HOLLYWOOD ACTOR PREP by Dana Kaminski

This Up In The Air Scene Wound Up On The Cutting Room Floor

It was in the script, filmed; and then completely edited out.

Please share with an actor that you know. Thanks much.

Best,
;~Dana

Are you a Method actor??

I am.

That’s right. I am.  That is my acting technique.

I’m proud of it, too.

I trained for years, worked my butt off.  Honed my skills.

Worked as an waitress, first, then a coatcheck…(With Bruce Willis & his brother,  um hm, that’s right)…

I lived in a tiny apartment on the Upper West Side of  NYC…(They lived in Hell’s Kitchen, then…)

Bruce Willis & Dana Kaminski on both of our first commercial booking.

…and all of my money went to my landlord, and to my acting class.

Every morning, just after waking, I did the Method Acting – Actor Studio’s patience-trying, acting exercises. Every day. 

As well as learning lines, and meeting with whoever was my “scene partner”, to put up scenes in class, as well.

I stayed in acting classes, even after I got a ton of voiceover work. (Then, my residuals paid my teachers for both acting class and private coaching for auditions…And, the teacher and coaches, were “Method”.)

Even when I was on “As The World Turns”, I continued to study.  Stretch-and-study. 

Dana Kaminski Marisa Tomei Irving Metzman "Soap Opera Digest"

Method Acting’s Morning Exercises Are T-e-d-i-o-u-s

As I began to get work, the value of that daily-acting-technique-stretching, those Method ‘Morning Exercises’… revealed themselves to be the treasure trove that guided my “acting ship”, at all times; in front of an audience, or camera, or both.

Especially, at critical times, like when I had a leg that wouldn’t stop shaking, on a movie set. Or, when I was working with a big star who was mad at the director; and we were shooting an intimate scene.  Or on a television show,when I got nightly scene changes**, at midnight, (ahh,that sliding sound…can still ‘hear it’) as the pages were slid under my hotel room door. Nightly. To be played, on camera, the next day.  When my call time, daily, was 6 AM.

Especially, I really appreciated them, was whenever any emotional work was called for.  Any kind.  Just to be able to command and release emotions, as needed.  

(That is when having an acting technique is essential.)

 

No, scratch that.

I appreciated them, and what I had developed from them, or rather, as a result of habitually doing those exercises over a long period of time Morning Exercises, all the time.  Really. I remember being gobstruck. When I discovered, how well those Morning Exercises and The Method worked; and how they translated into a solid acting technique…how they served to ’supply’ my acting. When working.

Even, when doing voiceovers.  ALL THE TIME, AS AN ACTOR.

Irving Metzman and Marisa Tomei were both close friends. This woman was my agent, Ellen Curran.

Somehow, I found some discipline…

Ahhh, yes, the Method Acting Morning Exercises, with…the sense-detail-sometimes-make-you-wanna-scream-because-they-were-so-specific-and-repetitive, kicked in, big time.  I hated them, hated-hated-hated doing them.  (Most of the time.)

But I did them anyway. And, while I did, for a long long time, I had no good results to inspire my continuing. (Other than knowing that Brando, Dean, Pacino, etc  had done them and look at their results..)

Why did I work on them?

Because I loved the work, I really really really loved acting.  Through and through.  And I wanted to immerse myself in it.

I wanted to be able to be great at it, and have it all be accessible, so I could handle whatever came at me: whatever was written in a script.

 ’Dana-Bana’ , ‘Bruno-Ninguno’

And, I loved the acting classes.  I loved being there, I loved the other people in them. Loved to discover others, that had the same blinding passion as me. I loved watching them do scenes, and many of them were really, really great.  

The work that went on in those classes was really really go-o-od. Solidly, mindblowingly good.

I couldn’t get enough of it.  And I couldn’t learn enough. 

That was the good news.  

The bad news was that the more I attempted, the more I encountered my own lack of ability. Everytime an actor does a scene in a class, they are up against limitations.  There’s a lot of work to do.  It’s a big reality-slam for dreamers.  

And, a supremely necessary one.

In every scene, there is so much that an actor must be able to do.  Every scene had it’s challenges, especially when I was a novice. For all of us novice actors, it was a harsh and humbling experience. 

It was my own individual limitations, that really motivated me.

Big secret: I’m kind of private. I was aware that I was never a big cryer. Even, privately. Never, publicly. (I even went to a summer camp, where, on the last day, it became a hysteria-fest. Uncontrollable sorrow, torrents of rain…Not me.  I was sad, but not crying…)

In my acting class, the girls would go onstage and cry on a dime.  That got my goat.

Especially, since I didn’t know I was funny yet, and anyway, ‘funny’ wasn’t serious-actor-enough, for me.  

(I had no idea, yet,  how hard being funny was, for most people.)

But I wanted to be Anna Magnani. 

(No. Not kidding.)

….To Be Continued In Another Hollywood Actor Prep Blog Post…

Directors, Producers, Actors, All The Crew Members…All The Professionals Know “The Rules of Movie Sets”…

In case you need catching up, see these past Hollywood Actor Prep Posts about film set ettiquette, and why it’s important, especially for actors.

• Hollywood Actor Prep Blog Post: The Best Way An Actor Can Act Around A Film Director
• Hollywood Actor Prep Blog Post: Professional Actor Christian Bale Film Set Meltdown, Why, With Dance Remix (; })
• Hollywood Actor Prep Blog Post: Movie-Set Meltdown–Audio Apology From Christian Bale

“It is a sacred time between action and cut.”–Darren Aranofsky

Over time, I will continue to talk about “the actor’s process“, and “directors-and-actors“; so this will come up again. 

