

I applied for a role in a “feature film” to be produced by a local independent film maker.  Some of what ultimately transpired was probably my fault, based on my eagerness to be considered for a speaking role in a feature film, but part of what transpired is a less than forthcoming production company.  I won’t name them here, and I am sure they are not the only ones like this one.

Initial contact…

I reached out through the casting site, sending my head shots and an acting resume, and received a response that they’d like to see me for a supporting role as a “factory supervisor”.  Note that as an independent film maker, this minor role (only 4 lines) would be unpaid, however, I felt the opportunity to be in a feature film was enough, and agreed to meet with them to do my lines.  I mean, it’s only 4 lines after all!

Of course, I emailed back and agreed to do the role.  I received an email directly from the producer/director letting me know that my lines would be provided along with the details I needed at a later date

Preparing for the role…

To prepare for a role, it’s necessary to “build” your character based on what you know about them and the scenes they will be in.  As I’ve learned in my acting classes, the character doesn’t just “show up” in the scene and then cease to exist once the scenes are over.  Each character in a play, movie or TV show, show up on scene with a full life behind them, and some life ahead of them when it is over.  In order to make a character believable in the story, the actor needs to know about their prior life and their plans for the future.

Each scene in a production is there for a reason, and each character has a goal in the scene.  The character’s past life and experiences, along with their relationships to other characters (in or OUT of the scene) and what the scene is attempting to accomplish all color how the character acts in the scene.  As Samuel L. Jackson says in his Masterclass, each character enters the scene coming from somewhere, and exits the scene going somewhere and his actions are controlled by what HE (or SHE) is trying to accomplish in the scene.

If the project is based on some source documentation, like a book or some actual historical event, preparing for the part includes reading source material to get a sense of who this person is.  If it’s a book, the author has given the reader many details about this person that can’t be given in a film, and if it is a historical figure there are likely many documents that talk about what happened and the people involved.  To portray someone as a complete human being with a past and a future, you HAVE to get to know who they are so you can decide how they’d react in a given situation

But, what if there are no source documents?

In the event the character is completely fictional and the project is not based on a book, how do you find the “whole person”?  Well, in a nutshell, the actor makes it up. You read the script to get some clues, then just sit down and write a brief bio of the character, maybe any prior dealings with other characters they interact with throughout the script and just make up a back story that fits how you see them acting.  Knowing this back story well helps the actor know how to play them in each scene and makes them that “whole person” for the audience.  The audience HAS to believe them a real person with a past and a future, or it just doesn’t work.  Think about all the bad shows or even bad characters in a good show you’ve seen, and you can almost always see that it is because the character is too one dimensional.

All that to say…

After I was given my four lines, I started asking a bit about the movie, what was going on and who my character was.  I wanted to be able to portray this person as an tire three dimensional person so that I acted in character based in his experiences and what was going on in the scene.

My lines were pretty easy:

“Rest assured, we’ll get to the bottom of this”

“Get me all the names of the employees who worked 3rd and 4th shift last night”

“I want to see all department managers.  Emergency meeting in 5 minutes”

“I’m not letting this go any time soon”

Pretty easy lines, right?  But it makes you wonder what kind of guy this “factory supervisor” is, and what thing occurred to cause him to say these things.  Also important is who he was talking to in this/these scene(s)?  Is he on the phone?  On the factory floor?  What kind of factory is it (what do they make)?  How in the WORLD can I accurately portray this person if I don’t know these things?

It was all a little surreal…

So, I emailed the director and I asked these questions.  Reasonable, right?  Otherwise the persona I came up with may be WAY off base for the character and what is happening in each scene!  Consequently, I asked for them to set the scene for me, let me know who I am talking to and what event I was talking ABOUT.  I asked for either the entire script of at last the script for the scene I was to be participating in.  I wanted to not only understand what was happening, but also what are my cue lines…when do I SAY these things?  I was excited, and wanted to make sure I did this right so I didn’t look like an idiot in front of the crew and especially in front of the camera!

