Acting and Mischief

Aviation Blonde Video

2009-03-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

Still living the country life down here in Michoacan, MX. Instead of acting, I'm learning great skills like goose wrangling, duck catching, pig tackling, and fence building. All those things can go on my "Special Skills and Abilities" category on my resume, right?

But while down here, I recieved news that the Aviation Blonde music video I shot in November is finally finished. It's a great video starring local singer/songwriter A.J. Vincent. You'll recognized me as a reporter, and you probably won't recognize me as a masked robber. We shot in a small town about 3 hours out of Austin in a historic 19th century bank.

Here's the link: http://www.vimeo.com/3611898

Agents, and a new video clip!

2009-02-08T10:46:00.000-08:00

I heard back from Acclaim last week. They'd like to see me as soon as I get back from Mexico. That's exciting, and they represent in Louisiana and California too (two big film cities right now). They told me to just come into their office for a further interview, and maybe do a couple cold reads. I'll let you all know how that goes as soon as I get back.

If you're interested in checking out our adventures in Mexico (away from the acting world) feel free to check out http://philipandjuliatravel.blogspot.com/ .

I have some new video, too. This is a scene from The Royal Tenenbaums. I shot it for a directing workshop with a UT student. If you're unfamiliar with the movie, my character, Richie, just checked himself out of the hospital after an attempted suicide. He's in love with Margot, but she's his adopted sister. Their love has never been realized because of the scandal it would cause. My nose is a bit stuffy at the beginning because I was recovering from a cold, but other than that I think the director, Parker Severns did a good job. If you ever liked building blanket forts as a kid, check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWQg1nOze_I

Waiting...

2009-01-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

I'm still waiting to hear back from the agencies. Yes, I know it's only been 3 days, and it's "supposed" to take up to a month. But my classmate Jenny Keto told me yesterday that she'd already signed! I'm fighting the urge to get anxious, because I know it's still very early in the process. I'm just a little afraid that they may call me after I leave for Houston, or (gulp!) once I'm already in Mexico. Or.... not at all! Yikes!
However, most of my classmates are still waiting for the call and don't expect it for two weeks. I really do think I did well in my showcase. My teacher wrote me this afterwards: "Thank you, Phil, for your contributions to making our showcase a success. I feel sure you will hear from the agents. I’m sorry your scenes were so close together, but they were two of the best and I wanted a strong finish. Your scene with Jenny had a lot of sex and charm. Have a wonderful time in Mexico and I hope to see again soon." I mean, that seems encouraging, right? She also wrote (in a mass email) : "Now you will have to be patient while the agents sort through who they wish to see. Acclaim will have another hoop for you to jump. They will bring you in to do a cold read in front of the camera and after that all the agents get together and view the video tape and decide who they will sign. If TAG is interested they will offer you a contract. This process can take up to a month. I will be delivering the extra press kits to BLVD and Collier. I’d appreciate it if you keep me posted as to which agencies are expressing interest. That way I can keep working for you from behind the scenes. " I know it will be a while before I hear anything. Still, I can't stop the thoughts that say "What if they don't want someone that's leaving town right away?"
I just need to have faith, and know that everything will work out for the best in time. I shouldn't be jealous if others get called before me. As any actor will tell me, I need to buckle down, be patient, and stay optimistic.

Talent Showcase

2009-01-12T20:14:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is an exciting day for me! For the past 14 weeks I've worked with local acting teaching Mona Lee. I've been preparing a showcase to present for Austin's talent agents, including Heather Collier, TAG Talent, and Acclaim Talent.

I've prepared two contrasting scenes (5 minutes in length) to perform in an evening of acting mayhem! 19 other local actors will be presenting their very best to the agents as well, and it should prove to be a night of excitement, hope, and energy. I've chosen as my scenes "Doubt", a drama about a priest accused of immoral acts within his parish, and "The Heidi Chronicles", a political comedy about a young activist caught up in the turmoil of the late 60's.

In addition to the scenes I've been working on for months, I've also prepared four "press kits" for each of the attending agencies. I've literally poured hundreds of dollars (and nearly as many hours) into editing photos, producing prints, perfecting (and re-perfecting) my resumes, bios, and cover letters, and so on... I am still not completely satisfied with them (due to print shop mistakes, personal mistakes, my computer frying, etc.), though they are pretty slick. Hannah Lindsley and Bill Ledbetter took my head shots (which came out amazing, though I wish I'd brought a more extensive wardrobe). I also cropped, edited, and screen captured photos and video from my past films/plays. I was amazed how much stuff of me there is floating around in the online abyss. About half of the material I've found was posted by other people, and yes it's true... my image is finally, solidly, GOOGLABLE!

Wish me luck, send me some prayers, tell me to break some appendages, and I'll let you know how it all goes!

Ciao for now.

Two New Videos

2008-12-28T14:48:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-26T10:11:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-22T13:08:00.000-08:00

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.