Using Time Off Wisely

Productivity can be relaxation. Because being self-employed technically means you can choose your own hours (to a certain extent) or how much / hard you work - time off can feel like you're cheating. REMEMBER - the average hard-working person has 2 days off a week, AND set holiday periods.

However, if I'm like most actors, during my 'time off' I still like to do something that is fun but lends to my career. It actually makes me feel more 'relaxed' to work on something small that will help me in the acting world. After all, trying to work enough to earn money during the year leaves not a lot of time to do creative tasks which need doing. Therefore - time off, with no 'muggle work' per say, can be the perfect opportunity to excel in your professional practice.

On a my recent time home in Dublin, I booked in a filming session in the Dublin office of Spotlight, at Bow Street. It was good value for a half hour session - including high quality equipment and top class direction. I really felt I gained something from the session. I learned that filming a short scene requires progression and thought. Next time I do a self tape I will make sure to think about the moments I can lay off the breaks - and those that I can throw away.

I chose a scene from 'Sing Street', as it is close to my casting and in my native accent.

Keeping Showreels Up to Date

You wouldn't even begin to consider drinking a pint of milk if it was out of date... So why would a casting director consider you for a role if your showreel is about 10 years behind where you are currently at as an actor? (TERRIBLE comparison... but you get the message...). We change constantly, both physically and ability wise, year by year. I have found it to be essential to keep my acting showreel up to date - using Windows MovieMaker to add or take away clips from my showreel. It is constantly a work in progress. You must add the best footage from recent filming you have done. Be selective. I have found myself tempted to stick sections of self-tapes in my showreel - but then I have realised quality is better than quantity. Ideally, a showreel doesn't have to be anything above 2 & 1/2 mins. I found myself flicking ahead quite a bit in my showreel - this is a sure indicator to me that less is in fact more when it comes to clips. I recently updated my showreel and uploaded the newest version onto my Spotlight as well as my agent's website. From now on, any professional footage I get I will add on to my showreel - I will continue editing and taking away / cropping clips to strive to keep it as professional and concise as I can.

Quest to Honing the Acting for Camera Technique

I have had a lot of training and experience in theatre acting... but screen acting is a whole different ball game. It is something I am willing to step up to the challenge for. In the past week, I have had 4 completely different self tape auditions to do for various jobs - some ranging from one or two lines to 3 page script dialogue. I have included self tapes, filmed by Wolfpack Productions (who offer a great value self-tape service to actors). http://www.productionwolfpack.com/
I can clearly see my mistakes on screen. I am always picky about how I move my head / twitch an eyebrow or whether or not I believe myself.
However, I know it is essential to scrutinise my on-screen performance if I want any chance at getting better.

The more often I do self-tapes, the more natural they become. By stripping back my performances - I became rigid. This was an important step towards a pulled-back performance, yet it took time for the stripping back to begin to look natural rather than stiff. At the end of the day, I am still being 'me' to a certain extent on camera... so by preventing myself from having any form of natural movement at all just takes away from the truth. I am by NO MEANS a perfect screen actor now - I STRESS I am still very much work in progress - with the ODD moment of a break-through. I just think it is important to assess your progress if it is something you want to pursue as an actor.

Pure Paradox Theatre Company

https://www.pureparadoxtheatre.co.uk/about

This week I have been immersed in the world of 'Splinter' (a new play written by Louise Fitzgerald). 'Splinter' is a play about the inner workings of the mind, yet it does not spell out the concept from the get-go. It is a play to get the audience's minds racing and to take them on a journey alongside the characters; whom seem more confused than the audience at times... I have had the privilege of performing this play alongside a vibrant young cast at The Etcetera Theatre, Camden, as part of the Camden Fringe.

I have linked the website for the Pure Paradox Theatre Company at the top of this blog. This theatre company was established by the writer and director of 'Splinter', Louise. It has honestly, hand-on-heart been such an amazing experience to get a chance to be part of an original theatre company. The hard work, commitment and working around varying schedules has formed a team of flexible and focused creatives and actors. We are all invested in this production. I believe when you strip away the flounces and flares of live theatre - that's when you rely very much on your skill as an actor. Anybody who has ever done Fringe (in any venue) can surely relate to the limited amount of 'get-in' and 'get-out' time. This means less time for warm up preparations, set-up and sound-tests (to name but a few ingredients involved in show prep). Lack of prep-time forces the actor to trust their ability and to discover efficient ways in which to warm up their bodies and voices.

Feedback has been an essential part of this experience. It has made me realise that different members of the audience will pick up / focus on certain parts of the show. Some people will love aspects of the play, others will think certain aspects don't add to the story; as well as certain audience members offering their own suggestions or each individual gaining a unique experience from the play. Personally I had relatives who came to watch who, on one hand, understood the concept pretty much from the get-go; whilst on the other hand, another who only found out the concept in the final scene when it is explained. These varying opinions and ideas form interesting conversation topics. No one person had the same experience. Some people wanted more of something, some people wanted less. The freshness of this live experience has made me realise live theatre is about more than getting a 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down'; it's about believing in a project wholeheartedly, being open-minded and developing those characters within the project. Being closed-off as an actor will only prohibit your chances of developing and progressing.