Red flags…

There were a number of red flags even before I showed up “on set” (and I’ll talk a little more later about why on set ins in quotes here).  First, I was told that they don’t release scripts to the actors (WHY?), that the lines were as the lines were written and I was told to “make them my own”.    I mean, how am I supposed to do THAT if I don’t know who this guy is?  Finally I was told that this supervisor was beat down and felt trapped in his job.  Not much to go on, but OK, something.  I asked about this character so many times, the director had one of the other actors call me to tell me I was “overthinking” this.  Plus (a BIG red flag here that I ignored) I was admonished to say my lines exactly as written, but that we were encouraged to improvise lines.  Sort of mutually exclusive there.

On the phone call I was let in on one of the secrets.  First, this was not a part in a feature film, but a part in a trailer for a feature film that might be produced some day.  There IS no full script, which is why it can’t be released to me.  I should have bolted then and there…but eagerness.

And MORE red flags…

I received several more emails from the producer/director (I keep saying it like that because I was never sure exactly what role they played).  One admonished me to research the part (WHAT?  I’ve been TRYING to do that and you are preventing me!) and even suggested several old movies to use as a guide.  I was also instructed to “Be on time” and understand that masks were required and I may be working alone or perhaps with one or two other actors.  My time was scheduled (1830-1900) on the 16th, and again admonished to “be on time”.  I asked for the address so I could plan the drive to make SURE I was on time (clearly punctuality was important to them!) and was told I’d get that later.  Oddly, I received the location just one day before filming.  Along with that, I was given the wardrobe instruction to “wear back and white”.  Black and white WHAT?  Black pants and white shirt?  Black shirt and white pants?  Black pants with white socks?  I was SO confused and nervous and certain I was going to get it all wrong!

The big day arrives…

On the heels of the work I did on Thursday, I was feeling a lot more confident.  I donned a pair of black jeans, a white button-down shirt, black tie loosened with open collar, black boots and a hard hat.  I should at least LOOK the part of a factory supervisor (although I was still confused about fourth shift…24 hours in a day, and three eight-hour shifts….where did fourth shift come from?).  I plugged the address into Waze, an hour and fifteen minutes, ugh.

Now, a quick note:  My son and his family were visiting from Indian, so this was going to take time away from visiting with them.  But hey, it was 2 ½ hours driving and 30 minutes filming.  So only three hours.  I can deal.

I apologize to my guests, let them know to have dinner without me and jump in the car to go to the gig.  After driving for an hour and fifteen minutes I arrive at..

A Hotel.

Along the way I receive a text letting me know we would be in “Suite 515”.  Hmmm…OK.

Something is NOT right…

I pull into the parking lot of the hotel, And I am feeling some kind of way about this whole thing.  I’m starting to wonder if I’ve been roped into some sort of porn movie (and believe me, you don’t want to see me in a porn movie) or even worse a snuff film, and I am the victim.  Ewwww.

SO I did what any reasonable person would do (NOPE, I didn’t just leave)…I texted home to give my location, the name of the hotel and suite number and let them know to contact the police if they didn’t her from me by 1930.  Smart, right?  At least that way they’ll find my body right away and have a chance to catch the murderer.

Seriously, that’s what I did.

I entered the lobby to find several of the other actors standing near the elevators.  They introduced themselves (one was the guy I spoke to on the phone) and I felt better about it.  So, I texted “It’s legit.  Don’t worry”, and headed to the 5th floor with them.

Then it gets REALLY weird…

As if it wasn’t already weird enough, right!?

We arrive at suite 515, knock and are let in.  Inside are 3 other people, and the scene is set as…a hotel room.  Where the HECK is the factory?  How in the world ae we going to film a factory supervisor in a HOTEL ROOM!?

I look around.  There is no sound or video equipment set up, no props, no crew…nothing.  Just a bunch of people hanging in a hotel room!  And they are filming with (wait for it…)…a hand held GO PRO!  WHAT!!??