I’ll just reprint this part of an article, from UPI, London…(Does it seem like I am saying: ‘I told you so!’??)

Film Director Darren Aronofsky

Speaking at Wednesday night’s London Film Critics’ Circle Awards, Aronofsky, who has never worked with Bale before, defended Bale in the wake of his well-publicized outburst.

“I think he was right. I don’t think he was out of line,” the BBC quoted Aronofsky as saying. “It is a sacred time between action and cut. If it was the first time it was excusable, but a second time, that ruins it.”

Aronofsky, whose movie “The Wrestler” was named film of the year at the Critics’ Circle Awards, added that he didn’t think the language Bale used had been “abusive beyond call,” noting he has seen worse behavior on film sets.

“Sets are very, very high-powered places where things go awry all the time and emotions are high. People are out there working really hard and exposing themselves, especially actors, and they need to be protected,” Aronofsky explained. “Although it’s never good to lose your temper that bad for obvious reasons, we don’t know what scene he was doing. He could have been doing a deeply, deeply intense emotional scene.”

 

Please share with your friends, especially those interested in acting, directing, producing…And post on your Facebook or MySpace.

Thanks for sharing, and please keep-on-keeping-on…tell everyone you know.  That would be great. The little widget that makes it easy is below, it says “SHARE/SAVE”.     That creates the energy that keeps me doing this…

And…

Keep Faith In Your Ability,

;-Dana

WARNING-NOT FOR THOSE UNDER 18

It  contains, what some consider, offensive language.  If you are under 18, don’t watch.  (This is a family-usable site!)

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Now … all my readers…ESPECIALLY ACTORS…

There are rules on a film set that everyone follows. For good reason.

I am not sure why the Director-of-Photography  was doing what he was, when he was; on the film set where Christian Bale had such a spectacular meltdown.  

Because, for anyone who has ever worked on a film, uh.  What the DP did is just not common, on-the-set, behavior.  As established, and carried out, on any movie or television set, that I’ve ever been.

….For  more  about common on-set rules and ettiquette, go to the following Hollywood Actor Prep post, The Best Way An Actor Can Act…(link)….

Now.  I know that Christian Bale’s rant is being passed around the globe; and everyone and their mama, is commenting, and judging.

I will only say that if you don’t know the rules and ettiquette that are followed on a film set, then it is good that you read this blog.

Because I have talked about it here, and will continue to post about it.

It’s very important, because these unspoken rules are followed by all professionals…

There are good reasons for the (unspoken) “film set rules”.

If you break them, it’s not bad  because you may cause a leading man to curse you out.

No.

The “rules of a film set” exist so that the movie can get made. Period.

And, so that everybody can do their job. And do it well.  Without  interference, distraction, or interruption.

Often, there’s a tremendous amount of pressure and stress on a movie set.

Expect, for example, long hours (sometimes 16 or 17 hour days)

• tight schedule
• technical glitches and problems 
• environmental problems
• re-shoots and mistakes
• health issues that interfere or compromise
• script changes
• budget problems
• unexpected, unexpected, unexpected (zillions of possibilities)

There’s stuff that the public can’t understand. And, you will only know about it, when you work and experience it. 

Sometimes, working on a film, is back-breaking-ly-hard.

For example, for scenes that are shot at night: the whole schedule gets suddenly changed.  Flipped. You may work that week, each and every night, from 5PM to 5AM. This happens when the prior week was all-day-shooting. With overtime.

Movie schedules, in general, are exhausting.  No matter what the budget.  There are often problems with “fitting everything in” to the time allotted.

You’ve heard the phrase: “Time is money”??   Well, time, on a film set, it costs a fortune.

…So, let’s just say that you are suddenly doing night shooting, after some time of  working a daytime schedule.  

(BTW, everyone on the set, is struggling through this flipped around schedule.)

And then, all together, you all…”go into overtime”.  (Yes, thanks to SAG, everyone gets paid more for the “overtime…but, that doesn’t help the strain, at the time)

As the hours go by, it gets more and more exhausting.
Now, you are working 17 hour nights, shooting until, past dawn…
And, perhaps, during the daytime, you have a hard time getting a full eight hours of sleep…

Maybe this night shoot is outdoors,  and it’s freezing cold.  But, in the scene, it’s not supposed to be…so there’s no jackets.
Or it’s really humid and hot, and the mosquitoes are biting at your ankle,  in the middle of your love scene.

Or your co-star may be drunk.  Or keeps changing the lines and, therefore, changing the scenes…

“Film Is Forever”***

This is one of the most important things I can share with you.

No matter how you feel or what is going on around you…

(…your personal relationships, your relationships on-set with the cast and crew, your relationships off-set with the cast and crew, or your trainer, or your agent, or whomever or whatever…)

That stuff will all disappear into your memory—but what goes on that film will last forever.

You need to make sure, as all kinds of things go on around you, before during and after each shoot, on set and off-set…

…that…what goes on that film is done to the best of your ability.

And that you are totally present, aware, and not distracted.  No matter what.

Not only is your career, your future,  and your professional reputation, dependent on that; but so is the success of the film.

…And the effectiveness of the story in the script.

…The other actors’ performances are depending on yours, as well. It’s all teamwork.   

I say it again, film sets are all teamwork.

Everyone must do their part to make sure they are doing everything they can to their own personal and professional best; as well as doing eveything possible to support the synergistic cast, and crew, in doing theirs.

That’s how trust is built.  The amount of trust on a movie set, is in direct correlation to how successful the finish product appears.  It’s holistic.

