Trying Something New

Acting Needs: An Agent

Though I have not been posting much on my acting career, I am slowly but surely working towards my goal. On Thursday I had an interview with The Agency to be considered for representation! The interview ended with me being told they would love to represent me, and I have a contract in my hand waiting for my signature. One signing of my name is all it will take...my hesitation, this changes everything. Really it kind of scares me, and I'm a little intimidated by the thought.

I've been thinking a lot about it, and I didn't quite realize the things I might have to give up to pursue this dream of mine. Thinking ahead, can I justify auditioning for things like Renaissance Festival and community theatre when it would limit my availability for paying gigs (which will be my primary source of income)? If this is the career I want to follow, then it will be a part of my job to make myself ready for an audition at the drop of a hat. I see now the separation this will put between my acting friends and I. While they are all getting ready for a number of auditions (Renaissance Festival, musicals, plays), I stand by kind of saddened by the fact that I'm not going to be joining some of my best friends

At the start of this blog my main concern had been in having a corporate job and the strictures of that lifestyle as well as leaving it behind with the benefits it offered. Being laid-off made that decision for me, and I am a little thankful for that. However, this time the decision to change another part of my life for this dream is completely in my hands.

Once again I find myself standing on the precipice of an infinite plane of possibilities. All I need to do is to pick a direction and take a step. All things are possible from here.

Gonna Be a Good Year!

Third day of the year, 2nd post, I think it's going to be a good year. I just had to get on and update everyone. Back on December 5th, 2009, I auditioned for a short film and after not hearing from anyone for the whole month I was convinced that I just wasn't what they were looking for. Then on New Year's Eve I get a text message from the director asking if I could do a call back reading. Of course I was stoked! We met at the West Port Coffee House yesterday, and I read for the Lead Male role "Derrick" with Mandy who is the Lead Female "Eiley". The call back lasted for 2 and a half hours (most of this was us just talking and laughing our butts off) and at the end I was told that I would be getting a phone call to let me know what they decide.

The news...

I got the Part!!!!!

I've already read the entire script, and I love it. The movie is titled "The Truth about Why" and it is kind of a self growth, self disscovery type film.

Also, I am calling The Agency on the 5th to set up an interview because they are possibly interested in representing me! So I might have an Agent soon! I'll keep everyone updated! This is looking like a great year!

*Also, I'd still like to know what everyone's New Year's Resolutions are, or why you didn't make one!!*

I Get It Now!

It finally clicked for me tonight, I have to stop trying to direct the shows I'm in! Arrgghh! After more than a year of the Maestro telling me this, my instructor Brian finally said it in a way that clicked. (Luckily it wasn't directed at me! You'd be so proud of me Maestro!)

Tonight was the last night of my acting class for this cycle. We once again performed the two person pieces that we have been working on for a couple of weeks. Tonight's performance = not so great, but growing. It definitely wasn't the experience of last week (to see what I'm talking about, scroll down!), but I had some growth. One of the hardest challenges of this exercise is that when our scenes are filmed, each person has their own camera, and it is an extreme close up! This means, that every little detail is seen by the viewer, Brian constantly tells us to view this as if we had a 52' head. The challenge with this is to remain still... yes, you read that correctly, still, also known as "as little movement as possible". Anyone who knows me, knows this is a challenge, and that is what showed through tonight. Brian made the comment of "at times you could tell you were really and truly listening, and then you start moving again", I told him that was because I stopped focusing on holding still, and focused on my partner (just say focus with a Germanic accent one time, it'll make you laugh). I was going to ask for advice on how to just hold still without thinking about it, but then I thought back to the book Mastery by George Leonard, and had my answer. There is no short cut to mastering a skill, people who look for them are not on the path to mastery. The solution is to just keep practicing it, do the same practice hundreds of thousands of times, and then do it another hundred thousand times. Eventually you will no longer think about it. That is my solution.

Back to the first part of my Blog, after we all perform our scenes, we then get to watch them on the television. It was in this review that Brian said something that just made all my "directing" frustrations clear up. I don't remember exactly what he said, but it made me realize that Actors don't direct, Directors do. What this means is that no matter how well meaning and good intentioned a piece of advice is, actors do not give advice or criticism to other actors. It's not our place, we are not the director. What always bothered me was what you were supposed to do when someone asked for your advice, and what finally clicked is that we shouldn't be asking other actors for advice and feedback, we need to ask the... DIRECTOR! Thus it is not rude to say: It is not my place to give advice, if you truly want feedback, ask the Director.

November

Is it just me, or does it seem like November just flew by? It really does seem like this month didn't really happen. Of course I've been really busy, yet it seems like I never have anything to do, but I always have somewhere I need to be. What an odd sensation for an entire month.

