The first night of filming for Masked Man on Saturday was a great night. I had a good time and also learnt a bunch of stuff about acting for film that I've not really had to deal with before.
I discovered some of my weaknesses in terms of film craft. Continuity, for one. In one scene I had a mobile phone on the table which I then picked up and took with me. Only after a few takes did I remember that I should've been making sure the phone was in the exact same position each take. Oops! They did take quite a few angles though so even if the phone jumps around the table a bit between the different takes, they'll be able to hide it in editing.
Of course in a production with an actual budget there would be a continuity person, or at least an assistant or two who would take care of those details, but even then the actor needs to be aware of it.
Similarly, I had to be especially careful to make sure that I matched the same actions to the same line of dialogue. In the first part when leaving the table I had to ask the director to look back over the footage to remember on which word I had stood up. In another part I had to speak while walking from one room to another, and by then I was getting used to the memorisation of position/dialogue so when I got the timing wrong it felt really wrong.
The director didn't give me much feedback on my actual acting so it was hard to know how I was doing. Some moments I felt really good about and others I really wasn't sure. But every time I asked if something was okay everyone seemed happy enough so I guess I was doing okay. One moment I wasn't sure of was a sequence where I opened a door to find a gunman on the other side, who then follows me back inside and shoots me. However after the first take, the director (who was playing the gunman) told the cameraman to come round behind him to get the shot of my face reacting to the gun; he said "I need you to get Sumara's reaction, it's really good." That was very nice to hear. (I hope he was right!)
There was one part where I had to lie on the floor (having just been shot) while the gunman ran past me to chase the other girl. It was a bit of a challenge to lie there with my eyes open and staring blankly while heavy boots stomped right past my head!
Overall I really enjoyed myself. The production team (Powered Productions) are all lovely fun people who just love filming and I got along well with everyone. The screenwriter/actor Kylie made yummy dinner and we mucked around and the cameraman snuck around catching us being silly on camera. It was fun.
There's one more night of filming (this Saturday), and I get to be stabbed to death this time, so that should be fun too!
Monday, 26 March 2007
Wednesday, 21 March 2007
Updateyness...
Ok, sorry. I hate it when people don't update their blogs for ages but I think I'm the worst offender!
It's only because my life is so darn boring!
Ok, no, it's wonderful and fulfilling and a great big exciting Journey of Life. Is that at all convincing?
Anyway...
The casting for the film extra work went fine. It was just a case of filling out the forms and being measured and having a photo taken. One of the requirements was that extras must be prepared to have their hair cut to suit the period - which means pretty short. Sounds fun. It will be a couple of weeks before I hear about that. Keep those fingers crossed!
We've had one rehearsal for Masked Man and shooting starts this Saturday. I'm really looking forward to it. The team are all lovely and friendly and hardworking. They were even happy for me to bring the girls to the rehearsal; they had a great time.
Other than that... losing weight in the lead-up to Easter is just such a lost cause. I am hopelessly addicted to chocolate. I've already had to replace the easter stash for the kids once (doesn't help that Noel's been away so I'm lonely and he's not there to stop me!). Terrible, I know. I'm still doing heaps of exercise though so hopefully there's not too much damage being done.
On the mental/emotional front lately - I've been freaking myself out with how much of my emotional energy has been going into "starting an acting career", to the detriment of my darling family. So I'm going to be trying to not focus on it so much. I figure these kiddos are only small for a short time, and I plan to be alive and kicking for quite a long time yet, so what's the hurry? (I know, I've said things like this before! I occasionally have issues with perspective in life, don't I.) Plus, we maybe want to have another baby next year so basically, that's more important for the immediate future.
I have no plans to stop acting or working or anything. Besides anything else I'm still desperate for paid work of any description (well... not any), but if I can get a little bit of momentum without trying to move too fast, I'll be a happy girl.
Let's see, what movies have I seen lately...
Blood Diamond... loved it. It made me think "this kind of film is why I want to be in films". The story is fairly average and predictable (compelling nonetheless), but the characters are beautiful, and beautifully acted.
Leonardo DiCaprio's accent only had a few irritating moments - he sounded Australian every now and then... but nothing that detracted for more than a second from the character and his story. I admit I was sceptical of all the reports saying Leo's all grown up and improved by leaps and bounds.. but it's true, he has. I actually believed that he was an adult, despite the still-baby-face looks, who had gone through all that history.
Djimon Honsou deserves every bit of praise he's been getting for his role, it's brilliant. I kept thinking how hard it would be as a native African to portray that story. His "devoted father" moments were great but his "unsure partner" moments were even better.
Jennifer Connelly was just your standard charming-American-girl, but you get that. Every film needs one of them, apparently. I did think she and DiCaprio worked together very nicely.
Overall, the film made me cry - a LOT. If you have kids and this film doesn't make you cry, then seriously, you have freaky emotional control. There are some very very disturbing images and sequences - and I was crying not only for the real children that the film depicts, but for the child actors who somehow had to portray all those awful things. I will be very interested to see a "making of" featurette and find out how the children did what they did.
Secret Window ... a Depp one from 2004. Loved it! I love Mort; don't care if he's psychopathic, I love him anyway. Johnny is brilliant in a very understated, everyday way. And John Turturro is wonderful. I'm going to have to start looking up other Turturro films because I'm really liking what I see of him.
My favourite thing about the film is that Johnny did his own driving for the crazy-maniac-reversing-through-a-carpark opening sequence. Loved it.
The Little Mermaid ... (and The Little Mermaid II )... ha, well, I do have two little girls. And their daddy loves to buy them movies! Plus, you can't beat Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian for a lovely little sing-along.
Anyway, I'm going to get back to Harry Potter - that's what's been keeping me away from the computer lately... ah, Harry... and Ron, and Dumbledore, and... etc etc...
It's only because my life is so darn boring!
Ok, no, it's wonderful and fulfilling and a great big exciting Journey of Life. Is that at all convincing?
Anyway...
The casting for the film extra work went fine. It was just a case of filling out the forms and being measured and having a photo taken. One of the requirements was that extras must be prepared to have their hair cut to suit the period - which means pretty short. Sounds fun. It will be a couple of weeks before I hear about that. Keep those fingers crossed!
We've had one rehearsal for Masked Man and shooting starts this Saturday. I'm really looking forward to it. The team are all lovely and friendly and hardworking. They were even happy for me to bring the girls to the rehearsal; they had a great time.
Other than that... losing weight in the lead-up to Easter is just such a lost cause. I am hopelessly addicted to chocolate. I've already had to replace the easter stash for the kids once (doesn't help that Noel's been away so I'm lonely and he's not there to stop me!). Terrible, I know. I'm still doing heaps of exercise though so hopefully there's not too much damage being done.
On the mental/emotional front lately - I've been freaking myself out with how much of my emotional energy has been going into "starting an acting career", to the detriment of my darling family. So I'm going to be trying to not focus on it so much. I figure these kiddos are only small for a short time, and I plan to be alive and kicking for quite a long time yet, so what's the hurry? (I know, I've said things like this before! I occasionally have issues with perspective in life, don't I.) Plus, we maybe want to have another baby next year so basically, that's more important for the immediate future.
I have no plans to stop acting or working or anything. Besides anything else I'm still desperate for paid work of any description (well... not any), but if I can get a little bit of momentum without trying to move too fast, I'll be a happy girl.
Let's see, what movies have I seen lately...
Blood Diamond... loved it. It made me think "this kind of film is why I want to be in films". The story is fairly average and predictable (compelling nonetheless), but the characters are beautiful, and beautifully acted.
Leonardo DiCaprio's accent only had a few irritating moments - he sounded Australian every now and then... but nothing that detracted for more than a second from the character and his story. I admit I was sceptical of all the reports saying Leo's all grown up and improved by leaps and bounds.. but it's true, he has. I actually believed that he was an adult, despite the still-baby-face looks, who had gone through all that history.
Djimon Honsou deserves every bit of praise he's been getting for his role, it's brilliant. I kept thinking how hard it would be as a native African to portray that story. His "devoted father" moments were great but his "unsure partner" moments were even better.
Jennifer Connelly was just your standard charming-American-girl, but you get that. Every film needs one of them, apparently. I did think she and DiCaprio worked together very nicely.
Overall, the film made me cry - a LOT. If you have kids and this film doesn't make you cry, then seriously, you have freaky emotional control. There are some very very disturbing images and sequences - and I was crying not only for the real children that the film depicts, but for the child actors who somehow had to portray all those awful things. I will be very interested to see a "making of" featurette and find out how the children did what they did.
Secret Window ... a Depp one from 2004. Loved it! I love Mort; don't care if he's psychopathic, I love him anyway. Johnny is brilliant in a very understated, everyday way. And John Turturro is wonderful. I'm going to have to start looking up other Turturro films because I'm really liking what I see of him.
