Kerry Beyer

HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUSTON

movies

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THE ART OF THE AUDITION

Auditioning sucks… lets just be honest. It really doesn’t enable the actor to do their best work. In a perfect world, we’d all be offered parts, and wouldn’t have to audition.

All kinds of things can go wrong… the reader could suck. The Casting Director/Director/Producer could be tired… hungry… distracted. The role could already be going to the producers girlfriend. Here’s a few tips to make the best of a bad situation…

 What you must keep in mind is that an audition is not a chance to get a job… it is a chance to do your craft. If you look at it this way, I’m sure you will book more, and be happier in the long run.

As an actor, you must bring that element into an audition that is uniquely you. Make the strongest choices. Be so good that everyone in the room is impressed. Even then, you may not get the job. But that’s not your goal…  Your goal is to book the room. Book the CD. Book the Director, Producer, etc. Because it may not be this project… it may be the one down the road that the CD thinks you may be perfect for.

Producers are looking to piece together the puzzle. Trying to find the right actors, with the right overall cast dynamic. Do not get discouraged if you are reading over and over and over and not getting cast. At least you keep getting called back.

The number one problem I see with actors is that they take too many beats. Not every scene is up for an Academy Award ®. Every moment of the scene doesn’t need to be drawn out. Most dialogue can be thrown away… after all… it’s not what’s on the page that counts… it’s the conflict between the lines.

Early in my career, I was reading once for casting director Mike Fenton (Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, ET)… after the scene he said “nice, you did what’s on the page… now do what’s not.” It changed my take on the scene. It changed my take on acting. Thank you, Mike.

The other problem I see is that most actors move too much… and their performance loses focus. Stand still, focus on the reader… perform as if it were a closeup projected onto a 40 foot screen – because that’s where it may end up.  If you are moving all the time, then your movements don’t mean anything. Instead, use movement to accent certain key moments.

Lastly, if the director gives direction… take it. Be adaptable. If you don’t understand the direction, ask for clarification. Take time to process the change… don’t just say “yeah, yeah, I got it…” then do the same exact read as the one previous.

Know your place in the scene… know your place in the story… and never forget, the audience is watching… you are there to move the story forward, and to entertain the audience.

Break a leg.

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ARE SUPER-HEROS DESTROYING HOLLYWOOD?

Iron Man, The Avengers, Spiderman, Thor, the Hulk, Captain America, Green Lantern… summer blockbusters are dominated now by PG-13 super-hero spectacles. Visual feasts of epic CGI wizardry.

In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, Andy Wachowski (Cloud Atas, Matrix) says “There is a supply and demand thing working there in Hollywood. The studios are making these big spectacles, but the audiences are going to see them.”

That is not going to last forever, he says… But how can he be so sure?

Andy bases his prophecy of doom on the former collapse of the comic book industry, when everything became based on sequels.

Eventually, the market place will become over-saturated, and audience tastes will change, and as Andy says, ” the whole system will re-invent itself as something else.”

Is the era of the super-hero in decline, or is it just getting started?

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PROMETHEUS: MOVIE REVIEW

Prometheus-Movie.com

So, I really liked this movie… enough to see it twice, 2 nights in a row – so I’m not really sure why all the mixed reviews. I guess if you are looking for non-stop, chest bursting, Alien action… this is not the movie for you.  But if you want a more philosophical experience, and subtle references and insights into the Alien saga, this is your ticket.

***WARNING: SPOILERS

Now, there seems to be a great deal of controversy about whether or not this is an Alien prequel. Lets fact check for a moment, shall we…

Prometheus takes place on LV-223 and the film ends on January 1st, 2094. In the original Alien, the Nostromo sets down on what we would later come to know as LV-426 in the year 2122. It is clearly a prequel that sets up a completely new, but parallel story direction. Other evidence is the pre-merger Wayland Corp, which would later become Wayland-Yutani.

I spoke with a good friend who was bored to tears by Prometheus… but then, he’s not steeped in Alien lore, so I understand the complaint – the first kill isn’t until 45 minutes or so in the movie. For me, it was nice to see the subtle Alien references, and a look into the Space Jockey/Engineer mythos. From my first viewing of Alien, the story of the Space Jockey and Derelict Ship always captivated my imagination.

Hardcore fans will certainly enjoy and pick up on lines from other Alien Saga films, though the scripting does seem to vacillate between ambiguous and “on the nose” dialogue, which is probably necessary in a film who’s story logic may be a little confusing at times. You have to pay attention with this one – and it’s in those subtle moments that I find the greatest joy.

This is a slow boil film, just like the original Alien, and is a breathtaking visual experience, like all Ridley Scott films. It’s a film that keeps me thinking and asking questions, and that’s something that happens less than I’d like. Great filmmaking is one that does just that… engages you for days afterwards.

Is Prometheus Alien? No, and it wasn’t meant to be. Part of me would like to have seen a Prometheus that was more full on Alien action, but we’ve seen that 4 times already within the saga, and I can’t even count how many times with the AVP franchise. So Prometheus ends up being a fresh take on a world that many of us know and love.

I know I’ll be waiting for Prometheus 2.