Two New Videos

Here are the links to a few other videos I worked on this winter:

First is a scene I worked on from "American Psycho" starring Christian Bale. This scene was shot for a UT Directing workshop, and was directed by Mathew Benavidez. We shot in a conference room on campus, and the production value is very low. The sound and lack of technical effort can be a bit distracting, but I would like to know what you thought of the performances of myself and my fellow actor, Dan. In the scene, "Bateman"(my character) has murdered a colleague and has effortlessly covered up the trail. A private investigator is hired by the family to dig up any clues. Althought the setting is pretty unsettling, it ends up playing as something like a comedy. Bateman lies through his teeth without batting an eye. Enjoy! Here is the link -- American Psycho. p.s. -- the sound is very low and it's silent until about 8 seconds in.

Second, I have a short film I worked on in November called "Where's Waldo?" In it, I play a deranged "Waldo" from the classic kids' books. We shot in a real graveyard, at a real carnival (they left it open after hours just for us), in an elementary school, and more! It's supposed to be campy/scary, so if you find yourself laughing out loud, that's okay! There is no dialogue because this was another "narrative" project where the story had to be told without words. The final cut suffers from haphazard editing, and ends up being too long. The result is that it seems to drag a bit. Also, the lead actress is director Geoff Allison's sister, because the real actress bailed the day before the shoot (apparently her fiance forbid her to kiss another actor on film!). She gives her most valiant effort, but it's obvious she's uncomfortable on camera. I appear about two minutes before the end running, laughing, disappearing, screaming, and hitting people with yard tools -- all the things I do best! Here is the link -- Where's Waldo? (note: make sure to view the video in original or double size. in "fit to screen" it looks grainy)

Golden Boy

This quirky little short film was shot last month here in Austin. I appear toward the end as "Silver", and I'm dancing throughout the dance credits. Check it out! It's funny in a charming, strange sort of way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M180MNXipoM

E is for Extra

This Past Thursday I did extra work for an upcoming film called "Ultimate's Guide to Flight." It's a largely improvisational comedy about disc golf. It was a super foggy morning that day, and it took me almost two hours to get down to the set in Giddings, Texas. I passed 7 separate wrecks on the way there....scary!

Once there I struck up a conversation with a Russian fellow named "Gabe". Within moments he challenged me to a chess match. I should've been wary when he pulled out his own, personal, customized board! Needless to say, within minutes I was the unwitting victim of his Soviet cunning. It was great, though, to repeatedly hear him say things like "In Russia, we have saying...you should smoke and drink, because if not, will die healthy!" I bet he knows Sarah Palin.

The film shot on a huge, closed off country club in Hays County. It was still very misty so it took several hours before we were called. Everyone involved with the project was very polite and cordial, though the director had the charming tendency to call us extras by the color of our shirts ("Hey! Purple! Move out of the way!"). I was wearing a black jacket, and was referred to as "Black Jack" the whole time. The director was Scott Meyers, and he's recently assistant-directed some pretty big budget stuff like Sin City, Frost/Nixon, and Sean Penn & Brad Pitt's upcoming movie, Tree of Life. Though a bit impersonal, he wasn't a jerk, and he did special order us all some delicious Thai food for lunch! Yum! I got my shoes and pants completely soaked by running back and forth on the course chasing after frisbees. I did watch some of the Karate Kid, as well as chat with a local casting agent in between setups. I know it's just par for the course, but it always irks me a bit when I give up my whole day and 3 hours of driving to be an extra (for free) and the only person that ever thanked me was the lady that booked me to come out. Ah well... it's a great lesson in humility to extra, and I don't regret the opportunity. If anything, it gives me perspective and appreciation for the work of everyone one the crew, no matter how small.