Busy times!!! Good though. I thought I’d share my weekend with you.

The “Zombie” shoot this past Friday, call time for me ended up being 4:30 pm. I really didn’t think it would take too long as my stuff was just two scenes. Well I was wrong. I got to the wardrobe area on time, and to the set about 5:30. When we got there, they were setting up the lights, track, camera + + +, as they do. Then they took everyone around the corner to another location to shot a different scene. They finally got to my scene around 8:30 pm. Once we were done with my first scene, they took me to “Makeup” and made me a “Zombie”, working as quickly as Shawn, the makeup artist, could I got back on the set, beautifully disgusting at 11:30. They set up the shot, did a few dry runs and finished up with me, after having my brains bashed out, around 2:30 am. I got home about 3 am, I still had to finish removing the prosthetics and the makeup, I took a shower and climbed into bed at 4:04 am.

The alarm went off at 6:30 for me to get ready to shoot with my 48 Hour team. We did a complete run through just as though it were the actual competition. They picked the genre, prop, line of dialogue and character, just like we are going to do this next weekend. Our goal is to see what works and what we need to work on, where we need to tweak and make flow more smoothly. Plus we got to actually work together and got to see how we really interact in a real pressure situation.

“Si-Fi” was pulled and they made me the main character who is a scientist who clones, and I have cloned myself at least three times. So, I had three roles to play, and quite a bit of dialogue to learn rather quickly. With my 2½ sleep I was slower than I should have been. I am accountable, it was me that slowed things down a bit. The other 4 actors were great and supportive. They helped me run and learn my lines. It was a lot of fun. I even got to take a few hours off to attend 2 different auditions.

At the first audition, I walked in and saw Niki Nielson doing her audition. She and I have been in a few of the same short films up at the U. Niki did a great job. There were a lot of other folks at this audition that I know too. The writer / director is Will Cohen, who I am in 801 with, was holding the auditions. Sue and I saw him up at “Sundance” this year too. This audition was one where everyone watches everyone else audition. It’s a bit weird watching your competition audition. There is lots of pressure, but if you rock, you rock, and if you suck, you suck, plus now everyone knows it. Usually auditions are done for a casting director, a reader, someone to read aloud with you, and maybe the writer and or director, and most of the time the auditions are filmed. I think that this type of audition is a great learning experience for me. Makes me stretch and grow.

I don’t know yet how I did in their eyes, but having just come from filming, and shooting the night before, and having my acting class the night before that, and filming Wednesday night on another project, I think I carried a bit more confidence than usual. So I think I did pretty good but we’ll see.

The second audition was right down the street. I was warned about it by some of the folks at the first audition. They said that they had gone and weren’t sure if it was even a real audition. They were thinking that the folks were holding it were actually doing a “mocumentary” about what people will do to get a part in a movie or TV show, “American Idol” style. I went mainly to see what it was all about. There was a line and I saw several people I know who were also suspicious after having been there for a long time and seeing other people leave. The folks holding the auditions were doing “exit interviews” with the people who had auditioned, about their experience of the audition. It was a really weird situation. I visited with a few of my friends there and I left without auditioning.

Then I met up with my 48 Hour team to finish shooting our project. We got done around 7 pm. Now they get to edit and make us look good, or not. That is why we did this, to see what works and what didn’t. Next weekend is the big event!

Sunday, Anna and I went to film another project. This time it was with David Christensen, whom I have worked with on several projects and Ashley from my acting class. She is great! This time I play a typical dad. Anna even got to be involved, she played the non speaking, disinterested daughter. I think that we may have been type cast this time.

PROJECTS I am currently cast in, or I’m working on include:

April 20^th - U of U’s Spring Show “Persistent Visions” / Several Films

April 20^th, 21^st and 22^nd 48 Hour Project / Screening the 24^th @ 9:30 pm

April 28^th TV Pilot “Perfect” cast as “Captain Jason Carter”

May 5^th Zombie Re-Shoot cast as the Security Guard #3

Feature Film “Overcome” cast as “Dr. Pepper” Not sure on the date yet.

So yes it is a busy time, but lots of fun too! What do they say, “Do what you love, and the money will follow”. I’m just not sure when yet.

See Ya,

Bill

P.S. Everyone is invited to the U of U event @ 8:00 pm Friday night. Please see the flyer below. You’re also invited to the screening on the 24^th at the Broadway theater downtown @ 9:30 pm. Hope to see you there!