Anyway, acting classes have continued apace, and I am still really enjoying them. Last week we performed the pieces that we had cold read the week prior. This time through, my scene is with a talented lady named Monica, and it has been a pleasure getting to perform with her. Last week I had a first when it came to a "rehearsal" type performance (it was performed for the class, but not for an audience). For the first time ever, I completely forgot everything that was happening outside of our scene. My world narrowed to Monica and myself. I forgot the cameras that were right on us, the dozen or so classmates, and our director/ instructor Brian. I wasn't worried about getting my lines right, or even if I was portraying the character correctly. I didn't care if the director was taking notes, and I didn't try to decipher every little sound and reaction from the "audience". In fact, I didn't even notice if Brian, who was sitting four feet away, took notes on our scene at all! What made me happier was that Monica said the same thing, so it made me feel like our characters had a true connection, which is good because our characters are in lust! Next week we will do it again, only this time we have to "change it up", we have to find something to do different...hmmm the challenge.

Let's see, what else...oh, I updated my Resume, check that out over in the right side column. I also have to decide if I am going to do the next set of courses. The problem is that I have to purchase a car, and don't know if the expense of the classes is justifiable when I need a car. Right now I've been getting around because my sister Traci is a truly wonderful person, and has been letting me borrow her Neon, but as soon as it starts snowing she needs it back (she has a mustang that doesn't do so well in the snow). There is my dilemma, to take classes or to not take classes, that is the new question.

Oh, and always a shameless self promotion, if you get the chance, check out some of the Fitness and Exercise blog posts I've been doing for www.selfgrowthengine.com!

Started Classes!

Last night I returned to the CAS classroom to once again start taking classes! It was Commercial night! I had to do 2 Burger King commercials, and let me tell you, they’re harder than you think. One was a simple one liner, and it’s hard to not be robotic for a simple one line pitch. I came to the realization that I’m really good at doing something, and then doing the exact same thing over and over again. It’s not really a bad thing, but it can be hard when you’re expected to make each shoot a little different, and then on top of it all, to not think about it and just do it. One way or the other, it felt good to get back into the classroom again.

Oh, and before I forget, so you can see the new look, here’s head shot of the new do!

(no I wasn't supposed to smile, it was for a Modeling Gig!)

One thing that really stuck with me from last night was from the gift one of the other students gave to our teacher Brian Cutler. Apparently one of Brian’s favorite sayings is a quote from Laurence Olivier said to Dustin Hoffman (and apparently, after a Google search, from a lot of other people to other actors too!):

“Don’t act. Just be.”

What's In a Name

I need everyone's help! In my last class of my first 4 class series, my instructors Jill and Brian talked with me about head shots, resume, and the things I need to start looking at to attract an agent. One of the things I had not yet considered is how I am going to Brand myself, in other words, what name am I going to use. I would love nothing more than to be known as Mike Davis, it's me, it's who I am, but I'm not alone. There are over 15,000 Mike Davis in the United States, about 2,500 of them have the middle name Robert. Even worse, there are hundreds of them listed in IMDB for acting and acting related careers. What does this mean, it means branding myself as Mike Davis is a BAD IDEA! So here is my challenge, what name do I want to go by? Do I want something similar to my real name, or do I want to create a whole new identity? I've also thought of using versions of my Ancestry names: Jones, Hancock, Strauss, Lowery.
This is where I need your help! I need ideas and votes. Below is a list of names that have been suggested, one of them is the name I'm leaning towards, but I'm not telling you which one it is. Currently the only way I can get this is if you respond in a comment below, so PLEASE leave your vote. If you don't like any of these, vote for other, and leave a suggestion so others can see it! Please leave any feedback you wish to share.

Names:

1. Jonsi Michels
2. Davis Hancock
3. Laurence 'Laurie' Michels
4. Mike Davesse
5. Davis Michels
6. Other ___________
   

Acting Needs: Head Shots

(The One that gets Sent Out)

Thanks to the amazingly talented Adam, I now have some head shots to share! If you will glance over to the right side of your screen, you should see a sideshow of some of the best pictures. Also, a new addition over to your right and down a little, you will see a teaser for the The Beast Who Cried "I", a short animated film done by non other than the same amazingly talented Adam, with voice over work by Yours Truly, and music by the lovely Nolan! (Warning to Marmee: don't view the full screen version)

So now that these steps are completed my next step is to get some of these wonderful head shots printed off with a copy of my Resume on the back and start mailing myself out! Hopefully, now that I have all the necessary ingredients, I might be able to attract an Agent (insert dramatic dahnt dahnt daaaaa music here)! I wonder, do they make a pheromone that will help with that...? Anyway, I'm just happy that I am making progress, here's to the hope of continuing to do so!

One last thing, and this is just a shameless self promotion, don't forget to purchase your tickets to this years Phantom's Feaste: Frankenstein's Creation, where I'm performing as Igor, the doctors Lab Assistant. So get your seats reserved now by clicking HERE!

