Jace’s Place

As many epic fails that appeared in this film, I still really enjoyed it.  Go figure.  Here’s my breakdown…

What I liked:

1. Plenty of Megan Fox.
2. The humor, mainly in the human scenes.
3. Various nods to Transformers: The Movie (the animated one from eons ago).
4. The transforming effects.
5. The action.
6. Julie White, Ramon Rodriguez, and John Turturro: hilarious.
7. Optimus Prime kicks some metal ass.
8. That writing in Shia LaBeouf’s broken hand didn’t appear forced.
9. Lots of Asian-American male actors as part of the U.S. military with at least a line or two. Let’s step it up and give them more to do and say in the sequel, please.
10. Just how much military support Bay actually has access to and enlists for this film.  It’s pretty impressive. 

What I didn’t like:

1. Mudflap and Skidz - Jar Jar Binks lives on.  The gold tooth really threw it over the edge for me.  Racial stereotypes aside, they were just stupid and unfunny, period.
2. That Jetfire hobbled around bent over with a cane, had an overgrown metal beard, and spoke with that lame accent.  We get it, he’s old.
3. The female “Terminator”.  I saw it coming but didn’t want to believe it.  Kristanna Loken might as well have reprised her role.
4. The tired master-and-apprentice storyline and the overused line: “I’ve waited X-amount of years to exact my such-and-such revenge.” It’s Darth Sidious and Darth Maul all over again.
5. The Decepticon fetuses.
6. Major infodumping.
7. Blurry robot fight scenes.  You can’t tell who’s doing what to whom.
8. It’s 30 to 45 min. too long.

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Over the years, many people have asked me how to get started as an actor, how to get all the marketing stuff together that goes with being an actor, and just basic advice on the whole business of it.  I enjoy helping people out whenever possible, so I’m always more than happy to share my experiences, insights, and tips.  I’ve gotten so many similar questions that I finally compiled a resource for those just starting out and those who are merely curious about it and are on the fence about diving in. 

It’s called 5 Tools Every Actor Must Have - How to Market Yourself While Saving Time, Money, and Avoiding Scams.  You can find out more about it and purchase it at www.actortoolsrevealed.com.  It’s a no-nonsense guide in the form of a PDF eBook that will help any beginner avoid wasting time with the “trial and error” approach to getting into the on-camera acting business by giving him/her no-nonsense tips, tricks, and information on gathering important marketing tools, including headshots, resumes, and beyond.  I wish I had a guide like this when I was starting out.  It would’ve saved me a lot of time, money, and frustration. 

So, if you’re a beginner just getting started as an actor, or perhaps you’re a model who wants to transition into the field, please check out 5 Tools Every Actor Must Have - How to Market Yourself While Saving Time, Money, and Avoiding Scams at www.actortoolsrevealed.com.  While there, be sure to sign up for the free newsletter and you’ll instantly get a PDF download of the Introduction to the eBook, a Coupon Code to www.PerformerTrack.com (great career management software for any kind of performer, not just actors), and you’ll soon be receiving a semi-regular newsletter that will have a bunch of other tips, tricks, and true stories not found in the eBook.  The newsletter might even have some guest writers - likely fellow performers who can share their perspectives on it all.  Stay tuned.

*To my Facebook “Notes” readers, you might see a duplicate post of this show up right below.  I don’t know why but when Facebook imports my Wordpress blog, it likes to repeat itself.  So, please forgive the messy double-post.  Thanks.

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It’s been a few days since I returned from L.A. and the 25th LAAPFF where I attended the screening of my film, Bite Me.  I had set a few main intentions for my trip and believe I accomplished (or manifested?) them with relative ease.  Here’s my checklist with summaries of how it all went:

1. Attend my film’s screening to get a sense of the audience’s reaction and be present for Q&A. - It was great to see that the crowd was larger than previous fests.  Bite Me got a fairly good response in the theater, but I felt the positive response was more evident once I began walking out of the building.  People stopped me to say the movie was great, funny, and that they “get it.”  I managed to do a pretty good job telling the audience how I came up with my story idea.  It helped that I was more prepared this time around.
2. Catch up with my partner-in-crime co-producer and two of the co-stars of the film who reside in L.A. - Had a great time hearing about what everyone’s working on right now.  It’s great to see my friends keeping busy doing things they love like producing, writing, recording, auditioning, and going to acting classes.  I got to check out a couple of great restaurants in the area including Nakkara (yummy Thai food) and M Cafe De Chaya (yummy, organic, and nutritious).  Plus, I got to meet the writer of this funny short and have conversations about the writing side of the industry.
3. Get new headshots with an L.A. photographer. - I shopped around for a photographer for quite some time before this trip.  I came across Nancy Jo Gilchrist and my gut told me she was the one.  I continued comparison shopping but I just kept getting pulled back to her website.  I booked with her over the phone and she wound up being one of the best shooters I’ve worked with.  The whole experience was fantastic.  Never before have I had a headshot photographer really take such a complete interest in my career goals and tailor the shoot in that direction.  She took at least a full hour going through my outfits helping me choose items that work with my skin tone but also don’t overpower the photo.  (With headshots, the clothes should make you “pop,” not the other way around.)  She’s also an incredible makeup artist.  I felt like I had a really good chance to get centered before we started shooting and that made all the difference in the world.  Nancy Jo helps you get there.  She only takes one client per day.  That means all her energy and attention is on you the whole time.  No rush, no fuss.  The hard part now is narrowing down my shot choices. 

There you have it.  It was a fun and productive trip to L.A.  Mission accomplished. 

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Here’s the last of this series of FAQs pertaining to my first short film, “Bite Me.”  Stay tuned for future news. 

I liked how making my own film allowed me to stretch beyond simply being an actor and gave me an opportunity to lead a team. I’ve led teams before in other industries and environments but never in the filmmaking arena. A no-name actor rarely gets to call the shots so it was nice to have some say, or pretty much all say, on a project. It was also just a lot of fun to work with very talented people in front of and behind the camera. Lastly, seeing the finished product and witnessing the positive reactions from friends, family, and audiences of strangers is very rewarding. It’s nice to see that most people get the jokes.

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We were limited to two days in the café. That’s the beauty of a deadline – you get it done in the time you’re given. I think the first day was a 10-hour day while the second day was an 8-hour day. The café was perfect because they were only open for breakfast and lunch so they closed early. We were able to get in there right after the lunch crowd and have the place late into the night. Editing took a whole lot longer because of other professional commitments of my editor’s.

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8. What did you learn from making your first short film?

I learned that even though you’re making a short film (as opposed to a full-length feature), it still takes a lot of hard work to get one in the can. I also learned that wearing too many hats – director, producer, writer, lead actor – is a huge challenge. You cannot do it all, but I’m glad that I had the control that I wound up having on this first film. So, getting a great team together is essential. The other thing I learned is that it really helps to cast the right actors. I’m so happy with the cast because they made directing easy – I basically just let them run loose with the material. I gave little adjustments here and there but really it was just about all of us letting go and having fun. It was a beautiful thing.

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I would’ve tried to get funding. Any amount of funding! It probably would’ve made some things easier and also it would’ve been nice to pay everybody. They all volunteered their time and talent and I’m very grateful for that.

Also, I think I would’ve tried to be in the same room as Johnny Sousa when he was editing the film (Johnny served as DP and as the editor). At the time he began editing, he had just moved to New York so we were kind of doing some back and forth communication and he would send me various rough cuts via the web or snailmail. Overall, I think it turned out pretty good but it would’ve been a smoother process for both of us if we were both physically in the room.

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