My favourite thing about the film is that Johnny did his own driving for the crazy-maniac-reversing-through-a-carpark opening sequence. Loved it.
The Little Mermaid ... (and The Little Mermaid II )... ha, well, I do have two little girls. And their daddy loves to buy them movies! Plus, you can't beat Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian for a lovely little sing-along.
Anyway, I'm going to get back to Harry Potter - that's what's been keeping me away from the computer lately... ah, Harry... and Ron, and Dumbledore, and... etc etc...
Tuesday, 6 March 2007
Good news!
Ok, I finally have some actual news about some actual progress!
I scored a lead role in an amatuer short film called "Masked Man". I get to die - twice! (one death is a dream). That's shooting towards the end of March. If nothing else, it'll be a decent bit of acting to put on my showreel.
~~~~~~~~
I'm a bit excited about this one - I have a casting this week for extra work on a pretty big film in Sydney. Yay! As I said ages ago I was resisting doing extra stuff but this is one of Australia's biggest upcoming films, and plus, I need to start doing pretty much anything to get some paid work. Cross all your fingers and toes for me because this would be an awesome opportunity to experience a big-budget film set in action.
I still don't have an agent so I was very lucky to get a casting. I emailed the casting guy directly and hassled him, politely of course, a few times for information. Just call me Miss Assertive. If they like me they're going to refer me to one of the agencies they deal with. Keep those fingers and toes crossed!
~~~~~~~~
I went to a meeting last night of a "Working Actor's Group" at my old drama college (Wesley Institute in Drummoyne). There was an agent there I was keen to meet, Elvis Joseph. The organiser, my gorgeous friend Sarah, and I were the only ones to turn up but we managed to talk with Elvis for almost 3 hours about marketing, headshots, CVs, agencies, the current state of film in Sydney, and Christian film which Elvis is currently researching. A lot of it was very helpful and I got some good feedback on my current headshot (which is great because I'm getting new ones done very soon).
Sarah and I had a bit of a play in front of a camera, seeing which was our "best side" and the ways different angles look. I reckon my right three-quarters (halfway between front-on and profile) looks best. But overall I was a bit shocked. The camera really does add 10 pounds, as they say, and I felt really fat and ugly - especially compared to waify thin Sarah. Normally I'm quite happy with how I look, but I have been trying to lose weight and I have about 10kg to go to my "ideal weight". Hopefully the camera will like me more (or I'll like myself on camera more!) then. It was good motivation though - I dragged out the old aerobics DVD this morning and did two workouts today. Watch this space for the return of the old skinnier me!
I scored a lead role in an amatuer short film called "Masked Man". I get to die - twice! (one death is a dream). That's shooting towards the end of March. If nothing else, it'll be a decent bit of acting to put on my showreel.
~~~~~~~~
I'm a bit excited about this one - I have a casting this week for extra work on a pretty big film in Sydney. Yay! As I said ages ago I was resisting doing extra stuff but this is one of Australia's biggest upcoming films, and plus, I need to start doing pretty much anything to get some paid work. Cross all your fingers and toes for me because this would be an awesome opportunity to experience a big-budget film set in action.
I still don't have an agent so I was very lucky to get a casting. I emailed the casting guy directly and hassled him, politely of course, a few times for information. Just call me Miss Assertive. If they like me they're going to refer me to one of the agencies they deal with. Keep those fingers and toes crossed!
~~~~~~~~
I went to a meeting last night of a "Working Actor's Group" at my old drama college (Wesley Institute in Drummoyne). There was an agent there I was keen to meet, Elvis Joseph. The organiser, my gorgeous friend Sarah, and I were the only ones to turn up but we managed to talk with Elvis for almost 3 hours about marketing, headshots, CVs, agencies, the current state of film in Sydney, and Christian film which Elvis is currently researching. A lot of it was very helpful and I got some good feedback on my current headshot (which is great because I'm getting new ones done very soon).
Sarah and I had a bit of a play in front of a camera, seeing which was our "best side" and the ways different angles look. I reckon my right three-quarters (halfway between front-on and profile) looks best. But overall I was a bit shocked. The camera really does add 10 pounds, as they say, and I felt really fat and ugly - especially compared to waify thin Sarah. Normally I'm quite happy with how I look, but I have been trying to lose weight and I have about 10kg to go to my "ideal weight". Hopefully the camera will like me more (or I'll like myself on camera more!) then. It was good motivation though - I dragged out the old aerobics DVD this morning and did two workouts today. Watch this space for the return of the old skinnier me!
Wednesday, 28 February 2007
Aarrrgghh!
I'm so annoyed! I just want to tell the whoel institution that is The Media to stick it. somewhere nasty.
Why, you ask? Well, of course, there are about a kazillion reasons for wanting the media to shut up, but the current one is the announcment I just heard on the news...
"Stripped bare... rave reviews for Harry Potter's daring stage debut."
followed by " Harry Potter is all grown up" and a couple of minutes talking about Daniel Radcliffe (yes they did eventually get around to using his actual name) in the play Equus,a dn how he smokes and appears nude. Not one mention of the other star of the play (Richard Griffiths), supporting castmembers, or even the plot!
Now I'm sure this was all expected and I'm sure Radcliffe and the cast are dealing with it graciously. But geez louise, I'm so sick of hearing "Harry Potter" this and "Harry Potter" that, as if he's not just a fictional character reappearing every couple of years. If the media keep up all this craziness, it's sure going to be painful when all the films are finsihed and Radcliffe et al start doing other films.
Craziness.
Why, you ask? Well, of course, there are about a kazillion reasons for wanting the media to shut up, but the current one is the announcment I just heard on the news...
"Stripped bare... rave reviews for Harry Potter's daring stage debut."
followed by " Harry Potter is all grown up" and a couple of minutes talking about Daniel Radcliffe (yes they did eventually get around to using his actual name) in the play Equus,a dn how he smokes and appears nude. Not one mention of the other star of the play (Richard Griffiths), supporting castmembers, or even the plot!
Now I'm sure this was all expected and I'm sure Radcliffe and the cast are dealing with it graciously. But geez louise, I'm so sick of hearing "Harry Potter" this and "Harry Potter" that, as if he's not just a fictional character reappearing every couple of years. If the media keep up all this craziness, it's sure going to be painful when all the films are finsihed and Radcliffe et al start doing other films.
Craziness.
Blow
I watched this last week, so I shall try to remember what I loved about it.
I think this was one of Johnny Depp's best performances (well, of those I've seen which is probably just over half of his films). It's more of a typical-Hollywood-leading-man role than many of his other characters, and he does it so darn well. One of Depp's great strengths, I think, is his ability to move his character through time, to portray a long timeline of a character's life as they age - keeping the essence of the character but changing in those subtle and varied ways that people do as they age. And if you try to ignore the not-so spectacular old-man makeup, the last part, as an older George Jung is prison, is beautiful.
Penelope Cruz impressed me too. It's not easy to play someone who's always stoned with resorting to boring cliches, but she did it well. I really liked her character but I didn't feel sorry for her, which is good I think because it menas they just told the story as it is, without trying to impose feelings on the audience.
All the supporting cast members were great, the characters all played their part and all meant something to the story as well as emotionally.
Anyway, yes, I loved it.
Plus: Johnny with blonde hair. What is there not to like?
I think this was one of Johnny Depp's best performances (well, of those I've seen which is probably just over half of his films). It's more of a typical-Hollywood-leading-man role than many of his other characters, and he does it so darn well. One of Depp's great strengths, I think, is his ability to move his character through time, to portray a long timeline of a character's life as they age - keeping the essence of the character but changing in those subtle and varied ways that people do as they age. And if you try to ignore the not-so spectacular old-man makeup, the last part, as an older George Jung is prison, is beautiful.
Penelope Cruz impressed me too. It's not easy to play someone who's always stoned with resorting to boring cliches, but she did it well. I really liked her character but I didn't feel sorry for her, which is good I think because it menas they just told the story as it is, without trying to impose feelings on the audience.
All the supporting cast members were great, the characters all played their part and all meant something to the story as well as emotionally.
Anyway, yes, I loved it.
Plus: Johnny with blonde hair. What is there not to like?
Sunday, 25 February 2007
My Oscar Predictions
I honestly don't care much for the Oscars, but I have nothing else to talk about lately, so, just for fun... let's see how right or wrong I am...
