Here’s what the author has to say about his book:

The book began life as a blog post, back in 2004. It had a very simple premise: “So you want to be more creative, in art, in business, whatever. Here are some tips that have worked for me over the years.”

And I don’t think a life spent fighting like hell, to get that basic human need expressed and fulfilled, is a bad thing.

My name is Jamie Blankenship. I am working on a community filmmaking project called the Two-week Turnaround Tour, or T3. Thousands of aspiring and professional filmmakers will come together in 14 US cities over 7 months to write, shoot, and screen a short film in the span of two weeks in each city.

We’re coming to Austin next and would love it if you could help us spread the word. All levels of experience are welcome. We believe everyone has something to offer the collaborative art of filmmaking! Austin will be our 4th city! We will be kicking off T3 Austin May 15th. For more information, you can visit our site at http://filmblazer.com/t3 and feel free to contact me anytime at  Jamie at filmblazer.com

Sincerely,

Jamie Blankenship

Here’s some info I copied from the really cool T3 site. This is just a tease…there’s lot’s more to see on the T3 site, so please check it out. Looks like fun to me.

What is the Two-week Turnaround tour?
The Two-week turnaround tour or T3 is a community filmmaking project. Filmblazer will visit 14 cites over 7 months. We will write, shoot, and screen a short film in each city in just two-weeks.

How does it all work?
Josh and Jamie get in an RV with all their Film equipment. We show up to a city and are greeted by our City Leader. We then have a kick off event, bringing together everyone who wants to help with the film. We work together to write a sweet film, shoot it, edit it, export it. We take a nap. We premiere the film, broadcasting live. We get in RV and drive to the next city. Repeat 14 time.
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What is a City Leader?
The city leader is the local liaison for each city and will be our go-to person throughout production. The city leader needs to be a motivated, organized, film enthusiast that will help us build the city teams, scout locations, plan the premiere event, and basically be responsible for making sure Josh and Jamie get to keep their sanity. If you are interested in being a city leader please contact us!
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What can I do to help make a short film?
This is a wide open question. Do you have access to a coffee shop? Do you have a ton of junk aka props? Can you make costumes? Are you really good with makeup? Do you like feeding people? We want everyone to bring something to the film because everyone has something to offer. Join a city and tell us what you can do. Plus we welcome people that can write, edit, act, light, you know normal film stuff

Hi E…,

The photo you attached is fine…as long as it still looks like you. However the truth is you probably need more than one photo. This one is pretty ‘serious’…which is good for many roles but might not be good if you were going up for a lighter role or for a commercial. I also suggest you get any new photos taken in color. Many years ago, color photos were only for models but that day has passed. With the advent of digital photography, color headshots have become the norm for actors as well. There is a link on my web site to a local photographer named Kathy Whittaker. I don’t get any money for recommending Kathy, I was just very pleased with her work and her pricing. If you decide to get new shots I’d call around or check web sites to get prices and see whose style appeals most to you. There are a number of good photographers in town.

BUT if you’re looking at changing agents, I’d wait on new photos until you get the agent thing settled. Then go over the issue of photos with your agent and see what kind of photos they want you to have…they’ll give you some opinions on how the think they can best market you.

If you’re going to try to establish a working relationship with any agent, it’s best to [not only] enlist their input [but] then to do what they say and see how that works. Also get the agent’s recommendations about photographers. As long as you are with a reputable agency, then you shouldn’t have to worry about getting scammed by an agent who makes money off photographer’s referral fees…an OLD scam in the agency business. Continue to check with your peers about their representation and about who shot their pictures, etc. That kind of information can be gold to you and save you from making some mistakes.

As to changing agents…

I don’t know who you signed with or the terms of the contract. Typically there is an ‘out’ clause in every talent contract..for both the talent and the agent. If you haven’t been working and they aren’t calling and the contract is still in force, a simple letter terminating the agreement should do the trick. But check your contract for specifics such as the requirement that the letter be [sent by] certified mail, etc. Depending on how long ago you signed the contract, it may no longer be in force. Again, check your copy of the agreement.

BUT before you do seek a new agent there is something that you might want to consider: It sounds like you haven’t been a very good client to this agent. I don’t say that to be critical but just in response to your representation that you haven’t been available because of school. Nothing will turn off ANY agent faster than a talent who is not available for auditions.

