The Dreamer

My first week free from the day job in post did not go the way I expected.  A family emergency took my back home an hour’s drive outside of the city for most of the week. I was able through the internet to keep searching for some films to apply to.

I found some information on the Drew Barrymore Roller Derby movie and sent an email and photo from my burlesque persona to the casting agency to be an extra. They are looking for rock and roll types, and I figured my burlesque persona would be the best chance to get into that.  In many cities, roller derby and burlesque troupes often work together. I was a cheerleader for our Detroit Derby Girls when their league was just starting.

I also sent a resume to a “friend of a friend” who is casting the Clint Eastwood movie.
I don’t know if any of these people will take me seriously without real head shots, but I figure trying with what I have is better than nothing.

Actually, the person making most headway this week was my boyfriend the audio guy. He will be working on a film as a boom operator/assistant audio person for about 5 weeks. He too had been working on the post side of things and is now going to be taking advantage of the Michigan Film Incentives to work on set.

So I am back home taking advantage of seeing family I won’t be able to see when I move. I have realized an important thing while sitting here with little to do. I have a compulsive need to tell stories though words, whether they are written or spoken, and images whether they are moving or still. I found myself walking around the river and the woods taking still photos trying to capture the beautiful things in nature that surrounded me.

Yesterday was my last day at my job in post. I stepped out of the building at the end of the day armed with all my boxes, and I said to myself. “Wow this is it, I really have to do this now.. there is no going back.” I am terrified, and excited, and beneath all the analysis, I know I have to do this.

My former co-workers were either supportive or skeptical, but it is my life and I have to do what is right for me. The best advice I got was just to believe in myself because if I don’t, who is going to.

I had my birthday this past Wednesday. I told everyone I only wanted things that would benefit my goal. I got several books on acting and acting technique. “On Method Acting” “Acting is Everything” and “No Acting Please.” My boyfriend said he chose them because he had read that his favorite actor Johnny Depp had recommended them.

So now it is here, and I really have to be proactive. Now that I finally have the time to devote to this.

I am going to take some of my birthday money to set myself up with a few more stylish yet conservative outfits, shoes, and a purse. I felt very out of place at the acting seminars. My own style is simple rock and roll t-shirts and jeans and vintage clothing from the 40’s and 50’s. I need to be able to fit in with the modern popular style as well. I need to be able to play that part, as well as play up my vintage and rock and roll look when a situation would call for it.

Then the next step is HEAD SHOTS!!!! I am going to hire a friend to do this first round. I have seen her work with people, and she is very talented. I have two friends that got laid off from a salon that are hair and make-up artists. I think we will work great together.
Then I will contact the agencies in town. I have a few cards from the seminars, and contacts people have given me. I really want to find my way into the Drew Barrymore roller derby movie. I was a roller derby cheerleader for our own Detroit Derby girls a few years ago. I found out that they cast extras this past week, but I might be able to make it into a crowd scene.

I taught my burlesque class last Sunday, and have another one tomorrow. It is so fun and inspiring. I love teaching the girls, and always learn something from them as well. They always pick everything up so naturally. I teach a two hour beginners seminar. It starts with a lesson/lecture talking about what burlesque is and where it comes from. Then we learn some basic moves, with basic costuming and props that I provide. (gloves, hats, and feather boas.) I teach them how to do the moves, and we do them together as a class in groups to a retro jazz musicplay list.

I also provide several handouts on techniques and advice on costuming and music, where to shop in the city, links to other neo-burlesque dancers.

Then we make pasties, which are fancy little things that cover certain parts when burlesque dancing.

The first Monday off of my day job I am teaching a private fan dance lesson… to a grandmother.