I could go on and on about what happened in the next 45 minutes (yeah, I was trying to be patient and give them the benefit of the doubt)…but I won’t bore you with all of it.  Needless to say, it was the least coordinated, least professional, fly-by-night 45 minutes of my life.

I’d had enough…

At 1930, thirty minutes PAST my scheduled “filming” time, when we hadn’t yet gotten to my lines, or even the trailer I was supposed to be in, I looked at my watch and asked “How much longer are we going to be?  I was schedule 1830 to 1900, it’s 1930 and I have a 90-minute drive (I exaggerated a little) and guests at home.”

Apparently, that was the WRONG thing to say!  After being admonished several times about being punctual, and having been kept 30 minutes past my scheduled time without yet being able to perform my lines, I was told “Oh, NO…rule number one is we never ask how long.  We are being creative here and that takes time!”.

I explained (again) my situation, and told, you can stay or go, it’s up to you.

I left.

The moral of the story…

Here is the thing.  I should have recognized all those red flags ahead of time and gracefully detached myself from this “project”.  However, I let my eagerness and desire to be in a feature film outweigh the reservations and clear signs that this was not a REAL job.  I wasted 3 hours of my time and time with my family.  This was a BAD idea.

While I clearly understand the emotions involved here, I would caution everyone to do a little more research than I did and not let your desires to overtake sense and reason.  I had a negative gut feeling and should have followed it.  If things just don’t “feel right”, listen to your instincts and bow out beforehand.  My kids will tell you I didn’t listen to my own advice, given to them over and over again: 1.) Don’t make decisions based on emotion and 2.) If it seems too good to be true, it is.

To my kids, if they ever read this, I say – I am human too.

In conclusion…

Even though this was a bit of a goat rope, and I wasted a bunch of time (and gas), it was still a pretty good learning experience for me.  I learned a little more about what to look for in agreeing to work for people, and gained valuable experience in how NOT to produce a film.  I also re-learned there are predatory people out there who are willing to take advantage of people’s eagerness to work for their own motivations.  As my dad used to say “Experience is the thing you get just AFTER you needed it”.  I’d like to say that won’t ever happen again, but I’m not sure I can say that definitively, but I CAN say it is less likely now, even though it MAY mean passing up a good opportunity due to red flags.

For those of you just getting started, please learn from my mistake.  Again, as my dad used to say, “A smart man learns from his mistakes, a wise man learns from other people’s mistakes”.

Be Wise!

 

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Exciting Stuff!

Encouragement, General, Uncategorized

Welcome back! 

Ever wondered what a career in acting is like?

WELL – my first week as a “retired guy” was busier than all my weeks as a “NOT retired guy” put together, I’m an actor!

OK, if you are expecting a post just about voice over, I’m afraid I will not be meeting your expectations this week.  Pretty exciting stuff going on for me and I just thought I’d share.

Yes, I’m sure that I could be a movie star…

So, as you probably know, I began last year working on starting my voice over business as a retirement gig to keep busy, have fun, and MAYBE earn a little extra income to support my golfing habit.  In an earlier post I mentioned that I’ve retired from my day job as a government program manager as of December 31st.  Retirement ROCKS by the way.  Anyway, I launched as a full time voice over artist as of January 1st 2021, but as a “lark” I also applied for a role as a background extra in an upcoming television series…and LANDED the gig!

I can’t really talk about the show, as I signed an NDA, but suffice it to say it is not an independent project with people you’ve never heard of before.  After several rounds of COVID testing I was finally on set last week and HOLY MOLEY was that a blast!

First, let me just say if you ever thought you might want to be on the set of a TV series or movie, you should definitely go for it.  It’s not considered “serious” acting, but I’ve spoken with several people now who have gone from background to day player and then featured actors in a fairly short period of time.  Of course, you should be able to act, so take a look at last week’s post and get yourself some acting classes first.

Watching the magic happen…

From the minute I arrived at the facility, I was enthralled.  Walking in past wardrobe, with racks and racks and RACKS of clothing of all sizes and colors that was appropriate for the time period of the show.  Into an EXTREMELY large warehouse like space where sets were being constructed for future projects (there was some stuff there from walking dead, so that will give you an idea of the level of professional going on here).  This cavernous space was broken up into smaller areas with tubular metal frames covered in black plastic to provide a break area for the crew, a “holding area” for us background folks and changing rooms for us to get into and change wardrobe.

