And the Award Goes To…

 

Film is a collaborative art.  I’ve said it before and I’m not the first. This is why any award or accolade—even if given to an individual—is really a laurel honoring all the people who were part of the process that led to the final product.  An actor’s performance in a film is a variable alchemy of the actor’s craft, the direction, the editing and much more.  Many elements combine in a special sort of synergy to create what we end up seeing on the screen.  For a director, the symbiotic group dynamic extends to the entire crew…and beyond.

 

Earlier this week, I was awarded the EOTM Award for “Best Director of an Indie Horror Film” for my feature DEADLY REVISIONS.  By now, it will come as no surprise when I say that the award belongs to everyone involved with the film: the crew, the cast, the funders, fans and friends; everyone played a part in supporting the film and, by default, me as a director.  I had my indomitable co-producer Roxy Shih to wrangle and facilitate production needs, my astute director of photography Kate Sobol to devise ways to make each shot work well, numerous and tireless production assistants who kept unseen cogs greased, Facebook fans who shared our stills and updates to their friends...and the beautiful people who poured money into the production; all of these people and more are a part of the creation and life of this film.

 

So to all those people, I of course extend my thanks; not just for helping to manifest an award, but for helping make this incredible film that, I hope, will be something of which we can all be very proud.  The award on my mantle is in honor of us all.  And I couldn’t be in better company.  

 

 

Why Aren’t You Famous, Yet?

 

          To more easily succeed as an artist, one has to either embrace the business side of things or embrace someone who does.  Or both.  Both is best, but having someone who works hard to sell you and your art allows you to spend a little more time on the art itself.  And that fosters more and better art.

 

          The most common people who take on that sales and marketing role are agents and managers.  Agents generally work specifically to get you jobs; managers do the same as well as work to improve your game and promote you in non-job related ways.  You can survive with neither, one or both, but—generally—the more people you have working with you, the better your chances at success.

 

          At different times, I have had a commercial agent, two theatrical agents and a literary agent:  all worked hard and got me jobs and/or opportunities I would not have found or had access to myself.  But none got me more jobs than I got on my own.  It could have been the market, the timing, their focus or reach—it’s hard to say.  But we all amicably parted ways and I went along without any representation for many years and survived.  I got some of my best roles on my own.  It can be done.  It’s just very, very hard.

          But recently, Sean Debeverac of Royalty Rope, Inc. caught me in a showcase and called me in for a meeting.  I did a few monologues and when I was done, he said: “Why aren’t you famous, yet?”  I flashed a wry smile and threw back: “That is your mission, should you choose to accept.”  Accept he did--on a trial basis.  In a matter of weeks, I had an audition that landed me a fantastic role on one episode of the Vision Award winning series “Love That Girl!”  Other auditions came my way as well.  Then, I learned the “Love That Girl!” casting director told Sean they wanted my character to come back.  In tandem, Sean called to tell me he wanted to sign me up as an official client.  Considering his belief in my talent and his ability to get me auditions, I said “yes”.

 
          So I am now pleased to be represented by Royalty Rope, Inc. who will be my management team for the foreseeable future.  Sean and his colleagues Matt and Brian are all dynamic, diligent professionals with whom I expect to enjoy a good, mutually beneficial run.  Here’s to the future!

 

Getting My Weird On

             I got the call from my manager that I had an audition for “LOVE THAT GIRL!”—a successful TV sitcom that had been running for a few years. It sounded like a great role for a quirky character actor like me: an uptight scribe wrestling with writer’s block. As is my customary modus operandi, I checked out the show and all the sides that were available so I could be as informed and prepared as possible. In my search, I noticed another role that I thought might be even more up my alley: a crazy, completely whacked-out neighbor known only as Weird Wendell. But I studied for the role of the writer since that was the role I was called in for.

          In the casting office, I went in and read the role the best I knew how. I could tell I was in the right ballpark: both the casting director and her associate burst out laughing several times. But the magic happened when, after I finished, the casting director asked me to read for—you guessed it— Weird Wendell. It takes a seasoned casting director with a keen eye to see these things: Leah Daniels is just such a casting director. So I went out of the room to study the lines. I came back in, read the part and made the ladies laugh even more. I thought things were working out just fine.

           And they were. My manager called me to let me know I got the job. And when I got the script, I realized that the role was much bigger that the writer’s: the writer had only one scene and Weird Wendell had five! So things were working out even better than I expected. The next week, I found myself on set for the episode that featured Weird Wendell. Between the script and my interpretation, Weird Wendell became a cross between Christopher Lloyd in Taxi and Kramer in Seinfeld. I sported a crazy bed-head do, ill-fitting 70’s garb, bug eyes and a bad attitude. And masterful, easy-going director Bentley Kyle Evans let us improvise as we went along, so we found even more humor on the go. Even the wardrobe department got in on the fun, throwing crazier outfits on me as the show progressed. I can't tell you anything more than that. And won't. You have to watch the show!