Actor, leading role: Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond
Actor, supporting: Djimon Honsou, Blood Diamond
Actress, leading role: Penelope Cruz, Volver
Actress, supporting: either Cate Blanchett, Notes on A Scandal, or Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Directing: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Best Motion Picture: either The Queen or The Departed
Animated Film: Happy Feet
Art Direction: either Dead Man's Chest or Pan's Labyrinth
Cinematography: Children of Men
Costume Design: Marie Antoinette
Best Documentary: An Inconvenient Truth
Visual Effects: Dead Man's Chest
Adapted Screenplay: William Monahan, The Departed
Screenplay: Guillermo Arriaga, Babel
The rest of the categories I don't know enough about to hazard a guess... but let's hope Saviour from AFTRS wins Live Action Short Film. That would be cool.
EDIT - Well, I got 8 right! (If you count the ones I had two options for!) Here is the list of winners. And check out the "Thank You CAM" where winners have to deliver their thank you speech - backstage I think it is, with dozens of people milling around getting in the way - how NOT classy is that?! Ah well... I guess the Oscars were classy once upon a time...
I saw Rocky Balboa last night. I was surprised by how much I liked it. It's a really great film and about so much more than boxing (which, I guess, all the Rockys were supposed to be...) Together with Million-Dollar Baby, which I watched a couple of weeks ago, it's made me want to take up boxing! (ok, well, not really... but I do sometimes really want to punch people and it would be cool to be able to do it properly, yes?) Anyway, Rocky sure is a great character and the film was an excellent "goodbye" for him.
Actor, leading role: Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond
Actor, supporting: Djimon Honsou, Blood Diamond
Actress, leading role: Penelope Cruz, Volver
Actress, supporting: either Cate Blanchett, Notes on A Scandal, or Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Directing: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Best Motion Picture: either The Queen or The Departed
Animated Film: Happy Feet
Art Direction: either Dead Man's Chest or Pan's Labyrinth
Cinematography: Children of Men
Costume Design: Marie Antoinette
Best Documentary: An Inconvenient Truth
Visual Effects: Dead Man's Chest
Adapted Screenplay: William Monahan, The Departed
Screenplay: Guillermo Arriaga, Babel
The rest of the categories I don't know enough about to hazard a guess... but let's hope Saviour from AFTRS wins Live Action Short Film. That would be cool.
EDIT - Well, I got 8 right! (If you count the ones I had two options for!) Here is the list of winners. And check out the "Thank You CAM" where winners have to deliver their thank you speech - backstage I think it is, with dozens of people milling around getting in the way - how NOT classy is that?! Ah well... I guess the Oscars were classy once upon a time...
I saw Rocky Balboa last night. I was surprised by how much I liked it. It's a really great film and about so much more than boxing (which, I guess, all the Rockys were supposed to be...) Together with Million-Dollar Baby, which I watched a couple of weeks ago, it's made me want to take up boxing! (ok, well, not really... but I do sometimes really want to punch people and it would be cool to be able to do it properly, yes?) Anyway, Rocky sure is a great character and the film was an excellent "goodbye" for him.
Friday, 23 February 2007
Romantic-esque-ness in Sydney
I went all the way into Circular Quay today to do a commercial proposal for a freelance director/photographer type person. It was fun. It was another montage type deal, so the scene was very quick but far more interesting than that last one I did. The theme was about Sydney being a romantic city and my scene was to laugh with and kiss a guy.
Yes, my first screen kiss. Oh the excitement. Ha ha. I was actually quite nervous and so was the lovely Josh, but once we started shooting it was easy and fun. We had to do, oh, at least 10 takes (director couldn't decide on angle and shot size) and after a few it was getting pretty funny. We both got the giggles at one stage - yes, terribly professional I know! Plus, I was taller than Josh, so I had to take my shoes off and bend my knees a little, so it was really quite funny. The concrete was burning hot so in between takes I was jumping up and down and running to stand on my shoes.
People kept stopping to watch (we were right near the Opera House so lots of tourists), and there was this one old guy that stood and watched the whole time. Weirdness.
Then there were a couple of shots for a different scene, just close ups of my face and hands. It was a good day, met nice people and it only took a bit over an hour. Plus, the director/photographer girl is going to give me a good deal on photography for my headshots (my mother in law has offered to help pay for them so I should be able to get them done in the next month or so. Yay!) and she's got other projects coming up that she might want me for.
So, let's hope that the companies involved love these ad proposals and decide to go ahead, PAY for them and put them on TV! *crossed fingers*
Yes, my first screen kiss. Oh the excitement. Ha ha. I was actually quite nervous and so was the lovely Josh, but once we started shooting it was easy and fun. We had to do, oh, at least 10 takes (director couldn't decide on angle and shot size) and after a few it was getting pretty funny. We both got the giggles at one stage - yes, terribly professional I know! Plus, I was taller than Josh, so I had to take my shoes off and bend my knees a little, so it was really quite funny. The concrete was burning hot so in between takes I was jumping up and down and running to stand on my shoes.
People kept stopping to watch (we were right near the Opera House so lots of tourists), and there was this one old guy that stood and watched the whole time. Weirdness.
Then there were a couple of shots for a different scene, just close ups of my face and hands. It was a good day, met nice people and it only took a bit over an hour. Plus, the director/photographer girl is going to give me a good deal on photography for my headshots (my mother in law has offered to help pay for them so I should be able to get them done in the next month or so. Yay!) and she's got other projects coming up that she might want me for.
So, let's hope that the companies involved love these ad proposals and decide to go ahead, PAY for them and put them on TV! *crossed fingers*
Wednesday, 21 February 2007
Wuthering Heights
*sigh*
No, not one of the half-million Wuthering Heights films. I just finished reading the book. Goodness, it's a good one, isn't it?
I read it years and years ago and had forgotten most of the story so it was such a pleasant surprise to read it again. I was particularly surprised by how much I dearly cared for Heathcliff by the end. Just imagine a love so strong in a man so crazy!
In the various films' threads on IMDB there's endless discussion of which actor could play Heathcliff if they made it agian today. Suggestions range from Daniel Day Lewis to Orlando Bloom to Joaquin Phoenix... Johnny Depp... Colin Firth... Hugh Jackman... Heath Ledger... hmm, I don't know about any of those. I think Depp could have done it 5 or 10 years ago but he is starting to age a bit now (finally!). I think Orlando as Heathcliff would make me laugh (but you never know!). Heath Ledger's an interesting idea.
As for Cathy, apparently there are rumours around that Angelina Jolie was interested.... um, no. Not good. Besides, dear Cathy dies at about 19, so you need someone pretty young don't you. (I'll do it! Pick me, pick me!) I can't think of anyone.
Any ideas?
No, not one of the half-million Wuthering Heights films. I just finished reading the book. Goodness, it's a good one, isn't it?
I read it years and years ago and had forgotten most of the story so it was such a pleasant surprise to read it again. I was particularly surprised by how much I dearly cared for Heathcliff by the end. Just imagine a love so strong in a man so crazy!
In the various films' threads on IMDB there's endless discussion of which actor could play Heathcliff if they made it agian today. Suggestions range from Daniel Day Lewis to Orlando Bloom to Joaquin Phoenix... Johnny Depp... Colin Firth... Hugh Jackman... Heath Ledger... hmm, I don't know about any of those. I think Depp could have done it 5 or 10 years ago but he is starting to age a bit now (finally!). I think Orlando as Heathcliff would make me laugh (but you never know!). Heath Ledger's an interesting idea.
As for Cathy, apparently there are rumours around that Angelina Jolie was interested.... um, no. Not good. Besides, dear Cathy dies at about 19, so you need someone pretty young don't you. (I'll do it! Pick me, pick me!) I can't think of anyone.
Any ideas?
Thursday, 15 February 2007
Ponderings on the future of film... etc...
I just read this post by John August (the screenwriter of Go, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory... and I'm not sure what else...), about the new technologies in entertainment and the possibilities of writing films specifically for 2-inch screens such as iPods, mobile phones etc.
This comment literally brought anxious tears to my eyes. The idea that large-format film could fall by the wayside, cast off in favour of miniature technology and short attention-spans totally freaks me out. Not only because I want to make a career out of said film, but because... well, can you imagine *not* seeing movies at the cinema? Imagine the largest screen available being your own TV, imagine spending hours staring at a screen so small it might as well be Elmo's Let's-Pretend Movie Theatre.
Now, I am biased I guess because I dont have an iPod, never used one. I only use my mobile phone for making phone calls (oh and occasional photography when I've forgotten the camera) and YouTube actually kinda annoys me. But hey, I reckon there are plenty of people just like me who can't bear the thought of even fewer great films than we get now.
I am greatly comforted by the fact that live theatre still exists, and flourishes in some ways - in fact seems to be growing again in popularity, so it's fairly unreasonable to think that film as we know it would disappear completely. I can see it reducing somewhat to a more "arty" pastime, much as live theatre is now - for the more wealthy and/or artistically-minded people.... but that sounds good to me! I can live with that.
