Day 4: Getting Down to Business

Right, so I finally feel like things have gotten under way a bit. And now I can't fake it any more. Its beginning to dawn on me how huge this task is going to be. I definitely have my work cut out for me.

I spent a long time today trying to figure out what the next step was. And then even longer looking for material. And then some time feeling like I was out of my depth. I did eventually get around to having a second go at a monologue I was given at a screen auditioning class I took a few weeks ago. I was actually pretty pleased with the results in the end. Although it did take me several tries just to get a clean take.

I think I might have to find a better method for self taping. Right now I am just using the camera on my phone, which is not a bad camera. Its also helpful to have the material on my phone so that I can send it off or upload it elsewhere as need be. This isn't so much a concern now, but hopefully in the future I'll be taping some auditions. However, I have been facing the screen away from me, because I think it will be too distracting the other way around. But this means that I cannot see whether I am actually in the shot (as the image resets to the default in between every video) or if I am in focus. There have been at least a few takes that would have been ok, but for the fact that you can't actually see my face. I guess it is all part of the learning process.

I am feeling a little bit at sea here. I have no background or formal training in screen work, so I feel like I am not qualified to critique myself. Or rather, that I don't know how to change things to make them better. However, I shouldn't give in to self doubt like that - I know that I have decent judgement when it comes to other people. I just need to learn to be objective and approach some of this work as a director as well. I think it will be an interesting challenge.

Finding material to work on I think is going to be one of the hardest tasks. Luckily I have found several decent internet databases - scripts and pilots and a commercial voice overs. But I need to do my ground work for this. And once I do pick something the impulse is to either dive in immediately or spend ages working on it. I know in real life the parameters will usually be somewhere in between the two, so finding that balance is going to be important.

I've got a few other thoughts bouncing around in my head tonight, but I think I will let them develop a bit before I set them down here.