           Suffice it to say, I had a fantastic time and I hope my work on the episode is going to stand out. It’s not often you get a role that feels like a perfect fit. Weird Wendell was one of those guys.

          Weird Wendell makes his debut in episode 430 “My Way or the Hall Way”.  Watch for it and get your weird on!

 

For Troubled Times

 

          There are days that make us ache:  days where nature wreaks havoc with hurricanes and/or earthquakes; days where madmen bring pain and death with bombs and/or planes; days where loved ones die from illness, injury or age.   These are days that come with living in our current world.  Sadly, these days are unavoidable:  nature and madmen will always find ways to wage their heartless way.  We can only make the other days be the best they can be.  Be kind, be loving, be generous.  And, on the bad days, seek solace where we can. 

          I think film and theater are a great solace.  We feel good watching a movie we love; it’s like an old friend, bringing a sense of consistency, stability and familiarity—things we need at times of struggle.  Watching actors play characters who laugh, cry and wend their ways through adventures connects us to the world in a powerful way:  we learn from their mistakes and the ways they differ from us and feel camaraderie and recognition in what we share with them—even if the characters are animated or non-human.  We sit for a time, safe and at peace, taking in the stories that move us and remind us that life is full of more things than we can imagine. 

          So I posit that film and theater be embraced as a blessed balm for difficult days;  that each can draw your mind away from your troubles, possibly provide solutions and, at the very least, remind you that you are not alone.  They cannot heal the infirmed or rebuild the destroyed, but they can bring comfort and fill us with a sense of wonder and awe, examples of courage and kindness…and lessons of heroism and humility.  And that’s a good thing.

 

          What are your comfort films or plays?  Leave a comment and let me know.
 

Art As Activism

 

Now don’t worry:  I’m not going to get on a soapbox and preach about the duty of an artist and all that jazz; this isn’t that kind of blog.  I just wanted to talk about some productions that I was lucky enough to be in that are more than just entertainment; that aim to both teach and delight (which is my definition of great art, bastardized from Sir Philip Sydney’s definition of great poetry).  Great art, by that definition, can come in all shapes and sizes.  Three such projects are the short film “Meet the Zillas”, the pilot of a proposed television series called “Chris/Tina” and the hit web series “Old Dogs & New Tricks”…and I, believing in them, got myself involved in them all.

 “Meet the Zillas” is the brain child of multi-talented writer/director /producer/actress Moreen Littrell who wore all four hats on the project, creating a campy, comedic fable about a place called Zillatown where everyone is wedding-obsessed but not everyone is allowed to marry—namely Zillas.   Its wild, colorful and occasionally musical world may look like Dr. Who meets Dr. Seuss, but the desire to love and marry who we want and be treated equally by all is as familiar as it gets in our country’s current climate.   You can see me as a pro-Zilla protester and as a guest in a wedding that gets magically (and hilariously) mob-flashed.

 

 “Chris/Tina” is the creation of Jorge Perez and tells the tale of a teenager in a Latin community and all that entails (Catholic repression, machismo, etc.) who feels caught between the expectations of that community and the realization that he is a woman inside and needs to begin the transgender journey.   Perez hopes to educate people--especially parents--and help provide a role model and a voice for youth who are in the same or a similar situation.  I couldn’t think of another show that was trying to do that and anything that helps kids feel less alone and survive being ridiculed or bullied is good in my book.  So I signed up for a cameo as a Waiter in one scene.   See a sneak peek of the show here: http://vimeo.com/50741208

 

Back to comedy (and wedding drama) on the set of “Old Dogs & New Tricks”--Leon Acord’s ground-breaking web series about gay men in (or near) their fifties, trying to navigate life in the youth-oriented city of West Hollywood where men “of a certain age” can feel invisible.  No other series out there right now really represents this demographic and, with the aging of America, this is a subject that needs to be talked about.  At once outrageous in its humor and candor, the show manages enough dollops of pathos to make you care about the characters as the episodes evolve; so much so, that the series has garnered quite a following.  (It doesn’t hurt to have great actors on hand as the Dogs and their various cohorts.)  So when I heard they needed a few more actors for a big 2-part gay wedding in their second season, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.

So, yes:  I love to watch (and act in) mindless comedy, cheesy horror, fantasy and all the rest.  I really do love it all.  But I get a special sense of pride from being involved in art that aims for more than just entertainment; where the laughs are tied to lessons and the plots provoke positive change.  I guess it’s the part of me that wants to help make the world a better place.  Lucky for me, I’m not alone in that dream.

The Trouble With Words

I don’t normally blog about other people’s art, but I have to shout about a event that no Los Angeles theater lover should miss.  It’s the Coeurage Theater Company’s production of Gregory Nabours’ “The Trouble With Words”.  If neither of those sound familiar, you are really missing out, so read on.