There was also a cool little area fenced off for the “craft” folks, who were providing drinks and snacks for the cast and crew.  Yep, you got it…free food!  A shame I couldn’t eat most of it because of my Keto diet, but it was still pretty cool.

I won’t give away too many of the details here, because I don’t want to spoil the “magic” of it all, but suffice it to say I’ll never watch television in the same way again.

Acting is kinda like being in the military…

First order of business was to check in with the background production assistant and get my voucher for the day.  As I am non-union I expected a non-union voucher, but much to my surprise I was put on a union voucher for the day.  I didn’t learn till later in the day that being on a union voucher means much higher pay and some real perks.  If you get put on a union voucher, it’s a little like hitting the lottery.

After check-in and getting our required face shield (they are SERIOUS about COVID protocols, which is good), off to the changing area to get into the first costume of the day.  All of this was accomplished in a fairly rushed manner, so that we would be ready when they called us out to the set.  And THEN (and this is where it gets very much like the military), once we were ready…we sat.

And sat, and sat…waiting for the production crew to be ready for us.  Very much a “hurry up and wait” vibe going on.  Thankfully I was used to this after twenty years of service, so I didn’t get as fidgety as some of the other background folks.  In what turned out to be a 12 hour day, we were probably actually on set and acting for about 3 hours.  The rest of the time was spent either in holding or at the staging area waiting.

I’m ready for my close-up Mr. Deville…

Once we were checked in and in costume it was off to hair and make-up.  Yep, I wore makeup!  Honestly, this was not what you see in the movies at all.  Very quick touch ups with a lot of “blotting” to remove skin oils that might shine on camera.  All in all, hair and makeup took about 90 seconds.  Total, not each.  The girls working in this area however, were friendly and outgoing.  It was definitely a fun experience, and I would visit them periodically throughout the long day for “touch-ups”.  They also came out on set to scurry around amongst all the actors between takes.

And then, for a while, nothing…

Again, the majority of the day was spent either sitting in holding or standing in the staging area.  And I mean standing…if you have bad legs or feet, this profession may not be for you.  Even though the actual “work” of the day only lasted about three hours, I was on my feet for the better part of eight hours over all.

Finally, they called for background.  The Production assistant rounded up the number of background actors needed and walked us through a large garage type door into the OTHER half of the huge warehouse space. If I am being completely honest, I was GIDDY with excitement.

The production floor was as large or larger than the area where holding was located, although more dimly lit.  It was filled with sets and props, including several vehicles that I assume would be used on location in outside scenes.  From the outside, the sets looked like unfinished houses.  Just framing and support structures with lights and cables all around.  So MANY cables.

Standing in the holding area amidst the tables full of props was pretty interesting as well.  The show is set in the 90’s, so there were a lot of familiar items sitting around to make the set look like it was in period.  Fax machines (when’s the last time you saw one of THOSE?), phones with actual cables (MORE cables!) and miscellaneous items like lamps and ah trays.  Like a trip down memory lane. It made me think there is a warehouse (or warehouses) somewhere that are full of everyday items people collect for use as props.  Kind of amazing when you think of it, and it’s something you rarely think of.

“ACTION!”

And THEN, you walk on set.  While I’m not permitted to describe the actual set, let me tell you once inside it was like actually being in the rooms they were trying to portray.   All finished, painted, decorated and filled with furniture that fits the era.   It was like taking a step back in time by 25-30 years.  Again, I was in awe.

Just a quick plug for the crew who builds the stages…way to go guys!

So we as background were given our assignments, and placed in “first position”.  Now, when you watch a movie about a movie being made, you always hear the director shout “ACTION”, and while they don’t actually shout, that is an accurate-ish representation as they actually do say “action”.  It’s quite a bit more than that though, and all the production assistants, who are connected via radio all around the set, all repeat back the director’s commands.  Again, kind of like being in the military.  First, they have “roll sound”, where the sound crew begins recording.  There is still a lot of activity going on at this point, so they have a lot of editing work to do afterward in post-production.