This comment literally brought anxious tears to my eyes. The idea that large-format film could fall by the wayside, cast off in favour of miniature technology and short attention-spans totally freaks me out. Not only because I want to make a career out of said film, but because... well, can you imagine *not* seeing movies at the cinema? Imagine the largest screen available being your own TV, imagine spending hours staring at a screen so small it might as well be Elmo's Let's-Pretend Movie Theatre.
Now, I am biased I guess because I dont have an iPod, never used one. I only use my mobile phone for making phone calls (oh and occasional photography when I've forgotten the camera) and YouTube actually kinda annoys me. But hey, I reckon there are plenty of people just like me who can't bear the thought of even fewer great films than we get now.
I am greatly comforted by the fact that live theatre still exists, and flourishes in some ways - in fact seems to be growing again in popularity, so it's fairly unreasonable to think that film as we know it would disappear completely. I can see it reducing somewhat to a more "arty" pastime, much as live theatre is now - for the more wealthy and/or artistically-minded people.... but that sounds good to me! I can live with that.
Saturday, 10 February 2007
who needs guns...
Okay after my big rant in my last post about guns and children shooting each other with them... I suddenly remembered that this stabbing, with a small knife, happened at a high school near me this week. The 16-yr-old boy was not killed but required emergency surgery.
Wow. My brother and my husband attended that school.
See, these are the kinds of things about which Aussies say "only in America..." Whoops. No longer only in America hey. Scary stuff.
Wow. My brother and my husband attended that school.
See, these are the kinds of things about which Aussies say "only in America..." Whoops. No longer only in America hey. Scary stuff.
Bowling for Columbine
Sorry I haven't posted all week. I've been stuck in a bit of an "I'm such a failure and I'm not getting anywhere" kind of funk, so obviously I haven't had anything constructive to say.
On Thursday I went into Paddington for a "featured extra" role for a student short, and boy was that frustrating. 2 hours to get there, half an hour to park, 10 minutes doing make up for.... wait for it.... 2 seconds! of shooting. It was like a montage scene of various people wearing these certain t-shirts with slogans so each of us only had to stand and look at the camera for 2 seconds and that was it.
*sigh* Definitely no more freebies for minor parts.
Anyway. Watched Bowling for Columbine a few nights ago. I'd seen bits and pieces of it before but not the whole film through. It's a powerful documentary because it raises questions, offers *possible* answer, but hinestly doesn't answer them. Michael Moore is seemingly left with no idea why the USA has so many more gun-related deaths than any other country and he's happy to admite he really doens't know. I think he just wishes some more people in power would try to figure out the answer.
The opinions of the gun owning people were pretty frustrating. It seemed that their only reason for owning several guns (as opposed to one for self defence) was "it's my right". Whcih is a really stupid reason. Of course it's your right. It's also your right to do handstands on your roof and eat your dinner off the floor... and any other number of ridiculous things, but you don't see people doing all that just because they can, do you? Nutters.
I was particularly unimpressed with Charlton Heston. The man has the sensitivity of a lump of dirt. He held NRA gun rallies in the Columbine area and in Flint, Michigan, both within weeks of very disturbing gun deaths in both places. He didn't apologise for that, nor would he admit that it was an insensitive way to treat grieving local people.
I just don't know how you can hear about a 6-year-old boy shooting one of his classmates (that's what happened in Flint), and still think that it's okay to have guns in a family home. The idea of everyone having a gun is just so foreign to me that I can't comprehend the thinking behind it.
Anyway sorry, I wasn't going to start ranting about guns n stuff.
Bowling for Columbine was an awesome doco and I'm glad Moore made it. I only wish someone could find the sense and the answers in all those questions.
On Thursday I went into Paddington for a "featured extra" role for a student short, and boy was that frustrating. 2 hours to get there, half an hour to park, 10 minutes doing make up for.... wait for it.... 2 seconds! of shooting. It was like a montage scene of various people wearing these certain t-shirts with slogans so each of us only had to stand and look at the camera for 2 seconds and that was it.
*sigh* Definitely no more freebies for minor parts.
Anyway. Watched Bowling for Columbine a few nights ago. I'd seen bits and pieces of it before but not the whole film through. It's a powerful documentary because it raises questions, offers *possible* answer, but hinestly doesn't answer them. Michael Moore is seemingly left with no idea why the USA has so many more gun-related deaths than any other country and he's happy to admite he really doens't know. I think he just wishes some more people in power would try to figure out the answer.
The opinions of the gun owning people were pretty frustrating. It seemed that their only reason for owning several guns (as opposed to one for self defence) was "it's my right". Whcih is a really stupid reason. Of course it's your right. It's also your right to do handstands on your roof and eat your dinner off the floor... and any other number of ridiculous things, but you don't see people doing all that just because they can, do you? Nutters.
I was particularly unimpressed with Charlton Heston. The man has the sensitivity of a lump of dirt. He held NRA gun rallies in the Columbine area and in Flint, Michigan, both within weeks of very disturbing gun deaths in both places. He didn't apologise for that, nor would he admit that it was an insensitive way to treat grieving local people.
I just don't know how you can hear about a 6-year-old boy shooting one of his classmates (that's what happened in Flint), and still think that it's okay to have guns in a family home. The idea of everyone having a gun is just so foreign to me that I can't comprehend the thinking behind it.
Anyway sorry, I wasn't going to start ranting about guns n stuff.
Bowling for Columbine was an awesome doco and I'm glad Moore made it. I only wish someone could find the sense and the answers in all those questions.
Monday, 5 February 2007
Back online.
I've been absent in the Land of Broken Computer. Sorry. But it's all better now. I haven't been up to anything exciting anyway so nobody's missed anything.
While the computer was off, though, I read Shantaram, and about half of Wuthering Heights. I LOVE Shantaram. I can't even describe it; it's just beautiful, beautiful writing and such a compelling story. I thought at first it was an actual autobiography but apparently it's a fiction based on Gregory David Roberts' real life. Brillliant novel. Definitely read it if you can.
I've been wondering, though, how they'll get it into a film. It's 930 pages and I can't easily think of which sections they could leave out... but I'm sure they'll manage. GDR is co-writing the screenplay himself so I'm sure he'll figure out which parts are most important.
Acting-wise I haven't done anything lately. I've applied for a role in a film (not sure if it's a short or a feature) in Sydney but the auditions haven't been announced yet. I helped at a playreading as "stage manager" on the weekend for a group who want to put on a musical. They're hoping to sell to somewhere like Riverside or Glenn St for their subscription seasons. If that gets off the ground it'll be proper paid work so hopefully it will.
I've been applying for millions of part time jobs, waitressing and housekeeping and such. No luck so far. *sigh* REALLY need some cash.
Okay, to make up for the week's lack of posting, here's a really long (potentially very boring but hey, I like weird details about people, so why not...) questionnairre... got it from Connor...
1. Is your second toe longer than your first? nope
2. Do you have a favorite type of pen?nope
3. Look at your planner for March 14, what are you doing? taking T to preschool.
4. What color are your toenails usually? toenail colour.
5. What was the last thing you highlighted? ads in the positions vacant section of the local paper.
6. What color are your bedroom curtains? we have awful apricot-ish holland blinds.
7. What color are the seats in your car? grey I think.
8. Have you ever had a black and white cat? nope.
9. What is the last thing you put a stamp on? a letter to the debt recovery office! (for noel's parking fine)
10. Do you know anyone who lives in Wyoming? Not that I know of.
11. Why did you withdraw cash from the ATM the last time? groceries.
12. Who is the last baby that you held? If two-year-olds count as babies, then my daughter B. If not, I can't remember... I don't tend to hold other people's babies.
13. Do you know of any twins with rhyming names? Nope.
14. Do you like Cinnamon toothpaste? Never had it but I think I would hate it.
15. What kind of car were you driving 2 years ago? none. I'd just had an emergency caesarean.
16. Pick one: Miami Hurricanes or Florida Gators. Are they sports teams or ways to die?
17. Last time you went to Six Flags? I wonder what Six Flags is.
18. Do you have any wallpaper in your house? Nope.
19. Closest thing to you that is yellow: stripes on my shirt and beads on my bracelet.
20. Last person to give you a business card? Real estate agent. Ages ago.
21. Who is the last person you wrote a check to? I don't think I've ever written a cheque.
22. Closest framed picture to you? a picture with two people drinking tea with text: "Friends. Hold a true friend with both your hands".
23. Last time you had someone cook for you? Ha! Mum cooked for B's birthday last week.
24. Have you ever applied for welfare? I've been on Austudy when I was at uni and now that I have kids I get family tax benefit. Is that welfare?