 The Coeurage Theater Company has been around for over three years, surviving as L.A.’s only “pay what you want theater”.  They, under the formidable guidance of Artistic Director Jeremy Lelliot, believe no one should be denied a chance to see theater just because they’re short a few bucks.  It’s a beautiful, lofty goal and Coeurage has managed to stay true to that goal while keeping its doors open and continuing to bring great theater to the town.   Case in point:  in their new space at the Lost Studio Theatre, they are presenting a brand new, no-holds-barred production of Gregory Nabours’ Ovation Award winning song cycle “The Trouble With Words”, complete with live musicians, dancing and songs that will be sung in cabaret acts across the country in no time.

 “The Trouble With Words” is a musical catalogue of the ways we use speech and vocabulary to hide or reveal our feelings and thoughts:  how the words we choose to use or not use can calm or confuse, harm or amuse, render or fuse.  Mr. Nabours’ songs are jam-packed with wit, whimsy and wonder, echoing Jason Robert Brown and Stephen Schwartz to great effect.  The Haircut is a hilarious lesson in male versus female communication styles while Complimentary Brunch shows how a man is not even needed for tension as two ladies use words as weapons in the best musical cat fight in years.  Men get their due in Pick Up Lines as two Lotharios battle for the best use of verbal seduction which ends in an ironic and funny tie. Then, The Ballerina’s Lament shows that, sometimes, vulgarity really does provide the best word choice.   

But don’t be fooled that this is a mere intellectual exercise in and about words.   Mr. Neighbors is a master tunesmith and when emotion is the focus, his melodies soar with the kind of lyricism that sends chills up your spine.  All That’s In Between, Raincloud and Before The Fall all prove to be the kind of songs that you want to capture in your hands somehow and let them fill your heart up. And that, ultimately, is what great musical theater should do.

Kudos to the multi-talented cast and musicians…and to the courageous crew of the Coeurage Theater Company.  As their name suggests, they provide great theatre…with heart.

Coeurage Theater Company - Lost Studio Theatre - 130 S La Brea, Los Angeles, CA 90036  ~ @Coeurage

http://thetroublewithwords.com/

Oscar Moments and Memories

          Call me revolutionary, but I found much to praise about this year’s Oscars. While everyone seems to be whining and arguing about what won or didn’t win, what was included and what was not, and endless other elements—some of them of import and others of petty insignificance—I would like to take the road less traveled and comment on what I found to be rewarding, because praise is more welcome than criticism to the receiver and more pleasing to the giver and the world could do with a bit more focus on the positive.

          First off, I was pleased that wealth was spread around nicely: the awards were handed out to many different films instead of all being heaped on one. This is especially appropriate and gratifying when all the nominees were so incredibly worthy and picking a winner seemed a crime. I am delighted that Argo, Lincoln, Life of Pi, Les Miserables, Amour, Django Unchained and Brave all got nods; they all had elements of greatness within them—as did all the other films. It felt like a night that celebrated all film, not just one or two and that just feels better to my mind and soul.

 

          Second, I enjoyed the abundance of quality musical numbers directly related to the industry, performed by people in the industry. It was a treat to see Charlize Theron and Channing Tatum and then Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe join Seth McFarlane in dance numbers that gave a us a loving taste of old Hollywood glamour. We were then treated to a nod to the movie musical genre with the terrific montage of classic numbers from Chicago, Dreamgirls and Les Meserables. But the prize-winning, show-stopping moments came from divas Shirley Bassey and Barbra Streisand, singing two of their signature film songs in tributes to Bond and those who passed on this year.

          Finally, I was pleased to see a return to an outward display of respect for the event and a sense of genuine pleasure. I saw far less sunglasses and gum-chewing and an abundance of women in truly beautiful gowns and men looking dapper in slick suits and tuxes. And yet, despite the upscale dress, the prevailing attitude was one—not of ego or ennui—but of joy and gratitude.

           So, yes, I could complain about what I didn’t like about the evening; there were elements that disappointed and even concerned me. But I’d rather shout out about the good stuff; what you make the most of is usually what you remember. So would you rather remember things you didn’t like…or things you did? What do you want for your “misty, water-colored memories”? As for me, I’d like to remember Charlize and Channing, Joseph and Daniel, Shirley and Barbra.

          Who’s with me?

 

 

Directors-A-Go-Go

 

          I am still wearing my director hat as post-production of the feature film “Deadly Revisions” continues. But then, with my actor eyes, I spy an audition to play a director in a new Full Moon Features film called “Ooga Booga”. I go for it and the next thing I know, in between actually being a director, I am now also playing a director…for a third director—and a rather famous one at that.

