While You Wait

Good news is, we have been busy.

Bad news is, we had to put blogging on the back burner.

We started this blog because we were sick and tired of waiting for something to come our way. Also, we wanted to create a community of help, advice, support and a general sisterhood attitude. We still want work and we still want to share as much as we can. Since starting this blog, I (Amber) have gotten engaged, married (yes, Cassie was my bridesmaid!) and lost my day job in Century City (Beverly Hills), and moved to Las Vegas.

Cassie has explored new work. She has since learned painstakingly how to edit digital films, bought a professional video camera and started her own production company, Jaye Bird Productions.

Now to catch you up to speed to today!

I could literally talk about how proud I am of Cassie all day. She made a small experimental short film to practice her skills as a film maker (as well as add to her reel). She made her first documentary titled "Daddy I Do" which premiered at Idyllwild Film Festival and won Best Documentary. Her short documentary on hunger in the US, "Faces Overlooked" was featured on YouTube's homepage, AND "Daddy I Do" was accepted into the oldest, most prestigeous film festival in the world, CANNES!

(More on Daddy I Do here: http://jayebirdproductions.com/postproduction.html )

Getting married forced me to put acting on hold for a year. Now that I am getting my new life

together, I cannot wait to move back to LA and pursue acting and casting.

I have made a goal board this year (It's something we try to do every New Years).

Some of my goals are:

-Pay off my AFTRA fees (check!)

-Set up a home printer/scanner for resumes (check!)

-Become SAG eligible (check!) (more on how I found out I was SAG-e on this amazing blog: http://bit.ly/dkZK7x )

-Get a reliable car (almost have the downpayment! My last car was totaled)

-Pay off Credit Cards (half way there)

-Learn Photoshop (I have a teacher, just not a way to get to him yet.)

-Move to LA!!!!!!!!

While I was working my butt off and saving in the desert, I had more time to search for

resources to use in the future. So I made a list of books recommended

to me by working actors, CDs, agents and friends. It's always hard to find updated, RELEVANT books

on acting out there so I hope this helps! (in no particular order:)

-Desperate Networks by Bill Carter (the inner workings of how TV works)

http://amzn.to/bx6JA4

-The Power of the Actor by Ivana Chubbuck (Acting technique by one of the most respected ALIVE acting teachers out there)

http://amzn.to/aQE5BY

-The Intent to Live: Achieving Your True Potential as an Actor by Larry Moss (acting)

http://amzn.to/9gWP52

-How To Stop Acting by Harold Guskin (acting technique)

http://amzn.to/cRHA8x

-True and False: Heresy & Common Sense for the Actor by David Mamet (acting technique)

http://amzn.to/9Dzw3c

-A Practical Handbook for the Actor by Melissa Bruder (acting technique help)

http://amzn.to/8XaZui

-Acting In Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making by Michael Caine

http://amzn.to/b0PLA8

-Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi (a great book on networking and starting your career!)

http://amzn.to/chgHf0

Most of the these books have been recommended to me by the fine people at the

Inside Acting podcast on itunes (it's free and if you are an actor, download NOW!)

http://www.insideactingpodcast.com/

Also a few books are from twitter followers and The Working Actress (see her amazing blog here:

http://theworkingactress.blogspot.com/ )

-Amber

PS- What are some books on acting, casting or networking, that you have read and loved?

Preparing a monologue

Being that I live in the middle of nowhere, theatrically speaking, a girl has got to take what she can get.

That being said, I have rarely come across a casting in Las Vegas (where I am currently stationed, for the time being) that not only pays more than the gas it takes to get there but also seems fun.

I came across an odd posting on (where else?) www.Craigslist.org under tv/film/radio jobs. (which believe me, this section is USUALLY blank.)

FRIGHT DOME IS CASTING FOR A MINI-MOVIE / PROMO FOR NEW UPCOMING HORROR ATTRACTION THAT WILL BE OPENING IN OCTOBER!

ACTORS / ACTRESSES MUST:
BE BETWEEN 18 - 35 YEARS OF AGE
 BE IN GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION
BE ABLE TO DO SCRIPTED DIALOG (APPROX 2 - 3 PAGES)
BE COMFORTABLE WITH HAVING SPECIAL MAKEUP FX DONE TO THEM AND / OR BEING AROUND OTHER SPECIAL MAKE-UP FX.

OPEN AUDITIONS WILL BE HELD ON ONLY AUGUST 1, 2009 FROM 10 AM - 8 PM
- YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST COME TO THE AUDITION AND DO MONOLOGUE / SCRIPT READING TO BE CONSIDERED. NO EXCEPTIONS!
- PLEASE BE PREPARED TO DO A 1 - 2 MINUTE MONOLOGUE / SCRIPT READING WHICH WILL BE PROVIDED ON AUDITION DAY.
- YOU WILL BE VIDEOTAPED DURING THE AUDITION IN ORDER TO HELP WITH THE CASTING DECISIONS
- PLEASE BE SURE A HEAD SHOT / PHOTO AND RESUME WITH YOU TO THE AUDITION.
COMPENSATION IS: $100 - $150 PER DAY DEPENDING ON WHICH PART YOU ARE CAST FOR.

• Location: Las Vegas
• Compensation: $100 - $150

So being the gloriously unemployed aspiring actress that I am at the moment, I took this little gem. A chance to actually prepare ANY monologue I want? Heck yes. 

I am looking for a creepy, scary, 20-25 yr old role. I am looking through some of my favorite monologue sites from high school (the only time I've ever actually needed a monologue) and need some help deciding what to do. Here are some favorite monologue sites of mine:

1) http://www.whysanity.net/monos/female.html  - They update this every year with new monologues and even have some really hard to find movie scenes, and sometime you have to email the owner and ask for them, but 99% are free for reading on the site. No made up monologue crap from a creative writing student. All real movies. No theater here, though. But you're not actually auditioning for film, are you? Where do you think you are? NYC?

2) http://www.monologuearchive.com/  - They have a great organized monologue selection, separated by classical and modern, dramatic and comedy. Very good older, classical selection. They also have a section for kids I have no explored. Mostly play monologues here. (As you can imagine, at 5'9 barefoot, I don't get a lot of disney auditions...)

3) Another great resource is Borders. Got to the literature section and there is a small section of monologue books, monolouge book sfor women, for men, for kids, from classical plays (not much from movies though.) and from different decades. My go to book, and most useful monologue book is a little purple paperback book called "100 women's stage monologues from the 1980's".

For this audition I'll be choosing a film, and a horror or thriller genre. My problem here is I don't watch scary movies. Because they scare me. (Don't judge me!) So I don't have much point of reference. I am looking for a girl in her 20's who is creepy or scary. I'm not going for the damsel in distress, but the villain. 

Any suggestions?

I'll put up the final 2 or 3 I choose up here when I have some good choices.

email me or Direct Message your suggestion to me on twitter (twitter.com/freakygreeneyes)!