Tu 28: Met up with Andre to discuss projects and acting resources. He mentioned the Off Camera Podcast and the series The Chair. Then we watched Top 15 Mistakes Beginner Filmmakers Make.
W 29: Signed up for class at UCB starts first week of August. I haven’t seen their new space. I’m excited to jump back into improv after almost a year away!
I listened to a couple episodes of the Off Camera podcast. I finished the Damon episode and then listened to the episode with Jon Hamm from Mad Men. Both episodes were fascinating to hear how these actors engage the process and their hard work and lessons learned.
* Matt Damon: talked about his ‘sudden’ rise to fame and how he and Affleck have been working diligently for years. They knew they only way they could get cast was to write something for themselves.. Thus Goodwill Hunting. – also he talks about how his character in the film, and luck in appearing in Saving Private Ryan made people think he was smarter and a more serious actor than Affleck & how Ben’s recent resurgence via writing his own stuff (The Town & Argo).
* The host Sam Jones and Jon Hamm were discussing how an actor is different than a musician or painter. An actor can’t practice his craft alone. Jones mentions an actor needs the machine of movie making.
I actually listened to Damon’s interview twice because there were so many great nuggets of info. The reoccurring themes of how films are “a directors medium” and actors are part of that mosaic and they work “collaboatively as a jr partner” and how you have to “know what type of film you are in” [tone].
Damon talked about a famous director asking him what it was like to work with other directors. The director told him that directors are like islands and actors are able to visit each island and see what other directors do. Actors have the unique opportunity when they direct because they are able to take the best of what works and what doesn’t.
All fascinating stuff!
F 31: Attended Sethwards Show and Tell Spectacular. Amazing as always. Someday I’ll tape a short to showcase there.