The Stepford Phenomena

Commercial auditions are a weird thing.  I remember being told during the Sears and Switzer TV Commercial Weekend that these were the only auditions where a 20-year Startford veteran could be legitimately competing against the plumber from down the street (or was it a veterinarian?) First of all, leave the resume and headshot at home. You'll have to fill out a form and get your picture taken on location.

The less lines there are to learn, the more people you will find packed into what feels like a very tiny room.  There's a reason they call them "cattle-call" auditions and, the first time around, you will be struck by the fact that so many people in this town look JUST LIKE YOU.  I swear I didn't realize there were so many brunettes who like wearing skinny jeans inside their boots before... Remove any delusions you might have. You, my friend, are not special.

If you are a member of ACTRA, don't forget to sign in with your call time and audition number (meaning is this your first, second, third, ect audition with these people).  This is very important because commercial auditions are one of the few times you can get paid just for showing up.  You get $50 for a callback audition and, if they are running behind schedule, about $75 for every hour past your call time you have to wait.  But you have to sign it all in, otherwise you will not get your money!

Then there's the audition itself.  Every single one I've had so far has been different.  Many of them are in groups, lots seem to involve improv and miming of some sort, and I even had one where they just asked us to say a few words about ourselves.  Sometimes there's food, though not always the product food. One time I was supposed to be wolfing down a sandwich so they gave us plain ol' hamburger buns instead.  My roommate often jokes that they just want comedians for commercials and she's not quite wrong.  They don't usually want actors, they want "real people" (unless it's a beer commercial and then they want models).  And since most people watching TV or online ignore commercials, they usually want something funny that will be memorable and hold your attention.  So they want "real people" with "great comedic timing".

There will often just be one other person in the room, and that's typically the camera guy (or an associate casting person who is also happens to be the camera operator).  The casting director, the director and the "client" usually won't show up until a callback, unless there are no callbacks, in which case they will be there.  And if they are there, they will probably be talking to each other a lot and you will wonder why no one seems to notice you're standing RIGHT THERE.

Chances are you won't be in the room for more than a few minutes.  They will thank you. You will leave.

If you get a callback (Congratulations! Enjoy your $50!), just come back and do the exact same thing you did last time.  As a safety measure, just wear the same clothes too.  The client probably saw a lot of tapes and don't have too much imagination. If they brought you in, it's because they liked something you did the first time around.

Oh and I should have probably mentioned this before, but remember to have fun!

After that, well, I'm not sure what happens after that as I have yet to book a commercial, but I am told it is a very lucrative endeavor, albeit not a very artistically fulfilling one.

And there you have it.  That's the commercial process in a nutshell.  If I missed anything, feel free to add it in the comments section.

Taking a Stand

As previously mentioned, I've been hired as the stand-in for a TV movie shooting in town.  The production is called The Step Son and features Adam Beach and Christina Cox.  I am Christina's stand-in for the duration of the shoot. So, what's a stand-in?  As always, I refer you to the bible of all random information, Wikipedia! For those of you who don't want to click the link, here's the gist of it:

A stand-in in film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting.

Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of production. Lighting setup can be a slow and tedious process; during this time the actor will often be somewhere else. Stand-ins allow the director of photography (DOP) to light the set, the camera department to light and focus scenes. The director will often ask stand-ins to deliver the scene dialogue ("lines") and walk through ("blocking") the scenes to be filmed. In this way, a good stand-in can help speed up the day's production and is a necessary and valuable cast member on a film.

Stand-ins do not necessarily look like the actor, but they must have the same skin tone, hair color, height and build as the actor so that the lighting in a scene will be set up correctly. For example, if the lighting is set up with a stand-in shorter than an actor, the actor might end up having his or her head in relative darkness.

I've done stand-in work in the past (and since I've had a blog for many years now, I realize that I haven't done it in almost four years...), but I've never been the official one for the entire shoot.

Some people think I must have a pretty easy job, and it can be (yesterday we shot a scene where the main actress was laying down on a couch, which means I had to lay down on the couch while the crew set up around me), but it also requires an incredible amount of focus and concentration; like a runner always waiting for the gun to go off. I have to somehow stay out of the way and yet still be present whenever shots are being set up, rehearsed or blocked and pay careful attention to every movement the actors make. I have to be ready to jump in at any moment because the whole point of having a stand-in is to move the production ahead, not make it wait. I also have to have frequent discussions with the hair and wardrobe people so that I know what I should look like (hair up or down/blue shirt or purple cardigan in this scene?) The call sheet lets me know what "day" it is in the movie's chronology and I've started making notes on the actor's appearance at that point just in case we come back to it later on. I've also got a backpack filled with hoodies and sweaters in different colours so that I can quickly slip one on. It can be stressful, but I think it's an awful lot of fun!

The pros of being a stand-in are many. For one thing, I get to be on set everyday working with the director and the DOP. If I do a good enough job, chances are they will use me again for future projects, perhaps even in an actor capacity. In fact, I've seen that happen first hand. A friend of mine was a stand-in on two productions for the same company. By the second film, they gave him a cop role, which gave him one of his first ACTRA credits. Thanks to the union, I get a good paycheck and, if they keep me on set for more than 9 hours (8 hours plus 1 hour for lunch), I get overtime. Not to mention that spending three weeks on set with craft services means that I don't have to buy groceries...

