Attention All Earthlings...

Hello everyone! And by "everyone", yes, I do mean everyone on the entire face of the earth. And beyond, for that matter. I mean, no reason people in airplanes or in space should be left out of my greeting! Think of how that would make you feel... "Here I am, on the Int'l Space Station, risking life and limb for science, and I get callously passed over by Dave in his latest blog intro. Man, mom was right, I should have learned to drive a bigrig instead."



Uh... maybe not....

So, the year progresses nicely... fall is, uh... falling around me, which is nice. Love hoodie weather, as I've said before. Have my usual collection of little things to do for people, and a few big things, including the Christmas play. Still slowly collecting more items of entertainment (books and games, mostly), and waiting for my agent to start sending me on some commercial auditions....

"My agent"... gads, how limp does that sound? lol. I should start wearing a beret and a scarf, and drinking coffees that I can't pronounce... "ah, yes, well let me check with my agent first... *ssssip*... ahhh... Cafe Snuffleuppagus.... warms my heart..." Well, so be it.

I've begun the process of immersing myself in Russian. Learning to read the Cyrillic Alphabet first, so I'll be able to read the language... I'll work on my vocabulary and pronunciation next. I have a couple months - should be plenty of time. Can't wait to see how it all plays out. I'm already obsessing over character development, and I haven't even seen the first script yet. So chances are, I'll develop a character different than the one the project will require, and have to chuck it and start over. But I can't seem to help it... chew chew chew...

Dark Starry (K)night, by Van Gogh

November is here... I briefly contemplated signing up for NaNoWriMo and trying to convince myself I could get a big 50,000-word chunk of my Fantasy Novel done... I don't know who I'd be kidding, but it wouldn't be me... don't get me wrong, I'd love to do it... but my plate is full, and, as Logen Nine-Fingers says, you need to be realistic... Books, screenplays and blog posts lie scattered around me, unfinished, giving me puppy-dog eyes... "Feed me! Pet me! Love me!" I'm only one man! One man in a beret and a scarf!

So I read a terrific sci-fi book of late, called Year Zero, by author Rob Reid. It was so much fun to read, I enjoyed every page. Not sure how to summarize it without spoiling the fun... but a mid-level lawyer at a NY firm that deals with copyright and patent cases is confronted by aliens who want desperately to obtain the rights to rebroadcast all human music to outer space... if they can't, earth will likely end up being destroyed, since it turns out, due to the draconian anti-piracy laws and fines we have, the rest of the universe owes Earth all the money that has ever existed... since the universe loves our music so much, every creature has a copy of every song ever recorded... oops... one way out of bankruptcy is to destroy the earth, thus negating the fines...

That lays the simple groundwork for the tale of one man trying to save the world... it is so funny and witty and absurd, it really defies description. You really need to read this if you like sci-fi and humor at all. Any fans of Douglas Adams will be right at home in this tale. You can get it for a cool 99 cents on Amazon as I write this. Snap it up, read it. You'll love it, I'm sure. (5 stars out of 5)

Here's a cool fan-made short in the Half-Life 2 universe... even if you're not familiar with the game, check this out. It's only a few minutes long...



Nice effects. I hope the project I'm involved in is at least this level of production quality (even higher would be awesome)...

I think that's it for now. When I scrounge up more to talk about, I'll see you again.

Adios for now,

Dave the Pretentious Artsy-fartsy Dweeb

One Last Update on the Acting Thing...

OK, one last update on all things acting, and then I'll get back to business as usual, I promise!

As I mentioned in the previous post, I went to my first real audition on Saturday, for a sci-fi web series that will be filming locally starting January. Well they called me back in the next day (yesterday as I write this) to read scenes again, this time in a setting more like the way the scene will be when it's filmed, with lighting, props, multiple cameras, slating, audio, etc. The lines were memorized by this time, and I played the scene with only one other actor this time. We spent maybe 45 minutes beforehand rehearsing and getting to know each other a bit better. We hit it off really well.

Anyway, after we filmed the scene from several angles, etc., a number of times, we went outside and the director and a couple other members of the crew talked with us, together and individually. I think we did the scene well enough, but I felt it was still pretty rough. I suppose that's to be expected. Still, I felt oddly apologetic. But by the end of the conversation, the director decided to give the roles to the both of us... I got my first gig! It's a substantial role, too.

