The Background Actor - Spontaneous Background Acting

The Standby Painter - Beauty in an American Winter

The Background Actor - Not My Stepping Stone

My background acting career grew from my decades-long love of film and television. I grew up losing myself in the silver screen and I wanted to be part of the magic. The late Robert Altman gave me my first job in the biz, working with Glenda Jackson and Carol Burnett on …

Tags: Movie Bloggers, Hollywood, Movie, Actor, Oscars

The Background Actor - THE BACKGROUND ACTOR

 
Crews was a background actor in 40 feature films shot on the East Coast, including Black Sunday, Body Heat and the James Bond film, Licence to Kill. Crews moved to Los Angeles in 1998 and has acted in feature films and TV while teaching beginning extras the ropes with his blog, …

Tags: Movie, Film Industry, Movie Theatre, Film Blog, Film

The Standby Painter - One Degree of Separation

Probably all the bloggers on this site and anyone who works in Hollywood or New York in the great business of Show Business knows the name Bernie Brillstein.  Bernie was legendary, managing many of Saturday Night Lives’ stars, including SNL’s creator Lorne Michaels and cast members John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, …

Tags: Actor, Hollywood, Oscars, Film, Movie

The Casting Director - I like to move it, move it…

Happy New Year…

 

Anyway…

Back to work and just finished casting a wonderful film, “Touchback.” The cast is, if I do say so myself, wonderful and I could not be happier with how it all came together. I had very little time to put the cast together and we were under a lot of pressure to deliver a cast that could perform because the script was the winner of the Netflix Find Your Voice Competition and therefore as part of it’s prize, will screen at the LA Film Festival this year. So, not a lot of time, or money to do things but we did it and I have to say that the Director, Phil Flores and the Producer, Chase Kenney were wonderful to work with and get to know. It’s also nice to work on a film that is shooting in Los Angeles, because visiting the set and getting to know the cast a little better and see them in action is exciting for me. Go to IMDB to check our cast out…

 

A new year and a new gig. “Vinyl,” which has been on my desk and in various stages of financing is finally active. This weekend is all about me getting ahead of the names submitted and figuring out whom we want to make offers to. It’s nice to be working on a film that has a bigger budget and an ensemble piece. The film is shooting in Winnipeg and Los Angeles, but most of the casting will be done out of LA. I sent the breakdown to agents in NYC, Canada and London, just in case there is an idea that I let slip through the crack (what? Not me? I am perfect!). This job will keep me up at night, because I know how hard it is going to be to coordinate all of the information coming at me at once, but it will be worth it in the end, because the script is a lot of fun to flesh out and work on and the actors, agents and managers have been responding positively to the script, which is always a good sign.

 

I am also casting a short film for students at AFI that starts going in mid-March. The story is, shall we say unusual. It is a satire on a domestic drama, in which the son of a father has been raping the father for several years and everything starts to come to a head after the son gets married (to a woman). Needless to say, it’s “racy” but not surprisingly to myself, actors love the material and are interested in the project. I love working with new filmmakers as it gives me a chance to get to know emerging talent like directors, producers and actors.

 

It is very true that working gets you more work. Staying busy is very important to me; I don’t like not having something to work on. So for now (at least until April) I am busy. Now I just have to find my next gig…Take a look at my new website www.lessallcasting.com

Tags: Film Industry, Movie, Movie Theatre, Actor, Movie Blog

The Actor - “PRESENT LAUGHTER,” ALONGSIDE THE SILK ROAD IN THE CITY

Here I am again, right on schedule, as promised, and home in LA after a nice break back east.  Last week while in NYC, I went to see the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of “Present Laughter,” a Noël Coward play starring Victor Garber, known by most for his role on “Alias,” as the father of Jennifer Garner.  Harriet Harris, whom you might recognize from “Desperate Housewives,” also appears. They were both fantastic, and I really enjoyed the play overall.  It consists of three acts, with two intermissions, which make the running time longer than most, but the cast kept the story, action and comedy moving well.  The elegant and elaborate art deco set, was quite appealing to the eye from all angles.