25. How many emails do you have? Who would know that sort of thing?
26. Last time you received flowers? Last week. Mum brought them.
27. Do you think the sanctity of marriage is meant for only a man & woman? Honestly undecided but leaning towards no.
28.What happened to #28?
29. Do you play air guitar? Nope. But I play air piano, saxophone, drums and microphone. Not all at once, that would look weird.
30. Do you take anything in your coffee? Coffee is evil.
31. Do you have any Willow Tree figurines? No but Noel has "Father and Daughter" and B has "angel of prayer".
32. What is your high school's rival mascot? Whaddya think I am? American?
33. Last person you spoke to from high school? Jocelyn!
34. Last time you used hand sanitizer?About 6 years ago when my American friend M brought some to uni.
35. Would you like to learn to play the drums? Oh yes.
36. What color are the blinds in your living room? Same horrible apricot-ish as the bedroom one.
37. What is in your inbox at work? Work? huh?
38. Last thing you read in the newspaper? Positions Vacant.
39. What was the last pageant you attended? see question 32.
40. What is the last place you bought pizza from? Macquarie Pizza.
41. Have you ever worn a crown? Yes. I played the Queen of he Night in Snow White once.
42. What is the last thing you stapled? goodness knows.
43. Did you ever drink clear Pepsi? huh?
44. Are you ticklish? Yes. You seriously don't wanna go near my feet!
45. Last time you saw fireworks?Last week, at the school across the road.
46. Last time you had a Krispy Kreme doughnut?at least a year ago.
47. Who is the last person that left you a message? My Avon region manager.
48. Last time you parked under a carport? years ago.
49. Do you have a black dog? nope.
50. Do you have any pickles in your fridge? nope.
51. Are you an aunt or uncle? yes. my nephew is one week younger than my B.
52. Who has the prettiest eyes that you know of? my daughters.
53. Last time you saw a semi truck?My husband drives one.
54. Do you remember Ugly Kid Joe? I remember the name.
55. Do you have a little black dress? yes.
**Fav-ology**
What is your salad dressing of choice? anything'll do.
What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Well, the best of a bad bunch would be Macca's I guess.
What is your favorite sit down restaurant? I dunno.
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? chocolate.
What are your pizza toppings of choice? chicken, mushrooms, pineapple, spinach, cheese, tomato.
What do you like to put on your toast? margarine, vegemite, jam, peanut butter, creamed honey.
What is your favorite type of gum? Extra spearmint.
**TECHN-OLOGY**
Number of contacts in your cell phone? heaps.
Number of contacts in your email address book ?heaps.
What is your wallpaper on your computer? Photos of Noel riding his mountain bike through a stream.
What is your screensaver on your computer? basic black.
How many televisions are in your house? Two, but one is under a pile of stuff and not plugged in.
What kitchen appliance do you use the least? electric juicer.
**BI-OLOGY**
Are you right handed or left handed? yes.
Do you like your smile? I like all smiles.
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? My babies. By caesarean.
Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? touch. or smell.
When was the last time you had a cavity? Never.
What is the heaviest item you lift regularly? my 4-year-old.
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Yes. by a telegraph pole, it jumped out in front of my bike.
**MISC-OLOGY**
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?No.
If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? I wouldn't, but I would change my surname if it wouldn't upset people.
How do you express your artistic side? I just do.
What color do you think you look best in? Blue or yellow.
How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison? As long as I needed to.
Have you ever swallowed a non-food item? Probably.
How often do you go to church? every few months.
Have you ever saved someone's life? not that I know of.
Has someone ever saved yours? Well the doctors who recommended my first caesarean thought they were, but I beg to differ. I think I've saved my own life once.
**DARE-OLOGY**
Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? yep.
Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? yep.
Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? don't think so.
Would you never blog again for $50,000? definitely.
Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? Yes, in certain contexts.
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? I would try. Not sure that I'd manage it though.
Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? no way in the world.
Would you run over a dog or cat for $1,000,000? My initial respone is yes, I would. But maybe I couldn't. I would if I could give most of the money to children's charities.
Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? Yep.
While the computer was off, though, I read Shantaram, and about half of Wuthering Heights. I LOVE Shantaram. I can't even describe it; it's just beautiful, beautiful writing and such a compelling story. I thought at first it was an actual autobiography but apparently it's a fiction based on Gregory David Roberts' real life. Brillliant novel. Definitely read it if you can.
I've been wondering, though, how they'll get it into a film. It's 930 pages and I can't easily think of which sections they could leave out... but I'm sure they'll manage. GDR is co-writing the screenplay himself so I'm sure he'll figure out which parts are most important.
Acting-wise I haven't done anything lately. I've applied for a role in a film (not sure if it's a short or a feature) in Sydney but the auditions haven't been announced yet. I helped at a playreading as "stage manager" on the weekend for a group who want to put on a musical. They're hoping to sell to somewhere like Riverside or Glenn St for their subscription seasons. If that gets off the ground it'll be proper paid work so hopefully it will.
I've been applying for millions of part time jobs, waitressing and housekeeping and such. No luck so far. *sigh* REALLY need some cash.
Okay, to make up for the week's lack of posting, here's a really long (potentially very boring but hey, I like weird details about people, so why not...) questionnairre... got it from Connor...
1. Is your second toe longer than your first? nope
2. Do you have a favorite type of pen?nope
3. Look at your planner for March 14, what are you doing? taking T to preschool.
4. What color are your toenails usually? toenail colour.
5. What was the last thing you highlighted? ads in the positions vacant section of the local paper.
6. What color are your bedroom curtains? we have awful apricot-ish holland blinds.
7. What color are the seats in your car? grey I think.
8. Have you ever had a black and white cat? nope.
9. What is the last thing you put a stamp on? a letter to the debt recovery office! (for noel's parking fine)
10. Do you know anyone who lives in Wyoming? Not that I know of.
11. Why did you withdraw cash from the ATM the last time? groceries.
12. Who is the last baby that you held? If two-year-olds count as babies, then my daughter B. If not, I can't remember... I don't tend to hold other people's babies.
13. Do you know of any twins with rhyming names? Nope.
14. Do you like Cinnamon toothpaste? Never had it but I think I would hate it.
15. What kind of car were you driving 2 years ago? none. I'd just had an emergency caesarean.
16. Pick one: Miami Hurricanes or Florida Gators. Are they sports teams or ways to die?
17. Last time you went to Six Flags? I wonder what Six Flags is.
18. Do you have any wallpaper in your house? Nope.
19. Closest thing to you that is yellow: stripes on my shirt and beads on my bracelet.
20. Last person to give you a business card? Real estate agent. Ages ago.
21. Who is the last person you wrote a check to? I don't think I've ever written a cheque.
22. Closest framed picture to you? a picture with two people drinking tea with text: "Friends. Hold a true friend with both your hands".
23. Last time you had someone cook for you? Ha! Mum cooked for B's birthday last week.
24. Have you ever applied for welfare? I've been on Austudy when I was at uni and now that I have kids I get family tax benefit. Is that welfare?
25. How many emails do you have? Who would know that sort of thing?
26. Last time you received flowers? Last week. Mum brought them.
27. Do you think the sanctity of marriage is meant for only a man & woman? Honestly undecided but leaning towards no.
28.What happened to #28?
29. Do you play air guitar? Nope. But I play air piano, saxophone, drums and microphone. Not all at once, that would look weird.
30. Do you take anything in your coffee? Coffee is evil.
31. Do you have any Willow Tree figurines? No but Noel has "Father and Daughter" and B has "angel of prayer".
32. What is your high school's rival mascot? Whaddya think I am? American?
33. Last person you spoke to from high school? Jocelyn!
34. Last time you used hand sanitizer?About 6 years ago when my American friend M brought some to uni.
35. Would you like to learn to play the drums? Oh yes.
36. What color are the blinds in your living room? Same horrible apricot-ish as the bedroom one.
37. What is in your inbox at work? Work? huh?
38. Last thing you read in the newspaper? Positions Vacant.
39. What was the last pageant you attended? see question 32.
40. What is the last place you bought pizza from? Macquarie Pizza.
41. Have you ever worn a crown? Yes. I played the Queen of he Night in Snow White once.
42. What is the last thing you stapled? goodness knows.
43. Did you ever drink clear Pepsi? huh?
44. Are you ticklish? Yes. You seriously don't wanna go near my feet!
45. Last time you saw fireworks?Last week, at the school across the road.
46. Last time you had a Krispy Kreme doughnut?at least a year ago.
47. Who is the last person that left you a message? My Avon region manager.
48. Last time you parked under a carport? years ago.
49. Do you have a black dog? nope.
50. Do you have any pickles in your fridge? nope.
51. Are you an aunt or uncle? yes. my nephew is one week younger than my B.
52. Who has the prettiest eyes that you know of? my daughters.
53. Last time you saw a semi truck?My husband drives one.
54. Do you remember Ugly Kid Joe? I remember the name.
55. Do you have a little black dress? yes.
**Fav-ology**
What is your salad dressing of choice? anything'll do.