It bears repeating myself from three years ago: being a stand-in truly is the next best thing to being an actor on set. I can't wait to go back for more!

So You Want To Be An Indie Film Star

The call came in. Your audition was spectacular (or your friends just think you're awesome) and you've booked the gig. Ladies and gentlemen, you are going on set! But it's not just any film set! This? Is an independent movie!

Alright, so what can you expect when you are going to be working on an independent film? Well, there are no big budgets and you probably won't be meeting any celebrities once you get there. The crew will probably be small (maybe two guys with a camera and a boom mic?) and chances are the director is also the writer, the producer, the DOP, the camera operator, the wardrobe mistress, the craft services, and the person who drove you there (if you were even lucky enough to get a ride). Also, once your agent and the union get their pieces of the pie, fingers cross you might even have enough left for half your groceries this week. But we're not doing this for the money right? Right.

In all seriousness though, I'm at a point in my career where all I want is to work and this was a union shoot that gets me just one step closer to being a full member of ACTRA. Plus, it was for my friends.

Anyway, here are a few tips to help you make it through your independent film experience with your professionalism reinforced to such a degree that they will be begging to have you back for their next project. Remember, today's low-budget indie-film producer could be tomorrow's James Cameron... or maybe divorced to James Cameron.

Now, chances are your "wardrobe fitting" consisted of one phone call and maybe a request to "bring some pants". Do not be fooled by any kind of laissez-faire (that's French) attitude towards your outfit! Many years of on set experience has thought me that Murphy's Law is always in full effect. Only brought the clothes on your back? They will take one look at you and hate it. Brought a suitcase full of stuff? They will love what you have on.

That said, it is much better to ere on the side of caution. I have a small suitcase which I always fill with everything I need. That includes: 3 or 4 changes of clothing (depending on the part you will be playing, try and vary the styles and colours), a lint brush & Tide To Go pen, my own makeup & hair supplies (just in case there are no hair and makeup people present), a snack & a water bottle (in case they can't afford craft services), a book (being on set consists of a lot of "hurry up and wait") and, of course, the most important item: a positive attitude!

(Actually, I take that back. The most important thing, as your mother will tell you, is clean underwear. You have no idea where or in front of whom you might be changing your clothes. In the past, I've had to change behind dumpsters, in the back seat of a car, and in the middle of a crowded park. Trust me, you want to be wearing clean underwear - why I am assuming most of you don't wear clean underwear, I don't know - because you never know who might see it. Also, as you can see, the life of an actor is very glamorous.)

Corny, I know, but you'd be surprised how far a good attitude can take you. It's quite likely the people you are working for might be inexperienced, working on very little sleep and a bit stressed (Who am I kidding - a lot stressed), so you need to try and make things as easy as possible for them. That starts by not throwing any diva fits. You're also probably in for a long day so be patient with everyone.

The other thing you need to be prepared to do is repetition. And I'm not just talking lines here. I mean repeat every gesture you have just made at the same time every time. You see, the director/producer/camera guy might not know it now because he has got other things on his mind, but continuity is going to be incredibly important once he start editing. If you manage to repeat everything exactly the same way, you will give him a variety of shot options and make his life 20 times easier once he tries to put everything together. I once had a director/editor email me three months after a shoot to tell me how much he appreciates that I did all that repetition.

So be prepared, be professional, and be ready to have fun!

Now please excuse me as I geek out on pictures of myself in costume, on set for Gruppo Rubato's upcoming Airport Security. I had a blast and I can't wait for it to come out!

For a more behind the scenes look at that particular project, check out Kris Joseph's blog series here.

What A Week!

Things were off to a great start last Sunday with the closing performance of BASH'd: A Gay Rap Opera at the GCTC followed by a theatre audition for a company in town. Then I spent some time with a friend and watched Heath Ledger's last performance in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasus, an odd little film in which I learned it's best not to make a deal with Tom Waits. I had taken the time on the prior Saturday to come in and complete the finishing touches on a big project I was involved with at the GCTC. Oddly enough, my boss also decided to come in that day. There really is nothing better than choosing to work overtime and having your boss catch you at it. It's just like How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, only I was really trying. I was then able to take Monday off without much fuss.

It only got better after that. I received a call from a friend. Apparently their non-union film project got approved for union status and would I happen to be available on Thursday for a shoot? (More on this in my next blog post.)

Needless to say, I was super excited to be on set again and even more so when I contacted my union's branch office and found out that I would be getting another apprentice credit for my work. When you start out with ACTRA (The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), you typically begin as an Apprentice Member and you need to collect 6 credits before you can become a Full Member. More details on being an Apprentice can be found here. In the past, only one low budget film could be used towards your six credits. The reasoning being, I guess, that anyone could go out and make their own low budget films and get all their credits. However times change and so do some rules and regulations. I am now only one credit away from Full Member status (and some kind of minimal health insurance coverage!)

Oh and my agent also contacted me to let me know that I would be auditioning for a feature film on the Friday. so who knows, maybe I'm not that far away from Full Member status after all...

Somehow, I managed to do all this while juggling 40 hours of work and the big audience development project we had going on over the weekend. Oh and Thursday was also payday! Gosh, I wish all my weeks could be like that, but right now I am just grateful that everything just came together so well.