          Charles Band has directed dozens of films and produced over two hundred, so it’s exciting to be added to his impressive body of work. Not to mention “Ooga Booga” also has two personal acting icons of mine in it: Karen Black and Stacy Keach; Mr. Keach’s creepily stoic turn in “The Ninth Configuration” is a favorite of mine…and Karen Black’s roles in “Burnt Offerings” and “Trilogy of Terror” are not only classic in my mind, but—funnily enough—both receive loving nods in “Ooga Booga”. So I am thrilled and honored to be involved in the project.

          The icing on the cake, of course, is my role which, though small, is an ironic riot. I play a neurotic, nebbish director who loses his patience with a slobbery drunk actor who is the clown host of a children’s show. Mr. Hambo, the clown, is played to the hilt by Chance A. Rearden, whose make-up includes a pig snout dripping snot. It is hilariously repulsive—as is his behavior in the dressing room and on set in front of the children. So I proverbially flip my lid and fire him—right on the set, in front of the wide-eyed tiny tots. It’s a double scenery-chewing bonanza in under five minutes. Mr. Band directs the scene fluidly, giving adjustments and improvisations along the way. His relaxed demeanor, expert eye and concise communication are a master class in direction.

          So I was a vacationing director playing a frazzled director for a relaxed director who taught me how to be a better director.

          You might say things are going in the right…er…direction.

          And…CUT!

 

Trailer for OOGA BOOGA

 

 

If You Dare...

We were sitting at lunch on the set of “DeadlyRevisions” when Bill* turns to me and says “Why don’t you write a film about a werewolf, a vampire and…?”

That’s how it began.  It was a provocative, almost crazy idea:  a film that would have a very limited audience, destined to the art house and movies-on-demand world; only big stars and an even bigger marketing budget could propel it into the mainstream.   But it excited us both: a hybrid of normally mutually exclusive genres, a heretofore unheard of relationship, and an opportunity to muse on the very definition of what it is to be a monster.   But who would be as excited about it as we were?  Possibly no one.  So it was madness to consider taking it any further than that conversation at lunch. 

But it stuck with me.  It needled me.  Eventually, I came to realize it literally haunted me:  this ghost of an idea, insisting to be given life in the material world, would not let me go until I succumbed to its cry.  And, I admit, I was excited by the folly and challenge of the thing.  Then, at a later meeting, Bill and I confirmed our passion for the idea, crazy as it was.  So the gauntlet was thrown down.  It was a dare…and I was going to meet it, head on.  Damn screenplay regularity!  Damn mass marketability!  Damn budget implausibility!  I was going to write the beast!! 

So I slugged my scotch and set to work.  And to my surprise and delight, it was unbelievably easy!  

At first.   

Then the challenges began to press their smug-ugly faces in—all around me.  

 “So…ya got a couple of nice monsters.  Now what?”    

Bastards. 

But I forged ahead, letting the characters I had created do the talking; they informed me what stories would be told, what struggles would emerge, what twists would force them to learn, to act, to change.  And so, slowly, the three of us found a narrative that moved us through the ghoulish parade of obstacles until, at last, I had the first draft of a complete script.  I gave it to Mr. Oberst to see if it in any way met what he had imagined at that lunch what seemed now long ago.  He was thrilled with it and begged me to polish it and have it ready to go by early next year to shoot in summer. 

So it seems I’ve been given another dare.  And it should be clear by now that, if you dare me… 

*Bill Oberst, Jr. -  2012 Shockfest Best Actor

Photo Synthesis

          As an actor, images of you and your work are instrumental to your success.  But getting desired images is the trick.  After all: any ape with a cell phone can snap your photo and post it on the internet, but chances are the lighting, focus, angle or expression (or all of the above) will make the photo prove one you wish hadn’t happened.  But no harm intended, so you laugh those off.  Then there are the paparazzi who are hoping to make money off the most unflattering photo of you they can get; harm fully intended. But you still have to try to laugh them off, because litigation can kill your image as much as a bad photo.  So you do your best to get talented photographers who can tame the alchemy of color, light and attitude and take a few good pictures that fare you well.

          My recent find is the eclectic artisan Joshua Patterson of Josh Patterson Photography.  I say eclectic because he also writes, sings and occasionally stage manages.   But lately he has been honing his photography skills and the results are fantastic.  So we talked about what I wanted to do:  a varied photo shoot that would show off disparate elements of my acting range.  As a character actor, I’m cast as evil bastards, hapless nerds and everything in-between and I wanted some fresh shots of all of the above.  Josh was excited to get his lens on me and see what we could create.

          In this case the maxim “a picture is worth a thousand words” seems apropos.  So without further ado, here are a few faces of me, brought to you via the eyes of my new snap man.  I think you’ll agree:  Mr. Patterson has a great future ahead of him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more photos and info visit Josh Patterson Photography