A set…where there’s war, or chaos…makes a stinker movie, in the end.

It’s all just too hard, like that.  There are 100’s of people that make a movie.  It’s all gotta work together.

Movie stars bear the blame, when a movie ends up a stinker.

All actors do.

I don’t know if you follow me on Twitter (and if you don’t, you are missing out, because I post a lot of little news items and pertinent stuff in my twitter tweets, so here’s a link) …but if you do, you’ll know that I pass around questions.  One question I asked was if anyone knows what a producer does??  I’ll post the answers in the next few days…(even have a funny response, from Michael Bay, a-hem)

Producers, directors, they may accept the Oscars, when their movie wins a “Best Picture” award…

But it’s the actors that get the public blame when a movie tanks.

And, it’s the films’ lead actors, the stars of the movie, that take the career hit.  Because the movie stunk.  

The acting might be good, but if the movie doesn’t sell tickets, the stars’ careers get affected.  

Sometimes, stars lose their careers, soon after a bad movie opens.  Completely.

As I said, I have no comment on what Christian Bale did.

(I’m not big on ‘judging’.)  

I do know that anger is a normal human emotion.  

As actors, we need to be comfortable with all authentic emotion, the gamut.

Even the uncomfortable ones, the less socially acceptable ones.

Anger is something that you must be sure you are comfortable with. Hearing, and expressing.

Because as an actor, you’ll be called upon to play it.  (In a script.)

It’s best, to be at a point, where you even enjoy it.

Wanna start now?

Shall we dance?  

___REMOVED VIDEO OUT OF RESPECT FOR CHRISTIAN BALE, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE ALL HEARD IT WAY TOO MUCH. Originally, I put the music remix up, because I simply thought it was funny. That was before I saw just how serious people took Bale’s outburst.  My own reaction was not as extreme, perhaps because I live in Hollywood!!

Update: I forgot to give proper credit to the artist who made the Christian Bale remix!  His name is Revolucian (Lucian Piane) and, by clicking on his name, you’ll reach his MySpace page…he’s about to mix RuPaul’s new jam.

(I have an additional update that will be coming up, in the next post…It’s also about actor, Christian Bale…)

Best,

;-Dana

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How Casting Directors Cast Actors

Watch this audition-on-tape.   It’s Ellen Page and Michael Cera auditioning for “Juno”.

If you ask a casting director, they’ll tell you that actors get awarded roles when they ARE the character.

Now, that may mean:

#1. The actor is so clearly the specific type they are looking for, and so ‘right on the mark’ on how they (casting people + producers + director) envision the character from the script…  that the person in the auditioning room is really just like the person in the script, in real life.

Everyday, every minute, the actor really ‘IS THAT CHARACTER’.

#2. Or it could mean that the actor is  close in ‘type’…but is such a ‘good actor’, that the casting person believes that the actor, during the audition, ‘IS THAT CHARACTER’.

Even if in the car, on the way home, the actor is not the same, at all.  Or, is similar in some ways, in “real life” (as Matt Dillon used to say…)

I prefer #2, myself.

Often, if the actor that is auditioning, really IS that person in life, they may not be able ‘to act’.  Which means that the movie or play will suck.  Why? Well, the simplified answer is that he or she won’t be able to deliver all the different emotions or facets that may be called for, in the script, or scenes.

The longer answer is that, in the finished production, there won’t be any art to the acting.  Nor in the movie, nor in the play, at all. There won’t be anything worth watching.

 (Unless we are talking “documentary”, of course.)

All Actors Use Pieces Of Themselves In Creating Characters.  

There is far too much competition in the acting profession, to try to play something that is so far away from your actual type…It’s just too easy for casting people to find, and cast  an actor who fits what is described in the script, and on the “casting breakdowns”….to play the part.  

#3. It is nearly impossible, without a tremendous amount of acting talent, acting skill, and acting craft, for an actor to “play himself or herself”.

Whaaa??

Yep.

That’s why I blow-a-gasket when people ask me why acting class is necessary.

It’s foolish to assume that “anyone can act”.  Yes, talent is something that is innate.  Using that talent, and having control over the talent…control enough to carry out what is required in a script, takes development. Takes dedication.

Great acting is a blend of the two: talent and developed acting craft.  

You don’t want to be just an adequate actor, do you?  Even to be able to give what is required, in a script, is extremely difficult.  To make it come-to-life, is rare.  It is very high-level acting.

To make acting seamless, well, that’s what wins awards.  (That is, if the judges are smart enough to know that it really is acting.)

Great acting fools experts.  It should.

It fools the viewer, too; unconsciously. How?  When they get wrapped up in the story/the movie/the play….when they stop looking at the effects, the acting, the whatever….when they go from being on “the outside”, to experiencing from within:  within the story, within themselves.

It’s what I call “the great acting paradox”.

Great Acting Is When The Audience Doesn’t See The Acting

Really good, strong, advanced acting is hard to tell if the actor is “playing him/herself” or “acting”.

Excellent acting is imperceptible.

Now, you know. And, you know something now, about acting, that most people will never know.  It is a rare jewel. Keep it sacred, because it is.  And use it well.

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Open Call Auditions Appear Legit…

All Actors Can Submit A Tape  

Or Go To Scheduled Audition Dates In Your City

I don’t know much about it, other than what I’ve read, so Hollywood Actor Prep is not endorsing this, bu-u-ut…
I am passing it along, though, because it does appear to be a legit opportunity for actors to audition. 

This audition is for all actors, with or without agent representation… does look like it actually has Universal Studios, and NBC, behind it.