The play revolves around Garry Essendine, an egotistical actor, played by Garber, who is about to celebrate his birthday with a trip to Africa.  In the opening of the show, a pretty, young girl, Daphne Stilllington, played sweetly by Holley Fain, visits him after she has “lost her latch key,” a running joke throughout the play.  During this time we meet all three of Garry’s assistants: his secretary, Monica Reed, played by Harriet Harris; his butler, Fred, played by James Joseph O’Neil, and his German maid, Miss Erickson, played by Nancy E. Carroll.  Garry is still very much in contact with and close to his ex-wife, Liz Essendine, played by the well established Lisa Banes, who enters the plot when she suspects an affair between Garry’s manager, Morris Dixon, played by Marc Vietor, and the wife of his producer, Harry Lyppiatt’s, played by Richard Poe.  The wife, Joanna, played by Pamela Jane Gray, sports a stunning, eye-catching, elegant, empire-waisted, long, flowing, black and white dress in the first act, which I so much wanted for myself!  During Liz’s expression of her suspicion to Gary, the overly flamboyant Roland Maule, played perfectly, with no shortage of laughs, by Brooks Ashmanskas, visits him and wants his play critiqued by Garry.  As the plot develops, we see the interaction between all the characters, along with a little blackmail, seduction and an assortment of escapades.  So, if you find yourself in Manhattan, I highly recommend this show and feel the comedy will bring some refreshing laughs into your life.

While in the city, I also took in “The Silk Road Exhibit,” on the upper west side, at the American Museum of Natural History, and met up with my very good and extremely talented friend and fellow actor Chris Chalk, for dinner at Scaletta Ristorante, which was delish!  During this time, I realized that one of the things I do miss, living in LA, is the opportunity to go to Broadway shows and see a variety of good theatre, especially musicals, all packed with the true talent NYC holds.  I think I got spoiled living in the city, after college, and having the ability to walk to shows at every turn.  Also, I’ve been fortunate growing up so close to the city and having extraordinary parents who believe in the arts and took us to musicals, plays, exhibits and more, from a very young age on.

All in all, 2010 has been a great year, even though it has just begun, and I feel good about it while looking forward to all it has to offer!  I hope it is playing out positively for you as well, and, if not, remember that you are in control of your own adventure in life, so you have to make it happen, something my marvelous mother often encouragingly reminds me.  ‘Til next time, try to enjoy your own adventure, and I’ll do the same!

“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” – Oprah Winfrey

 

Tags: Director, Movie, Television, Filmmaker, Hollywood

The Manager - What the Movies Avatar and Twilight Have in Common - It Is More Than You Think!

Now I know many of you reading the subject line of this blog will think I am crazy. Yet if you stop to think, both of these huge successes are based on well-known stories.

*    Twilight is the story of Romeo and Juliet
*     Avatar is the classic conqueror vs. natives story…. very similar to Last of the Mohicans or Dances with Wolves (in my opinion Avatar is the former; many of my friends weigh in on the latter).

Both of these movies have taken age-old stories and updated them with vampires, werewolves and aliens.  These are just two examples of the old adage that people want a story that is recognizable yet feels updated and current.

Also, both of these are the story of underdogs winning. In Twilight, it’s a story of the awkward, klutzy, not-the-most-social girl who gets the guy, and in Avatar it’s the story of a cripple who unites with the natives to overthrow the big bad conqueror. Most importantly, these stories are utterly universal.

The success of both these movies points to trends in the marketplace.

1) People want a story that feels familiar yet told in an updated way.

2) People want to be uplifted.

In these times of economic hardships, people want to believe that the little guys can win.  And people want to believe that the ugly duckling can get the prince — even if she never turns into a swan.

More importantly, people want to go to the movies to be entertained — to escape the hard realities of their daily lives.  And both these movies provide just that — a story that is inherently familiar yet told in an updated way and where the little guy wins. Everyone can walk out of the movies in good spirits!

If  you are struggling to find an inspiration for your next project, think of a universal story that can be updated in an exciting way and can entertain people and give them hope!

Tags: Movie Theatre, Oscars, Film, Film Blog, Movie Bloggers

The Storyboard Artist - Details…. not yet!

For the last five weeks, I have been working on a movie called “FASTER” for director, George Tillman.

I’ve been working lots of hours, as I want and need to get everything just right.

As this is an action film, George is very exact and detailed with each and every shot. He wants the angle to be right, the possible lens, as well as unique ways to see the character.

