Unscripted - A Blog for Actors - Backstage

Are You Group A Or Group B? (Part 2 of 3)

(Click here to read Part 1)

Group B

Now that we’ve gotten our arms around the Group A crowd, let’s take a gander at Group B.

Group B, you will recall, approaches a film like a piece of art and does not demand or expect to be entertained by a film in the way Group A does. There are several sub-categories of Group B viewers – filmmakers and many actors, some film critics, activists, film teachers, people interested the artistic nature of the medium, etc. Group B is by and large the minority viewership. 

A movie like Transformers will almost never appeal to Group B, because it’s almost purely for entertainment purposes and the parts of it that appeal to Group B (e.g., the technical elements, fantastic cinematography, etc.) are more or less happenstance.

Group B films always require subsequent viewings. The extreme Group B film will require multiple viewings (more than 2), a discussion group, online research about plot structure and sequence of events, more discussion groups, and perhaps therapy.

On Saying No

I did something this week that I was unusually proud of: I turned down a gig.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Laura, you're an actress and you should take any and every opportunity given to you. Which is an attitude that has its merits... but I'm starting to disagree with it on some levels.

Of course, I always want to be working in some way. I love acting and I try to make it as much a part of my daily life as I can, even at times when I'm not necessarily getting a lot of opportunity to do that.

I just think there are milestones and personal choices for actors which really should dictate what jobs they take at a certain level.

Are You Group A or Group B? (Part 1 of 3)

This is the first installment of a three-part miniseries on the two major groups of film consumers. I’ve broken it into three parts spread over three days to respect the sound bite attention span of most Americans (myself included). 

Why do you watch movies?

Do you watch films: A) to be entertained, to get away, and to see the impossible happen, or B) as an art form, paying careful attention to the camera angles, colors, composition, and narrative style of the director?

These two viewer groups go to see films for distinctly different reasons and represent the two major classes of movie watchers. The first group we’ll call Group A and the second group we’ll call Group B.

Group A

I think the majority of the moviegoing public falls into Group A. They go to the theater to be transported away to imaginary worlds (either realistic or completely fantastic) for two or so hours at a time. Group A is Hollywood’s bread and butter, the targets of most big budget filmmaking and generally responsible for the whole blockbuster nature of certain films.

Inspiration Part 4: The Sunshine is out

"Cause you had a bad day, You're taking one down, You sing a sad song, just to turn it around..."

Aahh. That song has been on repeat all morning. Something about that song makes you gain a bit of perspective . This morning, before a 10:30 a.m Theater Audition I blasted this song (Play Me)

I should really put together a Audition playlist. Music that sets the tone and mood before an audition!

Two days ago, I came back from NYC for New York Fashion Week. There is really nothing like spending your day with all types of creative people. Out in the city, pounding the pavement, living out their dreams and making it happen.

I See...the Taping of a Pilot

One of my Chinese New Year's resolutions, in this now the Year of the Rabbit, is to expose myself to as much of the business as I can, and by business I mean, the stuff behind closed doors. 

Well, not so closed, I guess.

Last week, I attended the live taping of a pilot, a half-hour, sit-com starring some well known names in the television industry.

In 2006 I shot a co-star role on a pilot for ABC. It was a one hour drama, single spaced. We shot on location in New York.

But I have never shot a pilot on a soundstage. Even as an observer this was a new experience for me.

I'm not going to disclose the pilot name or network. But I will say this, there are a LOT of people involved.

After Curtain

It's nearly 2 am. I'm nursing my throat with a hot cup of tea. Figures that I'd come down with something two days before opening night and that it would last through closing. Isn't that when all actors get sick? 

Still, that was five days ago. The show went up. Against all odds, naturally. You never think it's ready the night before. There are props missing. We haven't rehearsed in the space before the show. Our tech in three hours before our performance. And somehow... it all just comes together anyway.

So Monday, Valentines Day, was our opening. We opened our one-act festival to the Nicu's Spoon Theater, a cute little space on 38th st, hidden on the fifth floor , accessible by one of those shady old elevators where you have to physically open the outer door yourself. Exposed brick walls, maybe fifty or so chairs on raked platforms, all black, except for that odd white one on the end of the third row, house left.