My character, as I said previously, is Russian. He will have lines in Russian as well as lines in English with the accent. Challenge accepted. You know, I'm not really nervous about that... at least, as nervous as my head thinks I should be. Not only will I need to act well, but I'll need to do the accent in a pitch that matches my appearance... I have to speak the accent so well that it looks and sounds like it's my normal voice... and I need to speak the Russian lines well enough to please the Russian producer, lol... plus, if I understand correctly, I need to handle firearms, and possibly be involved in fight scenes, etc lol.. oh, and my character is a smoker... not sure how I'm going to fake that, short of learning to smoke for the role.... I've never smoked a thing in my life...

And the braces... they may actually write that into the character somehow, so that my character has braces in the story... it's that or try to hide them, or pretend they aren't there...

All that to say, I should be nervous, a role of this magnitude, with so many facets, for my first real gig. But I'm not. In fact, my confidence is pegged. I know I can do this. My fear is that my perfectionism will drive me (and others) batty. I want to absolutely kill this role... kill it! I want it to be so good, it hurts. I want the whole project to be awesome. But I just know I'm going to obsess over the role... I already plan on taking every line of my dialog, having it translated (properly) into Russian, and then memorize my lines all in Russian... and then translating them back into the English versions for when the accented English lines are said... I want every line to come to me in Russian first, and then translate them into English as I say them, like anyone with English as a second language would... I don't have time to actually learn Russian before January... but I'm going to learn the heck out of the lines I do have...

That's just the beginning... I have other ideas on how to tweak and massage both the voice and the character until it seems natural. The last thing I want to do is give a performance that seems like an American dude pretending to be a Russian dude... immersion time, DDL-style...

Or maybe this is all just the typical panic-driven machinations all actors go through in the immediate aftermath of getting a part... and I'll mellow out and just roll with it. I just feel compelled to do this well. I mean, really well. Bad acting really galls me... I don't want to give a crappy performance and have it gall me every time I watch it...

All that having been said, I am SUPER excited, and fairly blown away by how fast this is all unfolding.

The next step is to wait to be contacted in a few weeks, presumably with the scripts and further instructions... I'll try to keep mum on it in the interim - I'm sure you're all sick of hearing about all this acting nonsense. I can't really help it... it's filling my vision at the moment, so it's all I want to talk about.

Thank you for your patience... I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming...

Dave the Surprisingly Confident

In Which I Ramble About Agents and Auditions

OK, stop me if you've heard this one before...

Wait! I haven't even said anything yet! Why are you stopping me already?

Oh, right... I'm into blog recycling... I forgot...

Soooo, here's the latest... prepare to be bombarded with text...

Yes, I got "the call" from the Agency I showcased for a few weeks back, and I went in this past Friday (10/18) for "the meeting", which went well (I believe). I mean, I left the meeting with the necessary forms to fill out to begin our business partnership. I met with Frank (a principal partner), did my monologue for him, and apparently passed muster, so I'm in like Flynn. SUPER stoked, of course. It's like a dream, really. So now, after an initial post-signing lull (typical for newbies to begin with, but also apparently heading into the holiday season brings a lull of its own too), I'll start receiving audition opportunities for local commercials and an occasional film (Indy, or larger). San Diego is a "non-union" production town, though I'm still a little fuzzy on the implications of all of that "union/non-union" stuff.

Bottom line for me is that I'm ready to try anything.

Ironically enough, I actually went to an audition today. This was very cool...

Let me back up a moment...

So before class last Thursday (10/17, the day before "the meeting" with the agency (this project is not related to the agency)), a classmate of mine introduced me to a friend of his who is involved in a local production, which is looking to cast a character in his early forties, with a Russian accent. He asked if I could do the accent, I said yes, so that's why he introduced us. I did the accent for her (just improvised some stuff), and she took my contact info down. She sent me the lines, and gave me an audition time, and I went today...

I was supposed to have a monologue ready, preferably in the accent. At first, I wondered if I should just pick one I already had memorized and try to apply the accent to it (since I had one day to prepare - sound familiar? lol), but then I remembered a play I'd written in about 2000, and in it was a monologue written for a Russian character! Coincidence? Most definitely. I'd never performed it (or any of the play) before, so I tracked it down, pulled a 5 minute section out of it, cleaned it up a bit, and memorized that bad boy...

A quick side note. The piece is pretty heavy. When I had it memorized Friday night, and performed it for my wife in a practice run (to see what she thought of the accent) I was amazed at how it impacted me. I literally wept afterwards for several minutes, unable to control it. It was really odd - I'd never had that happen before. It scared me, actually. Literally, I couldn't stop. I worried that if I performed it today at the audition, and started crying like that, it would be bad, you know?

