Unscripted - A Blog for Actors - Backstage

Celebrate the Web: Creating a Pilot in Seven Days

I spent the past week working on a project for the Celebrate the Web (CTW) pilot contest. Teams in the contest have seven days to write, shoot, edit, and publish a web series pilot based on several elements provided by CTW.

Most of you know that I love the web, and have some experience creating series for YouTube. Most of my online work has been very simple, sketch comedy based, though... so creating a full pilot was a pretty foreign task! I was really thrilled for the opportunity to work on this, knowing that it would force me to pull something together quickly with no excuses for putting it off.

Many of the teams for CTW had quite a few people, cast and crew... even writing teams! We would have loved to expand our group, but it was such a last-minute decision to join the contest that our team ended up being made of just two people. Neither of us went to film school, and acting is our primary career path... but we had a blast trying to pull this together. From the get-go we made a decision that we would stay positive, not focus on our lack of equipment or assistance, and not beat ourselves up if things didn't come out 100% perfectly. We really just wanted to put something out there.

We wrote for one day, shot for two days, and edited for another two. Audiosocket even very generously gave CTW team members access to their entire music library, which made our pilot eons better than it would have been otherwise.

It certainly isn't a perfect pilot, there are lots of things that I would change, but I'm really thrilled that we were able to pull something together on absolutely no budget (this was made for $0), with no fancy eqiupment (I wish we had had something for sound... but we didn't!), and with just two people. A huge thank you to Celebrate the Web for holding this contest, it is such a great way to get content created. I've had a blast watching the other pilots and tweeting back-and-forth with a new community of web creators.

You can watch our pilot--under[cover]employed--below, and vote in the contest here. You'll also be able to check out all of the other wonderful pilots at that link! Voting is once per day, now until May 31st. Thank you for your support!

 

--Laura Hunter

The Internet is for Actors

I woke up to a nice acting-related surprise on my birthday last Thursday: I won a Best Performance award in a new, well-respected online contest, StarCast Auditions. It is always, always nice to get some validation on your skills as an actor.

It was a great way to start my "new year," and completely unexpected. I'm so excited about all of the ways that the internet is starting to allow actors to open doors for themselves. We no longer have to wait for a middle man when it comes to getting some traction... I like feeling like I'm in control of my own destiny.

On Air: My First Radio Interview

Today was fun. I had my very first live radio interview this morning!

Since the station performing the interview was based out of DC (close to my hometown!) we conducted the interview over the phone. I was a little nervous about what to expect, especially since I'm still new to the whole interview process in general. Add the word "live" to the mix and things get a little scary! I think it went well, though, and I had a great time. I also gave a little shout out to everyone's favorite acting website (backstage.com ... obviously!) so I figured it would be good to post the video here for all of you Unscripted readers. 

Thanks for listening!

 

-- Laura Hunter

Oscar Night

I was incredibly lucky to get to experience the Academy Awards in a new way this year...  I was selected as a part of a small group of up-and-coming actresses to attend some of the post-awards festivities.

Where my typical Oscar evenings have involved sweatpants, this night included: black tie attire, lots of very kind and gracious celebrities, and a ton of interviews.

I felt so lucky to be around so many wonderful people, but even luckier to be getting to truly appreciate and take advantage of some of the most positive moments that living in LA has to offer. I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be, which was incredibly fulfilling, especially on the night of the Oscars.

What did you think of the awards this year?

--Laura Hunter

Butterflies

I'm in the middle of some of the busiest weeks I've had in the past several years. Day job work, plus acting work, plus working to get acting work equals one very exhausted Laura! Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy to have plenty of things going on... its just been one big flood all at once, and that can be overwhelming.

Last week, I had a meeting that I've been working towards for the past couple of months. There was quite a bit of pressure surrounding the whole thing, and a few hours before it was time for me to get there, I started feeling really nervous. In a way that I haven't been for a pretty long time.

Apps for Actors

I've never been big on the concept of new year's resolutions... but I did come up with a few for myself this year.

As you've probably noticed from my previous posts, I'm a big technology nerd. What I've discovered about myself, because of that nerdiness, is that I'm much more likely to stick to my guns regarding something akin to a resolution if I have some kind of technology to remind me about it/assist me with it.

So, here are a few great apps that I plan on using in connection with my 2012 resolutions:

New York City for the Holidays & Sleep No More for New Year's

I spent last week in Virginia and have been in NYC since Christmas Eve. It's nice to be back "home" in the city for a short while. Especially for the holidays. 

I've been so lucky to reconnect with lots of people I love in the past couple of weeks... it feels like the right way to end what was sort of a tough year.

I'm hoping for a fruitful 2012... and am extremely excited about the way I'm planning to start out the new year. 

How Can I Help You?

Nobody wants to be the person that's always thinking, "how can you help me?" It just isn't a good mentality for a variety of reasons. But, I really believe that the person who's always thinking, "how can I help you?" is doing a service both to themselves and the people around them. 

So, in the spirit of the holiday season... let's talk about helping each other. 

Social Media for Actors: Foursquare

As is probably pretty apparent from my online presence, I'm a big advocate of using social media to further your career. Twitter and Facebook are pretty universally-used at this point... but do you use any additional platforms? I'm going to suggest one right now: Foursquare. 

