I got a part in that Austin Film Festival competition trailer I mentioned yesterday!

I'm doing a Supporting and VO, so this should be a pretty fun piece.

Suh-weet ...

I just auditioned for an Austin Film Festival competition trailer for the folks at KLG/Jade, and I am excited about it.

This is one of those deals that I'm bummed I can't talk about. Not that I'm sworn to secrecy or anything, but I feel like this project is unique enough on the creative and technical fronts that I don't want to be the one who let's the cat out of the bag.

Be watching the fine folks at KLG/Jade, though -- they've got something pretty fun in the works.

Hopefully, I'm in it.

I was in San Francisco again this week, but unlike last time, this time it was a mix of toy job and Biz. And the whole thing ended up being a mini/lite version of a Biz film production.

I was asked by my BigHugeCorp to do a non-broadcast industrial, with the understanding that it'd be "your project".

I was told to hire a crew, write a script, do the editing, and "git 'er done!"

After having written the script and solicited local crew, BigHugeCorp let me know they'd be hiring the crew, sent me a script they'd written, and told me it was still my job to "git 'er done!"

I actually thrive on adversity (what successful actor doesn't?), so I negotiated a bunch of the stuff in the corporate script as optional, filled in the gaps with stuff from my script, added transitions to make it all flow, and fully storyboarded the thing out.

During actual filming, OneWhoHasSomePower freaked out from Cali because she wasn't onsite to see what I was doing, and because she didn't have the background to make the leap from text script to conceptual vision (fair enough, though the reaction was unequivocally out of whack). Which meant I had to shoot a bunch of scenes twice, in case she nixed my ideas.

Which meant also I had to spend a whole Saturday with her when she got back into town, walking through all of the rough-cut footage, to end up at the end of the day with my original plan, with a two-day delay (Friday FedEx would have gotten to SF; Sat. FedEx arrives on Monday).

Editing was also out my hands, since all post was being done out of the Bay Area. All I could do was ship the beta tapes, storyboard, and annotated shot log, and hope for the best.

So, how did it all turn out? The video wasn't what I hoped it would be (the
editing job was lower caliber than I expected). But it didn't matter.

The crowd loved it.

Coupled with my brief emcee stint (my secret to being comfortable on stage? I don't care if I'm liked), the video had a couple of execs laughing so hard (in a good way) they were almost crying.

It probably helped that the video had a talking jackalope (voiced by me).

And now when I get the original footage back, I can edit stuff for the "directors cut".

Like I said, the whole thing ended up being a mini/lite version of a Biz film production.

Video will be up (hopefully) soon.

I saw the new Hayao Miyazaki film, Howl's Moving Castle, today.

Uh. Wow.

This is an absolutely beautiful fairy tale film, and Miyazaki crafts a gorgeous and complex, but still very accessible fantasy film that's a brilliant new take on the Wizard of Oz. He has a lot to say and show in his films, but they never feel burdensome. Listen to what he has to say about getting old, loneliness, and arrogance.

Pixar has been tapped to do the English dub, which includes an all-star cast (Lauren Bacall, Christian Bale, Billy Crystal, hardworking VO actor Crispin Freeman, etc.).

Hey, these actors get to do a Miyazaki and a Pixar film in one shot! Do they realize how lucky they are?

Anyway, see the film. See all of Miyazaki's films. They're incredible, and incredibly rewarding.

Updates to my website!

I updated my HTML resume (PDF to follow) with my For Sale by Owner (Chheda Films LLC) VO credit, and streamlined my film credits (yeah, sexy, I know).

I also cleaned up my VO demos page to better separate my demos from my clips.

The coolest thing I did, though, is finally get my Video page up and running and added to the menu!

Right now, I've got a clip from my Texas Association of Builders non-broadcast industrial, but I plan to have clips up shortly for films Don't Know Why and Suicide: A Love Story, my Marvel Ultimates VO audition, and a recently nixed VO session for ... uh ... a jackalope.

I had a great audition for a SAG national commercial for Chevy yesterday, which would be absolutely suh-weet to book!

The best part? I was auditioning as a fly fisherman, so I was there in a nice casting shirt, vest, and had my incomparable Sage fly rod in hand and at the ready.

Since I'm a lifetime fly fisherman (roughly a quarter decade and counting), it'd be a shame if my authenticity in the role didn't land me this part. How cool would it be to do two things I love (and I'm good at) -- acting and fly fishing -- and get paid for it?

The audition was at CastingWorks LA (I really like auditioning there, because I know exactly what's expected).

We'll see what shakes out, but man it would rock to get this one ...

Hey, I'm in the Biz Directory!

I've got about ten pages of articles/interviews in the back of the book, covering Email, Web sites, mobile phones, gadgets, and software useful for the working actor.

No, I don't get any kickbacks for hyping The Biz Directory. But I can't imagine being a part of the Biz and headquartered in Austin, and not having this book. That would be kind of like eating a pint of butter pecan ice cream without a utensil -- Yeah, you can do it, but you won't be as efficient at it as you could be, won't be as presentable afterwards, and the whole experience winds up being less satisfying than what could have been.

Right, so we've established metaphors (outside of screenplay) aren't my forte.

Whatever.

Buy the Biz Directory.