This morning I had an audition that blew my mind. It was an audition for a PAYING feature film. By the time I got in the room I was 11th on the audition schedule. But guess how many had been in the room before me. THREE. And one of them was a Houston actor that got there early and was auditioned early because no one else showed! The producer was new to filming in Austin and he marveled that so many actors were a no-show. I have been hearing about how poorly we are thought of by the rest of the film creating world, but this is the first time in my new career that I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I expect that film will be made somewhere else now, and that’s another producer that will not consider Austin for casting principals. Over 80 actors were scheduled to audition today and I wonder how many made it when the day was done.

Last night we wrapped shooting on Cannibal. It was a grueling day, but the cast and crew stayed focused and driven to meet the deadline and we got it done. A dozen people (and one really cute dog) spent 12 hours together in a confined space enduring stifling heat, and the fact that we were all bound by the shared passion for making films made it fun instead of Hell on Earth. (For PETA folks, you should know that Paddington’s scenes came first and he wrapped well before lunch)
I am amazed by the way film makers create and share their own realities. Our scene takes place in the morning and we were shooting in the morning. But because “real” light wouldn’t last long enough we blacked the windows out and recreated morning sunlight that is utterly convincing. Later, long after the sun set, my animal brain kept struggling with the lack of synchronization between my internal clock and my senses. The light was 8:00 am, the clock was 8:00 pm.
As always, I learned some cool new stuff on this set and faced some situations that I never anticipated, and I’m grateful that this group of filmmakers trusted me to take part in the project. Thanks to Megan and Hollywood Tim!

We had our first day of shooting on Cannibal yesterday and it was my first time working with a dog. Wow. He didn’t care when the director said “action” and “cut”, he didn’t take direction, he looked right at the camera, and he would wander off in the middle of the shot… But man is he cute. I worked with Paddington in my scene and, though you won’t know it by seeing the final cut, it was peanut butter on my finger that finally cemented the connection between us.

I went to an audition as a cop in “Stoner” on the UT campus. It made me laugh to see those signs taped to the doors with directional arrows and old letters “STONER”. I wonder if any real stoners just wandered into the audition as they were directed. I read with another actor that was really easy to work off of. I really like auditions with other actors over the flat reads.

While it’s not explicitly acting related, I did submit a lecture topic to the Austin Game Developers Conference today. All of my interest revolve around storytelling, and my proposed talk for the conference could also work for film with a few tweaks. Plus I need the challenge of getting up in front of an auditorium full of game developers and sharing. You would think as an actor that would be easy, but it’s nearly petrifying.

Two auditions tonight. Cannibal looks like a dark comedy about… well, you can guess. After reading a Bonnie Gillespie column I decided to make some risky choices for my character in the Cannibal reading. Viet Letters is a project that has actual letters red by actors portraying friends and family of soldiers killed in Viet Nam.

Today was an audition for “Three Night Stay” and this led me to DVXuser.com, an independent filmmaker community. I’ll be reading through those threads for days. Matt just let me know I got the role in this film noir. I can’t wait! I LOVE playing creepy/weird guys. What does that say about me? Three roles in three days! I love doing this stuff.

Wow. I got cast as Cooter, get to run around in the words with a gun and deliver some funny lines! I don’t want to say anything about the script of any project I work on, but this one is something else. Hell yeah.

Paul Bright offered me a role in his next project today! Gonna get to point guns! I worked with Paul as an extra back in the Angora Ranch days.

A fantastic session where represented actors were invited to attend and quiz a panel of casting directors about the auditioning process. The Alliance members, the Casting Directors and the Agents were there. And yes, someone forgot to turn off their cell phone even after being prompted to do so. (it wasn’t me). I didn’t ask any questions because speakers were supposed to say who represented them when they asked the question. I was afraid that if I said “unrepresented” (I prefer “independent”) they would toss me out on my ear. But the takeaways were great. Like and interactive “Actor’s Voice” column.

After the “Cannibal” audition I left the room with that feeling of “well, that was pretty flat”. Disheartening in light of the fact that I decided to make some bold choices in my character. But Megan just called and offered me the role! It’s funny, because I felt the audition for Viet Letters went way better, but haven’t heard from them. It’s just impossible to trust those post-audition feelings.

I got cast in “Born in Sin” last night. I’m really excited to be in this film and the cast I’ve met already is extraordinary. I learned a bit tonight about perseverance. The studio for the audition is on the opposite side of the city from me, and I did all my homework. Got directions to the studio, built in plenty of drive time, but when I went to map it online I couldn’t find it. So I thought “I’ll just follow the directions and it’ll be there”. I got where I thought it would be with plenty of time to spare and didn’t see it. I even asked a local, and he sent me on a wild goose chase almost 10 miles away. The time of my audition passed and I was still out on a lonely country road, lost. My inclination was to give up and go home, but I decided to make another try. I went back to the spot I thought it should be and “bingo”, saw a sign I missed the first time. I walked in fifteen minutes late, embarrassed. But David had me sit, worked in an opportunity for me to read and even offered me a role by the end of the night. I’m glad I didn’t give up.

“Delilah” is casting this evening, and I’m going to go read for Ezra. Later “Born in Sin” by David Omar will be auditioning for some remaining roles at his studio. Good thing I’m deduction miles this year…