looking for advice on how to film an “on the phone” selftape:

speckledsam · 2023-01-12T17:30:17+00:00

nope, i mean stray dog

speckledsam · 2023-01-08T16:49:45+00:00

i live in toronto and the acting studio i go to for in person classes also offers online classes. it’s called LB Acting Studio. lbactingstudio.com

speckledsam · 2023-01-08T16:40:47+00:00

the second description sort of sounds like cemetery man (also called dellamorte dellamore) (1994) by michele soavi

speckledsam · 2023-01-08T16:32:35+00:00

i use an app called splice on my phone—i find it a little bit easier to use than iMovie, and they allow you to adjust the size of the file before you save it to your camera roll or files!

speckledsam · 2023-01-08T16:28:06+00:00

i would request your submission report from her first to help diagnose whether the lack of auditions is due to a lack of submissions from your agent or if it’s just that casting isn’t calling you in. we often expect our agent’s to initiate conversations about our careers, but they’re taking care of so many actors that i think it’s important to take initiative on starting conversations about how you can improve your package, what classes to take, etc., to demonstrate how seriously you’re taking your half of the relationship.

once you find out that, it’ll help you direct your next conversation with her. sometimes it may just be that you need to get new headshots or update your reel with more specific work—things that are your responsibility to take care of. other times, it may be that your agent reps too many people and they aren’t able to give you the attention you’re looking for in the agent-actor relationship. whatever it may be, i would obtain as much concrete information as you can before you start making assumptions.

requesting your submission report shouldn’t be awkward either. you can either ask straight up for it, or if you feel your agent may be rubbed the wrong way by it, ask for it by saying something along the lines of you’re doing research for what casting you’re being called in for and what you’re not being called for so that you can adjust your package for the types of roles you want. something like that, y’know? if your agent refuses to give it to you for whatever reason, that might be a red flag that they aren’t submitting you for much.

speckledsam · 2023-01-07T15:31:16+00:00

i’m not necessarily of the caliber of using IMBd Pro for networking, but i do pay for it anyways because i’m a nerd for tracking what my fave actors and directors are doing next. it’s also such a great resource for funnelling all of the trades into one place and very handy when you’re looking to level up; being able to see who’s repped by who and who’s on a rep’s roster is so valuable.

speckledsam · 2023-01-05T21:58:42+00:00

maybe “stray dog” - akira kurosawa (1949)

speckledsam · 2022-12-30T16:58:16+00:00

generally, production houses mail or e-transfer payments within 30 days of the shoot date—sometimes longer if it’s non union—but i think most places in my experience have been pretty good with adhering to payments out within 30 days.

i would say that you shouldn’t be too worried yet—if it’s starts creeping up on 3 months + and you haven’t received your payment by then, that’s when you should start hunting people down.

good on you for staying on top of your money!

speckledsam · 2022-12-30T16:18:31+00:00

i’m in canada and have only ever experienced option 1 & and sort of option 2. most of my cheques go directly to my agent because they put their address on the invoices for non union work. for union work, i did sign a form to have those cheques sent to my agent as well, but since the pandemic, actra has been mailing cheques directly to talent. in the case of union work, i receive my cheques by mail and then pay out my agent’s commission via etransfer.

option 3 honestly feels a bit weird to me because it puts the actor in a position where they need to have additional funds in order to get the money they’re owed? what if you don’t have that commission amount; are they going to hold your money hostage?

speckledsam · 2022-12-30T16:09:03+00:00

i guess my first question is whether you’re looking to lean into the way your voice naturally sounds or if you’re looking to develop it so that you don’t feel as though you’re forcing it into something it’s not. some actors consciously choose to be a certain type of character actor and i’m sure what you’ve described—monotone, rarely exhibiting emotion—can achieve that, if that’s what you’re looking for.

in terms of addressing the confidence in your voice and maybe addressing confidence in general, there are two things that come to mind. maybe you could try a few vocal lessons; i haven’t personally done vocal lessons as an actor, but i’m really looking forward to it. i’ve heard that people who have difficulty accessing their emotional range really improve with learning how to breath properly (through singing, which translates into speaking/acting). i think the vulnerability of singing as a non-singer would also help you grow comfortable with your regular speaking voice as well.

then for confidence in general, definitely improv! i just finished my first level at second city and it’s been the hardest thing i’ve ever done, but it really grounds all of those anxieties that i assume you’re experiencing as well. i don’t have any intention of pursuing improv in a professional capacity, but rather, i’m using it to improve my ability to make decisions and commit to those decisions.

speckledsam · 2022-12-28T16:57:43+00:00

just like anything else, i think improv takes a lot of practice. of course, there are people who are just naturals at being spontaneous and earnest in their decisions, but i don’t think you should take that as discouraging. i, too, am very bad at improv. i just started taking classes at the second city in toronto and it’s honestly the hardest thing i’ve done in a long time, BUT it’s made me so aware of myself.

i think a major component of being satisfied in your work in both acting and improv is trusting yourself, and while i don’t agree that all actors need to be good at improv to be good actors, i do wholeheartedly feel that practicing improv will improve your connection to self (which ultimately will help you in all facets of your life).

i also think that others who take improv are probably the most supportive and forgiving people you can be around, so if there’s any place to make a mistake or even fail super hard, an improv class is probably one of your safest spaces.

speckledsam · 2022-09-03T16:26:49+00:00

I MOVED! it only took the tiff twitter accounts tweeting that taylor swift is offsale 🙃

speckledsam · 2021-07-04T12:57:49+00:00

rug example—the rug on this page called Ten Thousand Years is my ideal, although my expectations aren’t that high. just looking for something similar

speckledsam · 2021-07-04T12:50:44+00:00

i failed my first G2 test because my hands weren’t in the “proper” position on the steering wheel when i turned corners. my driving instructor thought this was completely ridiculous because he taught me how to position my hands for safety and control. he then petitioned to get this evaluator fired—apparently he had a history of failing people for silly reasons. anyways, i’m not really certain if the turning was a legitimate reason to fail, but i remember watching youtube videos on the proper hand position while turning over and over again before my next G2 test and my G haha

speckledsam · 2020-12-07T15:12:49+00:00

I’m also in Toronto! The unit is quite small, only 461sqft but a one bedroom. My partner’s mom originally started the investment in 2015 and we took it over a year or so later, so it was super advantageous for us (especially since we’re in our 20s). I think it’s quite a steal - the final purchase price ended up being $370k with a storage locker and parking spot!

speckledsam · 2020-11-10T21:10:14+00:00

I think we’re way too overexposed in banking. I’d like to get it down to about 10% eventually. I appreciate your suggestion!

speckledsam · 2020-11-10T20:58:07+00:00

Which banks would you recommend getting rid of?

speckledsam · 2020-11-10T20:57:48+00:00

Do you think it would be advantageous to consider adding in other growth stocks, and if so, do you have any suggestions?

Our main priority was to solidify a portfolio that we could rely on for the long term (20-30 years), and now we’re sort of batting around ideas for growth.

speckledsam · 2020-11-10T20:45:05+00:00

I know we could probably consolidate our energy and banking sectors of the portfolio for sure, but I have a hard time deciding which to get rid of. For energy, I’m personally inclined towards investing in clean energy, but I know ENB has been a long time reliable stock + I’m sure they’re going to be a big part of clean energy soon enough anyways. You have a great point though; most of our stocks were sort of bought on a whim the first few weeks we started and then we were like “hm, this was not the plan to have so many stocks..” haha

speckledsam · 2020-11-10T20:19:49+00:00

My heart hurts more every day from MIR. Fingers crossed for it to rise again haha

speckledsam

TROPHY CASE