Anyway, I also studied the lines for the scene. Chest in a worry-knot, I drifted off to sleep in the wee hours, with accents and lines and concerns coursing through my brainpan.

Went to the audition this morning - turns out it's a sci-fi web series! And it's a legit production, too. Not just a group of people with a camera and a few scrounged neighbors trying to act. These guys have their act together. I was very impressed. So, there were maybe 8 people there from the production - director, writer, producers, various tech people, with the gear all set up. I watched another actor do his monologue (which they filmed), and he was great. An actor was there who was reading for another role as well (the scene I was reading for had two characters in it). All in all, my nerves were calm - it was a cool setting, the people were great, the vibe was casual and mellow, yet professional. These guys want to create something strong and special. I think they're on to something.

So I sat in front of the camera, did my 5 minute monologue, which they filmed. I think I did well enough. I only dropped a pair of lines, which didn't matter much, and I think the accent was consistent, if not wholly authentic (in spite of my best efforts). Then afterwards, they asked me some questions, which I answered, also filmed. Finally, we went to the scenes, which were filmed as well. We read the lines together, rotating out the actors at intervals. It was a little tricky, since the scene actually had more physical action than dialog, which was hard to portray sitting in chairs, holding the scripts. We were supposed to be doing things (namely, sitting at a diner table, eating, drinking coffee, then walking outside, etc) that will definitely add to the dialog when the whole thing is put together. I trust they saw enough of what they needed to to make a good judgement call.

Sorry, I'm rambling.

Bottom line, I think I did well on the monologue, and kinda spotty on the scene reading. I'll definitely need to work on technique in both cases. I'm worried that the braces will be a deal breaker. I'm going to talk to my orthodontist about the possibility of other options, as far as corrective dental work, to finish out the last year. I would love to be involved in this project in some capacity. The plan is that there will be eight web episodes filmed (1 to 2 per month), and then hopefully a feature film, if the web series proves popular enough (views = investor $$$ for movie)

If I get a part, or get called back for more scene reading, I'll let you all know.

A funny post-script. As I left, I thought my car got towed. It was in the 1 hour parking, and I was there for two and a half hours. At one point toward the end, when I thought about it, I ducked out to check on my car, and it wasn't where I thought I'd left it. I was so bummed, but I put it out of my head, went back, finished the scene work, etc., then when I was done, asked about what the procedure was for dealing with a towed vehicle. We went to the office, got the number for the towing company, and as I strolled back to where my car should have been, realized I was mistaken, and it was right there. I mean, right where it was supposed to be. I honestly have no idea what happened. Total "space cadet" moment. I felt like such an idiot. I went back in and told them all was well, sorry for the trouble, and drove away, tail between my hind legs...

All in all, a surreal, wonderful day. I got to experience my first legitimate audition, and survived it... better than survived it, I think I did pretty well. At least, well enough to actually be considered, whether I end up with a part or not. I had a great time, either way.

All that to say, it's been a great day (notwithstanding the towing mix-up, lol), and actually, it's been quite a week. Things are moving so swiftly! And now, I'm swiftly off to bed.

Adios for now,

Dave the Incessant Rambler

EDIT: Breaking news! I went back again today (Sunday 10/20) and did an additional reading. I got the part. We start filming in January... whoa... O_O!!!!

And Now, A Quick Transition!

Hello again... unless you're a first timer.... if so, to you I say... what took you so long?!?!?

Well, today was the day... I got the call from the agency today... I'm meeting with them this Friday to discuss the possibility of representation. I am at once giddy with excitement and a bit unnerved. I need to have a monologue ready - something film/TV appropriate, he said. I'll probably go with the Dead Poet's Society piece again, though I'm going to prepare a few... dust off a couple old ones. Also, practice my accents and character voices, in case the topic of voice work comes up...

Man, a lot of time between now and Friday to get nice and nervous, lol...

That's really the main reason I hopped on here tonight... I feel like I'm running out of things to say in my old age! I mean, I'm more than half-way to 80! No wonder I'm so tired! Well, that and staying up til 2am just about every night...

I did watch a great movie tonight, called Chronicle. It's a "found footage" type movie (like Cloverfield, in a way), and was really well done. Sort of a superheroism-in-real-life study, where three high school guys (a popular jock, a stand-offish intellectual, and a bullied nerd) each stumble upon something that changes them, giving them telekinesis. It's interesting to see how it changes each of them. It's very cool, if you ever happen upon it and want something fun to watch. Very creative.

A quick musical interlude, eh....



Here's another cool video I've seen lately...



Let's see... what else? Nothing else! I'm off to bed.