The next command you hear is “roll tape”, and all the PA’s repeat “rolling, rolling” into their headsets.  Then, clear the set (or hallway, or office, or whatever room they are filming in) and all the production crew scatters to be off camera.

By the way, if you didn’t already realize it, there are probably three times as many people working the CREW on a set than there are actors in the scene.  And for smaller scenes, where there are just two or three people and no background, it’s even more.

The next command (the one I enjoyed hearing) is “Background”.  This is where all the background actors begin doing what they are supposed to be doing in the scene, followed closely by…yep…action!  Action is where the principal actors begin moving and start saying their lines.

Background…

Interesting thought about background actors.  You never actually “notice” them in a scene, but without them, the scene doesn’t really work.  Next time you are watching television or a movie, just for a minute stop paying attention to the actual scene and loo at the random people in the background.  You’ll see people dressed for whatever is going on in the scene whether it is an office setting, police station, city or rural sidewalk/town.  Even large scenes like the crowd at sporting events or demonstrations etcetera.  These people are all background actors, doing the things random people would be expected to do in that time period and scene.  Now imagine them not there…and the scene JUST doesn’t work.

Imagine a scene, set in New York City, in a coffee shop.  The actor is at the counter ordering from the pretty barista, and behind him yu see people through the shop window going about their daily lives.  Can you even IMAGINE a moment in New York City where there weren’t SCORES of people walking up and down the sidewalk or window shopping?  Some may even enter or leave the coffee shop, or be sitting at a table drinking their coffee.  I don’t know why people don’t take background actors seriously, because without them, no scene really works.  Personally, I will never watch TV or movies the same way again.

Some actors don’t want to interact with the lowly background folks…

Quick fun story of my day on set.  One of the principles first position was the same place as mine as a background actor.  When they arrived at their position, they asked me and the PA to back up to give them space (this is a well-known actor/actress, but not at ALL known to me).  We backed off 2-3 steps, they turned, looked at us, and said “No, around the corner” …so we had to move all the way around the corner.  They then turned and said “I go on ACTION” (as if we didn’t already know that), which was basically an admonition that I should not, as the background actor, go on “background” so as not to interfere with them in the scene. This person  was a bit of a …well, this is a family blog so…butt head.

On the other hand, while standing in line for lunch several of the principal actors arrived and we were asked to step out of line to give them a chance to eat.  One of them wound up standing right next to me, and he looked over, said hello and asked if I was having fun.  Of course I was, and we had a pleasant, but very short, conversation in the lunch line.  Throughout the day, this person made it a point to acknowledge me whenever we were in close proximity.  I asked his name (he LOOKED familiar), he told me and I sadly told him I didn’t recognize it, which made him chuckle.  He asked me if I was working on anything interesting, and I had to confess it was my first day as an actor.  He wished me good luck in my career.

If I ever get to be a well-known actor (highly unlikely, but hey you never know) I hope I remember to be like that second person and not the first.

HOW some of the magic happens…

So, for me, I learned a TON about film making in this single 12 hour day.  Have you ever wondered how they can show two people having a conversation on screen, with the camera on one actor with the shot over the other actor’s shoulder, and they go back and forth during the dialog without seeing the other camera in the shot?  I have wondered that many times, and always assumed the camera was disguised as a prop in the scene.

Well, spoiler alert here…the way they do this is by filming the scene many times over, with different camera angles.  One of the biggest surprises for me was learning that we were going to be shooting this scene anywhere from four to eight times in a row.  Repeating the same actions over and over again.  In between takes, everyone leaves the set so they can reposition cameras, then are called back in to repeat the scene exactly.