I’ve never had the chance to draw Dwayne Johnson in a film before, so I have gotten my money’s worth, as he is the star and is in all the scenes I have drawn.

The key is to not to do heavy a first pass when you show it to the director of a project. Show just enough so they can see what’s going on, but never get bogged down in detail.

You might not get the feel right. Shots get cut and changed. You can have a great shot, but it may need to be tighter or wider. If you put all your energy into beautiful drawings at first, and then you have to do a number of passes, you’ll burn yourself out.

Get feedback from the director, make changes, then, you can add detail if needed.  Also, if you don’t know the director well, try to find out the level of detail or finish they need. If you have a lot to do in terms of frames, you’ll have to economize.

Tags: Actor, Movie, Movie Theatre, Hollywood, Movie Blog

The Actor - NEW YEAR, NEW BLOG

Let me start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year, 2010!!!  I cannot believe that a decade ago I was in one of my favorite countries, Australia, in the middle of the crystal, cyan blue waters of the Great Barrier Reef, ringing in the Millennium with my fabulous family, marking some of my best memories to date.  Ten years later, we found ourselves all together, yet again, but this time in our Nation’s capital with a slightly bigger family consisting of two adorable nephews and a another brother-in-law.

With that said, I realize I have been away from FIB and all of my loyal and supportive blog readers for some time, far too much time in fact, and for that, I sincerely apologize!  Please know that I thought about you often and have truly missed my days blogging with you.  So, along with my new year’s resolution to drink more water, I also plan to pick up where I left off and continue my weekly Wednesday blogs, so get ready!

In addition, I want to thank each of you for your continued support while on my journey as an actor and through life, as well as all of your sweet comments and thoughtful messages, even when I was nowhere to be found in blog land!  I continue to be amazed and touched by those of you who have shown interest in me, my blogs and/or acting career.  Recently, I was at an event and approached by someone who asked if I was the Liesl who blogged with Film Industry Bloggers.  After confirming that I was, he graciously proceeded to tell me that he really enjoyed reading my blogs, especially the one written on Carla Laemmle, and even recalled part of what I had written, which meant more to me than he could possibly know.

What have I been up to exactly, you might be asking.  Well, this quick 6-month wrap up, since my last blog, should help catch you up to speed…

Love entered my life unexpectedly and the adventure has been wonderful, I went on a wine tasting weekend in Paso Robles, I attended an Angels vs. Yankee game, toured the Getty Villa in Malibu, my younger sister got married in beautiful Santa Barbara, in what was a lovely fall wedding, I gained a brother-in-law who fits in with our family perfectly, I attended Carla Laemmle’s 100th birthday and got to meet the gracious Sara Karloff, daughter of Boris Karloff, who paid me a lovely compliment about my acting in “Kreating Karloff” and said she was excited to meet me, yes, little me, I dressed up for Halloween for the first time in years, picnicked on the beach in Laguna, continued work on “Rock of Ages” with Telsey Casting and the fabulous Rachel Hoffman, where I also reunited with talented actor David Tom, with whom I acted in my first TV role, “Holy Joe” on CBS, I threw my 6th annual holiday par-tay, visited Disneyland while it was decorated for Christmas, good friends got engaged while others had babies, I celebrated the holiday in NJ with my entire family, traveled back to my beloved New York City, a place I miss more as each year passes, rang in the 2010 in the Nation’s capital, and just as the year came to a close, I booked the voice and face of Gale O’Hara, a video game character, which is something different for me, but that I am excited about and which presents a new, fun experience.

Other than that, I’m still looking forward to fully enjoying my 30’s, which I had just entered when I last updated you in August, and, so far, I am simply loving it!  I still plan to concentrate on the commercial avenue of my career and hosting/personality type jobs, which will hopefully lead to a platform for my own children’s charity foundation, my ultimate goal!  ‘Till next time, which will be sooner this time, I hope you all enjoy the start of 2010 and the pictures below that capture some of what I was up to while away from you the past 6 months in descending order starting in September 2009 and ending in January 2010.

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” - Hal Borland

Photo Credit: Meghan Aileen Photography (wedding pictures below)

 

Tags: Film, Film Industry, Movie Theatre, Hollywood, Oscars

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