Squish me luck,

Dave the Transitioning...

Welcome All Drifters and Bindlestiffs!

Well, hello there! I've been sitting here in front of my webcam, waiting patiently for you to arrive! WAIT! No, don't browse away! It isn't creepy... it's just sad, that's all!

Look, all I'm saying is that it's nice to see you again... now, get comfy, settle in and get ready for all the cool Daveness I have planned for you tonight.

First, here, watch this high-res slow-motion video of a cheetah running... you know the routine.... hit play, then change the res to 720, and watch full screen... go ahead, I'll wait...



There, that set's things in motion nicely (and slowly), eh?

So, what next?

Still haven't received "the call" from the acting agency yet. Wasn't sure what to make of that. Went to acting class last night and the instructor said "two people were called right away, but four more actors are "on deck" to receive a call when the agent gets back in town." So there's that about it. When someone asked our acting coach if he knew who the four were, he said yes, but wasn't going to spill the news "since one or more of them may be sitting in this room right now, and I don't want to spoil the joy of getting the call themselves."

So, yeah, I'm trying not to think about it, but honestly, I wish it would resolve itself one way or the other.

But on a positive note, I've purchased a digital copy of Shakespeare's "Hamlet"! So I can start learning it by heart straight from the text (as opposed to trying to remember it from the movie). Why is that important? Well, from what I understand, all serious actors at some point decide they want to play Hamlet... so I'm just getting it going now... since I'm old and have to make up for lost time!

Even though I'm mocking myself a bit here, actually, I have always loved Hamlet -- the Gibson/Zeffirelli Hamlet is one of my favorite movies of all time. I always enjoy watching Mel attack the role with such verve. It's hard to read the scenes aloud without immediately mimicking the way Mel did it. And as a newbie actor, I am supposed to have a "classic" monologue at the ready. I have one from the play Oedipus Rex (by Sophocles) which I enjoy, but I thought I'd learn a monologue or two from Hamlet as well... I don't mean the more famous monologues ("to be or not to be", "what a piece of work is man", yadda yadda), but maybe a couple of the more obscure ones. There's so much great material to choose from in the play, it will be fun trying to narrow it down.

Well, "fun" for me and other oddballs like me, I suppose...

Other than Hamlet, I'm currently reading a sci-fi book by an authoress named Sarah Zettel called "Fool's War"... which I believe came with the Humble Bundle that I bought back in July (comprised of a bunch of books). The main characters are Muslim females who captain a space ship, complete with hijab and daily prayers... I have never put space travel and Islam together in my brain before -- it's jarring, but fascinating... cool story thus far.

I told my friend Rebecca I'd read The Red Knight next, but I didn't pull the trigger on the purchase yet... sorry Rebecca... I like the new additions to my library to come in under $5 if at all possible... The Red Knight is still $9...

What? You want another cool National Geographic video clip? Fair enough, how about this clip of a massive gathering of devil rays?



That.... is pretty dang cool...

So I finally did it. I went to a Dungeons & Dragons group and actually played with the group. I wasn't just an observer anymore. I am officially One of Them! The first time I sat in on a D&D group (to observe) was a few months back, at a game store in Poway - but that was a different group -- and a glorious group of nerds they were. But now, my new co-worker (Ian) is a gamer and has a role playing group he plays with every week... so it's a different group, but trust me, they are an equally glorious group of nerds.

Ian helped me craft a character (a satirical rogue, lol), and the Game Master skillfully wove my character into the story. That's what's so cool about the whole exercise... it's like one big improv exercise. So it's all acting training for me! Well, that's how I'm looking at it. The GM has a story prepared to tell, and we players each role play a character in that tale, dealing with the situations as the GM throws them at us. And we act our characters out, what they say and do, how they interact with each other, etc. There's a lot of banter and humor, and some serious situations as well... and, of course, battle.

Now that I've actually participated, my opinion of role playing games has changed for the better. When I was growing up, I dismissed D&D out of hand as "evil", because that's what I was taught at the church youth group I went to during high school. I never even looked into it; I just took the youth pastor's word for it. If they'd told me the truth about it -- that it was just interactive story-telling, with heroes that save the day from baddies -- I would have been playing it all these years, I'm sure.

There's a lesson about lemmings in there somewhere...

I think that's that for tonight. Thanks for dropping by.

Adios for now,

Dave the Gump

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie! You Can't Expect Honesty From Them All the Time!