Continuity…

Like me, do you watch for and notice “Easter Eggs” in the scenes?  Maybe someone’s collar is turned up at one point and then in the next second, it’s corrected and it’s meant to seem continuous.  I just noticed this in an episode of “Gotham” the other day.  Jim Gordon is exiting a van and while in the van all is well, then as he begins to exit his collar is askew, and as yu see him hit the ground it is back to normal again.  The way this happens is those scenes were filmed multiple times from different angles and then cobbled together in post. Whover did the cobbling, and review and QC missed it.  This is also how a stray Starbucks cup wound up in Game of Thrones.

But I can tell you they try VERY hard not to have these things happen, which is why they are pretty rare.  How do they do that?  I’ll tell you.  Pictures.  They take HUNDRED of pictures of the actors and sets between takes so when they reset it all looks continuous.  Honestly, I wonder how people thought of all this.  At any rate, I was photographed more in that single day than I have been in the five years previous.

I’d definitely do it again…

All in all, this was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.  One day, when the series is released I’ll share with you the name and how to watch it, and maybe you’ll see me in the background doing a bit of acting!  But I absolutely have “the bug” now, I only wish I’d started earlier.  They say it takes twenty years to become an overnight success, and I likely don’t have twenty work years left, so it likely won’t happen for me, but I plan to have a great time while I can.  I’ve actually applied for a background role on yet another series you’d recognize, and am hopeful I’ll get a part in it.  I’ll let you know when I am able.

I’ve also auditioned for several other supporting roles in TV and film.  On January 14th I’ll be filming for a documentary (non-speaking, just background fill during voice over interviews) and a trailer for a feature film on Saturday the 16th.  Not to mention my role as Judge Huxman in the Zoom play “Words That Made a Difference: Brown versus the Board of Education”, set to air Sunday night, January 17th.  If you are interested in watching, the link to the website and pre-registration is below.  Please join us!

 

Website: https://wordsthatmadethedifferencebrownvboard.org/

Pre-Registration Preferred online

https://unityinmarin.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/631559

Email: admin@unityinmarin.org

Cost to stream this film is listed as “0$ to $20”

Conclusion…

Television and movies have always fascinated me.  Being retired and having the opportunity to work on the set of an upcoming television series has been the opportunity of a lifetime.  I hope to continue working in TV and film, along with my voice over work, and encourage you to try if you are remotely interested.  One of my fellow background actors on this show, who is still working full time, said to me at the end of the day “After this, I don’t know how I just go back to work tomorrow!”.  I’m just glad I now have the time to devote to pursuing a career in entertainment.  I can’t WAIT to see what the future holds!

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GO FOR IT!

Encouragement, General

Welcome back! 

Well, it seems I’ve exhausted everything “Getting Started in Voice Over”, and since last week was kind of a “dead” week, this week I’m just going to ramble a bit.  Sit back and relax, no telling where this one might go.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I am recently retired from 40+ years serving with the US Navy.  I’ve spent time reflecting (see: The Legend has RETIRED) about my time with the Navy and trying to get over the idea that I am no longer a part of that illustrious crew.  Now I am looking ahead to finally doing something I enjoy, for ME instead of someone else.

An auspicious beginning

Several years ago, in 2015 to be exact, as an avid audio book listener, I decided “Hey, I can do that” and tried my hand at narrating audio books. I figured this can’t be too hard,  I mean, I can read and I can talk, so why not go for it?  I bought some inexpensive equipment, hung moving blankets from my ceiling and started auditioning for books through ACX.  As luck would have it, I pretty quickly landed several jobs.  Four to be exact.   You can find them through Audible here: Gary Mason’s 4 titles.

One of the very first things I learned about this business is; I was wrong.  It’s actually a lot harder than it seems.  If you took the time to listen to any of the titles I narrated in 2015, thank you.  One thing you’ll notice right away is that they are not awesome.  In particular, the audio quality is horrible.  In the minus column here, I’m not very proud of that work, and I put it out there as an example of how NOT to get started in this business.

However, in the plus column, I DID do it, and I gained some real experience.  I decided to Go For It, and I went for it.