Once in a while is not a problem, but after a few times…or worse, if the talent just doesn’t return the agent’s call…or EVEN WORSE if the talent accepts the audition and then gets busy with class or whatever and DOESN’T SHOW AT THE AUDITION, the agent gets the idea that the talent is not really serious and they move on to those who are.

Not showing up for an audition appointment is NOT ACCEPTABLE as it can give you AND your agent a black eye with the casting person. I’m not saying you stiffed the agent on auditions, because I don’t know that. I’m just saying…agency and talent relationships are a two way street. SO…before changing agents, you may want to get back in touch with your present agent and have a discussion about how you’re now ready to be available and serious about getting acting work. If you liked this agent well enough to sign with them in the first place, maybe you don’t need to change agents, just get back in their good graces.

Otherwise, truly, in this market I think all the agents are going to provide similar results. Just go with someone with whom you feel a connection and then do your part by getting them the photos they want and need and by being available when they call…by taking some classes if possible to show you’re continuing to study, etc.

Also you’re going to want to get up to speed with a few services like NOW CASTING and ACTORS ACCESS. Those are two online casting sites that many/most agents and casting people are now utilizing. At least familiarize yourself with those sites so you can ask potential agents if they use them and what they expect from you in terms of getting signed up…they’re both free to actors.

Find someone you ‘like’ and stay with them.

I’ve had a LOT of agents in my career and sometimes a change of agent is about all an actor thinks they can do to get things jump started. You have to understand the realities of the market in which you’re working. Right now, local production is way down due to the lack of an adequate tax incentive program in Texas. That lack has resulted in a LOT of work moving to other states like Louisiana and New Mexico and even Michigan.

At this time and in this market…given the statement in the paragraph above, I would discourage moving from agent to agent because I just don’t see the point. All the [reputable] agents will get all the calls from the casting people. If you establish that you are serious about acting and do your part, the agent, whichever agency you are with, will probably get you out. All the agent can do is give the actor an opportunity, it’s up to the actor to book the job. Easy money, right? Hah!

You might take a look at agency web sites and see which agents seem to have the most talent who ‘look’ like you and which don’t. You might consider approaching an agent who DOESN’T already have 10 guys in your age range and with your ‘look’…so you will fill a need for that agent.

Hope this helps some. It’s a long road and it takes a lot of persistence, patience and work to get anywhere. Best of luck and keep in touch.

Tommy

Last year I had the pleasure of doing a decidedly small role in a project called KINGS OF THE EVENING. My role was a day player role, one sequence. The contract was SAG low-budget so the money was minimal and not a real enticement to do the job. But the script was good and it was an unusual project – the story set in the depression era and the cast predominantly African American. It seemed to me it would be a ‘different’ kind of project than we typically see in our market and it could be a fun experience. I decided to think of it as an acting class that I got paid to attend.

GETTING an acting job is often not that much fun. The process of searching out potential projects, submitting yourself or getting your agent on the case, etc. etc. gets tedious after a few decades. All that is work that is necessary but is not necessarily associated with the fun part of the acting business. Doing the job, on the other hand is almost always a real pleasure.

My role in KINGS was so small, I fully expected to be cut out…and maybe I have been. Wouldn’t be the first time and probably wouldn’t be the last. But since I’ve received an invitation to a screening and party following, I’m assuming my little contribution made the cut. We’ll see.

What I remember most from my involvement with the project was a brief exchange with Reginald Dorsey an actor and producer on the project. Between takes of a scene, I was seated near Dorsey when he leaned over to me and complimented something he had seen me doing in the scene. I was a bit surprised as it really wasn’t a difficult piece of action. But he complimented my consistency, take to take. Frankly I was impressed that someone noticed because really that’s a basic part of the job. Consistency is expected…and rightly so. That’s one of the reasons you’re getting paid a professional’s wage.

Even so, that brief exchange, a compliment from a respected colleague put a nice cap on what could have been ‘just another’ day’s work. Regardless of the size of the role, respect yourself and your profession enough to give it your best effort. If you can’t do that…don’t take the job.

UPDATE: This evening I received a very nice email from KINGS OF THE EVENING director Andrew Jones who had read this blog and who let me know that I had indeed been cut from the film. As I told Andrew…and as I think I expressed above, I’m not completely surprised.