NEW YORK OPEN CALL- January 10
TORONTO OPEN CALL- January 17
CHICAGO OPEN CALL – January 17

I was skeptical at first, about this open-call audition, especially since I first learned about it because it ran as a Google ad on my blog! Mostly,  I find them to be cah-cah, and I spend a lot of time trying to get Google to take ads off of my blog, more often than not!

Yet, this one has some real NBC people associated, as it appears. ( I will know more tomorrow, when I do some serious investigating).

The Ad For The Audition

But it does seem good.  So…In the meantime, download the scenes and start prepping your audition!

Link for actor-audition-”sides”. 

I think you should do both DVD and online, if possible, or all three:

• submit online
• submit by dvd
• if it’s in your city, go to the ‘live audition’ also, if possible.  But go early!  There may be many people there, and a long wait.

Do NOT worry about being the exact type they are describing.  If they knew precisely what they wanted, they probably wouldn’t do such a widescale actor search. That’s my guess, here. 

Just do your best, and be your own type.  Unless, it is too far from the character in the script…only then, do some altering.  Otherwise, just be yourself, and try to make the lines seem as if you are saying them.  Come out of your own experience, bringing the script to life.  It will probably seem more “real” if you don’t try too hard to “act” or “be a character”.   

Remember, that every opportunity for a casting person to see your abilities is great. 

And, remember this, they WANT to find someone fresh.  Just relax, and be as close to “your normal” conversation as you can.

I do suggest that you audition for everything you can, by the way, as long as it is not a scam.
(Or dangerous. Or against your values…)

Here’s a copy of the information, from their Facebook Group page.  

                                (You can access it directly, by clicking here.)

 

Basic Info

Type:

Entertainment & Arts - Movies

Description:

Universal Pictures is currently searching for a young male to play “Edward,” a 17-year-old high school senior in an upcoming blockbuster comedy starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin!          Are you the next Michael Cera/Jonah Hill/McLovin? Show us!  NO PRIOR ACTING EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!  Deadline for submissions is January 16th. Send an audition video. It’s easy, we promise! TO WATCH A “HOW-TO” VIDEO:(Click Here) WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS: Download the script at: http://www.meganlarchecasting.com/submissions.html Pre-Taping: -Make sure you are in a quiet and well-lit room (we want to be able to see and hear you!). -Make sure you are filming in front of a colored wall or wearing a colored shirt. -When you are ready to film make sure the camera is at a 3/4 to full body shot. -Clearly state your name, height and hometown. Taping: -Make sure your reader is to the side of the camera -Make sure you read the scene to the reader (don’t look at the camera) -Do as many takes as you need but only send in your best 2 takes. -Send in your audition, please attach or send a resume (include your name, contact info, age, and any experience you have) ONLINE SUBMISSION:  Send a QuickTime file or link to edwardcasting@gmail.com SUBMISSION BY MAIL:  Send a DVD to: Attn: Edward Casting 1501 Broadway Suite 2900 New York, NY 10036  THE DEADLINE TO ENTER IS JANUARY 16, 2009  NEW YORK OPEN CALL- January 10 TORONTO OPEN CALL- January 17 CHICAGO OPEN CALL – January 17

Here are the instructions from the Casting Director’s website  (Megan Larche):

Submission for Universal Pictures Project
Please follow these instructions when submitting your tape for the Edward Audition.

Pre-Taping:

> Download the sides:

> Make sure you are in a quiet and well-lit room (we want to be able to see and hear you!).
> Make sure you are filming in front of a colored wall or wearing a colored shirt.

Your Slate (How we indentify you):

> When you are ready to film make sure the camera is at a ¾ to full body shot.
> Clearly state your name, height, and hometown.

The Scene:

> You can read either scene.
> Make sure the person you read with is to the side of the camera.
> Make sure you read the scene to the reader (don’t look at the camera).
> Do as many takes as you need but only send in your best 2 takes.

Submitting:

> When you are ready to send in your audition please attach or send a resume. The resume should include your name, contact info, age, and any experience you have.
> Send your audition ONE of two ways:

Online: As a QuickTime file or link to edwardcasting@gmail.com

By mail: Send a DVD copy to 

Attn: Edward Casting
1501 Broadway
Suite 2900
New York, NY 10036

Make sure all submissions are in by Jan 16, 2009.

BREAK A LEG!  

Best,

;Dana,fr

Rare Television Acting Clips:

One with Paul Newman, and one with James Dean        

      …at bottom of post…( Hey, don’t skip now!  )

 

Acting Residuals Began In Radio Days

Residuals are entirely a “show business” invention, and an American invention. They were conceived in the era of radio broadcasting, when technological advances created a broadcasting dilemma…which arose when recording became possible. 

Prior, on radio,  all American broadcasting was performed live.  And…just like the regular programming we now have on television, there were regularly scheduled programs, on radio.

Except there was no “recording” yet.

Acting :: Radio

All the programs were performed, by actors, live.  

Every show, every time.  Due to the expanse of America, and different time zones; the shows were performed twice a day…Once, for the Eastern part of America,\; and a second for the Pacific Standard Time Zone.

Actors would need to be at a studio, at the time of broadcast, and physically perform the shows over the air. They would get paid for their performance.  Paid for each performance; the same as they would for every live performance in a theater.

Joan Crawford

Technology Evolved, and Acting Was Able To Be Recorded

In the mid-1930’s, they figured out a primitive way to record the shows.  The actors wouldn’t have to act each performance out more than once, per each episode. 

Fanny Brice, Comedy Actress

Or so it was conceived.  But the recording technology wasn’t reliable enough, not at first.  

