Old Acting Blog

Last Sunday was Pop Culture Night.

It was a night where I invited a bunch of friends (8 of us in total, I’m taking the picture) and we watched the pilots of popular shows of which we weren’t familiar.

What a great time! We saw a total of four shows & if I were to quickly review those shows I’d say:

Mindy Project  – the character/plot of this show was ‘a quirky, “terrible-with-love” professional woman and how she takes on the world’– I don’t think I was in the demographic for this one, so I wasn’t all that into it. 2/5

1600 Penn – I’m so used to seeing the white house as serious, so having this be a over-the-top comedy threw me off a little. The characters are very, very heightened. 1/5

Nashville – definite high stakes for everyone & everyone’s acting was great. I could see how people would get into this show. 4/5

Once – This show I could see getting hooked on myself. Afterwards a few of us watched the second episode to see where the show was going. 4/5

There are several things to think about on these nights. Of course it is useful to have a working knowledge of the shows for when I do improv or when conversing with others. I also want to know the tone of the show, and which casting directors worked on which projects. Plus consider which types of characters I could play and how other actors are marketing themselves (or reinventing themselves). I’d like to have a theatrical agent this year, and when I go on auditions I’d like to know the ins and outs of this industry. There is a lot of research to do, and I prefer spending time with my friends rather than sitting on the couch by myself.

I’m having another Pop Culture Night in February. After I get back from Australia I’ll buy a month of the Netflix DVD service to rent a few shows that weren’t available online. I’ve also made a deal with myself that if I sell my unwanted things things I put on a list, I could use that money to purchase an Apple TV. I’d like to mirror my computer screen for those shows that stream outside of Hulu and Netflix. Plus, It’d be great to show Vimeo and YouTube clips too. Craigslist and ebay, here I come!

Of course, my favorite part of the night was the great company. I’m fortunate to have really interesting friends who are all insightful on the various aspects of a show’s plot, actors or quality of the acting. Every so often people would comment about the projects an actor was in and other shows to check out for next time. (Dalex and Morgan are looking up IMDB on their phones in the picture..)

Oh, and I had all sorts of yummy snacks for everyone! Air popped popcorn, cake and Sunny D smoothies.

Good times.

acting Pop Culture Night

They say insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.. So I chose to do my resolution(s) differently this year.

1) I began my new year’s resolution on December 26. – This way the motivation of already accomplishing a few days propelled me past new years day. That day is usually a day when I’m sleeping in, and not motivated to start something new. ~ This worked perfectly.

2) My resolution is “to fill out my daily journal list everyday”. – Instead of thinking about all of the habits I want to change about myself individually, they are all gathered in one place. Then I can see over time which ones I’ve done. It is pretty ‘database’ oriented, but it is the best way for me to check my progress over applying changes in my habits in life.

3) I wanted to making everything easy. – each item on my list only takes 10 min or less. Also, I’ve already compiled earlier thoughts and don’t have to go far to get them.

4) My list is designed to allow me to simply choose an option and go. – this way it doesn’t get stale over time. I can still have my ‘regimen’ and a little bit of variety.

5) My list is organized so each item leads to the next in a ‘natural’ progression. – this way I am more likely to do the next thing because it isn’t ‘hard’ to do (at first). An example is I start my physical activity by cleaning for 10 min, then I do my exercises. It is much more pleasant

And here is what my little list/form/app looks like:

I created everything with an AWESOME program called HanDbase. I’ve been using it for years to list the improv games I know, and I just couldn’t find an app that allowed me to customize it just right.

All this to say, that this is the year when my acting goals take a priority. I figure, I won’t allow the other ‘stuff’ get in the way when I am always thinking about what steps I am and will be taking to further my acting career.

hmatt all