SAG Waiver #2

So good news campers!!

Last week I was called in to do some extra work on the upcoming series, The Unusuals.  Its being filmed at Brooklyn's navy yards turned film studio...

Thats right.  Steiner Studios.

SO i travelled to Brooklyn this past monday for background work.  Work which i was called in specifically for.  I got the call on Friday which was a garaunteed SAG Waiver.  A waiver, or voucher, means that for the day a non-union actor is treated like a union member for a number of reasons.  After doing this 3 times you can become a member of the union.  My hair..i think.  So simple.  I was being called in, not really for extra work, but to have my mug shot taken.  I'm going to be a picture in a book that some female victim is looking through.  

My big break eh?

So I don't know when the episode airs, but it was the quickest shoot i've ever been on.  I was there for 30 minutes.  In and out and got a waiver plus SAG wage.  You really can't ask for anything better than that.

So after I was done..I wandered around for a little bit..

This is a morgue set, i believe.  So very cool to see.  An entire room built inside a huge soundstage.

And here is a shot of the very same morgue, from the outside.

And here is the main hallway that connects all the soundstages, Damages, to Unusuals, etc.  Cool to just wander down.

So the travel time to get to and from the shoot took longer than the shoot itself.  But in the end, I am now the proud owner of 2...count 'em, 2 SAG waivers.  1 more to go and then I can shell out tons of cash to get paid higher wages.  And then?  The moon!

It was very fun to just wander around, not something i think they let most people do, but I got to see the inner workings and goings on of a movie studio.  Lots of random people running around with rolls of tape.  And framed pictures of past films like Maid in Manhattan.  Quality stuff there.

Week so far...and PWN

So today was supposed to be a film day.  There is a film noir piece I auditioned for eons ago and it keeps getting pushed back more and more. Today, Much to my relief, was scheduled to be the shoot day.  Yeah.  No.  This production team just can't quite get it together so we're being rescheduled AGAIN.  It looks like now we're shooting for the 27th.  Lets hope.  That's Penny weekend and Penny has priority, so we shall see.

But in other news, A World of her PWN: Episode 3 has gone live today.  That's right today!  This episode features almost all of the cast members so far and was shot on location at the NY Comic Con which was an exciting adventure.

All those people, all those comics, all those half naked Princess Leia's!  (And a good kinda 1/2 naked)

So the episode is up and finished and I'm really proud of all the hard work that went into this.  There were a lot of little bumps along the way, especially the day of shooting.  But we've churned out a really good piece of fun that's not just video game fluff.  There is something to this little episode/series.

You can click on the above link, or watch it here:

Whats next for pwn?  Stay tuned to find out.  I will tell you that this Monday and Tuesday we will be filming episode 4.  I can't tell you what it's about because...I don't know yet!  Haha.  But I do know that the story line will continue, but hopefully be a little more uplifting than the end of Ep 3.  

Again Ep 3...Watch it HERE!!!

And please sign up for the Pwn Newsletter.  Email Fishpasteproductions@gmail.com

Also going on tomorrow (Saturday) I'll be filming a piece with my dear friends Pam Ralat and Amye Lewis on the UWS.  Should at least be an entertaining afternoon.  It always is when we all get together.  The script, written by Pam makes me laugh and actually has a nice sweet genuine quality about it.  So...here is to a fun filled weekend

March Acting Madness

It's March 1st and as I sit here typing this it is snowing up a storm outside.  They are estimating anywhere from 6-12 inches.  I highly doubt 12 but secretly wish for it.

Snow Day!

This coming month will see several projects coming to fruition and the end of a long running serial.  

A world of her Pwn is slowly gaining momentum and episode 3 should be up for the world to see tomorrow morning.  Hooray!   After a little bit of a set back editing wise, I think it came out damn good.

Penny dreadful's last episode airs/performs the end of this month and I'm sadly looking forward to it.  Houdini has managed to hang on to a spot on the cast somehow and miraculously has not died yet.  Of course, Ep 12 will be a bear and full of lots of death a blood and magic I'm sure.

This Saturday I will be filming a short for a friend's student project.  Written by her and produced and directed by her class mates.  The script is great and I look forward to working with this whole crew.

And the noir piece i have been waiting to hear about it finally being filmed in the wee hours of 3/7.  Somewhere.  Waiting for more info.  But this was a piece I auditioned for the week i returned from Florida back in Nov.  About time, right?

And lastly.  

whew.

My web design side business.  I am in the planning stages of 2 sites right now for friends, both of which i hope will be very different, but very exciting.  A page on my website is now dedicated to web design and as i get more under my belt, I'll update this.  For now, it makes me laugh.

Starving Artist Designs.

**and just a little side note, all of these projects will be fully detailed in later posts.  for now..this is a "what to look for in March of '09"**

Video Woes

So I just have to share with this most recent interweb drama.

I have a youtube account, who doesn't really?  I use mine mainly for hosting videos of my work thus far in order to to have them embedded into my website.  Makes sense i think.  Its an easy site to navigate and it lumps similar videos together.