Actors Still Performed Live, For The First Show, At Least

And it was broadcast that way, with the actors gathered around a microphone, performing in the studio.

But because the recording was such a new technology, and not yet reliable, the actors would have to remain in the studio, waiting around, to be sure that the recording was good enough for the next time-zone broadcast. 

If not, they would act out the entire show,  live, once again.

Superman, Acted Live, On Radio

Thus, the term “residual”.  Actors were paid for their performances for the second show, just like when they performed it live.  Except the residuals were the payment for the recorded broadcast of their performance.   This began in 1941.

 Acting Was Live Only, In Early Television Performances

When television broadcasting came about, in the 1950’s, all performances were live also; the only thing that broadcast on TV that wasn’t live were actual movies: “re-runs”…which were originally made for, and had played first, in movie theatres.

In 1951, the first TV residuals, were paid. They were compensation for the movie re-runs.  To musicians…who had played music in the films, while in production.  (Like “royalties”)  This was set up by the musician’s union, called the American Federation of Musicians.

Actor Ronald Reagan

Kinoscope: First TV Recordings

Until a recording technology called kinoscope came into use.  In 1952, an actor named Walter Pidgeon, was the president of SAG.  He called for the first SAG strike, and it was then that actors received residuals for recorded performances.

Here’s James Dean, acting on television, in  an early kinoscope recording:

Again, kinoscope wasn’t the greatest, but it did allow television to be broadcast and shows to be rerun.

Frank Sinatra Show with Elvis Presley

The following is a kinoscope  called “The Army Game”.  It was broadcast on television, and starred a young actor: Paul Newman.  

Director Sidney Pollack (who passed away in 2008) was an actor before he became a director.  He c0-stars in this theatrical “television  special”.  

More on this, at a later date…

Best,

Dana

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I have an experience, to relate, about Tom Hanks.  From the movie, “Big”.

I acted, in a scene, with Tom Hanks.

Um, hm.

And, Tom and I shared a dressing room.

Um, hm.

At the same time.

Um hm.  

(Exceptionally unusual, BTW, in “the business”.)

And, no, we did not.

Um, em.

(If that’s what you are wondering…watch those assumptions, Bud.)

“Our” little acting scene was shot on location, in  NYC… An “interior” in an office setting; they used an authentic large-scale office space in a full-staffed, multi-room with multi cubicles, advertising agency… in a midtown Manhattan skyscraper. 

In the middle of a New York, work-week.  

For the “Big” film set– a not-so-big-area was sectioned off.

 …With temporary cardboard walls, tall grey ones held together by gaffer’s tape.

Even though it looked like a reception area, it wasn’t the authentic one. That one was in operation,  on the other side of the building, and the halls really went as far as you could see.

As a matter of fact, the “real”  business day was going on all around us; actively,  using most of their regular work space.

Which put a whopping limit on the normal acreage that a film crew normally uses, and needs to shoot.

What for?… Props, and sound, and camera equipment, and electrical stuff, and of course,  ‘hair + makeup’ trailers/rooms, wardrobe storage, and…

…Dressing rooms.

‘Hair + makeup’ was planted, literally, in the hall.  It was a makeshift set-up, just outside the reception-area-set…

There was a chair, for the actor to sit in, and an area where the makeup person had all their large toolboxes that open into mini-stairs of all the colors, brushes, sponges. And there was a mirror with the lights around it.  As I remember, it was smack in the middle of a hallway, and there were employees of the real agency, coming-and-going, around us.

 

Overall, the production had one big multi-purpose room.  

That is, aside from the actual shooting set.

In real life, I think it was a small conference room. 

I remember the long table, with chairs around it. 

All the other actors hung out there; actors from other scenes in “Big” were there, as well… as each scene wrapped, another one would begin. So, it was a ‘talent’ holding area.  

I had a two or three day hold, there, altogether. Lots of waiting, but much better pay…

There were racks of clothing was in there, it was also ‘the “Big” wardrobe room’.

And, it was also the only dressing room, on set…

Tom and I were the only ones, in our particular acting scene, that even had “wardrobe”.  

The other people in the scene, except for the younger actor,  (friend-of-”Josh Baskin”) were “extras”, professionally called “background”.  

Usually, even those with “special bits” arrive and work in their own clothes. 

Often those clothes are approved in advance, by the costumer.  Sometimes background-players are advised what type of outfit to bring, and are asked to bring a optional changes,  the morning of the shoot.

It’s unusual for an actor ‘with a speaking part’, to wear his/her own clothes, when acting professionally. 

Jared Rushton, who played that friend, in “Big”, did.  I remember that a wardrobe person told me that they felt that  Jared looked great in his own choices; and that they couldn’t have dressed him better, than he did on his own.. in his real life…  : }   

        (And, his acting was as natural as his clothes, wasn’t it?)

So, Jared didn’t need a dressing room.  

That left only two people in that entire Manhattan high rise, on that day, in need of two changing rooms…in a crowded office building in the busiest section of a city that doesn’t have a definition for private space…

1. Tom Hanks, an actor who had recently become a household name across America
2. Dana Kaminski, an aspiring actor who very few had heard of, but luckily had worked with the director’s brother, Garry Marshall, prior… 

(Secretly, our unknown actress was, a tinch sullen, but no one could tell….perhaps, that is a story for another time.)

Here’s ‘Our’ Acting Scene, In The Movie, “Big”

I don’t think anyone that worked on that movie could have predicted that it would become as popular as it did, and has remained.  

                                     **********************************************************

…This post a teaser, an intro,  for two topical posts; that I have on deck, for the blog.