Ahh!!! That slight chilly edge to the evening air wafting in through the open window in my office... I love it. It means two things to me... first, it's almost Hoodie Season. Man, I love sleeping in a  hoodie... hood up, drawstrings close around my face, keeping the back of my neck nice and warm throughout the night... I hate waking up in the middle of the night with a cold neck... *shiver*...

Second, for some reason, a chill in the air makes me want to write. It's good writing weather, I say! Makes me want to unpack my fantasy novel and move Vye, Abbie, Yanni, Shannon and the rest of them through a few more steps of their awesome (IMHO) adventure... of course, I'm going to kill them all off at the end anyway! MUAHAHAHAHAH!!!

Oops... guess I should have added a spoiler alert...

And now, a little Demetri Martin...



So I went to acting class Thursday night... the first class since the Agent Showcase last weekend. I hadn't received "a call" from the agency, so I was prepared to shrug shoulders and move on, keep learning, try again next time, etc. But no one in the class was called, and someone with knowledge about such things said that they normally wait a week or two before making calls (if any) for... um... because... well, he said there was a reason, but for the life of me, I can't remember what the reason was... or even think of a logical reason... anyway, apparently they wait. So the chance is still there!

And, well, I hate to jinx things, but after class on Thursday, the instructor told me (in so many words) not to be surprised if I get a call from them soon... she talked with them (being represented by them herself) and said they spoke highly of me specifically... now I'm all excited again, lol... I came to class ready to move forward, but now it seems it's still on the table... it's hard to keep a clear head about it all.

Obviously, I'd love to get "the call" and sign up with them and start going out to auditions, etc... but of course, being a new, huge step into the unknown for me, there's also a part of me that wants to chicken out... it's the same old back-and-forth that has always plagued me. Fortunately, the far larger part of me wants to grab any opportunity and run forward with it -- it's not like a 50/50 split... still, that doubt lingers. So, being of a spiritual bent, I've taken the advice of a mentor of mine, and have been talking to God about it all, repenting for all the reasons I want to succeed as an actor, and also repenting for all the reasons I want to opt out. Having all bases covered like that is liberating... I think the simple act of just being honest about everything with God is liberating in and of itself. You may or may not believe in God, that's your call... but I like the idea of a Creator I can talk to, who has all the details already, and with whom I can just have open conversations, without feeling like I have to give a lot of backstory first to set up the discussion.

All that to say, I could be reporting some good news in the next blog post or two... if not, I'd like to think I'm ok with it either way.

Wish I had a doggie...

So I finished reading Emperor of Thorns, Mark Lawrence's latest book, the concluding volume to his Broken Empire series. For those with a memory for such things, you may recall me talking very glowingly about volume one [Prince of Thorns]... and you likely don't remember me saying much about volume two [King of Thorns], which you may interpret as a negative... it wasn't a negative, really. The second volume was good, but in no way did it sink its hooks into me like the first volume did. A step down, but still a worthwhile read. What threatened to sink the second volume for me was the fact that it told two concurrent tales, each about five years apart... I got tired of bouncing back and forth in time as both tales moved forward, converging at the end...

Now, Emperor of Thorns is a strange title to pin down... first, I really liked it. I mean, 5 Star loved. I'd rate it right up there with volume one... funny thing is, it also did the "two storylines, five years apart, marching forward to resolve as one climax" sort of construction. However, it didn't bother me this time around like it did in Vol 2. Maybe I was prepared for it, maybe Lawrence just did it better this time, who knows. Whatever the reason, I was able to deal with it just fine this time... it may be because this third volume had a ridiculous amount of killer scenes in it. I mean, scenes that would normally be reserved for the climax of lesser tales are featured liberally throughout the book. Great moments - the book equivalent of "set pieces" in a great epic movie. Wonderful surprises, great "aha" moments, jaw droppers... along with Lawrence's trademark wit and wordsmithery... he is simply a top notch writer. He has solidified his place in my Top 5, along with GRRM, Abercrombie, Sanderson and Pressfield... Greg Hamerton has dropped into the 6 slot... sorry, Greg... I'm sure you'll move back up once I re-read your Lifesong books again (soon)... Hey, Top 10 is still good, right!?

So, yeah, I highly recommend Lawrence, if you aren't the easily-offended type. Great characters, great worldbuilding, great dialog, memorable moments, and some wonderful surprises. Top notch story-telling. But it is gritty and bloody also. Your call.

Is that cat sleeping? Or just goofing around?

Well, I suppose I shall go grab a hoodie and go to sleep! I trust your weekend will be good one... unless you're reading this after the weekend, in which case I trust your weekend was a good one...

Adios for now,

Dave the Anticipator