The good experience of working on the film remains with me and is not subject an editorial decision. And…the check cashed just fine and has long been spent. I look forward to seeing the finished film next week in Austin.

Joe O’Connell’s column below has some more information on KINGS OF THE EVENING:

BY JOE O’CONNELL

‘Kings’ returns a winner

A film that shot somewhat quietly in the Austin area last year is
getting a lot of buzz and finally making it to town for a screening
primarily aimed at cast and crew at 7pm on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at the
Galaxy Highland 10. Kings of the Evening is set in the Deep South in the
Depression era. Amid tough economic times, a group of African-American
men dress in their finest and compete to be the movie title’s King of
the Evening.

The film has already won a batch of awards, including Best Film, Best
Supporting Actor (Glynn Turman, who is up for an Emmy for work on In
Treatment), and Best Director at the San Diego Black Film Festival and
the audience award at the San Francisco Black Film Festival. Also count
Gary Bond of the Austin Film Office as a fan. He calls it a heartwarming
film that deserves distribution, a stand he seldom takes about locally
shot films. Distribution is something producer/director Andrew P. Jones
is working feverishly to accomplish. He and his father, the novelist and
retired public relations pro Robert Page Jones, crafted the story after
the elder Jones read a story about a similar men’s style contest in
South Africa.

In true indie spirit, father and son bankrolled the film themselves and
first looked at shooting in Birmingham, Ala., but the lack of a film
scene nixed that idea. “We knew for a first film we needed to surround
ourselves with experienced people, resources, and gear,” the younger
Jones said. They ended up shooting in Bartlett, a town he describes as
“frozen in time. We didn’t have to do much; it was perfect for us.” The
cast and crew were 85 to 90% local but included fashion model Tyson
Beckford in the lead and such veteran actors as Lynn Whitfield (The
Josephine Baker Story) and Reginald Dorsey (Return to Lonesome Dove).

Having worked in the film version of Friday Night Lights and having watched the TV show, I thought I had a feel for the process…hand held cameras, a fast-moving shoot, an almost harried pace, but I wasn’t completely sure what the director had in mind with his question. “We don’t rehearse” continued director Reiner and, (to paraphrase) ‘we keep it loose’, confirming my expectations…all except the ‘we don’t rehearse’ part. Even on the film of FNL there was some rehearsal before cameras rolled.

Immediately, I was approached by a props person who wanted my attention ASAP (I was being wired for sound) so she could go over use of the blood pressure device and stethoscope I’d be using in the scene. The words “no rehearsal” quickly came to mind.

Fortunately I have a bit of experience with these devices…at least the blood pressure device (who hasn’t had their blood pressure taken in a doctor’s office?). But I also have some experience in taking my 91 year old mother to visit her doctors. With a quick tutorial on placing the blood pressure cuff, etc. some quick blocking to set lighting and one of the cameras that would capture different parts of the scene, we were rolling.

I have to say the whole atmosphere was pure fun. Of course I was a little unsure of how working with props I’d just been handed – working out the action of taking the blood pressure, removing the cuff, placing the cuff out of the way, removing the stethoscope and relocating it and on the fly, incorporating those actions with the dialogue – would all work out.

But there was a real freedom in the fact that there was no rehearsal. There was no established ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to get the job done. No marks set on the move from the examination room and out into a hallway for the second half of the scene. So there was no pressure to do it ‘right’. I spotted up my position and got a feel for where I needed to land and that was that. The actor (me) was just free to play the scene and work with the other actors and with the elements (props, physical limits of the space, etc.) that were present.

How fun is that? Well, quite a bit, actually. Add to the mix that the series regulars are very accustomed to this style of filming and understood that, while certain dialogue had to be included to advance certain plot points, there was a lot of freedom to improvise and it makes for a ‘be on your toes’ atmosphere. So, to the new guy on the set (me again) it was important to do what every actor is always supposed to do anyway….listen and react. Just very organic ‘acting stuff’.

I can see how someone with little or no experience could be a bit unhinged in this kind of atmosphere…the uncertainty every actor feels on their first job or two would easily be magnified on this type production. But for a more experienced actor it’s great fun. The appreciation for how hard and well the crew works is amplified as well. These men and women are MOVING FAST and getting the job done extremely well. They have this process DOWN.