Acting Needs: Training

Last night I attended my very first Film Acting class! Thanks to Bailee and KCStage I found a great little training studio just up the street from where I live. It’s Brian Cutler’s Commercial Actors Studio, and the main instructor is none other than Brian Cutler. The class set-up is done so that all the levels are in the same class together, just working on varying degrees of difficulty. Every time you take the class, you move up to more difficult levels, and new students join in and get to learn not only from the instructors, but from the more experienced students as well. Last night was the first night of a 4 week On-Camera Class, and we started with Commercials. So the two other new students and myself got to watch the dozen other actors perform what they had been working on (oh, almost forgot, they film it all with lights and sound so you get a feel for the camera), and then received a little extra instruction about marks, slating, and things to keep in mind before we did our own one-line commercial. We were then given notes, and got to try a couple more times. Before the night was over everyone had a couple more commercials to shoot, and us first timers had some larger ones, and a partner one as well. After everyone presented what they had been working on, we then got to watch and critique all the shoots we just did. During all of this Brian and Jill (who was running the camera) were giving constant feedback, and would take the time to talk about auditions and agents, even what to and not to wear to a Film audition (guess what color is most suggested to wear…blue! Blah!). The great part was the other people in the class, everyone is very welcoming, supportive and encouraging.
I realized that I have a lot to learn. While yes my experience in theatre will help me, I've always been winging it when it comes to camera work. There are some very little things that I could do to be better. For example, I need to work on keeping the action and energy of a scene going until the director says cut. I usually would freeze when the scripted action was done, I did this because I didn't know what else to do. What I was doing was making the directors job more difficult by giving them less to work with. The second major thing is that I keep shifting my eyes away from the camera. I've become so used to being told not to look at cameras (photo, not video) that I've adapted it to film as well.
Next weeks class will be cold reading of scripts! The format will be very similar to the commercial class, I can't wait!

Fitness Update: The End Date!

Well today was the last day of my 40 day challenge to lose 20lbs by September. I weighed in after my workout today at 12:30pm, and the results are:

Pounds Lost: 18

Well I fell 2lbs short of my 20lb goal, in my opinion, not bad at all! I started at 178lbs and I weighed in at 160lbs today. I feel very good about this, and don’t worry, I’m not going to just go off my new routine. I’m still going to keep up with my running, I really do like it, and it has had the largest effect on my health and overall wellness. This little challenge was just the jump start, I still plan on losing that last 2lbs, if not a little more, not to mention that I’m still only able to do 53 pushups without fail, and my goal for that is 100!

And as a side note, I’ll be getting some good headshots posted on here pretty soon. Adam Burisch came by yesterday, and did a short shoot with me at the Liberty Memorial, and he wants to do more (You’re the best Adam!).

Next Steps

Well now that I’ve got this going, and finding things to post about on a regular basis, I also see that I’m going to need to use this as a reminder to myself of the things I need to be doing.

To actually become a professional actor I really need to make myself known to the acting world. From what I can tell I need the following things:

-Well rounded Resume detailing experience and skills

-Awesome Head Shots

-Really well connected Agent

-Training/ Experience

-A little bit of Luck (a whole lot wouldn’t hurt either)

I’m sure there are about a hundred other things that I’m not thinking of, but these seem to be the major ones. So let’s go through these.

First off: A well rounded resume. Well I have a resume, I’m not sure if it is well rounded, but it does detail all the work I’ve been doing, and the things that go along with it. I list the work I’ve done on stage, at festival, and on film. I need to add the details for the commercials and the voice over work that I have done as well.

Second: Awesome head shots. I don’t have these. I haven’t been able to pay for them (they’re expensive). However, a friend did offer to do some for me, I just need to be able to meet up with her. There are other photographers I like as well. Cody had his done by an artist who was simply amazing, he really captured Cody’s best sides. I’ve been using pictures that people have managed to get of me, and most of those involve my mouth hanging open due to the fact that I never shut-up. This is unprofessional, and probably weighs heavily against me.

Third: A really well connected Agent. This has been one of my biggest dilemmas. I don’t know how to get an Agent, or even how to contact one. I’ve always just dreamt that one day after a performance some person would walk up to me and say “Mike Davis, I want to sign you on with my Agency!”, but I don’t think this happens anymore. I know it used to, but now actors are a dime a dozen, and agents don’t have to go hunting for talent.

Forth: Training and Experience. I do not have any formal training. I never took acting/ vocal/ dance classes, I never really knew I wanted to be an actor until after I dropped out of college! All I have is experience. While my friends say this is the best kind of training, it’s also the hardest and slowest. And the real trouble is that most directors don’t have the time to give an untrained actor the instruction they need. Luckily I’ve managed to land some Lead roles, and a couple of my directors have taken the time to coach me and help me along.

Fifth: A little bit of Luck. Well there is just no way to control this one. I carry around a Four Leaf Clover, that has been laminated, with me in my wallet. It’s with me everywhere I go. Aside from wearing horseshoes and de-footing rabbits, I don’t know how to attract the luck I’m needing (maybe I need to attach the horseshoes to the detached rabbit feet…). Some would say you create your own luck, and that is kind of what I’m hoping having this blog will do.

So there you have it. My next two steps to actually move forward with my own self growth are to get some really great Head Shots, and start contacting Agents. Wish me luck!