Don’t let fear hold you back

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.” -JK Rowling

For so many of us it is the FEAR of failure that holds us back from achieving our full potential.  As Ms. Rowling points out, if you don’t Go For It out of fear of failure, you’ve failed before even beginning.

So my voice over career had a not too auspicious beginning, and was (at the time) short lived.  As I was not a very good sound engineer and my acting abilities also in question, plus with a major promotion in my day job and a personal tragedy to contend with, my very short lived audiobook narration career was put on hold.

So I took a(nother) break!

Fast forward to 2020.  With a global pandemic happening and everyone getting VERY familiar with programs like Zoom, Skype and MS Teams while working from home…and with retirement looming on the nearby horizon for me personally…I decided to resurrect my career as a voice over artist.  With no “day job” I was going to need something to keep me busy.  I mean, you can’t golf seven days a week after all!

Once again, I was going to Go For It!

And I got some work…

And this time I was going to do it right.  I purchased a Diamond Series Vocal Booth, a professional microphone and interface and a new iMac computer.  I upgraded Studio One and iZotope RX and started looking for a coach.  Along the way I booked another audio book (which will be submitted by the end of January 2021) and produced two professional demo reels.  While this was a pretty significant investment , if I intended to do this professionally after retirement it was imperative that I was treating this as the small business it was and using professional equipment.

Recording the demos was COOL!

Concerning those demo reels, let me tell you that was a mixture of fun and REALLY hard work, culminating in a trip to a local recording studio: BIAS studios in Alexandria Virginia.  MAN, that was an experience!  As my career in voice over grows, I hope to be able to do more in studio work.  If you are looking for a local studio, and happen to be in Northern Virginia, I can’t recommend BIAS any more highly.

And then…COVID!

Restarting this journey in a year when we experienced a global pandemic turned out to be serendipitous for me.  Almost as soon as the decision was made to start getting setup for a follow on career in voice over we all went on lock down and my “day job” sent everyone home to work remotely. Little di I know at the time that I would never return to my office except to pack up my personal belongings and then later turn in my computer and access card.

Although the pandemic was (is) horrible and quite taxing to most people, for me it was a bit of a blessing in disguise.  Without the need to travel to the office 5 days a week, and with flexible working hours, it afforded me the time and opportunity to jump start my voice over work.  During 2020 I was able to schedule coaching and training sessions flexibly and to take some strategic vacation days to record demo reels.  I had time during the day to both practice AND record auditions.

There was some minor success…

Starting in August of 2020, I signed up for several P2P sites and began auditioning, booking 2 animated short films and 3 commercial voice over projects, all while continuing to work full time.  I was also able to explore online training opportunities and connect online with multiple other more experienced voice artists.  All in all, 2020 was a good year for me despite the challenges being experienced around the world.  When life hands you lemons…

Oh, and while everyone else it seems was gaining “lock down weight” staying at home 24/7, I began a Keto diet in November and am now down 20 pounds on top of that.

Not to diminish or discount the suffering COVID has caused, it has certainly been detrimental, even fatal, for many people and I wouldn’t wish a global pandemic on the world, but I can’t really say this situation hasn’t been good for me personally.

Branching out…

Part of the training I began to pursue late in the 2020 is acting classes.  Before I enlisted in the military I was a part of several stage productions in Junior and Senior high school that I very much enjoyed.  Of course, I was too “cool” to admit that I enjoyed it back then, so of course outside of classes I never pursued acting.  Once I retired from the military in 1999 and moved to the Washington DC area, I found a local community theater group and worked on a production of “A Comedy of Errors”.  What great fun THAT was, but alas, it took far too much time and was incompatible with a job whose hours were not set and which required copious amounts of travel, so I did not work on any other theater projects.

What I DID do, though, is discover I still really enjoyed acting.

And a little MORE success…

Since voice acting IS acting, it was time to find an acting coach/teacher to help me improve my game.  I searched lessons.com and hooked up with Scott Olson, a local actor/director/teacher.  As luck would have it, my acting teacher ALSO directs local community theater in Virginia!  After just a couple classes he asked me to read for a couple very small supporting roles in a Zoom style play he was directing!  You can check out the Quarantine Players production of Agatha Christie’s novel “Murder on the Links”.  It was loads of fun to work on this project and I am forever grateful for Scott Olson for the opportunity (and the great lessons as well!).