The upcoming posts don’t have much to do with me, except, I’m the writer….

They do, have everything to do, with Tom Hanks.

Um hm.

Best,

;Dana

Down below: Is a SHARE/SAVE button.  It makes it so simple and quick.

Kindly post this onto your own Facebook page, or  MySpace, etc.  

That way, people that could really benefit from this blog, can find out about it.  

You can also email it to people, and both take only two quick clicks… 

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Actor Misconceptions

I got quite a few responses from the “MythBUST #1: Agents” post.  

Few things to say, just for today:

Hold on!!!

Dana Serious Kaminski

I really wasn’t finished with that post…I think I will continue with the ”ACTOR AGENT” topic until the “ACTOR SOLUTION” stage …that should happen, I guess, by the end of next week, or week after.

For decades, I’ve been accruing and keeping this information (of which I will put all of it on this blog and on the Hollywood Actor Prep Website), and it’s all inside my brain, but I am used to it, and don’t realize how much there really is…  that is, until… each and every time I set out to write a post…

I suddenly am aware that there is a whole lot of ground to cover.  Basically, for every post, there is at least 5 times the amount that I cut-and-save for a later date.  

(There is so much information, that I can’t really figure out a good clear way to organize it on the website, and there is so much to put on there, that I simply keep putting that whole section, of Hollywood Actor Prep, off.  There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in a day!)

The last post was only the beginning, and I will cover all the different kinds of agents, within the stratas of actor representation; so you are educated about the system.  Then, I will go over the different ways to put yourself in a good “agent-representation-readiness” state, so that you can go and try to get one.

Then we’ll discuss determination, moxie, and methods…

I didn’t mean to make it seem absolutely hopeless.  I wasn’t finished yet.

And, as I have written down before… I am really committed to making things better.  I am mulling over and discussing-around the different ways that I can approach the problem.

The More Reader Feedback, The Better

Almost EVERYONE that contacts me, feels sheepish.  They tell me, or warn me, that it may be a “dumb question” or a “stupid”  whatever…

What they don’t know is that those questions and responses are a kind of  great thing for me, that’s when I know that the blog is reaching people, and those that I think it’s suited for.   

I know how mysterious the business appears, from outside “Hollywood”.

I am doing this blog for that very reason.  

When I get the emails, the tweets, the facebook messages, the comments here on the blog: I know, then, better, what needs to be addressed. Each and everytime,  (especially to the emails and the tweets) that’s my litmus as to where to “go” next on the blog, and to what degree.

Those letters + tweets are my golden guide.  Really.

And they melt my heart, as well.

I deeply cherish you all.  And, I “get it”.

Onward and upward…

All of us.

Regarding Twitter

What a discovery…  And unexpected…

I joined Twitter  (which is the easiest, simplest thing, btw..), because it seemed like a good way to let readers know when I put a blog post up, in the beginning of this blog.

Surprisingly, I have met some wonderful people there who have become real friends, and that I am so glad to be tweeting to, and I wait for their tweets!

Twitter is an odd, kooky, internet invention…Everyone can go on, but all anyone can “post” in the form of “tweet” is one line.  That’s right, just about one sentence.  All of the people that you follow (it can be a few, or 1000’s) post “what they are doing” at any one time.  

It’s great fun. ( You’ll see what I mean, once you get started.)  You can do it straight from your computer, and you can go and read your tweets anytime or all the time.  (I just go on about once or twice a day, but some people get SMS text tweets, all the time, to their cell phone!)

It’s a good way to give Hollywood Actor Prep feedback, or ask questions, and…

…get immediately alerted when I put up a new post!

If you want to “follow me” on Twitter, go and sign up at www.twitter.com.

1. Just choose a short name, or just put your own real name there to use.

It’s that simple.

2. Then put my twitter name, as someone to follow.  In the least, you’ll be alerted as to when I put up a new post.

So, if ya did just sign up for Twitter (free, and no private info required ‘cept email, and that’s private too if you wish, or you can even put a fake one, perhaps!) come back to this post, and click on my name right here, with the two lower-dashes on either side.  

My twitter name is __dana__

You can tweet to me, then, instant… feedback on the posts, questions, and just be a part of that community.

Hollywood Actor Prep on Facebook

I also started a “group” on Facebook. (Click on that link to it.)

I am going to do a separate post about that, early in the week…

But if you are on the blog today…you’ll be the first to know.  It’s for you.

I wanted to have a page for forums, and bulletin board type stuff, and even a spot to put your reels, and photos.

I could do it through my own webhost, but Facebook has it all set up there.

So go on and sign up there.  Post  your photo or comment or anything…(within Facebook rules, that is!)

I want us to be a more communicative and cohesive community.

You see, it’s your feedback, questions, comments, fears, doubts, and confidence…that keep this blog up.

Really.  

That’s what makes it worth all the effort here.
 

Is My Experience, And Information of Value?

If you find the Hollywood Actor Prep Blog to be informative, and valuable…

Please tell at least 5 friends.

For every article/post that you find valuable.

Because I get the “stats” of how many people are reading.

If it keeps going up, I will keep putting in all this time.

And– I have new thing–a Paypal Donate button…

If you don’t have 5 friends that you think would be interested, then perhaps, you want to treat me to a latte! Or chai tea???

Thank  you.  All.

Best,

;-Dana

Tom Hanks, Dana Kaminski...

©®

“The Dark Knight” was extremely artistic; and, at the same time, major blockbuster stuff.

The acting, especially Heath Ledger as The Joker, got a lot of attention…and rightfully so.