What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Well, the best of a bad bunch would be Macca's I guess.
What is your favorite sit down restaurant? I dunno.
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? chocolate.
What are your pizza toppings of choice? chicken, mushrooms, pineapple, spinach, cheese, tomato.
What do you like to put on your toast? margarine, vegemite, jam, peanut butter, creamed honey.
What is your favorite type of gum? Extra spearmint.
**TECHN-OLOGY**
Number of contacts in your cell phone? heaps.
Number of contacts in your email address book ?heaps.
What is your wallpaper on your computer? Photos of Noel riding his mountain bike through a stream.
What is your screensaver on your computer? basic black.
How many televisions are in your house? Two, but one is under a pile of stuff and not plugged in.
What kitchen appliance do you use the least? electric juicer.
**BI-OLOGY**
Are you right handed or left handed? yes.
Do you like your smile? I like all smiles.
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? My babies. By caesarean.
Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? touch. or smell.
When was the last time you had a cavity? Never.
What is the heaviest item you lift regularly? my 4-year-old.
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Yes. by a telegraph pole, it jumped out in front of my bike.
**MISC-OLOGY**
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?No.
If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? I wouldn't, but I would change my surname if it wouldn't upset people.
How do you express your artistic side? I just do.
What color do you think you look best in? Blue or yellow.
How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison? As long as I needed to.
Have you ever swallowed a non-food item? Probably.
How often do you go to church? every few months.
Have you ever saved someone's life? not that I know of.
Has someone ever saved yours? Well the doctors who recommended my first caesarean thought they were, but I beg to differ. I think I've saved my own life once.
**DARE-OLOGY**
Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? yep.
Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? yep.
Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? don't think so.
Would you never blog again for $50,000? definitely.
Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? Yes, in certain contexts.
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? I would try. Not sure that I'd manage it though.
Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? no way in the world.
Would you run over a dog or cat for $1,000,000? My initial respone is yes, I would. But maybe I couldn't. I would if I could give most of the money to children's charities.
Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? Yep.
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Oscar Nominations
I actually, personally, think the Oscars and certain other awards shows are really contrived and meaningless, but anyway....
Announced today were the nominations for the 79th Academy Awards.
I've not yet seen any of the films nominated for best motion picture - I shall try to see them in the month before the awards, though, so that I will have an educated opinion to yell at the TV when the award is announced. :)
In fact, I've only seen four of the films on the whole list of noms - Dead Man's Chest (Art Direction, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Visual Effects), Cars (Animated Feature and Original Song), Marie Antoinette (Costume Design) and Happy Feet (Animated Feature).
I'm really pleased to see that three of the 5 "Actress in a leading role" noms - Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep - are from the older end of the scale. It does get a bit boring seeing all the young thin people all the time! Happy to see Kate Winslet there too - she is one of my favourites, not just for her acting but her values and truthfulness in life.
A nice surprise in the live action short film category is The Saviour, by Peter Templeman and Stuart Parkyn from the Australian Film Television and Radio School. Well done to Peter and Stuart!
And how exciting to see Abigail Breslin as supporting actress - imagine being nominated for an Oscar at age 10! But from all reports, she sure deserves it.
Anyway, I'm sure that if I'd seen more of these films I'd have more to say about the noms - mind you, that would require all of them being released in Aus by now!
Announced today were the nominations for the 79th Academy Awards.
I've not yet seen any of the films nominated for best motion picture - I shall try to see them in the month before the awards, though, so that I will have an educated opinion to yell at the TV when the award is announced. :)
In fact, I've only seen four of the films on the whole list of noms - Dead Man's Chest (Art Direction, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Visual Effects), Cars (Animated Feature and Original Song), Marie Antoinette (Costume Design) and Happy Feet (Animated Feature).
I'm really pleased to see that three of the 5 "Actress in a leading role" noms - Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep - are from the older end of the scale. It does get a bit boring seeing all the young thin people all the time! Happy to see Kate Winslet there too - she is one of my favourites, not just for her acting but her values and truthfulness in life.
A nice surprise in the live action short film category is The Saviour, by Peter Templeman and Stuart Parkyn from the Australian Film Television and Radio School. Well done to Peter and Stuart!
And how exciting to see Abigail Breslin as supporting actress - imagine being nominated for an Oscar at age 10! But from all reports, she sure deserves it.
Anyway, I'm sure that if I'd seen more of these films I'd have more to say about the noms - mind you, that would require all of them being released in Aus by now!
Monday, 22 January 2007
Shantaram news
It's been announced that Shantaram, which has been talked about and in pre-production for years, finally has a new director. Mira Nair is attached and the plan is to start filming around October this year.
I'm desperately hoping that at least some shooting will take place in Australia. (the [true] story is of an escaped Australian criminal who flees to India and has all sorts of adventures) And no, not just because I'd like to see Johnny Depp in Aus, but because the film industry here is just starting to pick up after quite a slump and this kind of project happening here would be exciting. However I imagine most of the film will be shot in India, and I *think* I read a while ago that the studio shooting would be done in England. But hey, I can keep hoping.
I was given Shantaram, the book, for Christmas, and from the first few pages I've read so far I think I'm going to love it. I'm excited about the film.
I'm desperately hoping that at least some shooting will take place in Australia. (the [true] story is of an escaped Australian criminal who flees to India and has all sorts of adventures) And no, not just because I'd like to see Johnny Depp in Aus, but because the film industry here is just starting to pick up after quite a slump and this kind of project happening here would be exciting. However I imagine most of the film will be shot in India, and I *think* I read a while ago that the studio shooting would be done in England. But hey, I can keep hoping.
I was given Shantaram, the book, for Christmas, and from the first few pages I've read so far I think I'm going to love it. I'm excited about the film.
From the sublime to the ridiculous....
We've watched a few really ridiculous movies here lately.
Saturday night we started with Miami Vice. Hmmmm. I was thinking that perhaps if I knew the original TV show at all I would understand and/or appreciate it more. It's pretty awful.
Luckily, we watched it with some friends so we enjoyed predicting all the ultra-predictable moments, then laughing and groaning at the really unbelievable ones. The storyline was muddled and the characters were confusing. The incidental moments dragged on forever while vital pieces of information were skimmed over in an instant. I'm completely baffled as to why there was such hype about this when it was released.
~~~~~~
Next, for some more groaning and hilarity, we watched Snakes on a Plane. Yes, mo-fo snakes on the mo-fo plane. Talk about entertaining! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Seriously, if the filmmakers were aiming for side-splitting hilarity, they succeeded brilliantly.
'Tis indeed a pity that that's apparently not what they were aiming for. The characters are cliched, predictable, unlikable and ridiculous. There are so many characters for whom you actually wish death-by-snake-bite the moment you meet them, and are pleased when your wish not only comes true, but happens in a hilarious moment of insanity.
Actually, there was one moment that was seriously NOT funny - snake poison was sucked from a pustulating wound. We all nearly vomited.
Won't waste anymore time on that piece of craziness except to say how truly bizarre it is that movies like that get made, and marketed so well. The mind boggles.
~~~~~~
Yesterday we watched Clerks 2.
I am so disappointed with it. If it weren't for about 10 minutes of revolting, completely unnecessary and totally unfunny action (a sequence involving bestiality), it would be a really great film. In fact, someone should just cut out that whole sequence (well, most of it anyway) and it would be a great film.
Start from the beginning, though. The characters are great, the actors are great. It is, of course, fun to see Jay and Silent Bob again (I haven't seen the orginal Clerks but I know them well from Kevin Smith's other stuff). The plot is simple, believable and meaningful, and the dialogue is funny and real. I was really, really enjoying the film, until that sequence I mentioned just went way too far.
Basically, Dante is leaving the fastfood store where he, Randall, Elias and Becky work. He's moving to Florida to marry Emma. The film covers the journey of him realising he really loves Becky and wants her and a simple life rather than rich Emma and the rich life in Florida. All of which works really well. The awful part comes when Randall throws Dante a goodbye party and hires "Kinky Kelly and the Sexy Stud" - an act involving a person and a mule. It was SO. WRONG. They could have easily cut it shorter; there were plenty of opportunities for it to end sooner; even just talking script and screentime, it was way too much time to devote to a pretty minor event in terms of the character's story. Dante ends up kissing Becky as Emma walks in, shocked by the scene. That could have happened much sooner in the scene and been just as shocking for Emma without having to waste so much time on something appalling.