Well the problem I've been having is that a piece that I have posted is a section of a longer piece called Eye Candy.  It was performed at the NY Fringe Festival in 2007.  A big success for us as a company as well as us as artists.  We all had a hand in creating this piece along with our choreographer.  Its my favorite piece so far entitled "At Last."  The music used in this piece is Etta Jame's At last.  

Now you see where the name came from.

Anyway, It's a video of a performance.  And for the performance we had all the legal rights to the songs.  So it makes sense that everything is ok to post a video of a performance.  I'm sure I'm wrong because youtube muted my video.  Sucks Sucks Sucks.  Yes Muted my video because we use Etta James in the piece.  

So this is the video with no sound and it's sad and pathetic.  It's still online but you lose so much without the sound.  I have managed to find a way around this for now and lets hope this works.  I've got it, for now, hosted on photobucket.  So now I have it live on my site again with sound as it was meant to be, but now all my videos don't have a uniform look.

I guess we do whatever we can tog et around things, huh?

All this because of copyright issues.  How are artists supposed to express themselves?  get their ideas across?  If we're being muted.  I am in NO WAY using At Last as a way to make money.  I'm just showing my art.  In a way, isn't this infringing on my right as an artist to bring my thoughts to the world?  Who is the law protecting here.  And where is the leeway?  Shouldn't there be something that allows us to express ourselves more freely?  And lastly for youtube, what about those people that put music on their home family videos.  Can't use it now?  How is that infringing on copyright laws?

Lions and Tigers and Websites, Oh My!

So after much thought and consideration, I've decided that I hate my job. I have a horrible soul sucking day job. Most of us out there trying to make a go at this have a horrible way to pay the bilss. It's a waste of my time, energy, and yes...talent. I'm too good for it. I'll be the first to say so.

I'm an actor, an artist. I like to make things. Some tangible, some...computerized?

After building my own website and learning little things here and there. A lot about photoshop and creating graphics for the site. And a lot about hosting and ease of use. (Yes I think mine is clunky at times. And other times I think its the best....never happy with our own work, eh?) Based on all that, and the ever increasing knowledge I have of web/graphic design, I'm deciding to offer my services to those in need of a virtual place to host their stuff.

I want to help other artists share what they do and what they know. I have already been on auditions where a casting director has mentioned seeing my work online and then deciding to call me in. So, ok, already a benefit to the site there. So I'm putting myself out there. If anyone is in need of a website. Has ideas for one or has no idea where to start. Or if someone just needs help adjusting an existing site, I'm offering my services. How generous, i know.

And keeping with the theme of this blog...and my life, if you are a) actually reading this, and b) would like to talk about a website please contact me here...

Starvingartistworks@gmail.com

And so...I've put myself out there again.

Tell your friends! All the cool kids have a website.

yeah!

EMC Card

Well now, its not quite what you think. Yes its a card. Yes that's me. But its not the official equity card. It like a card-in-training. In order to become union you have to do one of two things.
1. Be cast in a union show where they will elevate your eligibility to equity status.

2. Earn points like a boyscout earning badges. Slow and tedious. (Similar to SAG and their vouchers/waivers)

I am on the latter track as of right now. Thanks to my little Floridian stint doing children's theater I am a proud card carrying member of the Equity Membership Candidate program. In this program you need 50 points in order to join equity. 1 point = 1 week. Do the math. Forever.

The majority of this work can be found in regional theater and tours. NY is filled with experimental theatre and theater companies. Its a lot easier and cheaper for smaller companies to put up non-union work. Usually the bigger companies (tours) will aid in achieving that almighty card because they can afford to, and not everyone wants to pick up and go on tour. You gotta give them some sort of carrot to do so.

So I'm on my way. I managed to gain a good chunk of points while i was in Florida. So now the big question. Sure its a card, and pretty, and blue, but what does it mean?

Well, this card means I'm just a tad above non-equity now. When I go to an equity call, I am guaranteed to be seen before the non-union people. (if I'm seen at all. sometimes the equity line is way too long and all the time slots are filled) And the best perk...I get to use the bathroom. That's right. The equity bathroom. Woohoo.

A World of her PWN, a new webseries!

A world of her PWN!

The past few months have been a little busy with the end of the year, being in Florida and all these little projects bubbling up.  Thankfully its all been good.  One of them being an original web series created by a new production company, FishPaste.

The show follows the life and times of Samantha.  She is a gamer, a journalist, and a daydreamer.  We get to follow her around as she deals with the drudgery of this life as she yearns to escape to a more colorful and computerized world.  Thing scrubs but with video games.  

After the pilot aird we were asked to produce a follow up and i am now, proud to preset that episode.  It is Being hosted at www.escapistmagazine.com and is as of now, part of their escapist show.  We're hoping to break free and have our own featured segment.   So here ya go..we're 8 minutes in.  I hope you enjoy and be on the look out for our next episode coming to you from NY Comic-con 09!