But since, lately, I have been blogging about actors’ directors…I wanted to post something about an actors’ director whose film has been, currently, in our consciousness.

Director Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan directed the “The Dark Knight”.

Great story; break-the-mold acting; subtext, beneath every bit…

I don’t want to get into Chris Nolan’s various talents and abilities, mostly, because I would have to go on for far too long. Let this bit suffice, if I may…

Talent works like this.  It’s div-vyed out in degrees…Some people have talent that is so outstanding, it carries them through all the rest. Other people have less talent, but have strong determination, acquired skills, and/or discipline, professional attitude…(you get the idea)…

It’s an unusual occurrence, for a director to receive notice, for even one remarkable, obvious talent. (That is, of the many areas, that are under a director’s aegis.)   Many directors get successful, even famous, for one notable, outstanding ability.  We regard that as strength enough; as, indeed, it is. 

Directors manage the other directorial tasks, adequately; or delegate to their crew, to the individual talents and wisdom of each of them. Often, there is one or more people working under the director, who actually make the director look good. Sometimes, a director will only use,  for example,  a specific cinematographer, and even defer to that person for everything in their specific area of expertise and artistry.

A Director’s Wisdom

That’s part of the wisdom, that a successful director, needs.  And, wisdom is an imperative trait, in order to be a great director…Wisdom: to choose actors and crew; and the wisdom to delegate while the filming is going on, to them. And wisdom to know when to take the lead.  Wisdom, to be at the helm, no matter what, always, definitively, running the show.

There are the very rare ones, who can do it all, very well.  And more. This director’s talents appear strong in more than a few areas… He’s an artistic, creative visionary;  and manages to manifest it, in his finished pieces.  Awe-inpiring… 

And, may I point this out this tiny little paradox?? …He directs Hollywood Blockbusters. 

When I saw “The Dark Knight”, I knew that this film was something unusual..There were so many aspects of the film, that were far and above the  ”great” that we had become used to.   So numerous, that they nearly cancelled each other out, in terms of memorability!   ”The Dark Knight” was so “high-level” in artistically, technically; it made audiences everywhere, forget that our accustomed standard is so much lower..in traditional Hollywood fare. 

Frankly, I don’t know how Chris Nolan is able to, consummately, handle all the aspects of directing, so masterfully, so artistically, — to that kind of completion.

Chris Nolan, Aaron Eckhart

A Focus On Acting

Happy, am I, that Hollywood Actor Prep is about acting…Because, just a specific analysis on the acting, alone, in ”The Dark Knight”; would take up far too much of my blog space…

The Los Angeles Times, recently ran a three-part interview with Chris Nolan. The interviewer is Geoff Boucher, who is an online blogger for the Times. I am putting excerpts of it, in this post.

I am pleased to offer you these Nolan quotes… Because he takes us inside his process; and how, with the actors, he collaborated…

He tells how the scene was planned and how much work went in before filming.  How, precisely they got to that final scene…how the director and and the actors worked, specifically for this dramatic, culminating scene, in the “interrogation room”. 

It’s rich, and clear, the unique sensibility of a director-artist….There’s good insight into the kind of thinking, respect, and interaction,  which resulted in the  level of acting that wound up on that film.

Clearly, it was no accident, or chance. It’s good to see inside, and to have some affirmation…that there are actors’ directors around, really great ones.  The type that have their mind, and a modality; on the kind of things that merge with an actor’s ability, to create a force of genius; and an arena for genius to flow.

Wanna know why else am I pleased to  focus on only-the-acting in that film? Because the acting-was-magnificent.

For me, that’s personal:

Gary Oldman

Acting excites me, and great acting excites me even more; breakthrough acting blows-my-mind. I am so passionate about this art form, and it’s importance; that when a “Big Hollywood Director” regards acting as art, and honors it, and makes sure it is in his film….then I am rejuvenated. (It makes my year.)

If you’ve never been on a major motion picture set, or watched the filming of a large cast and crew movie, I suggest you go to the link and look at the entire interview.  Nolan does discuss a lot, about the different parts of movie-making, as he relives the experiences on “The Dark Knight”…so you can get a good preview into what it will be like to work in such an environment, as an actor. 

If you are a film maker or director, especially, I recommend it, for you. Here’s a link to the entire Chris Nolan interview, …Full of overview and detailed descriptions, you can get a fine glimpse into the different areas of film making, that a director can use, to shape a movie thematically. Chris Nolan ticks through them, in this interview, as if every director used a lighting as a paintbrush; or a considered a “quality” of a room (and let it make a mood); or cherish an actor going in-and-out-of-focus, in the camera lens, as a tool to relate some of the underlying theme.

Christian Bale + Heath Ledger

Interview excerpt from LA Times:

I asked the London native to pick one scene in the film that he would circle as the essential moment in the movie, either in its service to the overall story or the film’s texture. He answered quickly.

Nolan: To be honest, it’s pretty easy for me. The scene that is so important and so central to me is the interrogation scene between Batman and the Joker in the film. When we were writing the script, that was always one of the central set pieces that we wanted to crack.

GB: At what point in the production schedule did you shoot it?

Nolan: On the set, we shot it fairly early on. It was actually one of the first things that Heath had to do as the Joker. He told me he was actually pretty excited to tear off a big chunk early on, really get one of the Joker’s key scenes up in the first three weeks of a seven-month shoot. He and I both liked the idea of just diving in, as did Christian [Bale, who portrayed Batman]. We had rehearsed the scene a tiny bit. We had just ripped through it a couple of times in pre-production just to get some slight feel of how it was going to work. Neither of them wanted to go too far with it in rehearsal. They had to rehearse some of the fight choreography, but even with that, we tried to keep it loose and improvisational. They wanted to save it all. We were all pretty excited to get on with a big chunk of dialogue and this big intense scene between these two iconic characters. It was quite bizarre to see Batman across the table across from the Joker [laughs]. I’m glad you asked this. You know, I could actually talk about this scene for hours.

