Kind of hoot! Found out that a SAG movie short I did as an actor in NYC last year and co-starred in with a name actor and two other wonderful NYC actors, is being exhibited at Cannes Shorts. Not in competition, however. Distributors from several countries have contacted the director/writer about it. He is a talented writer and adapted one of his short plays into a 17 minute HD film. Shot it in several days with some two days rehearsal prior to shooting. He assembled a great, experienced production team, which is most important for something like this. Lots of fun to do.
I also found out yesterday, in the next several months, I’m going to have two readings of two plays. I am happy about both, but I am most happy about the one - a stylized historical comedy - that had received a lot of interest and readings before 9-11-2001. (Oddly prior to that time, though I loved it, I thought it was a play that no one would have any interest in. It is about Greed - the least talked about/ignored/hushed hushed of the 7 Deadly Sins - but it got more attention than anything I had ever written. What do I know?!)
The hero and the villain - and what a villain she is! - are both women. (add ”ess” for those who prefer traditional.) After 9-11, theatres "courageously" dropped it like a hot potato/I pulled it. But now - through a fluke, it is getting interest again. Funny thing is, everything the play had predicted came true and is continuing to be true...which is kind of eerie! The other play, has had some lovely productions, but the theatre wants to do a reading of it. It is perfect age-wise for their company.
Trouble with readings, they are always a gamble. I’ve seen terrific plays ruined by a bad/mediocre reading. They can be like walking a tight rope made out of fishing line. I firmly believe they are the hardest form of theatre for most actors/directors next to an audition. Personally as an actor, I love to do them! If I like the material.
It always amazes me how timid and cautious many actors can be in a reading. They tip-toe and wade in and act afraid of the deep water. Whereas, if you get a bunch of musicians or singers together to work on things, they just jump in, jam away and go for it come hell or high water.
best,
in media res
Last edited on Tue May 22nd, 2007 02:52 pm by in media res
Yes, it is fun, as it was unexpected. Smaller projects - if done with good people - are fun and usually highly creative to do, and you never really know where they will end up.
And the visual and sound quality of them and the adroitness of the young crews and directors and editors is really amazing. The film schools are really doing a good job in their training. I have been very impressed by some of the smaller projects I have worked on.
In one of them, I told the director it has the "best first kiss" I have ever seen on film. It is between a high school boy and girl. Truly touching and wonderful. It won a bunch of awards. Even did one for a high school student when a friend contacted me and it won some awards for him, including the one we were most proud of - "Audience Festival Favorite." All SAG work. He did a film for his college admittance essay rather than a paper essay into a very prominent school. Thought it took a lot of guts...and it did. He was admitted!
FYI - just in case there are any film people out there: Screen Actors Guild has a lot of various low-budget contracts for films of lower and lowest budgets so they can use skilled actors,. They work as much as they can with you and your budget. You will save time and money and effort shooting when you use actors on the set who know what the hell they are doing.
And in the Cannes instance, we had a name actor who wanted to do the project and had the time. We all flew into it with great energy.
But I also have a feature film I am in - a comedy - coming out this summer, that I did some looping for the other day, but I knew that was happening. Think/hope I'll get a few laughs.
best,
in media res
Last edited on Mon May 21st, 2007 06:41 pm by in media res