We have been checking the Michigan Film office website, and craigslist everyday in search of opportunities. I came across one which I decided to follow up on, and send a resume. I set up an interview. In the posting it explained that there was not a big budget, however I assumed this meant the pay would be low. The interview was at a coffee shop. I met with the producer and director. They were very honest and upfront explaining that it was a small film that they had hoped to use to later in the future secure better backing.
They explained that the P.A.’s would not be getting paid.
This puts me in a great dilemma. On one hand, I do not have much experience out of college in actual production. So is this a new opportunity I could gain experience from.
On the other hand, I do not want to get pegged as the “girl who works for free.” I am not a young teenager, I have a car payment, and bills to pay.
Maybe they figure they will get a bunch of young kids that are so excited to work on films and that is enough.
It is unfortunate that Detroit/Michigan’s artistic community often goes unpaid for their endeavors. There are so many little films around town, and until now you have had to work for free on these films in your spare time, while having to balance a job. I guess I was hoping that with this tax incentives would be changing this way of doing things. I have constantly run into this in the underground performance and burlesque community as well. So many young girls just willing to perform for the fact they will get attention. It drives down the value for the rest of us that reinvest into their art, and actually want to put quality into our performance by taking classes, and getting exciting costumes and props. These things all cost money.
I returned back to my day job after the interview (still in my two weeks notice…) and my one of my favorite clients was in the room. He is a VP for a local media production company. I asked him what he thought, about working as a P.A. and not getting paid. He said it was B*ll S**t. “Those guys are getting a 40% tax rebate. They could pay you something. “Oh what, your supposed to be just honored to work on their film.” Later that week he asked for my phone number, and email. I think he is considering hiring me for P.A. work in the future.
So even though we have put our moving plans on hold because of a possibility of a screen actors guild strike, I understand. Even though my TV shows were cut short and mostly repeats this year due to a writers strike, I get it. There is a giant pie people are getting, and you have to fight for your own slice. I guess I see it like these people are setting a precedence that will benefit me in the future when I work in the industry.  It is just unfortunate that it effects everyone else surrounded by it.

But I am also not too proud, or egotistical. I realize this is all new, I realize I am new, and coming from nowhere. On the other hand, I don’t want to get taken advantage of. I have some thinking to do if this will be beneficial, and I am going to keep looking for other opportunities.

Since they announced the Michigan film incentives, there have been casting calls, and acting seminars surfacing everywhere. It has been a challenge to spot which ones are worth the time and money. I have been careful for the most part, but I did write a small check to a supposed “extras” website that I haven’t been contacted about or gotten any extra work from. Someone has since told me that “I shouldn’t have had to do that.” It is all learning.

I went to another seminar the other day, the least expensive that has been offered, but it was an advertisement for a motion picture acting program. The instructor did provide quite a bit of information in the seminar, and they had professionals from local casting agencies there.

It seems as if this has all blown up so quickly and the local casting agencies are doing their best to fill all the roles. L.A. is coming here expecting things to run like their larger and more experienced system, and Michigan is doing its very best to conform. The instructor of the seminar stressed the importance of us all making Hollywood feel not only welcome here, but showing them what great talent and work ethic we have.

It surprises me how many people at these seminars are actually working actors and models living in Michigan. I didn’t know they were here. They all are steps ahead of me, have head shots done, have actually been on professional auditions, I listen and learn from the critiques that the professionals give them.

This is the second one of these seminars I have been too. The first one was more active. It gave students the opportunity to try acting exercises, and get in front of the camera. I was lucky enough to meet an actress there who needed a reel, and the profits from editing her reel are going to my head shots fund. I learned from this experience and had quick “free” business card made from an online service, and have started to hand them out at these seminars. I have a feeling that having an editing system of my own, and the skills to use it are going to be very beneficial not only to make friends and learn from actors, but also finance my own investment into acting.
I had previously feared that I did not have the personality for the hustle and the networking but I am quickly finding that I am really good at, and enjoy it. I guess If you just throw yourself in the water you find out that you swim to survive.