Anyway, once that sequence has crawled back to the dark hole from which it came, the film ends well and restores itself a little bit of dignity.
I finally understand why Kevin Smith has received so much negativity and so many complaints about Clerks 2. The sad thing is that he's being forced to defend something that not only ruins an otherwise entertaining and skillful film, but was totally unnecessary to plot, character, or atmosphere. What was he thinking?
*mind continues to boggle*
Saturday night we started with Miami Vice. Hmmmm. I was thinking that perhaps if I knew the original TV show at all I would understand and/or appreciate it more. It's pretty awful.
Luckily, we watched it with some friends so we enjoyed predicting all the ultra-predictable moments, then laughing and groaning at the really unbelievable ones. The storyline was muddled and the characters were confusing. The incidental moments dragged on forever while vital pieces of information were skimmed over in an instant. I'm completely baffled as to why there was such hype about this when it was released.
~~~~~~
Next, for some more groaning and hilarity, we watched Snakes on a Plane. Yes, mo-fo snakes on the mo-fo plane. Talk about entertaining! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Seriously, if the filmmakers were aiming for side-splitting hilarity, they succeeded brilliantly.
'Tis indeed a pity that that's apparently not what they were aiming for. The characters are cliched, predictable, unlikable and ridiculous. There are so many characters for whom you actually wish death-by-snake-bite the moment you meet them, and are pleased when your wish not only comes true, but happens in a hilarious moment of insanity.
Actually, there was one moment that was seriously NOT funny - snake poison was sucked from a pustulating wound. We all nearly vomited.
Won't waste anymore time on that piece of craziness except to say how truly bizarre it is that movies like that get made, and marketed so well. The mind boggles.
~~~~~~
Yesterday we watched Clerks 2.
I am so disappointed with it. If it weren't for about 10 minutes of revolting, completely unnecessary and totally unfunny action (a sequence involving bestiality), it would be a really great film. In fact, someone should just cut out that whole sequence (well, most of it anyway) and it would be a great film.
Start from the beginning, though. The characters are great, the actors are great. It is, of course, fun to see Jay and Silent Bob again (I haven't seen the orginal Clerks but I know them well from Kevin Smith's other stuff). The plot is simple, believable and meaningful, and the dialogue is funny and real. I was really, really enjoying the film, until that sequence I mentioned just went way too far.
Basically, Dante is leaving the fastfood store where he, Randall, Elias and Becky work. He's moving to Florida to marry Emma. The film covers the journey of him realising he really loves Becky and wants her and a simple life rather than rich Emma and the rich life in Florida. All of which works really well. The awful part comes when Randall throws Dante a goodbye party and hires "Kinky Kelly and the Sexy Stud" - an act involving a person and a mule. It was SO. WRONG. They could have easily cut it shorter; there were plenty of opportunities for it to end sooner; even just talking script and screentime, it was way too much time to devote to a pretty minor event in terms of the character's story. Dante ends up kissing Becky as Emma walks in, shocked by the scene. That could have happened much sooner in the scene and been just as shocking for Emma without having to waste so much time on something appalling.
Anyway, once that sequence has crawled back to the dark hole from which it came, the film ends well and restores itself a little bit of dignity.
I finally understand why Kevin Smith has received so much negativity and so many complaints about Clerks 2. The sad thing is that he's being forced to defend something that not only ruins an otherwise entertaining and skillful film, but was totally unnecessary to plot, character, or atmosphere. What was he thinking?
*mind continues to boggle*
Thursday, 18 January 2007
Marie Antoinette
After my go-see yesterday I found my way (I always get seriously disoriented in the city and go the wrong way down George St. Happens every time!) to the cinema just as the trailers were starting before Marie Antoinette.
For the first half, I was quite disappointed. It moved very slowly, and felt as if they were trying a bit to hard to set up the atmosphere and environment rather than getting on with telling the story. It sure was a beautiful enviroment, though! After a while I started to become more involved in the story and in Marie Antoinette's difficulties and extravagances, and by the end I was quite emotional and had decided I liked it.
I wasn't expecting to be sympathetic towards the young queen, but I found myself feeling somewhat sorry for her even when she was frittering away the poor peoples' money on diamonds and dresses, or throwing fantastic parties for her lover at the country retreat. The film did (eventually) capture the idea of a young girl thrust into a crazy world... and I was torn between sympathy for her having to deal with the bizarre Court routine, and frustration with her for not realising how the life she was leading was hurting people. I think that's because when you learn about the French Revolution, it's mostly from the point of view of the starving, over-taxed commoners. So while you're seeing the Royal family eating ridiculous amounts of rich food and playing with expensive fabrics and jewels, in the back of your mind is constant thoughts of those commoners, struggling to get some bread on the table.
Kirsten Dunst was fairly impressive. It would have been a difficult role, playing a young woman so far removed from any modern women. I think she captured the essence of a girl brought up in a place of stifling tradition and duty, well prepared for life in court, but with the same desires and need for escape as any teenage girl.
I really liked Jason Schwartzmann as Louis XVI. The character was a little odd; a nervous and eccentric young man. Schwartzmann played him with conviction and made me really like him.
I was pretty annoyed at all the American accents. I realise that any accent would have been equally silly, since technically they should have been speaking French anyway - but they could have at least worked with a more standard mid-Atlantic accent. The American accents made the scenes where they were talking about sending aid to the Americans seem a little odd.
As the mum, the most emotional parts of the film for me were seeing the children. I cried for Marie Antoinette when her tiny baby girl was taken away with not so much as a "please", to be fed by the nurse, even though she'd wanted to feed her herself. I wanted to scream "no! Don't let them take her! You CAN feed her!" And again when we saw little Marie Therese as a 3-yr-old, dressed in a gorgeous but awfully restrictive formal dress and saying things like "I am pleased that you find me so". When Marie Antoinette gave birth to a son, the whole court was present and then the baby was carried, screaming in his basket, in a cheering procession. These kinds of portrayals of children - just pawns and decorations in a big political game - break my heart. The third child broke my heart completely. I won't spoil the moment for you but the sequence involving the third child was done beautifully; the story told in such a succinct but powerful way. And finally, when the mobs were surrounding the palace, those poor children were so scared and so brave.
I was pleased that the film ended with the King and Queen leaving Versaille with the children; and not with the ending of their lives. That would have been too much, I think - and everyone knows what happens anyway, so best to leave that to our imaginations I guess. I feel compelled now to learn more about Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette... though I'm scared to find out what happened to their children...
So yes, I've decided I like it. Although, if I hire or buy the DVD, I will probably skip through a few sequences in the first half to avoid the dull moments. I'm also very keen to see the "making of", assuming they have one. It really is quite a fascinating topic.
For the first half, I was quite disappointed. It moved very slowly, and felt as if they were trying a bit to hard to set up the atmosphere and environment rather than getting on with telling the story. It sure was a beautiful enviroment, though! After a while I started to become more involved in the story and in Marie Antoinette's difficulties and extravagances, and by the end I was quite emotional and had decided I liked it.
I wasn't expecting to be sympathetic towards the young queen, but I found myself feeling somewhat sorry for her even when she was frittering away the poor peoples' money on diamonds and dresses, or throwing fantastic parties for her lover at the country retreat. The film did (eventually) capture the idea of a young girl thrust into a crazy world... and I was torn between sympathy for her having to deal with the bizarre Court routine, and frustration with her for not realising how the life she was leading was hurting people. I think that's because when you learn about the French Revolution, it's mostly from the point of view of the starving, over-taxed commoners. So while you're seeing the Royal family eating ridiculous amounts of rich food and playing with expensive fabrics and jewels, in the back of your mind is constant thoughts of those commoners, struggling to get some bread on the table.
Kirsten Dunst was fairly impressive. It would have been a difficult role, playing a young woman so far removed from any modern women. I think she captured the essence of a girl brought up in a place of stifling tradition and duty, well prepared for life in court, but with the same desires and need for escape as any teenage girl.
I really liked Jason Schwartzmann as Louis XVI. The character was a little odd; a nervous and eccentric young man. Schwartzmann played him with conviction and made me really like him.
I was pretty annoyed at all the American accents. I realise that any accent would have been equally silly, since technically they should have been speaking French anyway - but they could have at least worked with a more standard mid-Atlantic accent. The American accents made the scenes where they were talking about sending aid to the Americans seem a little odd.