With a little training under my belt, I began searching the casting sites not JUST for work in voice over, but for local acting opportunities as well.  I searched and found two sites that listed opportunities for actors: Back Stage and All Casting.

And even MORE success!

Through these two sites I was able to find, and audition for, several theater, movie and TV opportunities.  It’s a bit surprising (to me anyway) how many local opportunities are available.  Of course, with COVID, many opportunities are virtual, which of course makes auditioning much easier as it is done through the comfort of your own home.

Unbelievably, I had some pretty immediate success.

Since starting to pursue acting opportunities I managed to book a part in a documentary about Sleep Apnea (which I suffer from), a supporting role in a feature film (which shoots this month in Maryland), a role as a judge in a film being shot via Zoom (Words That Made the Difference: Brown vs the Board of Education) and as background cast on an upcoming Hulu Original limited series that is in production now.   While I can’t talk about the TV show yet, the Zoom film will premiere on January 17th, online.  Details to watch the premier are below:

Pre-Registration Preferred online

https://unityinmarin.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/631559

Email: admin@unityinmarin.org

Cost to stream this film is listed as “0$ to $20”.

What does all this have to do with Go For It?  Well, I think the whole post screams Go For It!

GO FOR IT!

We’ve all heard the saying:

Find a job you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life” (Anonymous)

I’ve actually spent a good deal of time researching that quote, and found that while some people attribute it to Confucius (it really DOES sound like something he’d have said, right!?), what I have found is the first recorded use of the term was by a psychology professor to his class said it while attributing it to “An old timer”.  So no one really knows, hence, anonymous.

And the message itself, while a great thought, is a bit misleading.  It tends to indicate that if you find something you love, that you are passionate about, earning a living won’t feel like work anymore.  In comparison to something you HATE doing, that’s probably quite true, but to suggest that working on something you love doesn’t require a lot of hard work, and sometimes stress and frustration, is just not so.  Absolutely find something you love to do, but don’t expect to not have to work hard at it!

Don’t let your fears, or other people, hold you back: GO FOR IT!

The message here is don’t let your fears, your other obligations and people in your life hold you back from doing something you love to do.  As of this writing I’ve only been retired from my day job for 5 days, and I am ALREADY having the time of my life. I’m working hard, sometimes have tight deadlines and one of the above-mentioned jobs requires me to sometimes drive 100 miles for 10 minutes of work. Yet, I have asked myself nearly every day “Why didn’t you pursue this earlier?”.

Like you, my answer is along the lines of “Well, I’d grown accustomed to a roof over my head and food on the table for my family”. And there is definitely something to that.  We are all acquainted with the term “starving artist”, and that was something I never wanted to be. But now, 40 years down the line, with financial security and more time on my hands I’m FINALLY doing something that makes me happy, and generates a little income along the way. I’ll never be rich or famous, but I’m definitely going to have a blast!

Pursue your dreams: GO FOR IT!

So, to you I say: Go For It.  Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but didn’t for some reason?  Fear of failure? Some other “thing” that makes you believe you could never be successful?  Maybe you feel like you are not attractive enough, or well-spoken enough, or educated enough, or your family has told you it’s not in the cards for you.  Change your appearance, lose that weight, go to the gym, hire a speech therapist, go back to school.  It is in your power to make the changes you need to pursue your passion.

Listen, take it from me, a not terribly attractive, sort of rough spoken member of a family that includes those who would tell me I could never “do that”.  I’ve heard about how the odds of being successful are against me more times than I can count.  Here’s the thing though, those same people telling me that are STILL buy lottery tickets (Note to some family members:  the lottery is NOT a retirement plan!).  And here I am 5 days into “me time” and already feel successful.

If you have a dream, or a passion: Go For It!

 

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know, and  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!

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