Foursquare, if you're not familiar with it, is a social media platform that allows users to "check-in" to their current locations. Often there are special discounts at retails stores, or fun awards that can be won through the check-in process. 

Changes...

First of all, thanks so much for all of the sweet comments on my last post... you guys really made me feel better on a bad day! 

Its funny, sometimes I feel like just talking about the things that are bothering you allows you to let it go & move forward. About an hour after I wrote that post, I got some good news... and ended up having a pretty decent week. Go figure! Some good auditions, new meetings, and positive feedback--right when I needed it. 

I also made a bit of a major change to my look last week... if you'll remember, I was blonde the last time I posted... 

The Truth

I've made it a mission with blogging to try to stick to positive topics and stories... which is why sometimes it takes me a while between posts. Thinking about it, though, maybe that's doing a disservice to myself and to anyone reading this who is thinking about becoming an actor.

So... here goes a post that might border on negative, but is also the truth. 

Wise words for aspiring starlets from Jodie Foster.

"Don’t do weird things to your face, your body and your hair. Because everyone else did too and no one can tell them apart." - Jodie Foster, on her advice to aspiring actors who have just arrived in Hollywood.

I saw this in my issue of The Hollywood Reporter this week, and it made me smile.

I never once had insecurities about the way I looked when I lived in New York... but in LA, it does creep in sometimes. I don't dwell in it too much, but it is always nice to see a quote like this from someone successful, talented, and poised.

--Laura Hunter

P.S. I started a new website, which has lots of reviews from the films I saw last week at AFI Fest among other things. Check it out: www.offstagelines.com.

 

AFI Fest 2011

Happy Friday, everyone!

I mentioned in one of my last posts that I'm doing social media coverage as a volunteer for the AFI Fest this year. I had a great time at opening night yesterday, you can read about it here, and can't wait for the rest of the festival.

If you'd like to get my live updates from the festival's screenings and parties, make sure to follow me on Twitter!

--Laura Hunter

LA Conversations To Avoid

I love lots of things about living in LA.... but there are a few that I could do without. Topping that list is the near-constant conversations that people in this town have about "the industry." Everyone seems to think they have the inside information on how this whole business works... more often than not people who have absolutely no qualifications to back this information up. 

Avoiding these conversations at all costs is extremely beneficial to your mental stability, in my humble opinion. Sometimes you get stuck, though, as I did a few months ago.

Web Series Recommendations

I found out that one of my web series, Hillaree the Hillbilly, was being listed on IMDB this week... very exciting news!

I know I've mentioned some of my other favorite online series here before, and I wanted to ask you guys for suggestions on new web projects that I should check out. What are your favorite web series?

A few of mine, in no particular order:

- Emma Caulfield's Bandwagon
- Jane Espenson's Husbands
- Very Mary Kate

More updates after the link...!

Is it fall now?

One of the (many) strange things about living in LA is that you never really know what season you're in. My mom, who still lives in Virginia, calls every day and asks me what the weather is like. Who knows why she still asks this question because my answer is almost always, "same as yesterday!"

So, I've started to recognize the change in seasons by two things: television airing schedules and the entertainment industry. In both cases, fall means good things! I'm very excited to see what the next few months hold, as things have been busy so far.

The Two-Hour Accent

Last week I got an audition I was very excited about, a great opportunity for an awesome casting office. I was scrambling a bit, as I only got word of the audition a few hours before my actual appointment time... but I knew I could handle the short notice. I'm a quick study, after all.

Then I looked at the character breakdown. The role called for a very unique accent... one that I didn't even remotely have in my bag of tricks...

Shh... It's a Secret!

One of the most common questions that I get asked in casual conversation with non-actors is the dreaded "so, what are you working on lately?"

I know I've spoken about this before, but I've come to a new decision with myself since I moved to LA a year ago. I've decided to stop telling people about what is going on with my career until I book and/or actually shoot the project.

Here's what caused this....

Bandwagon: Web Series Suggestion for Actors

Since I'm becoming quite the YouTube girl myself, I thought I would suggest a web series that I'm currently addicted to.

Emma Caulfield (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Timer) has created a completely hysterical series, Bandwagon, that focuses a great deal on life in the entertainment industry.

As an actor, the comedy in Bandwagon makes me want to hit the "pause" button on my video player so that I can stop and laugh for a few minutes before watching the next scene. Truly. The series would be fun for anyone to watch, but I feel like those of us in the entertainment industry (at least those that have a sense of humor about it all) would have a special appreciation for this. I know I do!

Season Two of the series just started (the first episode of the new season is below) but I highly suggest watching the first season as well.

Check it out and let me know what you think! Are there any online series that you're obsessed with?

--Laura Hunter

Summertime

It has been a bit since my last post... mostly because I've been out of town a lot this summer for various things. I also had a little accident that resulted in a slight head injury. I'm alright now, but have been taking it slow.

A few new things are happening on the career front, though. They say that summer is always slow in LA, which is true for the most part, but I've managed to keep fairly busy nonetheless.

Updates and thoughts under the cut!