We had a lot of time to shoot it too, because it was so early on. Quite often, as you get behind on other things and you run toward the end of the shoot, things can get very squeezed. But you tend to schedule the first few weeks very generously to give the crew and the actors and myself time to find our feet and find our pace. So we had a couple of days to do it.

GB: Can you give me a snapshot memory from those days shooting the scene?

Nolan: … We wanted to be very edgy, very brutal. We wanted it to be the point at which Batman is truly tested by the Joker and you see that the Joker is truly capable of getting under everybody’s skin. I’m realizing this now about that scene — I haven’t thought this through before — the synthesis of all the different elements that I’m most interested in within filmmaking all come in that scene.

GB: There’s remarkable physicality of the actors in that scene. They are such different presences in the room: Christian is all dark mass and bottled fury and Heath has this spindly weirdness. … 

Nolan: Yes, and I think you start to see it even at the beginning of the scene where everything is in closer. There are tight close-ups with just a little drift to the camera. We start in a very controlled way, but even within that frame, the way Heath is bobbing in and out —and he’s actually bobbing in and out of the focal plane because, you know, it’s very hard to follow someone whose leaning toward camera the whole time. It actually really adds something. We’re continually trying to catch him with the focus. You really see his movement back and forth. That way, even in a tight frame, you have this sense of strangeness. On the other hand, you have Batman sitting there just very, very controlled, restrained as you say. Then there’s a point where it spills over into real physicality and he drags the Joker across the table. We go handheld at that point and shot the rest of the scene with handheld to be very spontaneous in its movement. They had rehearsed the stunts and the fight stuff very specifically, but we really let the actors work within that. I had never seen anybody sell a punch the way Heath was able to with Christian. I got the violence I wanted. What I felt was really important creatively for the scene was that we show Batman going too far. We show him effectively torturing someone for information because it’s become personal.

Christian and I had talked a lot on “Batman Begins” about finding a moment in that film where you actually worry that Batman will go too far. A moment where his rage might spill over and he would break his rules. We never found that moment. It just wasn’t there in that story. There was a lot of strength and aggression in the way he played the part, but I don’t think the story provided that element of losing control. What the Joker provides in the second film is the fact that his entire motivation is to push people’s buttons and find their rules set and it turn it on itself. And Batman of course places such importance on his rules, his morals. It’s what distinguishes him, in his mind, from a common vigilante. The Joker is able to twist him around and make him question his own approach and his own actions.

GB:  the first film, the Batman’s most memorable moments of intense aggression feel more like theater — he’s doing it in a calculated show to scare people. The first movie seems to be about Batman’s fear; the second one is about his rage.

Nolan: Exactly. That’s why we never found that moment of danger, the one we had talked about, where there’s this danger that Batman will just lose it and go too far. That rage is very much a central part of the story in ‘The Dark Knight,’ and that interrogation scene is the fulcrum on which the whole movie turns. I think Batman finds out — and Bruce Wayne finds out — a lot about himself in that scene. I was just delighted to get to see Christian show that rage. And it’s wonderfully balanced with Gary’s control as well. Even though everyone remembers the scene as being the Joker and Batman, Gordon played a very important part to setting it up and allowing this interrogation to happen. And then as he is watching from the sideline, he sees the exact point where this is going too far. He knows Batman well enough to observe this, to recognize it. He tries to get in, but Batman has locked the door. And what we get to lead to, by the end of the scene, when he’s just pounding on the Joker, I think Heath managed to find the exact essence of the threat of the Joker and who he is: He’s being pounded in the face and he’s laughing and loving it. There’s nothing you can do. As he tells Batman, “You have nothing to do with all of your strength.” There’s this sort of impotence of the strong and the armored and the very muscular Batman; he’s very powerful, but there’s no useful way for this power to be exercised in this scene. He has to confront that.

Originally, at the end of that scene, once the Joker reveals his information, Christian dropped him and then, almost as an afterthought, he kicked him in the head as he walked out of the room. We wound up removing that bit. It seemed a little too petulant for Batman in a way. And really, more than that, what it was is that I liked how Christian played it: When he drops the Joker, he has realized the futility of what he’s done. You see it in his eyes. How do you fight someone who thrives on conflict? It’s a very loose end to be left with.

 

Enjoy your weekend…

;-Dana

 

Hugh Laurie just thrills me, as an actor. His acting, as Dr. House, is some of the best anywhere. I love the show’s premise, too; and the other actors are fine, fine actors.  But, Laurie is so good, that he could do it as a monologue, and I would still watch.

Here is the video audition, of  Laurie trying out for the television show. It’s an amazing audition.  

What I notice, most, is how much he is Dr. House, before he ever stepped on the set.  Just sittin’ in a chair with no makeup, and using a script in his lap: he is entirely Dr. House, and it is an almost seamless performance…captured on a camcorder.

Watch how well, during the scene, he relates to the casting director, who is feeding him the lines.  He just relaxes his talent, right into the character; and no one has to stretch their imagination,  to believe he is “that guy“.  His choices are so strong, he carries them out with such a confidence and ease, that he brings Dr. House to life, right at the audition.

You can see, it’s so well done…there was nothing to add or change, once he had the job.  

When auditions are this well done, there’s no way that any other actor can get the part.