Overall, feedback and comments have been incredible. I have really been swept up in this experience. We were lucky enough as a company to have all our sound and music originally composed for us - an aspect which adds greatly to the show and our experiences as actors. Tomorrow is our final show at the Etcetera Theatre. Being part of this theatre company has led me to believe that there is nothing better for an actor than acting. That sounds so basic and obvious - but actually practising your craft is the best experience for a striving actor. Each company member has come from different situations but we work around these - the focus is on the project at hand, no matter what else might be going on in our lives.
http://www.etceteratheatre.com/

New Updated Headshots

A shot which represents the young version of me - nice TV shot (Studio Light)

During a particularly quiet time - I got my new headshots done by the fabulous Ori Jones. My agents and the casting director who had originally advised me to get new ones really liked them - but not only that they believed the photos represented who I am and that it was 'great to see [my] natural features and radiance'.I have added more of the shots to give an idea of the range in variety.

A smiley shot is always useful to have (Outdoor / natural light)

A shot chosen by Ori Jones the photographer. Captures a neutral but bright expression & also a clear photo of my hair (Outdoor / natural light)

A more 'period-drama' style shot (Studio Light)

My main photo on Spotlight (Natural / Outdoor Light)

My main photo on Lorraine Brennan Management's page (Studio Light)

Staying Connected; Keeping Going

Since Module 1...

Since finishing up the Uni term in May and receiving a First for Module 1, I have fortunately been busy with rehearsals and auditions. However, I have had 'lull periods' where it seems not a lot is going on. During this time, as an actor, it is easy to get sucked into states of 'self-pity', which (as alluring as they may seem) are in no way beneficial. I have taken it upon myself to keep myself going during these rough times to, hopefully, mold myself into a more flexible and employable actor.

Stay Connected

Who says you can't work for yourself? You may have all the people in the world helping you along your career - but there is nothing more satisfying than small achievements which you gain yourself. My agents gave great advice recently to aim to be in short films / student films to gather together footage for a professional-looking showreel - solely missing the 'professional scene filming' cost. Student films are great because you are both doing each other a favour - the student gets a professional level actor for their university project; and the actor gets professional looking footage to use for their showreel. It's a WIN WIN as they say. I joined the website https://www.mandy.com/ and since then have had many a self-tape to do for short films (within a week or so of joining). I filmed an episode for a web series yesterday, and today I had a recall for a short film in Middlesex University. The director and writer were lovely and it felt great to make contacts with film students at the same University which I attend. We discussed how it is a benefit for both of us to have made this connection. Sometimes you don't have to look so far out of your immediate circles for professional connections.  If nothing else,  all of this learning new sides, filming and auditioning is experience that keeps me active as an actor and practicing my craft.

Training out of Training

You can only get better.   This is something I've learned since graduating from drama school. I have tried to do something every week that scares me - or throws me out of my comfort zone. If I fantasize about being in certain productions / plays; then I have to make sure I am employable for these jobs. Over the last few weeks, as well as getting practical experience in front of the screen, I have taken a technical singing lesson and I also did a Shakespeare workshop with a brilliant Shakespeare company called 'Merely Theatre'. This workshop was based around a scene from 'The Taming of the Shrew' which is one of my all time favourite Shakespeare comedies. I gained knowledge and ideas from that 2 hour workshop which I believe will help me with Shakespeare and non-Shakespeare script alike. One of the many interesting pointers made was that each line is either 'winning' or 'losing'. The workshop leaders got us to say either 'AH-HAH' or 'Oh Shit...' with different intonation before each line - depending on how victorious or down-trodden the character was at that particular moment in time. This helped with the pace and intention of the scene and added dynamics. It also encouraged me to get more Shakespeare monologues in my repertoire. I am always a work in progress and by constantly giving my brain new material to learn - I am without a doubt bettering myself as an actor.  

Open Your Eyes

The biggest bit of advice people often offer me is - 'SEE THINGS!' This advice is referring of course to things that are ongoing in our theatres / on our screens / upstairs in pubs. I decided to make sure to allow myself time in a month to go and see lots of productions. Watching productions is more beneficial to me than another under-paid shift at reception - a trip to the theatre / cinema always leaves me feeling inspired and creatively invigorated. Whereas a shift at reception leaves me feeling tired, creatively uninspired and oftentimes questioning the public's common sense...

In the matter of a few weeks I saw Emma Rice's 'Romeo and Juliet' at The Globe; 'Eris at the Wedding' as part of RADA Fest; 'Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour' at The Duke of York's Theatre; 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' at Theatre N16; 'The Staffroom Play' at Queens Theatre, Hornchurch; as well as absorbing brilliant drama series such as 'The Handmaid's Tale' and 'Game of Thrones'. All of these wonderful productions, no matter how big or small scale, have all lent to broaden my creative well-being. 

To Sum It Up...

We do have it hard as actors. That's a fact. But it is up to us to force ourselves to continuously work at our craft and make ourselves more rounded. Of course there are some days when you wake up and you want nothing more than to wallow in your own self-pity and eat spoonful upon spoonful of peanut butter (and kid yourself it's healthy because it's 'organic'); but only ever allow yourself that downtime for a minimum at most. Athletes don't get where they are by sacking off their training and the same goes for actors. So instead of reaching for your equivalent of my peanut butter next time you feel creatively uninspired - reach for a new script to sink your teeth into!