The Social Network Controversy

 

Why is it that Angelina Jolie can play a biracial woman in "A Mighty Heart" and yet the folks from The Social Network can't find an actual Indian-American actor?

Sometimes doing edgy, controversial work means being loved and hated. My musical sketch group Political Subversities has been on a role with this lately.

With all the drama in Egypt, our show has never had so many "Lion King" jokes, and our latest video is sure to get some people chatting about the topic of race in the media.

When will minorities get a fair chance???

-- Dominique

Tax Advice for Actors from an Actor

    Who thinks collecting receipts all year is fun? This girl!

   Who filed early and got her refund already? This girl! 

   Who will be empowered to get all the deductions allowed to them next year? This girl...and you, too.

   Doing your taxes can be overwhelming, especially if you are unaware how to handle the different types of income on your yearly return. As a performing artist, I received a handful of W2s and 1099s from the various gigs I did this year. So where to go next?

   The most concise resource for doing your taxes as a "creative" person with a multiple income situation is the book, "New Tax Guide for Writers, Artists, Performers & Other Creative People" by Peter Jason Riley. Riley breaks down common tax situations for the aforementioned off-the-beaten-path careers. Don't let the title fool you, actors are covered in length as well.

I Love TV

Actors make me laugh. Even when they don't mean to..

A sure fire way to make me laugh?

Say this: "I never watch TV!" or "Everything on TV is crap!

I happen to love television. Growing up in the 7o's, TV was my best friend and my babysitter. Little House on the Prairie, Dukes of Hazzard, The Brady Bunch... oh my. My first crush wasn't Shaun Cassidy. It was Ricky Schroder from Silver Spoons. (And to be totally honest, I still crush a little. Okay, a lot. )

The Hours In Between

I'm sitting in a coffee shop (an international chain with a green-lettered name) after one audition and killing time waiting for rehearsals tonight for a film starting in two weeks. Okay, "killing time" might not be completely accurate, but you get the idea.

For one, I'm writing this blog. I'm also checking my email and fielding a ton of Facebook comments about a commercial I was in that just started running that everyone but me has seen. I'm also decompressing from the audition and mentally prepping for the rehearsals.

But I'm really not a big fan of this time-in-between nonsense. It's like a layover at the airport. Never enough time to do anything fun, too much time not to get restless.

The Other Side

Yesterday, I experienced a side of the business that I am not well accustomed to. Yes, that's right, "the other side" of the audition process. What an eye opening experience for me as an actor! Let me back up a bit...

This coming March/April, I will begin shooting the indie film "Amor Fati" (Love of Fate). I could not be more excited to begin this process as it will be my first film. Anyway, the team is still in the process of casting the leading man opposite my character and I got the chance to sit in on auditions yesterday as well as be the reader and tape a few scenes opposite all of the perspective guys. I was excited, but didn't realize I would end up having several valuable acting lessons for myself.

I Choose Superman

This Valentine's Day Weekend I celebrated by having drinks at a very chic bar in Santa Monica with friends. I helped another friend of mine move into a new home.

And I spent some private cozy time on the couch with an old flame...Superman.

I mean, the 1978 Christopher Reeve Superman directed by Richard Donner that also starred Marlon Brando and Margo Kidder.

It happened to be on the ION channel during one of my couch/writing sessions over the weekend.

As a young girl my bedroom walls were plastered with images of the Karate Kid, Teenwolf, and Superman; yes, all action heroes from action films.

But as an adult, I realize, Superman is a romantic comedy, just as much as it is an action film.

Karla With A 'K'

Because of the extensive amount of time I spend traveling on the beloved Bolt Bus from Boston to New York for auditions, I’ve naturally begun to take a liking to certain drivers.  By far, the best and most fierce Bolt Bus driver has got to be “Karla with a ‘K’.”  I know she spells it this way, because in a single ride she will remind passengers of this tidbit a minimum of five times.  To sum it up, if given her own reality show about the life of a bus driver, it may rank up there with the likes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.  On my most recent trip from New York to Boston with her today, she was full of some real doozies, and made the four hour trip completely entertaining and enjoyable.