For a while I wondered if it was a bad thing that I couldn’t focus my interests on just one thing. I saw a friend’s (that has already made it to the L.A. area) personal website that showcased all her talents and passions, some that we share. It was so inspiring. From that moment on, I realized that my many interests were not a hindrance, but rather a benefit. Having more skills means you can work more jobs.
My boyfriend is keeping up with the impending S.A.G. strike. He told me last night that it doesn’t look good. It has been another reason we postponed the move to Los Angeles. We don’t want to move to a town and be the new people struggling for work when all the people who have experience will be struggling as well. So we are going to take full advantage of what is going on right in our own backyard until this gets straightened out.

After months of thinking, careful financial planning, and working full time plus two other jobs. I gave my two weeks to my day job in car advertising post-production.

I am going full force into acting, my burlesque dancing/teaching and working on a film crew.

Next week I go on my first interview to work on a set.

After two years of working in post-production for the automobile advertising industry in Detroit, I knew it was something I did not want to do.

I had always dreamed of moving to Los Angeles, and working on films, but here I was in Detroit. My measly salary as an assistant video editor hardly covered my costs of living, plus the student loans I was paying from my study abroad Film in Britain during my last semester of college. How would I possibly save up enough to get to Los Angeles so I could work in film?

I could get another job, but how.. My post production job required me to stay late at unpredictable times if a clients edit session went over.

I decided I would utilize my weekend nights as a burlesque dancer. It was a way I could be an actress and performer, and get paid something as well. I could schedule my own shows and except for North American International Autoshow time, when the entire production community of Detroit gives up their Christmas and New Year holiday to work on video displays, weekend nights were the least likely to have an edit session.

After a few years of performing and making a name for myself in Detroit, I was approached by a local dance studio that wanted me to teach burlesque.

I developed a curriculum and began teaching burlesque to young aspiring dancers, the curious, and older women looking to spice up their marriage. It was a wonderful experience. I got to put away more money for my goal of moving to Los Angeles, start a website for my burlesque personality, and most importantly help women feel the confidence burlesque had brought me.

In winter 2008, Michigan’s economy was in a terrible state. In the same week, I found out my boyfriend whom I lived with, and depended on for paying half the bills, lost his job as an audio engineer due to a down turn of business, and the house we were renting was being foreclosed on.

We had it with Michigan, and not only now WANTED to leave, but we knew we HAD to leave. We moved into his parents basement, and intended to save up money to get us started in L.A. That spring, I had a plan and FINALLY the financial means to get myself to Los Angeles so I could change my career. I wanted to be an actress most of all, but I also knew that I just wanted to get out of post, and onto a set, and I was open to other jobs as well.

Then we learned about the Michigan film incentive bills. The Incentive package included “40% cash rebate, across the board on Michigan expenditures, with a spending threshold of $50,000,” and “Labor and Crew: 40%-42% Resident, 30% Non-resident.” Everything began to change. My boyfriend finally found work syncing audio to dailies. Classes and seminars sprung up everywhere, on not only acting, but crew as well. I went to an acting seminar and realized by sticking around Michigan for another couple of months I would be 10-12% more incentive to hire. This could give me that edge to break into the business, and develop some contacts while I was still here.

The new plan became: quit my job in post, get some head shots, start the hustle of breaking into acting and working as an extra, apply for various crew positions, while I am still here in Detroit. I feel so lucky now that I am able to get my feet wet while I am still here, before making the big change.

Moving to Los Angeles is still the plan. I love my home state of Michigan.. in May-October, but it’s cold winters, are a dark time. I have no desire to experience them for the rest of my life.

Late this summer or early fall, we will embark on a cross country journey down South, and then across I-10. I hope you will join us by reading here.

Lauren Petre has had a desire to work in filmmaking for as long as she can remember. After majoring in Media Arts at Michigan State University she worked as an assistant video editor in Detroit. She dreams of making it in Hollywood, and with the latest Michigan Film Incentives dreams might come true.