As the mum, the most emotional parts of the film for me were seeing the children. I cried for Marie Antoinette when her tiny baby girl was taken away with not so much as a "please", to be fed by the nurse, even though she'd wanted to feed her herself. I wanted to scream "no! Don't let them take her! You CAN feed her!" And again when we saw little Marie Therese as a 3-yr-old, dressed in a gorgeous but awfully restrictive formal dress and saying things like "I am pleased that you find me so". When Marie Antoinette gave birth to a son, the whole court was present and then the baby was carried, screaming in his basket, in a cheering procession. These kinds of portrayals of children - just pawns and decorations in a big political game - break my heart. The third child broke my heart completely. I won't spoil the moment for you but the sequence involving the third child was done beautifully; the story told in such a succinct but powerful way. And finally, when the mobs were surrounding the palace, those poor children were so scared and so brave.
I was pleased that the film ended with the King and Queen leaving Versaille with the children; and not with the ending of their lives. That would have been too much, I think - and everyone knows what happens anyway, so best to leave that to our imaginations I guess. I feel compelled now to learn more about Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette... though I'm scared to find out what happened to their children...
So yes, I've decided I like it. Although, if I hire or buy the DVD, I will probably skip through a few sequences in the first half to avoid the dull moments. I'm also very keen to see the "making of", assuming they have one. It really is quite a fascinating topic.
Wednesday, 17 January 2007
A little ant at the bottom of the anthill...
Yep, that's me.
I went to Mullinar's today for my go-see, and it went well, but it mainly served to remind me how very small I am and how far I have to go. The 20 or so girls in the waiting room waiting to be tested for a TVC; the receptionist fielding dozens of calls about productions and talent and castings; the movie posters all over the walls; the stacks of paperwork with hundreds of peoples' names on them - all of them hopeful actors, just like me, hoping to climb a bit higher on that ant-hill. I've spent half the afternoon wracking my brain to think of ways to get myself noticed.... Work Hard is the only logical answer I can think of. :-) But of course!
The consultant I met with was lovely, very friendly and welcoming. He reminded me a lot of Ethan Hawke. He seemed really interested in hearing all about me, and I found myself wishing I'd thought of a few "talking points" so that I wouldn't have come out with quite so many "um"s. He was happy with me doing two monologues (I chose one Australian and one American), and said that they were great (but he probably says that to everyone!). I had to pose for a few repeat photos because there were technical issues with the video camera's still-photo function.
I also wished I'd written down a list of questions to ask because when he asked if I had any, I only thought of one pretty insignificant one. On the way home I kept thinking of other things I wanted to know. Isn't that always the way?
My girls also got a mention; I talked about them briefly and the consultant wanted to know their ages. Apparently they sometimes need mothers with their own children for things, so they like to know who has kids and how old they are. That sounds like fun!
The main thing he had to say to me was recommending I get an agent. He said they don't mind if you do or not, but it's more likely that you'll get noticed if you do. I told him yep, I'd love to have an agent and all I can do is keep sending them my info and hope someone takes notice.
Anyway, I left feeling good about myself. I think I left him with a good impression, but whether or not he remembers me next time something comes up remains to be seen. I think the first thing on my to-do list now is to get new headshots done and do the rounds of the agents again; see if I can't get me some representation.
After that, I took myself to the movies and saw Marie Antoinette. I shall write about that in another post.
Meanwhile, I just caught some of Australian Princess on TV. Oh. My. Goodness. Seriously, what the heck kind of television is that? Who watches these things? I'm off to clear my brain of the strange princessy madness by reading a good book...
I went to Mullinar's today for my go-see, and it went well, but it mainly served to remind me how very small I am and how far I have to go. The 20 or so girls in the waiting room waiting to be tested for a TVC; the receptionist fielding dozens of calls about productions and talent and castings; the movie posters all over the walls; the stacks of paperwork with hundreds of peoples' names on them - all of them hopeful actors, just like me, hoping to climb a bit higher on that ant-hill. I've spent half the afternoon wracking my brain to think of ways to get myself noticed.... Work Hard is the only logical answer I can think of. :-) But of course!
The consultant I met with was lovely, very friendly and welcoming. He reminded me a lot of Ethan Hawke. He seemed really interested in hearing all about me, and I found myself wishing I'd thought of a few "talking points" so that I wouldn't have come out with quite so many "um"s. He was happy with me doing two monologues (I chose one Australian and one American), and said that they were great (but he probably says that to everyone!). I had to pose for a few repeat photos because there were technical issues with the video camera's still-photo function.
I also wished I'd written down a list of questions to ask because when he asked if I had any, I only thought of one pretty insignificant one. On the way home I kept thinking of other things I wanted to know. Isn't that always the way?
My girls also got a mention; I talked about them briefly and the consultant wanted to know their ages. Apparently they sometimes need mothers with their own children for things, so they like to know who has kids and how old they are. That sounds like fun!
The main thing he had to say to me was recommending I get an agent. He said they don't mind if you do or not, but it's more likely that you'll get noticed if you do. I told him yep, I'd love to have an agent and all I can do is keep sending them my info and hope someone takes notice.
Anyway, I left feeling good about myself. I think I left him with a good impression, but whether or not he remembers me next time something comes up remains to be seen. I think the first thing on my to-do list now is to get new headshots done and do the rounds of the agents again; see if I can't get me some representation.
After that, I took myself to the movies and saw Marie Antoinette. I shall write about that in another post.
Meanwhile, I just caught some of Australian Princess on TV. Oh. My. Goodness. Seriously, what the heck kind of television is that? Who watches these things? I'm off to clear my brain of the strange princessy madness by reading a good book...
Monday, 15 January 2007
(not) Good Reasons to Stop Acting
I just came across this article called 5 Good Reasons to Stop Acting by Bob Fraser. I really really like it. Fraser's basic philosophy seems to be "if you want to act, act. If you really want it you will get there".
I think that in some part of my head I already knew everything he talks about (that you don't have to be good-looking, that you don't have to live in the right place, that it doesn't matter what Other People think, etc, to succeed at acting) but it's good to be reminded, by such a passionate writer who seems to really care about the people he's talking to.
Thanks, Bob.
I think that in some part of my head I already knew everything he talks about (that you don't have to be good-looking, that you don't have to live in the right place, that it doesn't matter what Other People think, etc, to succeed at acting) but it's good to be reminded, by such a passionate writer who seems to really care about the people he's talking to.
Thanks, Bob.
a step and a decision
I received a reply from one of the casting companies I emailed - a consultant from Mullinar's who wants me to come in for a go-see this Wednesday. Yay! A go-see isn't a huge thing (it just means meeting with one or two casting consultants, performing a monologue for camera; introducing yourself to them, basically, so they have you on file), but it is definitely a good positive step, and I'm excited!
Mullinar's is, I think, the biggest casting company in Australia and they cast a lot of both film and television. Impressing them would be a very good thing. I attended a go-see there when I was 14 but that was a long time ago and I was with a less-than-competent agent who wouldn't have recognised a suitable role if it jumped up and bit her (other people had problems with said agent too, so it's not just me being bitter, I assure you). These days I'm more capable of assertiveness and hopefully, even without an agent, I can do better to put myself forward for more roles.
In other news, I've decided not to do any more unpaid extra work, because the last few times have been pretty frustrating and unhelpful experiences. I'll still do unpaid roles if it's something that seems worthwhile and is meaty enough to be put on a showreel, but I think 7 or 8 months of volunteering to be a space-filler for sometimes-interesting, sometimes-weird-and-frustrating student and amatuer directors is enough.
However there's still one "featured extra" part coming up; another short film that was originally scheduled for December. It's on 25th Jan now and I'm playing a school teacher. I think I even get to speak, and the producer on this one seems lovely and organised, so perhaps it will be a better experience.
Anyway; less time on the computer, Sumara, and more time rehearsing a monologue...
Mullinar's is, I think, the biggest casting company in Australia and they cast a lot of both film and television. Impressing them would be a very good thing. I attended a go-see there when I was 14 but that was a long time ago and I was with a less-than-competent agent who wouldn't have recognised a suitable role if it jumped up and bit her (other people had problems with said agent too, so it's not just me being bitter, I assure you). These days I'm more capable of assertiveness and hopefully, even without an agent, I can do better to put myself forward for more roles.
In other news, I've decided not to do any more unpaid extra work, because the last few times have been pretty frustrating and unhelpful experiences. I'll still do unpaid roles if it's something that seems worthwhile and is meaty enough to be put on a showreel, but I think 7 or 8 months of volunteering to be a space-filler for sometimes-interesting, sometimes-weird-and-frustrating student and amatuer directors is enough.
However there's still one "featured extra" part coming up; another short film that was originally scheduled for December. It's on 25th Jan now and I'm playing a school teacher. I think I even get to speak, and the producer on this one seems lovely and organised, so perhaps it will be a better experience.
Anyway; less time on the computer, Sumara, and more time rehearsing a monologue...
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