Crap

So much of the work I do as an actor is…well…crap.

Or, put in a much nicer way- “Bread and Butter Work”.

Sure, some of it is fine art. Life changing. Epic, if you will. The roles that we actors live and die for. The roles that if anyone ever saw the darn movie would surely win us an Oscar!

Or at least an MTV Award...

But a lot of it is the stuff that just pays the bills.Turns out actors do have to eat more then just Top Ramen after all.

Aim for the Middle

    We all know a lot of actors. We all meet a lot of actors. I don't know if this is just indicative of where I'm at in my career, BUT whenever I look at another actor's website, I'm either Jealous of all the work they're doing OR depressed at the thought of their non-existant career. I know, I'm judge-y. Not that I have much of a career to speak of, but the little nugget of a professional career that I DO have I take very seriously.

    So I'm actively trying to find the middle ground.

The Sin of Yawning

I have a problem, and I'm terrified that it's going to hurt my career.

My name is Angela Sauer, and I am a yawner.

Over the summer, I studied with one of my idols in London. I was thrilled to be in the class, and paid careful attention to everything she did and said. One day, while she was working with one of my classmates, she stopped everything, and turned to me with a venom-filled gaze. "Angela," she scolded, "Do you realize you have just yawned, again? And that you have, in fact, yawned at every class session we have had thus far? Do you have any idea how rude that is? If Sir Ian McKellan saw you yawning, he'd have you thrown out of the rehearsal room!"

Big Picture Thinking

(This post has a soundtrack, click here to play, and continue reading with this in the background. Oh, and this post may require a reread (probably late at night) - it's heavy, but worth it I hope).

Now, take off your real world mask, your impossible glasses, and your it's-too-hard hat. Walk with me down Big Picture Lane for a minute.

Don't want to? Okay, I get it; I live in the same world you do. I know how it is. Maybe a little context will help.

I just came out of a screening of another film I was in that had promise, but fell on its face in execution. The week has been packed with serious personal struggles and it's only Wednesday. I miss my family. I'm still trying to collect money from a film I shot back in July. 

My glass of scotch is definitely half empty right now.

I definitely need to step back and get some perspective. I'm betting you might need that too. So I'm willing to put all that aside for a moment if you are. Deal?

Learning and Loving

In college, my classroom days consisted of learning about the Four P’s (product, placement, price, promotion), finding the beta of a financial formula, and considering the best case scenarios for a company considering an IPO. As much as I truly loved these classes, how I envied those at Emerson and Boston Conservatory, only twenty minutes away from me, taking the classes I longed for. Learning about Shakespeare, how to development character and meaning in their performance, and expanding their vocal range through the many voice lessons throughout the week.

However, although I didn’t get to experience these classes in the last four years, I’ve realized that in no way has my opportunity for learning passed me by. This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to study Shakespeare through Dennis Krausnick and Shakespeare and Company. They came to New York for a packed weekend intensive, and I was amazed with the newfound respect I have for Shakespeare’s texts, and the amount I’ve learned about his writing, delivery, and how to approach the work personally.

With a Name Like Mercedes Rose

I am an Aries, redhead, only-child named Mercedes Rose.

How could I grow up to be anything but an actor? 

Okay, maybe a stripper…

I love everything about acting. I love telling stories and being vulnerable and being something I am not. I love the people and the travel and the craft services. And I love the attention. (Aries, remember?) I even love the hard stuff - the long hours, the hurry-up-and-wait, the struggles, the literal blood, sweat, and tears.

You Know What I Miss?

You know what I miss, being an actor? Seeing shows.

It's paradoxically something I almost never get to do. When I visited New York in April, I think I was here about one week. I saw one play on Broadway. That is one more than I've managed to see since I moved here. I have gotten to an improv show and also once to see another off-off-broadway production that I was not directly involved in. That was around Halloween last year. I can't remember a single other piece of theater I've seen that I wasn't on stage for a part of since. And while I like to think I'm doing all right for someone who moved here in September, I haven't been on stage that much.