I hope this doesn’t come off like the director and crew weren’t doing anything because that is certainly NOT the case. The director was doing what good director’s do…tweaking action and performance issues where necessary between takes…letting the actors know that we were on the right track…just make this slight adjustment and let’s go again. Camera, sound, grips and gaffers, props, makeup, wardrobe, etc. were all there working their butts off to make it all SWING.

Now, I only worked on one scene in this episode so really I have no idea if they shoot exactly this way all the time, every day. But I expect it’s a consistent process. The thing that is interesting to me from the actor’s POV is that I have no idea what the footage looks like. Since there were on traditional camera setups I found it hard to visualize what was being captured.

I mentioned this to Louanne Stephens (Grandma Saracen) and she said something to the effect of “If they weren’t getting what they needed, they’d let you know. They really make the actors look good on this show.” This comports with my own experiences and I mention it here because a lot of less experienced actors are reading these posts.

You may think that if the director isn’t giving you props between every take that he’s not happy with you. Generally that is not so. In my experience on TV and even on film (where there is generally a bit more time to work), if the director says nothing to you, you know you’re on the right track. It’s only when they want something tweaked or changed or if they really don’t like what you’re doing that the director will spend any face time with you between shots.

They’ve got too many other things they’re juggling to ‘atta boy’ all the actors all the time. You may see them giving lots of ‘atta boys’ to the lead actor / actress, but unless you’re the lead, don’t expect it and don’t read anything untoward into the lack of it.

Just do your job and when you wrap, accept the ‘great job’, ‘nice job’, ‘good work’ or whatever comes and move on, understanding that you had a successful turn at bat. Enjoy that and wait for the show to air and see how successfully it all comes together.

Again for the less experienced who may be reading:

It’s always interesting to walk onto an established show to do a day, a few days or even a week. Make friends with the ADs and the set PAs. Make sure you check in ON TIME, drop your gear and get ready to…wait. You’ll probably do a lot of waiting, so get used to it. Find something productive to do. If you’re paperwork is waiting in your trailer fill it out. Go over your lines, read a book, etc. Stay accessible and don’t make anyone have to find you.

You’re an ‘outsider’ to some extent, a guest, and you’re visiting someone’s family for a brief period of time. It’s in your best interest to be the guest everyone wants to have back not the one they’re happy to see leave. As an actor you have a job to do but you have some quick calculations to make. My ‘radar’ is always at a peak in these situations because you need to get in, do your job and not drop the proverbial t**d in the punch bowl before you leave.

I have to say that my radar on Friday Night Lights was free can clear of any on-set ‘issues’ that you sometimes encounter…often immediately upon arrival. (Who’s mad, who’s hung over, who’s late…again, etc. etc.) The atmosphere was friendly, supportive and professional. I think that atmosphere shows in the product that these folks have been producing.

For Texas actors and other film professionals, we need Friday Night Lights to continue its run. Here’s hoping that this season will continue the excellence duly noted by the critics and that an even stronger fan base and audience will be forthcoming.

That’s my story from the set of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Tami Knows Best. Season 3, Episode 2.

Check out this video from the site:

Thanks. I needed that.

Check out their blog at : Midlife Gals

Through the years the one non-acting creative muse I’ve followed with some consistency is photography. Now I don’t for an instant claim to be an accomplished photographer. In no way am I a ‘professional’ photographer.

But being ‘professional’ at a non-acting creative pursuit is decidedly not the point. Photography is a creative outlet that lets an actor use and improve powers of observation, use of color, texture, line, shape, motion, blah, blah, blah. And to top is off, it’s relaxing.
Sometimes one gets really lucky and can combine an actual acting job with a creative hobby

such as I did while working on THE ALAMO.With the advent and rapid improvement of low cost, high quality digital cameras, literally anyone can take to the streets, the hills, the suburbs or the country and spend an hour or a day observing and documenting the sights that may some day inform a character, a poem, a story, a play, a film.

To see more of the photos I’ve taken around Austin you can check out my galleries on PBase. When you’re not acting or preparing to act, what do you do to fulfill those creative instincts and urges that fuel the compulsion to be an actor?